Reaching For Normal Read online

  The answer to that one was a resounding yes.

  The woman kept moving, never once checking her surroundings, and walked right past him. Within three yards of where he stood beside a tree.

  When she got to the clearing, she kept striding forward, heedless of the way he’d crisscrossed over the path. Many times.

  It was a wonder she’d managed to follow his trail at all.

  Sawyer moved away from the tree and followed Myla into the clearing. Christ, she was going to keep walking until she bumped right into the wolf hide.

  “What the hell are you doing out here?”

  Myla spun around, flailing as she tried to keep her balance. Before he could reach her, she’d landed on her ass and was scrabbling away from him.

  The moment she recognized him, relief filled her eyes. Then wariness. “Um. Hi.”

  He didn’t bother responding.

  Myla swallowed visibly, looked away, then right back at him. “I need to give you a message.”

  He couldn’t even respond to that. A message? She didn’t have a clue what could have happened to her while she’d followed his trail.

  She brushed her hands together but didn’t make any attempt to get up. Either giving her leg a rest or she’d forgotten she was sitting. “I called the police station.” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “The chief was out. In fact, they were all out. There’s been some kind of big accident on the highway and all of the officers had been called out.”

  Sawyer closed his eyes and drew in a breath, hoping the air would cool his temper.

  Nope.

  “So, I came out to tell you they can’t get here until at least tomorrow morning. You’ll be on your own until then.”

  Holy hell.

  “Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me?” Sawyer couldn’t keep his voice any lower than a bellow. “You followed me out here to tell me that? You put yourself in danger because you thought, what, I’d get scared being in the dark on my own? Are you serious?”

  Those wide hazel eyes blinked at him. Her mouth opened and closed a few times but other than that she didn’t move.

  Guilt assailed him but he was too furious to listen to it. She’d traipsed across the damn lake on her own. Wait. “How did you get here? Did you steal one of my sleds?”

  Her face paled further. Her eyes widened and she did that gaping fish thing with her mouth.

  Speechless. That had to be a minor miracle.

  “You stole my sled.” Sawyer turned and paced to the trees and back again, shoving his hands through his hair and dislodging his hat. He’d tossed his gloves to study the scene and he returned to the trees to get them. And to give him more time to settle.

  He wanted to strangle her. Needed to get her back to safety first. Then, he could strangle her.

  Shit.

  When he stormed back to Myla, he found her standing, staring at the wolf hide with tears in her eyes.

  “Who could do this?”

  That was the question of the day.

  “Don’t know yet but I’m going to find out.” He sighed. “After we get you back to town.”

  Myla nodded but her eyes stayed on the hide. He wanted to put himself between her and the atrocity but figured she might as well see what they were up against. That would ensure she wouldn’t get in his way.

  “You have that camera on you? I took photos on my phone but I assume the quality of your camera is better.”

  Another nod and she unzipped her pocket and gulped a breath before aiming the camera at the hide. Her hands trembled and she sniffed. Sawyer caved and held out his hand. It took her a moment or two but she gave it to him. He didn’t blame her, it was hard enough to look at it when he’d already seen it once.

  When he was done, he handed it back. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s get you back to town.”

  A blast shattered the silence and he grabbed Myla, threw her to the ground, and covered her. His gun was out and ready but he knew the blast was too far away.

  The bastard had blown up their damn sleds.

  #don'tmesswithmothernature

  Once again, Myla lay covered by a two-hundred-pound blanket of sexy man. Once again, she wanted to cower, stay protected, let him face the danger.

  Instead, she squirmed to get free. Well, she tried to but Sawyer had her completely controlled. She couldn’t move a single part of her. When she wriggled a second time, he patted her hat and hushed her.

  Knowing he was the expert, she hushed. Which gave her too much time to think. And worry. She didn’t want to think about what kind of monster could do something so hideous to a living creature. The hide hadn’t been clean and the bits still attached to it had made her want to vomit.

  Worse, she didn’t want to remember the devastation she’d seen in Sawyer’s eyes. The pain had been so vivid, it had felt like a punch to her own gut. He’d talked about how much the integration of the wolves had meant to his dad. Having never known hers, she could only imagine how powerful that would be.

  She hoped whatever had exploded had nothing to do with them but she hadn’t seen anything else on either drive across the lake. The noise had been bigger than a backfire. Maybe a wood stove exploded in a remote cabin. Or a snowmachine crashed into a tree.

  She’d been a fool to come out here. So arrogant to think she could help when all she wanted to do was run and hide. She was too slow, didn’t know anything about the woods or winter. And her bravery quota had been all used up.

  Worse, it put Sawyer in danger. He was a SEAL. He’d protect her first. Probably at all costs.

  She’d have to make sure she wasn’t a hindrance. As soon as they got back to the sleds, she’d hightail it across the lake and get someone who could actually help Sawyer track down the nutbar.

  Sawyer continued to stroke and soothe her. Even when his attention was turned elsewhere, he offered her comfort. Definitely a protector.

  Nothing else exploded and Myla slowly relaxed. If they were in immediate danger, Sawyer would be doing something other than lying there.

  On top of her.

  Giving her body all kinds of delicious ideas. All of which were much better than thinking about the poor wolf or the guy who’d done that to the wolf.

  Needing the reprieve, Myla let her mind focus on those sensations. Her body cradled his, even with all the clothing between them. His hard muscles pressed him firmly down onto her.

  Everywhere.

  She wanted to press into him and inhale some of his strength and power.

  She wanted.

  Sawyer’s gaze tracked down to hers and after a moment, the omnipresent blankness dissipated. Heat took its place. Enough heat to have every shiver disappear in an instant. And to have shivers of an entirely different kind replace them.

  Unable and unwilling, to stop herself, Myla reached up and brushed her lips over his. Soft. His lips were soft. Maybe the only soft part of him.

  He didn’t retreat, so she let her lips trace over his. Tasted him. Teased his lips to open.

  When they did, she didn’t hesitate but dived right in. Her body filled with heat and all her cells tried to climb over each other to get closer to him. The man could kiss.

  The hand that had been soothing her kept moving but the tone changed. More pressure. More demand. More.

  Sawyer’s hand slid under her hat, cupping her head and tilting her the way he wanted.

  The kiss deepened and Myla could have sworn the zip she continually felt when they touched was an actual tether connecting them, bringing them closer.

  And she wanted closer still.

  His thumb caressed her jawline and pleasure built in every part that counted, obliterating everything else. It took over her mind, her body, her world. She was consumed. Filled. Lightened.

  And hot. So incredibly hot.

  Then the heat was gone. He was gone and the wind whipped in to replace his heat and fire with its chill.

  Myla opened her eyes to find Sawyer standing above her, surveying the l
and as if nothing had happened. Maybe, for him, nothing had. She was sure the tremors running through her were vibrating all the way through to China or Australia or whatever was through there but there was no visible effect on him. None.

  She’d all but attacked him with that kiss. He’d returned it. She hadn’t imagined that. But he obviously regretted it.

  Probably just as well. She’d never met anyone as completely whole as Sawyer Banks. Way, way, way out of her league. She wasn’t sure she had a league but, if she did, it wasn’t anywhere in the same galaxy as his.

  No more throwing herself at him. No more embarrassing herself. Forget her plan to get him to help her with her next step. Enough.

  Now to get upright and act like an adult.

  Shoving herself to a sitting position, she twisted to her side to use her hands as leverage. Sawyer appeared in her view and offered her his hands. She accepted without a word.

  When she stood, he released her immediately and turned to check out the woods around them again. In a flash, she remembered the noise that had sent them to the ground in the first place. “What was that?”

  Sawyer whirled to face her, eyebrows pulled down to frown at her. His eyes drifted to her lips and she realized he thought she meant the kiss. The kiss that she had initiated. Nope. Not talking about that. “The noise we heard. What do you think it was?”

  He blinked and the surprise in his eyes melted away. “Someone blew up the sleds.”

  Myla staggered back as if he’d struck her. “Our snowmachines? How can you possibly know that? We’re miles away.”

  Sawyer raised an eyebrow. “My sleds. And I know it because there’s nothing else out here to blow up.” He turned his back to her and started walking. “Plus, with the way my luck is going, there’s no way it could be anything else.”

  Myla wondered if the last sentence was about her but decided she didn’t want to ask.

  If he was right that meant the crazy guy knew they were out in the bush and knew they had no transportation.

  He also knew where they were because the tracks were easy to follow. With almost no experience, she’d done it.

  If he was crazy enough to kill a wolf and then do, well, that, to it and crazy enough to blow up two snowmachines, he might be crazy enough to kill people.

  If he’d followed her, it was her fault he’d found Sawyer’s machines. She had no idea how much they were worth but it had to be thousands of dollars.

  Her fault.

  At worst, it would have been one machine and Sawyer would be able to escape. She had no doubt that in a battle between Sawyer’s experience and a crazy guy, the former SEAL would win each and every time.

  Now she’d cost him a second machine and possibly his own safety. He’d protect her first. She’d slow him down but he wouldn’t leave her.

  She was becoming exactly what he’d accused her of being. A liability.

  From beyond the trees, Sawyer’s voice called out. “If he’s working alone, we’re safe for a bit and I don’t see any evidence that there’s more than one sadistic bastard on the loose but sticking around here isn’t a good idea. Come on.”

  Yep. Definitely a liability.

  Staying on the ground for so long had let the cold seep way down into her bones and her leg was stiff but Myla forced it to move. It would loosen as they walked. She doubted the chill from the fear would do the same.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Need to check out the sleds.”

  “That has to be a trap. He’ll be there waiting for you.”

  Sawyer shrugged and kept walking.

  He took a different path through the forest and she followed directly in his footsteps. Paranoia crept in and settled in her mind. She saw villains behind every tree, heard stealthy footsteps with every rustle of a branch, felt a killer’s breath with every bite of wind.

  Soon, one tree looked like the next. North, south, east, and west blurred into a mass of lightly falling snow. Still, their trail was big, bright, and easy to follow. No way could anyone miss it. Or them. Easy targets.

  “You keep looking over your shoulder like that, you’re going to sprain your neck or fall flat on your face.”

  The man hadn’t turned around. Not even once. How did he know she’d been checking behind them? And, if he knew that, he should know she wouldn’t be able to stop.

  A thousand trees later, Sawyer paused behind a cluster of pines. “I’m going to head over to check out the sleds.”

  “He’ll find you. We’ve left a ginormous trail. I’m wearing a red coat. We couldn’t possibly be easier to spot.” More proof she didn’t belong here, that she was endangering him just because she was there.

  Sawyer waved away her worry. “It’ll be fine. The snow will obscure things soon enough.”

  “A two-year-old could track us with both eyes closed.”

  His grunt might have been a laugh. “Trust me. Squeeze into this group of trees and wait for me. You’ll be safe.”

  On her own? Terror ripped through her but she shoved it down. Staying with him would put him in more jeopardy.

  “I’d rather keep moving.”

  Sawyer’s eyes tracked to her leg. “I don’t want you far away from me.”

  If only that were true. Rolling her eyes, Myla gathered her snark. “I think you’ll manage just fine for a few minutes. I’ll keep walking. As we’ve already discussed, I’ll be easy to track.”

  His eyes narrowed at that comment. “No. Stay here and I’ll be right back.”

  “I don’t follow orders well. I’m going to keep moving.” Her brave words had her spine straightening until she almost believed them herself.

  “Do you argue about everything?” His frustration made his voice harsh and he leaned toward her. Probably thought he was intimidating. Only made her want to snuggle in.

  No. No, it didn’t. Made her want to be independent and helpful.

  Right.

  Hoping to make a quick exit, Myla snapped off a salute and turned to continue in their original direction.

  She’d only taken a half-dozen steps when Sawyer snagged her arm, pulled her to a halt. “Not that way. If you’re determined to be a pain in the ass, let’s do it the right way and get you to hide while you walk.”

  Myla let him direct her even as she wondered if he’d been swigging some whiskey. “Hide while I walk?”

  At the bottom of a small slope, he pointed to a small stream that had been frozen over. “Here’s how you hide.”

  Myla shook her head sharply. “No way. I’m not hiding in a stream. Even I know about hypothermia.”

  Another grunt-laugh burst out of him. He shook his head and squatted down, rapped his mitt on the ice. “Not in. On. See how the snow’s been blown off the stream? No footprints. No trail. Come on. Try it.”

  He had to be as crazy as the guy he wanted to track. On snowshoes with a wonky leg. On ice.

  Sawyer took several steps on the stream, spun around, and walked back. Easy peasy. Mountain Man had probably been walking on ice his whole life.

  Back at her side, Sawyer held her elbow while she gathered the courage to lift her foot and stand on the slippery surface. Once there, she shuffled a few steps to see how the snowshoes would react.

  Not as well as Sawyer’s. Although the blame for that might not lie with the snowshoes.

  With her arms out to the side like a tight-rope walker, she managed to stay upright. The leather bits wrapped around the metal helped, as did the little picky things on the bottom.

  Without lifting her eyes, Myla put one foot in front of the other, each time lifting a little more and shuffling a little less. Not bad. As long as the sneaky bastard wasn’t behind her.

  The quick peek sent her arms whirling and she’d have fallen if Sawyer hadn’t steadied her.

  “You’re good.” Not hardly. “Follow the stream. Keep your pace steady. No need to rush.”

  She’d be alone. In her bright red coat. Better than slowing him down even more.

/>   “No need to check behind you either. I won’t be long. Ten minutes. Fifteen at most. I’ll make sure there’s no one behind you. You’re safe. Trust me.”

  She nodded because she did trust him. Not to keep her safe necessarily but to do his best to do so. It wouldn’t be his fault if she ended up in trouble. That lay on her shoulders.

  As if he’d read her mind, Sawyer rolled his eyes and released her. “Your choice, Myla. I’d prefer you to stay right here and wait for me. But if you’re determined, you can keep walking. I’ll see you soon.”

  And he was gone. Jogging up the slope. Jogging. Myla turned her attention back to her wobbling.

  The stream twisted and turned, sneaking up beside a group of trees then avoiding the next ones. No destination in mind.

  While she couldn’t do anything about her bright jacket, Sawyer had been right about the path. The ice hid her steps.

  Still, she stopped often to make sure.

  As she walked, she gained confidence and her pace increased from snail to sloth. She even managed to check out the nearby bushes and peek over her shoulder without coming to a complete halt first.

  The minutes ticked by and Myla checked more frequently behind her. Surely it had been ten minutes already. Maybe fifteen.

  Gritting her teeth, she kept walking, hoping her trust wasn’t misplaced and that Sawyer was on his way.

  She didn’t want to waste her progress by turning back but if he didn’t appear soon, she would. He might have been hurt.

  Her heart fluttered at the thought of what the knife that had been used on the wolf could do to Sawyer.

  No. He was a trained military specialist. He could handle himself.

  She’d trust him. Keep walking.

  The stream rounded another clump of pine trees and the wind slapped at her. The temperatures were dropping. She refused to think about the upcoming night. Sawyer had to know where they could get cell phone coverage. If they climbed a hill, they had to be able to access some tower. This was Vermont, not Antarctica.

  Myla reached up to tug her hat more firmly over her ears when something flew out of the tree on her left. The bird screeched, its wings almost smacking her face and she stumbled backward and slipped on the ice.