Page 4 of Christmas Wish
The whimpers morphed into loud cries.
“Nah. Anyway, you got your hands full. Thanks for checking in. I’ll call later and see how Isa’s doing.”
“Yeah, I gotta calm her down. Call if you need me.”
Ryder put his phone down on the table and stared at the blank screen. If it hadn’t been for Hawk and Tank, he wasn’t sure if he would’ve made it through those dark days when he’d returned from a two-year stay at Brooke Army Medical Center in Houston. At first, Ryder preferred to deal with the demons clawing at his mind in his own way, but Hawk and Tank kept after him, so he finally relented just to shut the two guys up. Both Tank and Hawk had done tours in Afghanistan when they’d been in the armed forces, and they went with him to the first meeting. The group met a couple of times a month in one of the rooms at the town’s community center. After a few meetings, Ryder had been hooked, and now he looked forward to going. He enjoyed the camaraderie and connecting with other men who understood and could relate to what he was going through. Tank had stopped going after six months, but Hawk usually attended at least one meeting a month.
Ryder picked up his phone and tapped in Tom’s number then held his breath as he waited for the older man to pick up the phone. He was just about to cut off the call when a grouchy voice said, “Hello?”
“Hey, Tom. Ryder. Did I wake you?”
“What the hell do ya think?”
Ryder bit back a chuckle. “I didn’t mean to, but I just wanted to come by and get a couple of bottles of whiskey before the storm gets worse.”
“I jest got four left. When do ya wanna come git them?”
“I can be there in an hour. Does that work?”
“Yep. I’ll be a waitin’.”
Ryder stood up and put his dishes in the sink; he’d deal with the cleanup later that morning. He walked into the bedroom and leaned the crutches against the wall then grabbed the silicone liner and rolled it over the stump on his left leg. After he slipped on his prosthesis, he shed off his boxers, picked up the two large plastic bags he used to cover his artificial leg while showering, and made his way to the bathroom.
Less than two hours later, Ryder was behind the wheel of his Jeep Renegade and the three bottles of illegal moonshine whiskey were safely tucked underneath the rear driver’s seat. Ice pellets bounced off the windshield as white flakes whirled all around obscuring everything within three feet of the jeep. He turned the vehicle onto the narrow road leading back to his cabin, and as he slowly drove along the snow-covered lane, Brutus went wild, barking and pushing his nose against the passenger window. Ryder looked at him and noticed the dog’s eyes fixed on something he couldn’t see.
When they’d left earlier to head to Tom’s house, Ryder had taken the road behind the cabin, but he decided not to take that road back because the snowdrifts were worrisome. He didn’t want to chance getting stuck in one of them.
“What’s going on, boy?” He stopped the jeep and tried to see past the fog and swirling white powder, but he didn’t have any luck. Brutus banged the side of his face against the window while he continued to bark and growl.
Ryder knew his dog didn’t behave like this just for the hell of it. No … something must be out there. A familiar stab in his gut told him that it wasn’t just a lost deer or a squirrel. He switched off the motor and reached back to pick up his shotgun from the back seat.
“Let’s see why the fuck you’re making all this noise,” Ryder said as he opened the car door. Brutus jumped out, woofing loudly, then disappeared into the blinding white. The wind raged, screaming through the trees and open spaces, bringing blasts of bone-chilling air.
“Fuck, it’s cold,” Ryder said aloud, his breath rising in white puffs of clouds. “Brutus! Where the fuck are you?” He wrapped the black wool scarf, which Addie—one of the old ladies—had knitted for him, tighter around his neck as he walked slowly to the right of the road. While cussing under his breath, he followed the sound of frantic barking.
The woofs became louder and Ryder narrowed his eyes against the blinding snow, then stopped when he walked through a cluster of trees. He saw an outline of something in the fog, but he wasn’t sure what it was.
“Brutus!” The dog bounded over to him, his dark eyes sparkling and staring straight ahead. Ryder’s gloved hand tightened its grip on the shotgun as he walked in closer with Brutus at his heels.
All of a sudden he saw it—a small travel trailer hitched to a brown SUV. Slivers of yellow light framed the ivory shades that covered the windows.What the hell?He just stared at the trailer for a few seconds, not really believing that someone had the gall to homestead on his property. The excuse of the storm wasn’t something he was buying since it looked like the trailer was purposely hidden from the road.Some goddamn asshole who thinks he can live rent-free onmyland. Well … fuck that.
Brutus growled as he stared at the trailer, his body stiff and ready to protect. Ryder stretched his arm down and patted the dog on the head. “Down, boy. It looks like we got a squatter. I can handle this.” Then he saw the shade move slightly; someone was looking at them, and it infuriated him.
“Get the hell out here!” Ryder shouted, but a gust of wind carried his words away. “Shit!” He walked over to the door and banged on it several times. Nothing. He put his ear next to the door and thought he could hear hushed talking coming from inside. He pounded on the door a few more times. Again nothing. Brutus started barking again, and Ryder jiggled the door handle a bit.
“I know you’re in there. Open the fucking door or I’m gonna break it down!” he yelled into the door. At first, there was no reaction until he caught the shade by the side of the door move again. “Stop acting like a goddamn pussy. Man up and face me.” Again nothing. “Fuck this! I’m coming in.” He took a few steps backwards then lifted the butt of the shotgun and was poised to slam it into the door when it flew open.
Ryder stumbled back and stared.Fuck. I wasn’t expectingthat. Brutus rushed over and started to climb the steps when the woman cried out and closed the door. Ryder stood there staring at the cream-colored fiberglass.Did I imagine that? Am I seeing a mirage like I sometimes had in the Afghan desert? Can you see a mirage in a snowstorm? What the hell is wrong with me? That chick sure as fuck wasn’t an optical illusion.He pounded on the door again and it cracked open a bit.
“Please keep your dog away from us.” Anxiety laced her voice.
Us? She’s got a man with her and he’s letting her deal with me? What a fucking pussy.Ryder tugged on Brutus’s collar. “Stay,” he said sternly, and the dog froze in place, but his eyes stayed fixed on the woman.
“He won’t hurt you,” Ryder said, gesturing to Brutus. He watched her open the door and the glow from the inside light shimmered around her like the sun. He pressed his lips together and his eyes widened when she came into full view. She was gorgeous with her golden hair draped down softly past her shoulders, curling along the ends. The woman looked at him through apprehensive eyes that were the color of a perfect spring sky and were as deep as a blue columbine along the banks of a mountain stream.
Ryder lowered the shotgun and let his gaze roam over her body from the beautifully full breasts that made his dick twitch to the low-rise jeans emphasizing her small waist, and then finally resting on the rounded hips that he could imagine gripping while he pulled her on top of him. He sucked in a breath and slowly brought his eyes back up to her face. She wasn’t drop dead gorgeous, but beautiful in the girl-next-door kind of way with luminous skin free of makeup, long lashes framing almond-shaped brows, a short pert nose, and a mouth shaped with a luscious cupid’s bow.Damn.He wanted to reach out and touch those lips, full and glossy pink, even in the fading light.
“Mommy, it’s cold.” A little boy’s face peered out from behind the woman’s shapely legs.
