Down in Yon Forest Read online

  Jeremiah ran down the hallway. “Meredith? What’s wrong?”

  She pointed.

  He grinned. “That’s Bowie. Bowie, down. Meredith’s a friend. You shouldn’t scare her like that.” He grabbed the dog’s collar. “He’s a Siberian husky. I can shut him away if you’d feel safer.”

  Meredith shook her head, keeping flat against the wall. She’d like nothing more than for the dog to go as far away as possible, and as soon as possible. “I just wasn’t expecting him to suddenly appear.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She flinched as Bowie barked. “He has very interesting eyes.”

  “One blue and one brown. That’s why I picked him. No one else wanted him. My brother Zechariah said I should call him Oddball, but that just seemed mean, so I named him after my favorite rock singer. Bowie, this is Meredith. She’s a friend.”

  She moved back as far as she could get.

  Jeremiah patted the dog. “Come on, boy. Let’s put you in the office.” He vanished down the hallway.

  She shoved her fear to one side and called after him. “So was it Bowie you had to get back to the other night? The one sleeping on your couch?”

  Jeremiah laughed as he clicked the door shut and came back towards her. “No, that was Terry. The other ranger. And speak of the devil…”

  “That’s a charming way to talk about a friend,” a voice said. The stocky, ginger bearded man held out a hand. “Terry Lamar. You must be Meredith.”

  Meredith shook his hand. “Yeah.”

  “I’m Jeremiah’s other half. His better half.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “No, not like that,” Jeremiah said quickly. “Terry is married, four kids, has no sense of propriety and doesn’t know how to talk to guests.”

  “And you don’t know how to go on a date.” Terry’s retort was swift. “What’d you do, leave her out in the rain?”

  “I thought it was a nice afternoon for a walk and got lost.” She quipped, hoping her fake humor would detract from the fact she was actually scared out of her wits. “Nothing like a bit of singing and dancing in the rain this close to Christmas.”

  “I found her wandering around the forest. Figured we’d come back here instead of going out.”

  “So I see. It’s nice to finally meet you, Meredith. Jeremiah’s done nothing but talk about you since the ball.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  “No, you shouldn't. Just ignore him, Meredith.” Jeremiah said. “Would you like to call Maggie and let her know where you are?”

  “I didn’t find my phone.”

  “Not a problem. You can use the landline here. And since Terry is just leaving, we can find a movie when you get through.”

  “I’m leaving?”

  Jeremiah nodded. “You are. Say bye, Terry.”

  Terry snorted. “Bye, Terry.”

  Meredith laughed. “Bye, Terry. It was nice to meet you.” She shivered. “I’ll call once I’ve showered. A couple more minutes won’t matter.”

  She locked the door, hearing Jeremiah and Terry teasingly banter their way down the hallway. Hot water made a world of difference and although she could have stayed under the pulsing water for much longer, she showered quickly.

  The tracksuit Jeremiah had found was a little large, but not too bad. She rolled up the sleeves and legs and adjusted the waist with the ties and a safety pin she found on the window sill. Making her way down the hallway into the lounge, she picked up the phone and dialed. There was no answer. Surely Grannie didn’t lose her mobile phone, too. Even if it were on silent, voicemail should have picked up.

  Meredith dialed again, as she looked out of the window at the howling storm. There seemed to be something moving among the trees. She couldn’t make it out.

  The call finally connected. “Hello?”

  “Hi, Grannie. It’s Meredith.”

  “Hello, dear. Your grandfather is fine. He’s already sitting up in bed and chatting.”

  “That’s good to hear. I tried coming over to find out, but I got lost in the woods. I’m quite safe now. Jeremiah found me and took me to the ranger’s station.”

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Just wet.” Meredith looked out the window. “I’d hoped to stay with you tonight so you weren’t alone.”

  “The hospital says I can stay here overnight. The police have advised no one to travel in this weather, so perhaps you’d be better off staying where you are tonight.” Grannie’s voice took on its usual forthright, don’t argue with me tone. “And once he’s home, we’ll be fine. I’ll give you a call when we’re back.”

  “I lost my phone. That’s the other reason I was out in the storm. I didn’t find it.”

  “I see.” Grannie’s tone changed. “Well, in that case, maybe give tomorrow a miss and come over the next day instead. The forest isn’t safe after dark.”

  “I’ll see if Jeremiah can give me a lift tomorrow evening.”

  “The day after is fine. I should go. The hospital doesn’t like us having phones on. Good night, dear.”

  “Night.” Meredith put the phone down and walked over to the window, looking out into the darkness.

  Jeremiah breezed into the room. “Did you get hold of Maggie?”

  Meredith turned. He’d towel dried his hair and it stood up at odd angles. She pushed aside the ridiculous urge to run her fingers through it and straighten it. “Yeah. She’s spending the night at the hospital. There’s a travel advisory on apparently. No travelling, so that kind of leaves me stuck here, I’m afraid.”

  “Don’t be afraid of staying over. I have a couch,” he said. “Actually, you can have my bed, and I’ll have the couch.”

  “I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “I’m offering.”

  “The couch is fine, thank you.” She glanced out of the window. It wasn’t raining anywhere near as much as it was earlier. “Not sure why there’s a travel ban as the storm seems to be dissipating now.”

  Jeremiah put his hands on her arms and pulled her close. “They must have their reasons. But I’m not upset you have to stay longer tonight. I want you here. I asked you here, remember? Dinner and a film. And a bonus sleepover on my couch. What more could a girl possibly want?”

  She shrugged. “Grannie doesn’t want me to visit tomorrow either. As much as I want to, I’ll do as she asks.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I reckon that’s because Matt doesn’t want to show weakness in front of you. And if he’s in pain, he won’t be able to hide it and keep up this big-strong-police-officer-grandfather-macho thing he has going.”

  She giggled. “I guess so.”

  “Anyway, the pizza is in the oven cooking, along with the garlic bread. What’s that?” He frowned at the silver coin she held up.

  “I found it on the floor. It’s ten pence for this tour of the ranger station you promised me.”

  Jeremiah roared with laughter and took the coin, shoving it into his pocket. He took her hand and showed her around the cottage before ending up back in the lounge. Every room seemed to be as gaily decorated as the last.

  “Do you have enough decorations up?” she asked wryly.

  He chuckled. “We had a competition to see who could get the most ornaments and streamers in each room. It did get rather out of hand.”

  “Maybe a little, but I like it. You can never have too much Christmas in my opinion.”

  He pointed to the book case in the corner. “And there, under the garish green and red tinsel, are the DVDs. Just pick whatever you fancy.”

  She nodded. “OK.”

  Jeremiah smiled. “I need to check on a few things in the office and let Bowie out. I won’t be long.”

  “OK.” Left to herself, Meredith wandered over to the huge bookcase, decorated with tinsel and bells, and looked at the film titles. It was an eclectic mix, and there were several there she hadn’t expected to find; given the fact the rangers were blokes.

 
Jeremiah whistled to the dog and talked to him. The door shut and the place fell quiet.

  She peeked through the window and grinned at Jeremiah standing in the drizzle with the dog. She waved at him.

  Jeremiah grinned and rubbed his arms, miming being cold.

  She retaliated by miming doing up his coat and pulling up the hood.

  He pulled a face at her.

  She giggled and held up two films. She nodded as he pointed to the one in her left hand and put the other one away. After another couple of minutes, the door shut, and footsteps and paws echoed down the hallway.

  She turned around. “Doesn’t being alone out here in the middle of the forest bother you?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not alone. I have Bowie.”

  The dog trotted across the floor and stretched out on the rug in front of the fireplace.

  She tried to push down her fear. The dog wouldn’t hurt her. Or would he? Should she ask Jeremiah to shut him away just in case? “You know what I mean.”

  “Not really. I should check the pizza.” He looked at her. “Bowie, come. You can sit in the office for a while.”

  Meredith moved back against the wall as the dog got up and ran to Jeremiah. “Sorry. My fear of dogs is totally irrational, as far as I know.”

  Jeremiah smiled, grabbing the dog’s collar. “It’s fine. His basket is in there anyway.”

  A minute later, he was back and Meredith followed him to the kitchen. “That creature I saw earlier. What if…” She broke off, not wanting to sound silly.

  Jeremiah grabbed the oven gloves and looked at her. “Go on.”

  She leaned her hip against the row of cupboards under the counter. “I mean, you went out after it with a loaded rifle, which you brought inside the house with you tonight. If it were nothing then you wouldn’t do that and you said the forest wasn’t safe.”

  “It isn’t. It’s full of wild animals and most of them hunt after dark. But you don’t want to hear about that. And as for me leaving a loaded gun in the truck? No way…if the truck gets stolen, then the thieves have the gun as well. That’s just a recipe for trouble.”

  “Fair enough. There is something weird going on in this town anyway.”

  “Like what?” he asked, pulling out the pizza and garlic bread. “Can you grab a couple of drinks from the fridge? It doesn’t matter what.”

  Meredith nodded, unwilling to let him change the subject that easily. “For one thing Grannie loves coming to visit me and she’ll chat on the phone for hours, but when I got here, she and Gramps didn’t want me to move in with them, only visit for no more than an hour every day and be home well before dark. She arranged the room at Mrs. Thorne’s boarding house.” She pulled two cans of apple soda from the fridge. “You saw Granny at the hospital? She dismissed me.”

  Jeremiah put the pizza on the work top and pulled the cutter from the drawer. “That’s just Maggie. Plus, she’s worried about Matt. And like we already said, he has his invincible image to protect.”

  “I thought Paradise would be somewhere I could get my head together, start to heal, but I don’t know anymore.”

  He reached out and touched her arm. “I’d miss you if you left.”

  “You hardly know me,” Meredith said, trying to ignore the tingle of warmth shooting along her arm from his hand.

  “But I want to know you better.” His smile warmed her heart. “And this is far too depressing for a second date conversation. Let’s just forget about creatures that may or may not live in the forest and your grandparents for now and have fun instead. Grab the drinks and we’ll go sit in the lounge. We can eat and talk and watch the film.”

  Meredith followed him into the lounge and sat on the couch. She set the drinks on the coffee table.

  Jeremiah placed the plates next to the drinks and sat beside her. “Shall I say grace?”

  She nodded. Heat blasted through her as he took her hand and prayed. There was something about a man who prayed openly. But did his faith run all the way through him, or was it just for show?

  She added her own silent prayer at the end. Asking forgiveness for the way she’d reacted to Jeremiah’s touch. Did she dare ask for more? For something to come of this?

  Jeremiah held out a plate to her. “Help yourself.”

  “Thanks.” Not wanting to appear greedy, she took one slice of each, but the enticing smell of the food made her stomach growl and reminded her she hadn’t eaten since before her frantic trip to the hospital. She glanced at him as he leaned forward and filled his plate.

  He took a bite and raised an eyebrow. “Penny for them.”

  “My thoughts are slightly more expensive than that,” she teased. “At least a tenner.”

  “That much? I’m not sure I can afford this conversation.” Jeremiah’s grin matched hers. “Unless we’re talking matchsticks. Then I have a shed load.”

  “You smoke?”

  He shook his head. “I’m building a model with them. I’ll show you later if you like.”

  Meredith nodded. “I would. What are you making?”

  “HMS Victory. I’ve always been fascinated by her story. Have you ever been to see her?”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “Then I’ll take you. After Christmas. I would say this week coming, but…”

  “That’s Christmas.” She finished her slice. “It’s come really fast this year. One minute it was the summer and the next...”

  He held out the plate. “More?”

  “Thank you.”

  “Maggie gave me your phone number earlier so I was thinking, maybe I should give you mine. That way if you wanted to talk or see me between dates, you could.”

  Her cheeks flamed as she turned her attention to the pizza. “That would be a terrific idea if I hadn’t lost my phone. Tell you what though, write it down for me after we eat. Then once I find the thing, I can add it to my contact list. What are you doing for Christmas?”

  “Church and then back here.”

  “No family plans?”

  Jeremiah shook his head. “Not this year. We’ll probably meet up in the New Year. You?”

  “Spend it the same way as always most likely. With Grannie and Gramps. Although it’s never been here. They always come to me or we go to a hotel somewhere…”

  “What are you thinking?”

  She nodded to the tree. “I don’t remember the last time I spent Christmas in Paradise, if I ever did. I was at boarding school term time, and then a hotel in the holidays. Or a holiday cottage on the coast. Probably why I don’t have a real home of my own now.”

  “You must have somewhere,” he said, offering her the plate before taking the last slice of pizza.

  “No. It’s always hotels or a rented room.” She trembled, suddenly cold. “I don’t remember much of my early childhood at all. Maybe I was just born old.”

  He grinned. “Like about ninety and getting younger each year?”

  “Yeah, right.” She laughed. “No…the first thing I can really remember is boarding school when I was about ten. Although Annabelle assures me I went much earlier than that. She says I was seven or eight.” She put the plate down. “Just going to wash my hands. They smell of pizza and herbs.”

  He grinned. “I can’t think why. I’ll load the dishwasher.”

  Meredith washed her hands, studying her face in the bathroom mirror. Was she mad, agreeing to stay here the night? He wouldn’t get the wrong idea, would he? Because she wasn’t that kind of a girl. She headed back to the lounge and looked at him.

  He patted the couch. “It’s OK, I don’t bite.”

  She sat and put her hands in her lap. “Jeremiah, I…”

  His hand circled her face softly. “It’s fine. It’s a couch for a night, nothing more. I’m not asking or expecting anything, besides, my faith wouldn’t allow me to do anything else.”

  She smiled. “Nor does mine.”

  “Though having said that—” he d
rew closer, his lips almost touching, “—there was one thing I’ve been wanting to do for a while.”

  She looked at him, then closed her eyes as his lips touched hers ever so gently. His hands ran over her arms, holding her, lighting a fire within her she didn’t ever want to go out.

  Jeremiah pulled back and smiled. “Thank you. Shall we watch this film?” He reached for the remote and settled on the couch.

  She leaned back and smiled as his arm went around her. Maybe God had heard her prayer after all.

  ****

  When the movie was over, Jeremiah glanced down at Meredith. Her head was on his shoulder, her arm looped around his waist and her breathing deep and even. His own arm encircled her, holding her gently. She’d fallen asleep half way through the film, but he didn’t mind. He was loathe to move, so left the end credits playing. Not wanting to disturb her was only half the reason; the other half being he liked the way she felt next to him, in his arms, she was an extension of himself. God willing, one day she would belong there.

  The thought brought him up short. He’d never wanted that, until now. But Meredith was everything he’d ever wanted in a woman all rolled into one. And that was from the little he knew of her. And he’d kissed her. That hadn’t been part of the plan, but it felt so, so right and had only left him wanting more. He wanted her, but he was determined to do right by her.

  And speaking of being right. What she had said earlier was spot on. Paradise had changed over the past few weeks. He’d noticed the strangeness about the town. Everyone was short tempered, out of sorts. If he were a betting man, which he wasn’t, or superstitious, which again he wasn’t, he’d say it began the same day the beast had arrived, bring the aura of evil with it.

  “Jeremiah, are you there?”

  The radio crackled to life beside him and he grabbed it quickly with his free hand. “I’m here.”

  Meredith stirred in his arms, her eyes fluttering open.

  “We have a confirmed sighting. I need you and Bowie out here now.”

  Jeremiah moved his arm and stood as Meredith sat up. “Where are you, Terry?”