in hand
they went into the dining room where Steve’s hand-carved table and chairs
seated all of them with room to spare. Gordie ate a mouthful of food and
chewed. Usually her sister’s cooking tasted delicious but she could have been
eating dirt for all the flavor she could taste tonight.
There was no point putting it off any longer, it wouldn’t
get any easier. She just had to decide where to start, what was necessary and
what she was comfortable disclosing. Pushing her bowl away, Gordie leaned back
in her chair and turned her head to catch Steve’s gaze. He slipped his hand
over hers and gave a gentle squeeze before returning to his meal.
“It started last year when I found the first stray up here.
That’s the first significant event I can remember, anyway. After that there was
all the drama of Rowan’s return and the attempt on Quinn’s life by the other
two strays and of course Malcolm trying to run him down.” She reached for her
water and took a sip to wet her dry mouth and throat.
“Between January and May there were numerous little things,
objects moved in my house and at the clinic, doors unlocked when I was sure I’d
locked them, missing papers from my home office, that sort of thing.” Gordie
took a deep breath and glanced at Steve. He reached for her hand again, entwined
their fingers and nodded for her to go on. She kept her gaze locked with his.
If she looked away she knew the words wouldn’t come.
“May eighteenth I came up here to walk in the forest. I was
going to shift, go for a run but decided against it.” She swallowed over the
lump in her throat. “I didn’t hear anything or see anyone before I took a punch
to the jaw. The force snapped my head back into a tree. I don’t remember a lot
of the next few minutes other than I took some hits before I caught my breath
and fought back. I never saw who attacked me and whoever it was had masked
their scent well enough that I couldn’t say for sure who it was.”
Gordie trembled. Memories of that night bombarded her, fear
churned the food in her stomach and she had to swallow the bile rising in her
throat. A chair scraped along the timber floor and Steve pulled her onto his
lap, cradling her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her
close, warmth seeped from his body into hers, soothing her. She couldn’t stop
shaking and her fingers and toes were numb from the cold gripping her.
“The details don’t matter, Gordie.” Steve tucked her head
under his chin. “I’ll finish this part, okay?”
Gordie nodded. She didn’t dare open her mouth to speak for
fear a sob would tear free. Or worse, she’d throw up. In the months since the
attack she’d done her best to block the whole event out. But in her effort to
forget the horrible night she’d pushed the person who saved her and cared for
her afterward away as well. It was unfair to Steve but at the time she couldn’t
cope any other way.
“I heard the attack from the deck so I shifted and ran into
the forest. I didn’t see who had Doc pinned to the ground but at the time she
thought it was Marcus.”
Steve’s words were met with gasps but it was Brogan’s softly
spoken words that froze Gordie. The venom in them turned her blood to ice.
“I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
“No, Gordie and Steve should have reported the attack,” Dale
said.
“Probably.” She felt Steve’s shoulders rise. “But to be
honest, I was more concerned with looking after Doc’s injuries, and we had no
real proof.”
“Oh my God, the scar on your lip.” Gordie opened her eyes to
find Kat kneeling on the floor beside her. “You told me you’d sliced it with a
knife while eating fruit.”
She tried to smile but the hurt in her sister’s eyes stopped
her. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to forget. And nothing happened after that.”
“Until last month.” Warm air ruffled her hair. “What
happened, Doc? And don’t tell me nothing because I know you, I
they went into the dining room where Steve’s hand-carved table and chairs
seated all of them with room to spare. Gordie ate a mouthful of food and
chewed. Usually her sister’s cooking tasted delicious but she could have been
eating dirt for all the flavor she could taste tonight.
There was no point putting it off any longer, it wouldn’t
get any easier. She just had to decide where to start, what was necessary and
what she was comfortable disclosing. Pushing her bowl away, Gordie leaned back
in her chair and turned her head to catch Steve’s gaze. He slipped his hand
over hers and gave a gentle squeeze before returning to his meal.
“It started last year when I found the first stray up here.
That’s the first significant event I can remember, anyway. After that there was
all the drama of Rowan’s return and the attempt on Quinn’s life by the other
two strays and of course Malcolm trying to run him down.” She reached for her
water and took a sip to wet her dry mouth and throat.
“Between January and May there were numerous little things,
objects moved in my house and at the clinic, doors unlocked when I was sure I’d
locked them, missing papers from my home office, that sort of thing.” Gordie
took a deep breath and glanced at Steve. He reached for her hand again, entwined
their fingers and nodded for her to go on. She kept her gaze locked with his.
If she looked away she knew the words wouldn’t come.
“May eighteenth I came up here to walk in the forest. I was
going to shift, go for a run but decided against it.” She swallowed over the
lump in her throat. “I didn’t hear anything or see anyone before I took a punch
to the jaw. The force snapped my head back into a tree. I don’t remember a lot
of the next few minutes other than I took some hits before I caught my breath
and fought back. I never saw who attacked me and whoever it was had masked
their scent well enough that I couldn’t say for sure who it was.”
Gordie trembled. Memories of that night bombarded her, fear
churned the food in her stomach and she had to swallow the bile rising in her
throat. A chair scraped along the timber floor and Steve pulled her onto his
lap, cradling her against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her
close, warmth seeped from his body into hers, soothing her. She couldn’t stop
shaking and her fingers and toes were numb from the cold gripping her.
“The details don’t matter, Gordie.” Steve tucked her head
under his chin. “I’ll finish this part, okay?”
Gordie nodded. She didn’t dare open her mouth to speak for
fear a sob would tear free. Or worse, she’d throw up. In the months since the
attack she’d done her best to block the whole event out. But in her effort to
forget the horrible night she’d pushed the person who saved her and cared for
her afterward away as well. It was unfair to Steve but at the time she couldn’t
cope any other way.
“I heard the attack from the deck so I shifted and ran into
the forest. I didn’t see who had Doc pinned to the ground but at the time she
thought it was Marcus.”
Steve’s words were met with gasps but it was Brogan’s softly
spoken words that froze Gordie. The venom in them turned her blood to ice.
“I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
“No, Gordie and Steve should have reported the attack,” Dale
said.
“Probably.” She felt Steve’s shoulders rise. “But to be
honest, I was more concerned with looking after Doc’s injuries, and we had no
real proof.”
“Oh my God, the scar on your lip.” Gordie opened her eyes to
find Kat kneeling on the floor beside her. “You told me you’d sliced it with a
knife while eating fruit.”
She tried to smile but the hurt in her sister’s eyes stopped
her. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to forget. And nothing happened after that.”
“Until last month.” Warm air ruffled her hair. “What
happened, Doc? And don’t tell me nothing because I know you, I
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