Could she still call Johnny a stranger even though she had kissed him? She really didn’t know him. Kissing him probably wasn’t the smartest thing she could’ve done, but damn it had felt good at the time. If she were to relive the moment, she might’ve made a different decision, but that wasn’t the same as regretting the choice she’d made. Kissing him was nice.
“Come into the living room,” Keller beckoned.
“Just a moment. I’m going to try my landlord.”
Keller nodded and closed the study door. Alone, Holly dialed her landlord and received no answer. She left a brief voicemail before shoving her phone into a drawer and walking out of the room. She was done with that device for the night. She didn’t want to receive even the tiniest text telling her what she has to do or what she should or shouldn’t do. She needed peace.
Walking into the hallway, she was hit with delicious smells from the kitchen. She practically ran the rest of the way down the hallway. When was the last time she ate? She didn’t have breakfast. She’d skipped lunch. Goodness, had she really gone all day without food? No wonder she was feeling frazzled.
“What are you making?” she asked Garret with a cheery smile as she hoisted herself onto one of the barstools.
“Steak,” he said with a grin. “My pop’s own recipe.”
“Do you cook often?”
“It’s a hobby.” He shrugged. “It’s a great stress reliever.”
“I can barely fry an egg,” Holly joked.
“Come over here. I’ll teach you a thing or two.”
Holly slipped off the barstool and hurried around the breakfast bar into the kitchen. Garret stood in front of the stove, grilling seven steaks in three separate pans.
“How many people are eating here tonight?” She laughed.
“The four of us. I assume you’ll only eat one steak? If not, I can slice them around to give you more.”
Holly eyed the massive steaks. “I’m not sure I’ll eat one, let alone more than that.”
“Oh.” A wide grin spread across Garret’s face. “Good. We go through a lot of food in this house.”
“I take it, that means there aren’t any leftovers from breakfast,” she guessed.
“Nope.” Garret flipped over all of the steaks.
“How do you know when to flip them?” Holly asked.
“Experience, mostly.” Garret shrugged. “My mother left when I was a kid, so my dad had to run the hardware store and take over all of the home duties. I started helping out as soon as I was old enough.”
“I’m not sure whether to administer condolences or praise,” she confessed. “I’m sorry to hear your mother left, but I admire you for stepping up.”
Garret looked at her, his eyes filled with glittering kindness. Holly felt herself melt just a little as she looked at him.
“Thank you for saying so,” he said. “I know it might sound selfish, but that kind of praise was always heaped on my dad for doing it all, even though I worked just as hard. He deserved the praise for sure, but as a kid, I would’ve appreciated the acknowledgment.”
“If you’re ever feeling in need of acknowledgment, you know where to find me,” Holly joked. “I’m trapped here until further notice.”
Garret’s expression shifted from one of delight to one of concern. “Do you really feel trapped?” he asked.
“Sort of,” she admitted. “I’d feel less trapped if I had my car, but apparently that’s going to take a while.”
“If you need to go somewhere, you can ask any of us,” Garret said.
“I know that, and I appreciate it, but there’s a difference between having people around to take me somewhere and being able to go somewhere on my own accord.”
“I get that.” Garret nodded. “This is probably one of the worst places to be stuck without a car. There are plenty of forest trails that can get you into town, but they aren’t for casual hikers.”
“I don’t think I even qualify as casual.” Holly laughed. “There’s not a lot of true hiking where I live.”
“I’m more than happy to take you around some of the milder trails,” Garret offered. “Once you get a feel for them, you’ll feel comfortable enough to take them alone.”
“I might take you up on that when I go stir crazy.”
Garret opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance. A deafening roar echoed through the house. Holly just about jumped out of her skin.
“What the fuck was that?” she asked, her voice several octaves higher than it normally would’ve been.
“Stay here.” Garret had a dark look in his eye. His tone told Holly he was not to be questioned. He stepped out of the kitchen, out of sight.
She had every intention of staying in that kitchen, she really did, until a flash of movement beyond the deck caught her eye. The motion lights came on. There was nothing on the deck, but she saw movement in the trees beyond.
“Garret?” she called. No answer.
“Johnny? Keller?” Still no answer.
The trees beyond the deck rustled just as another roar rang out, sending chills up Holly’s arms. Something was definitely out there.
She bolted back to the study and grabbed her phone before running back to the living room. There was nothing on the deck, which was quite a few feet above the forest floor. Nothing she could think of could conceivably climb onto the deck. She looked up the number for local wildlife control and prepared to dial it before stepping outside.
Cold night air enveloped her. She shivered as she crept closer toward the railing. She wasn’t going to call wildlife control until she knew exactly what she was dealing with. Where were the guys? This is exactly the sort of situation she’d need them for. She didn’t know what
