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CHAPTER 20
Ana
Ryan doesn't seem to be in the cabin this morning as I begin to prepare breakfast. I wonder if he's out hacking down trees. He seemed really odd last night and wouldn't talk to me. I tried to figure out what I'd done to upset him, but I couldn't think of anything.
I go to the window to look out at the forest. I don't see Ryan anywhere. Strange. I turn around back to the kitchen and jump. Ryan is lying on the couch, an arm and a leg hanging off. Near his hand is a bottle of amber liquid that I've never seen before.Is that alcohol? What's going on? I never knew Ryan drank. I didn't even know there was any alcohol here. I take a couple of steps closer to the couch."Ryan?" I ask, somewhat timidly. Usually, he's awake by now. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever woken up before him.Ryan doesn't stir. I edge a little closer."Ryan?" I say with more conviction. He shifts, roRelated chapters
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 21
RyanI pull the guitar case out from under the couch and stare at it. It arrived yesterday while Ana and I were out at the river. She noticed the small crate when we got back and was curious about the contents. I didn't quite have the courage yet to tell her that I'd bought her a gift. It seemed fine when I ordered it, but I've had some time to think about it since then. Now I'm afraid it's too presumptuous of me. Is it appropriate to buy her gifts?Will she misconstrue this as a sign that I'm into her? Will she interpret this as me making a move? I shove it back under the couch. This was a terrible idea.When Ana emerges from the bedroom to make breakfast, I quickly pick up the Harry Potter book I'm currently reading. After a few minutes, she joins me on the couch with a bowl of cereal."Have you ever tried growing anything here?" Ana asks.I look up, confused. "What?""You know, like fruit or vegetables or something. I read som
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 22
AnaThe sound of a helicopter hovering outside wakes me up again, though fortunately it doesn't send me into a panic this time. I rub my eyes and sit up. The morning sun shines through the drawn curtains, a strong departure from the dreary, rainy weather of the past week. As I stretch and yawn, I hear the sound of the helicopter's rotors speeding up as it begins to depart.I wonder what's been delivered. Ryan hasn't ordered more groceries and supplies, that I know of. He said he'd consult me before he made his next order. I'd been hoping to get a few more books, including a cookbook with a wider selection of desserts. I climb out of bed. After getting dressed, I'm heading for the front door when Ryan walks in from the porch."What is it?" I ask.He looks at me sideways, with the right side of his face inclined away from me, as he usually does. "It's a surprise," he says.I raise my eyebrows. Is this an
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 23
RyanI wake to the sound of the dog skittering across the cabin floor. The room is already illuminated with mid-morning sunlight despite the early hour, a consequence of the 4:15 am sunrise this time of year. The puppy stops as he passes the couch on his way to the front door and heads toward me, tail waving. I reach down and rub his fuzzy head. He spent the night in the bedroom with Ana. The training books don't recommend it, but I thought this arrangement would probably be more comfortable for all involved. Ana's crying still wakes me up on occasion and the puppy was very distraught last night at the prospect of sleeping in the carrier he arrived in."Hi boy," I say as the dog twists his head to lick my hand. He nuzzles his head against the couch and stares up at me. "Come on up," I say, taking the hint and picking the dog up off the floor. I place him on my chest. Finally dry af
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 24
AnaI toss a stick across the yard and Casper bounds after it gleefully. He hasn't quite mastered the art of returning the stick, but it's a start. He wanders over to where Ryan is hammering away at the frame for the greenhouse, stick clamped firmly between the puppy's teeth. Ryan looks up from his work and reaches for the stick, engaging in a game of tug-of-war that ends with Ryan gently scolding the puppy for not relinquishing the item as requested. Casper looks appropriately shamed until Ryan throws the stick for him and he races out across the yard again. Ryan wipes his brow with his sleeve and looks over at me."Want to take a break from that?" he asks, indicating the task I've been working on: tilling the soil for our new garden."Do I ever," I reply, happily throwing down the shovel. The soil around the cabin is rocky. Preparing the earth for the garden is proving more di
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 25
Ryan"How about here?" Ana asks, spreading her arms out wide and twirling. The stuffed backpack causes her to lose her balance and nearly spin out of control. She giggles and her cheeks look a little pink. I can't tell if she's embarrassed or just warm.I look around, inspecting the meadow she's picked for our impromptu summer solstice camping trip. Her Midsummer's Eve party, as she's been calling it since she talked me into this trip yesterday. Casper frolics around her feet, his white fur quickly becoming brown in the dirt and mud. Ana smiles up at the sun shining down on us from high in the sky. For a moment, I just watch her bathe her face in sunlight, her smile shining as radiantly as the sun. She looks back at me expectantly."This is fine," I say quickly, walking past her to unpack the tent.She sighs happily behind me. "Isn't this weather so great?" she asks."It's
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 26
AnaI pull the last stubborn weed out of the tomato patch and toss it on the heap for Ryan's compost pile."I have another offering to the compost gods," I call to him.Casper scrambles to his feet at the sound of my voice and watches me warily from the other side of the electric fence. Ryan installed the fence soon after the little garden was planted to keep critters out. Casper found himself included in the list of animals repelled by the sharp sting of the current running through the fence only a few hours later. I'd like to say Casper learned his lesson, but it wasn't until two more zaps that he finally developed a respect for the barrier.Ryan emerges from the shed and wordlessly gathers up the biomatter I've set aside for him. He spares me a slight glare for my teasing comment. I laugh at his annoyance, which I'm pretty certain is mostly a farce. He ducks his head, but I catch what might be a small quirk at the co
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 27
Ryan"What do you mean, today's your birthday?"Ana's hands are on her hips in a display of annoyance.I blink twice and cock my head slightly to the side."I mean, exactly twenty-seven years ago, I was born," I say, not sure what she's getting at."Ryan," she says in exasperation, her voice taking on a sing-song quality with a bit of a whine. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She reaches out and pushes my left shoulder gently in a playful gesture.For the briefest moment, she reminds me so much of Saph that I tense. Saph used to do that, to whine and say "Ryyyaaaan" any time she wasn't getting what she wanted."I could have made you a birthday cake," she says, sounding regretful. "A chocolate one. With this amazing icing my mom used to make that was borderline fudge. Fudge, Ryan! Fudge!"Her words suggest annoyance, but her demeanor says otherwise. Her face is spl
Risks Of Loving You CHAPTER 28
AnaSomething wakes me up early in the morning. I squint at the dim light filtering in through the curtains and look at the clock on the bedside. It's just before 4 am. Why am I awake?Casper is awake too, looking at me like I just kicked him."I don't know, pupito , it wasn't me," I tell him. He doesn't look convinced.Casper's ears prick and I look up as an odd sound breaks the early morning quiet. I frown and climb out of bed, moving quietly toward the doorway. As I open the door, I hear the sound again, something between a moan and a cry of pain. It's coming from the couch.What if Ryan's having another night terror? Dread fills my stomach. As I rush over to his side, his cries become more frequent and more distressed. I gasp when I reach him. Ryan is clawing at the right side of his face with both hands, his cries of pain bordering on scr
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