Both the howls and the screaming stopped abruptly before Ryne was even at the end of the sidewalk. He froze and cocked his head to the side, trying to catch any sound that might indicate what was happening. Footsteps approached—two individuals—one set sounding a bit heavier with some shuffling mixed in, almost as if the walker was carrying something. Ryne crossed his arms and leaned against as nearby tree. There was no point in him rushing down the driveway when it was obvious that they were coming to him.
It only took moments for the source of the footsteps to appear. Bryan and Daniel came into sight, glaring daggers at each other; obviously they’d had one of their famous arguments about who was at fault for the most recent predicament they found themselves in.
Bryan was carrying something—no, make that someone—in his arms. From the way the arms and legs hung limply, it was obvious the person was unconscious. Narrowing his eyes, Ryne realized the 'someone' was a woman and no doubt the origin of the screams that had woke him up. Shit!
He straightened from the tree he was leaning on and widened his stance, his whole demeanour conveying his displeasure. The two men looked up and noticed him. Immediately, they slowed their pace as if trying to delay something unpleasant. Ryne sneered. How right you are my friends. This will be unpleasant.
As soon as they were within hearing distance, he began. “What the fuck did you do this time?”
Daniel ducked his head and shuffled his feet. Bryan kept his head up, but averted his gaze. “We found her on the propriety.”
“And you decided to what? Go hunting with her as the prey?” Ryne raised his brow and snorted derisively.
Bryan flushed, but didn’t back down. “No. We just thought we’d scare her off. You know, chase her a bit and she’d run back to wherever she came from.”
“Your plan doesn’t appear to have worked very well since she’s now here at the house.” Ryne folded his arms and jerked his head towards the unconscious woman. “What happened?”
Daniel decided to speak, shooting glances up at Ryne as he spoke. “We...um...we stalked her a bit and she was backing up towards the road, but moving real slow—”
“So we thought a bit of noise might hurry her along—” Bryan explained. “But then she tripped or something, just as the barking started and she began screaming—”
“And then it was the weirdest thing, just liked you’d see in a cartoon.” Daniel jumped in, his wonder at the event he was describing causing him to momentarily forget he was in trouble. “She turned to run, and bang!” Clapping his hands together, he gestured to show what happened. “She ran right smack into a tree and then just sort of slid down the trunk.” He shook his head. “I never thought that sort of thing happened in real life.”
Ryne bit back the chuckle that the mental picture evoked. “Is she all right?”
“I think so. There’s a lump on her head and that’s why we brought her here. We didn’t think we should just leave her lying there on the ground.” Bryan shifted the woman in his arms.
“Bring her inside and we’ll check her out.” Ryne tightened his lips as he turned and stalked back to the house. They couldn’t have just approached her like normal human beings and told her she was on private land, could they? Oh, no. That would make too much sense.
Once inside, Bryan laid the woman down on the sofa and Daniel disappeared, only to return with a damp washcloth and the first aid kit. Kneeling beside the sofa, Ryne nodded his thanks. Daniel was a good kid, he just didn’t think sometimes.
Gently, Ryne brushed the unconscious woman’s hair from her forehead and probed the bump on her head. It wasn’t too large, but the skin was broken, no doubt from contact with the rough bark on the tree. Her skin was warm and soft to the touch, he noted absentmindedly. Inhaling deeply, he took in her scent and stored it for later analysis before proceeding with the first aid treatment. He washed off the area and applied a bandage then leaned back to study his patient.
Her hair, spread out upon the cushions, was a shade between blonde and brown. Incredibly long lashes lay against her cheeks and her mouth was wide and full. The faintest dusting of freckles showed across the bridge of her nose making her appear quite youthful. His gaze worked its way down her body and he noted her nice-sized breasts and slim waist, the way her jeans clung to her shapely thighs before disappearing into knee-high leather boots. He concluded she probably wasn’t as young as he initially thought—maybe mid-twenties.
Ryne looked back up at her face and studied it more carefully. She wasn’t strikingly beautiful, nor blatantly sexy, but there was something appealing about her. Glancing at her mouth again, he wondered what her lips would feel like against his own. He frowned. Where had that thought come from? He didn’t go for the girl-next-door-type; real women who knew the score were more his style. Women like Lucy, he added. Some sex, some fun, and then we’re done; that was how he operated. Giving his head a shake, he decided that his hangover must be muddling his thinking.