“It’s all my fault.”
“No! No, it’s not your fault that she followed you. I should have gone to check on her once Noah had put her down to sleep, I know what she’s like. My husband is a good tracker, and he wasn’t far behind but I’m so thankful that you spotted her when you did, and she didn’t fall in anywhere else. Jackson was following not far behind, and after finding you unconscious he carried you back here as fast he could.” I felt kind of sad that I had missed being held in Jackson’s strong arms, but then something else came back to me, and I gasped as I remember what else had happened.
“Are you okay?” Jasmine asked, looking at me with concern.
“Did Anabelle tell you about the wolf?”
“Erm…wolf?”
“Yes! There was a huge wolf, the biggest one I’ve ever seen and it was coming right for us. I know it sounds crazy, I guess you don’t have wolves here but I swear it was real. Something spooked it though, and it ran off. Maybe Anabelle doesn’t remember.”
“Probably.” Jasmine cleared her throat, and started fussing with the blankets around me. “Do you want anything to eat? You need to rest but I can bring you up some of my soup if you like? Presuming that the guys downstairs haven’t eaten it all, of course.”
Trying to put the thoughts of the strange wolf out of my head, I nodded and leaned back against the pillows, exhausted even though I had only just woken up. Jasmine left the room, and I heard her talking to someone just outside the door, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. The door opened again, and my heart rate increased as I saw Jackson walking in to the room. He came to sit on the side of the bed nearest me, and I struggled not to pounce on him when I saw how delicious he looked right then. He’d clearly just come out of the shower, with his hair wet and a fresh scent following him. He really did smell good. He looked at me for a moment, before he reached his hand over to softly stroke the side of my face, causing my heart to beat erratically inside my chest. I swore he could hear every beat, as I struggled to control my body’s reaction to him.
He moved his hand away quickly, grabbing hold of the sheet next to him, as if only just realising what he was doing.
“How are you feeling?” He asked, and his voice once again sent delightful shivers down my spine.
“I feel great, really. I’m just so happy Annabelle is okay. I honestly had no idea she was following behind me.”
“Of course, I know that.” He smiled slightly, and I rejoiced at being the one to finally put a smile on his gorgeous face.
“You were stupid.” He said, and the smile dropped off my face as I reared back in shock at his words. Anger burnt through my veins as I struggled not to slap his face.
“Excuse me?”
“You could have gotten yourself killed. The current in that stream is far too strong, hence why that part of the woods is rarely visited by any of us. The water can be unpredictable, and it was silly of you to jump in there. Did you even think what could have happened?”
“Of course I did! I thought about how if I didn’t jump in the water, a child would die! I thought about how a sweet, innocent child would drown if I didn’t go for it, and there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen! Don’t you dare try and tell me that you wouldn’t have done exactly the same thing.”
“Of course I would have! And I cannot thank you enough for what you did, but I have to tell you how stupid you’ve been. Laura, I’ve only known you for two days but I care about you. My job is to care about every one of my people from this town, and as a guest here you count as one of them. I would give my life up to save my niece, but the thought of anyone else doing it does not sit well with me. It’s hard to explain, but when I came across you lying unconscious in the dirt, with a crying Anabelle at your side, dread filled me as I thought you were dead. Your bravery and courage saved my niece, and for that I am forever in your debt. Just, please try and avoid any life threatening situations in the future.”
I sat there stunned, as that is the most I had ever heard Jackson speak, and his words resonated deep within me. I would never have expected Jackson to admit he was scared, and it actually made him slightly more endearing. Which was dangerous. I was already starting to like him more than I should, and it was a lot easier when he was just annoying and brooding.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“I would expect nothing less.” He smiled, and for the first time since I had met him, it was a proper smile, reaching his eyes and completely transforming his face. It was like all the troubles I saw in him every day had just been wiped away, and I couldn’t resist smiling in response. It really was infectious.