āThatās not the wind howlingā Chapter 1.
Dealing with snow was difficult, I donāt even remember why I moved into this little honkey-tonk town to begin with.
Oh, thatās right, my folks BEGGED me to come and live nearby so they could visit their grandchild more easily. It wasnāt all bad though, the view was nice and the mountains kept the worst of the weather at bay, plus it was a pretty rural area.
There were Farms nearby that my son could visit and learn about various animals and the farmers themselves were friendly enough to let him run all his energy while playing with the foals, or even letting him pet the hatchlings. He was fascinated by the small critters that would flow and ebb around his ankles, and was ecstatic when a horse would trot up calmly to meet with him.
Personally, I loved farm animals too, but being so incredibly lazy, I knew that raising them was a Ā task larger than I was willing to deal with. My five year-old son would come home with stories and beg to keep some of the smaller animals, most notably chicks and ducklings. Heād been begging for weeks now, ever since the other kids all got to play with and even keep at least one pet from their parentās farms.
His eyes had been huge, begging me silently for the opportunity to have a small life that he could coddle and nurture all of his own.
āNow, you know animals are not toys. If you have one, you have to take care of it.ā He nodded emphatically, His dark brown curls bouncing off his forehead and tumbling with each movement. āYou know they must be Fed multiple times daily, they need to have their area cleaned up, and you need to play with them. Plus, IF,ā and I stopped, Hands on my hips, Tilting my head to drive the point home.
āIF I get a pet for you, you will be in charge of it, anything it does wrong will be your fault. You have to train it to be good. Okay?ā My sonās eyes danced, his wide grin so hopeful and bright.
I didnāt stand a chance.
āIāll be really good momma! Iāll give it baths and play with it and even take it for walks, jusā like Genny from the Holtedās farm does with the Lambs!ā He was dancing in place, so excited. He didnāt seem to care if I was getting him a dog, cat, foal or even a mouse, he just wanted a pet. Something he could nurture and be proud of.
I sighed in defeat, āOkay, but itāll have to wait until I can talk to the farmers nearby to see if any of them are willing to let you have one of their animals okay?ā He squealed with delight, tackling my legs and hugging them tight. āTHANK YOU MOMMA! IāLL BE THE BESTEST PET OWNER EVER!ā
He then turned and ran out the door to plow through the snow I had yet to shovel from the walkway.
Shortly after he ran off to somewhere, most likely to one of the farms that he loved to wander around, I was outside and shoveling the drifts back up to the yard. It was hard work, using muscles that I didnāt normally work out.
I was just a simple single mother, working as a receptionist at a company about three hoursā drive from home into the city round-trip. It was pretty easy work, seeing as itās all Iād been doing for the last decade. I had moved into the Rural area to be closer to my folks, plus the classes for my son were smaller and The housing was pretty darn cheap. Even more so when my folks owned the house, and land, and let us live in the mother-in-law house. All I was required to pay was the utilities for my portion.
It was a sweet deal, and after the nasty break up with the father of my son, it was a haven. I could relax and not have to worry about what that man was doing to our child while I was working. I was also getting more time to spend with my son. He seemed to flourish with all the nature around us.
I had just finished the walkway to the garage that sat next to our little home when a big Red pickup truck pulled up next to me and rolled his window down.
āHey there Teddy, howās it going?ā Theodore was a Farmer from a few houses down, which was an average of 5 miles away, he came to visit occasionally since he met my son and preferred to be called Teddy. His Farm in particular housed larger animals. Cows, Bulls, Horses and even a few Ostriches, I still didnāt know why or how he came across those huge birds.
āIām all good āBelle, howās Gunter?ā His cocky smile always made me feel warm inside.
Theodore was one of the few Bachelors still living nearby, and was a total package deal. He was tall, around six foot five, and had thick black hair. His pale green eyes seemed to sparkle when he talked about his two great passions his farm, or food. He had the traditional Farmersā Tan and was built like a brick house. He swore he had the money for the āFancy machinesā but was convinced that they made more problems than they fixed, so almost everything was done the Old-fashioned way with sweat and muscle.
He did have a couple of four-wheelers for feeding his animals and even took my son out to go meet the herds once or twice.
āGunterās been begging for a pet again, and I just couldnāt say ānoā one more time.ā I sighed as Theodore chuckled.
āāEās a good boy! A pet would do him some good, mebbie settle āim down some.ā I pursed my lips and shot him a look of disbelief. He just continued to smirk, then changed the subject.
āAnyway, I was wonderinā if youād be so kind as to feed a poor bastard for theā night?ā He took on a pleading look, clasping his hands out the window as if in prayer. I sighed again, āAnd here I thought you liked me cuz Iām pretty!ā I giggled as his face lit up.
āJust help me with the driveway so you can park and Youāre morān welcome to stick around.ā He whooped and backed up his truck quickly, then tumbled out into the crisp snow after heād parked on the side of the road. He quickly rummaged through the truck bed and pulled out a sturdy snow shovel and began on one end of the driveway while I started at the other.
Within the hour the whole driveway had been cleared and salted just as more snow decided to fall.
āI wonder which farm Gunter decided to wander off to this time?ā I wondered out loud, Teddy shrugged and dusted off his jeans as we entered the mud room to the house.
āIās Sure he didnāt go my way, I wouldaā spotted āim and brought āim back with me.ā Teddy slipped his work boots off and we both walked into the house, rosy cheeked and sweaty.
I pulled off my jacket and rested it on the nearby chair and pulled my cell phone out of the top pocket. There were no new messages, but I sent out a text to the local Farmers asking if theyād seen my son and to let me know if they needed me to come get him. In the meantime, Teddy settled down at the kitchen counter, practically draped over the stool. He sniffed the air, drinking in the scent of the pot roast I had prepped hours ago as it bubbled in the crockpot. I smirked as he hummed to himself.
Shaking my head I pulled out the potatoes I had peeled and boiled earlier and set to mashing them. Teddy always seemed to pick the days I was making a good-old fashioned lunch or dinner to āpopā over and invite himself in. I didnāt really mind, seeing as he was a gentleman and always tried to help out with things that needed fixing.
Heād helped fix the roof last summer and even helped with prepping the garden back in spring so that I could actually start growing something. Iād done the work of planting, but getting the posts in the ground and the boxes in place? All Teddyās handiwork.
āWould you please grab one of the Pie tins from the Pantry? And the smaller bag of flour too please!ā Teddy may have been relaxing, but he was quick to react when I asked for something. Soon enough Iād had all the potatoes mashed and the pie tin waiting for me on the counter.
Teddy stretched and touched the ceiling with his fingertips as he sauntered into the living room. I blushed lightly, since his stretch had pulled his T-shirt from his jeans and exposed a part of his sculpted lower back. He was deliciously handsome and Fit, if only a hunk like him was interested in a flabby wench like myself. I sighed, dashing that thought from my mind.
No man in a rural area wanted a pre-started family, especially with the kind of baggage we brought to the table.
As I put together the Apple pie, the timer on the pot roast went off and I opened it up to check how it was doing. Teddy had turned on the Radio to one of the local rock stations. I tasted the stock from around the roast and cut into the meat, checking how soft it was. It was perfect.
The potatoes had been put in the oven with some garlic and butter sauce to cook a bit more and the pie was in the smaller oven browning to perfection. I was very satisfied with myself, in less than a year, Iād learned to cook some damn-fine meals. It didnāt hurt that a lot of the women around the area traded recipes all the time. Adding to that, quite a few of the farmers would barter meat and eggs for veggies and fruit too.
My contribution was that since I went into town so often, they would trade me staple goods for exotic things from town, or fetching packages from the post office for them when I was on my way home. I loved to bring home bulk items that I could then later trade for some fresh eggs or milk.
I pulled the Mashed potatoes from the Oven to cool on the rack and arranged the Pot roast and Its fixings on a plate. When I turned to start setting up the table, there was a knock at the door. It sounded almost urgent and I wiped my hands on a towel I kept on the oven handle.
Teddy heard the rapping on the door and had emerged from the Living room, brows knit together and frowning slightly. He stood behind me as I opened up the mudroom door and unlocked the outer door. Teddyās arms were crossed and he leaned on the doorframe as the outer door opened to a harried looking Farmer from three houses down the road to the north.
āFredrick, whatās wrong?ā I was surprised, normally Fredrick wore a sort of soft half-smile. Like he was privy to a secret and was never going to tell anyone.
His pure white hair was sticking up on all directions and he had an almost wild look to his soft brown eyes. āItās Gunter,ā He croaked, and my body went cold. Ice seemed to shoot up my spine as my stomach tightened.
āW-what about Gunter?ā I whispered, Fredrick ran his hand through his hair, making it even messier. Fredrick refused to look into my eyes, and instead stared at Teddy.
āFredrick?ā I was scared, and being ignored wasnāt helping. I looked to Teddy, who was frowning and looked almost murderous. It was chilling to see the fire in his eyes, as if he was going to break the first thing he touched.
āTeddy?ā I was cautious, I had seen my Ex-husband with that look, and when Iād bothered him, Heād tried to break me to soothe his anger.
Unfortunately for him, I refused to break.
Teddy clutched at his shirt and took a deep breath, leaning his head back as his eyes closed. Just as rapidly, he stepped forward and I stepped back. I pushed myself against the wall in the mud room, trying to keep from aggravating Teddy. He shoved his feet in his boots and threw on his jacket.
āTeddy.ā I breathed his name, my chest tight. His shoulders where stiff and he stood with both hands fisted at his sides.
āāBelle,ā He started, voice rough with what sounded like fury, āIāll try tā be back āfore sundown.ā He strode forward, Fredrick rushing to his own Deep green SUV. Teddy practically stomped up to his Red pickup and seemed to rip the door open. Iād followed them outside, where the snow was gently falling around us, almost surreal.
Once heād gotten into the vehicle, I tapped on the glass of his driverās window. He took a moment to breathe, then rolled it down to face me. His eyes seemed to blaze, sharper and brighter than before the green even more vibrant than before.
āWhat happened Teddy? Please tell me!ā I begged, Gunter was my baby, Heād been a complete surprise to my-then-husband and I.
Iād been elated to prove the doctors wrong, as Iād been told I was infertile only a few months prior, but my husband had been furious. He hadnāt wanted a child at all. Not only had Gunter proven the doctors wrong about my fertility, but they proved them wrong about my ability to carry at all. I had carried him successfully until two weeks before my due date, the day my husband first started beating me.
It had been a shock to have the man Iād married hit me so hard. Sure, weād argued a bit, but that was normal and weād always found a common ground and made amends. Something about having a child drove my husband crazy and heād finally snapped.
Weād been arguing about where weād move to after heād gotten his promotion. He wanted to move to the East coast, but I was adamant about moving to the Midwest. At the time weād lived a bit between the two. I wanted to be closer to family, both his and mine, and He wanted to start living more āin-styleā.
Iād refused to move with him to the East coast, and He hit me. I was so shocked that I had frozen on the floor where I landed and just stared at him.
It had taken me only a week to decide to leave him the first time.
Weād made up for it later and had struggled to cope, but in the end All I asked of him, was to leave us alone. I didnāt want his money, or his name, just the child weād created together. He agreed and signed the paperwork that released me from the nightmare of being his Wife.
Teddy was tense, and I thought he was going to lash out at me for getting in his way. He moved his left arm quickly and I flinched back, anticipating a smack, but it never came. I had closed my eyes reflexively, but cracked them open to see Teddy with his arm held out, a strained look on his face and the green of his eyes pale again. He gripped the steering wheel with his right hand so hard that It creaked, and he gently held his left hand to my face.
ā āBelle, I will never, ever hurt you on purpose.ā Ā He practically growled as his hands felt rough against my skin but he rubbed my cheek so gently, as If I was made of spun glass, just waiting to fall apart. Tears were welling from my eyes and I was on the verge of bawling, I just wanted to know what was happening to my son!
As if he heard my mental cry, he cupped my chin once more, and gently pulled me to look up into his eyes. The green had lit up once more, and seemed to search inside mine for something.
āIām sorry āBelle.ā He whispered, āI caināt tell you what you want to know.ā He took a deep breath, releasing my chin. He then leaned against the doorframe and propped himself out the window to kiss me.
His lips were softer than Iād imagined, and the rough feel of his stubble was almost delightful, making warmth spread down into my core. My hands reached up and I took a step forward wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him in deeper. He groaned against my mouth and reached out again with his left hand and mixing his fingers into my wavy blonde hair, his right keeping him steady In the window. I stood there like a statue, reveling in the feel of his warm mouth and dancing tounge.
Suddenly he parted from me, and groaned while shaking his head. I was blinking, still overwhelmed with everything and in complete disbelief. Teddy just kissed me.
āāāBelle, stay here. Please.ā His eyes still blazed, but there was some gold creeping in, he looked almost feral. I nodded dumbly, not thinking at all.
āDonāt open the door after sunset, and doān open it ātill after Sunrise.ā I was transfixed on Teddysā face, as I nodded again, and I opened my mouth to question why, when he shook his head once and grimaced.
āI caināt tell you darlinā, not yet.ā His hands were shaking, and he finally put his truck into gear. I stepped back, finally realizing Iād been standing there longer than a few minutes and shivered.
āIāll tell you what I can, when I can. Jusā ā¦sit tight, Iāll find yer boy and git him home safe. Thatās a Promise!ā He pulled out of the driveway and directed himself northward, to Fredrickās farm. The Truck squealed in protest at changing gears so quickly, from reverse to drive and then being pushed to dive through the fresh snow at a high speed.
I stood there shivering until his truck faded from sight into the woods that surrounded my home. It was a few moments before I turned to go back inside, and by then the pie Iād been preparing was ruined, and I flipped the oven off. The pot roast was now dry and even the potatoes were cold.
I was still in a state of shock, Gunter was God-knows-where in some sort of trouble, and Teddy had kissed me. Between the Elation of that kiss and the Fear of losing my only child, I was frozen. I stumbled into the living room, ignoring the food or the mess it caused in favor of hopefully making sense of what was going on.
I knew when I had moved in only two years ago, that this town was small and had its oddities. My folks had always told me to check the eaves for bats, make sure that there were no animal tracks around the house and to water the toadstools that circled the small house I lived in.
The bats and the tracks I could understand, but the mushrooms? I didnāt question my folks, and did as they said. Once or twice I found coyote tracks and raccoon tracks around the house and showed Gunter how to distinguish them from one another.
He was practically a natural at picking up practical knowledge like that. He even went so far as to have someone teach him to make plaster molds of the more interesting prints he found and asked to keep them on a shelf in his room. To this day he had well over a dozen tracks, some canine, a few feline, and a few deer tracks too.
I wasnāt cold anymore, but I couldnāt stop shivering. There was something my mother had told me before theyād suggested Gunter and I move out to live with them.
āThereās quite a few tall tales around this little town, most of them having to do with werewolves. I know it seems far-fetched, but these folks take those tales seriously.ā
Werewolves, was Teddy insinuating that they were real? That Gunter had been caught up with them? Or did something terrible happen and no one wanted to be the bearer of Bad news? I had started scratching my arms in a nervous fit, only realizing I was doing so when I felt warm liquid running down the rest of my arm.
Iād scratched right through my skin, leaving me bleeding. I swore to myself,
āThis isnāt getting me anywhere!ā I stomped over to the bathroom and tended to my arm. Once that was finished, I still felt the need to be ādoingā something.
Teddy had been pretty adamant about me staying indoors once the Sun set. And a quick glace outside had me guessing that I had about an hour before I needed to close myself in for the night.
Quickly, I put on my thickest sweater and leggings, hoping that I could make it outside and back before the stipulated time. I rushed through the mud room and yanked on my knee-high boots a colorful scarf, and my parka jacket.
After thinking about it, I returned to the living room and reached up to the doorway where the Remington 700 was perched just for safetyās sake. I checked the barrel from the loading mechanism, and it looked all clear. Pausing by the closet nearest the door to the mudroom, I rifled through the jackets until I reached the back wall where the dial and handle was visible for the safe where I kept the ammunition.
A quick turn of the dial and the safe was open. I only took five bullets from the box and loaded them into the Rifle. After which I shut the safe and locked it back into place.
Slinging the rifle over my shoulder carefully, I headed out the front door.
I had checked the doors to the house and had locked both of them. The mud room was never locked, to shelter people from the cold or heat depending on the season. If Gunter came home and everything was locked, he wouldnāt be in danger staying in the mud room.
I turned to the Road in front of the house, took a deep breath, and stepped beyond the circle of dormant Toadstools around the house. It was going to take time, but If I walked, I was less likely to miss hearing screaming or shouts. I had started my trek facing North. Since that was where the men had run off to, thatās the most likely area that Gunter was.
I quickly realized, no matter how motivated I was, I was not physically ready to make this trek. I was breathing heavily, and sweating terribly. My knees and feet had already started to hurt, and when I glanced behind me, I couldnāt see my house anymore. The sun, however, was just touching the skyline. I was just getting close to the neighboring farmstead.
The Nylors home was ranch-style and honestly very pretty, if a bit more rustic than I liked. I trudged up the shoveled walkway and stopped to catch my breath before I attempted to knock on the door. Their Mud room was much larger, and much nicer than mine, but then again, they had a larger family and had also been living here much longer.
I finally found my breath and knocked on the house door after stomping out the snow from my boots. I heard some scuffling, and then heard a creak as someone stepped up to the door.
āWho ādere?ā came the gruff voice of Pa Nylor, The Patriarch of the family. He was the oldest living person in the town and was also the only person who could handle any animal regardless of its temper.