3. RAE

3

RAE

T he sun was already high in the sky by the time I made my way to Garrison’s General Store.

I’d overslept.

The first couple of days here in Silver Ridge, I’d been up at the crack of dawn, fear nipping at my heels, sure that someone would come to get me.

Slowly, as nothing had gone wrong and every day turned out to be okay, I’d started to relax.

And as I relaxed, the incredible exhaustion hit me.

It had been days of running, of fear that Jethro would catch up to me.

I was still worried, but the terror had subsided into a deep concern. I wasn’t paralyzed by it the way I had been for far too long.

Now, I needed money to keep surviving. I was on the last of my savings and I was going to stay here for as long as I could before I moved on.

I needed the shelter for the winter.

The walk from Whispering Pines Inn to Main Street was short, and it felt good to be outside. The cold air was a shock to my lungs at first, but I warmed up as I walked, the sun soothing on my skin.

Despite being calmer now, I still kept an eye out to make sure everything was safe. I knew where everyone was. I noticed every movement. My nerves wouldn’t allow me not to search for Jethro in every corner, or find one of his henchmen in every stranger I met.

Silver Ridge was a sanctuary, but paranoia had a way of following me no matter where I ran.

The store came into view, its wide porch lined with wooden rocking chairs and a colorful display of flowers. A hand-painted sign above the door read Garrison’s General Store: Est. 1901 . It was quaint, charming, and exactly the kind of place where someone like me could blend in.

Storybook vibes.

“Hopefully this story has a happy ending,” I mumbled, and pressed my hand against the door.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside. The bell above the door chimed softly. The smell of fresh coffee and old wood greeted me, mingling with the faint scent of leather from the goods displayed along the walls. The store was a treasure trove of everything you could possibly need—groceries, hardware, handmade crafts.

Behind the counter stood a man with a stocky build, a bushy mustache, and a friendly smile. “Morning,” he greeted, his voice warm. He leaned his hands on the counter. “Can I help you find something?”

“I’m actually looking for a job.” I forced myself to meet his gaze. I smiled hopefully. “I just arrived in town, and I need some work.”

The man raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “Well, you’re in luck. I didn’t even put up the sign yet, so you’re the first applicant.”

“Sign?”

He reached under the counter and held up a sign that read Help Wanted.

“I was going to put that up in a sec. Looks like the wind blew you in just in time, eh?” He chuckled.

I smiled along. He was warm and welcoming, and it was hard not to like him.

“I would love to help out,” I said. “I don’t have any references with me, but I have experience.”

“With what?”

I hesitated.

Numbers. Fucked-up boyfriends. Being betrayed again and again.

“People.”

“Now, that’s the kind of experience we could use around here,” he said with a chuckle. “Name’s Hank Garrison, by the way.”

“Rae,” I replied, offering a small smile. “Rae Stevens.”

“Nice to meet you, Rae.” He extended his hand, and I shook it, feeling a little more at ease. His hand was large and gentle. “You ever worked in a store before?”

“A few times,” I lied. “I’m a fast learner.”

“Good enough for me,” Hank said with a satisfied nod. “Let me show you around.”

As we walked through the store, Hank explained the basics of the job—restocking shelves, ringing up customers, and keeping the place tidy. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was exactly what I needed. Something to keep my mind occupied and my pockets from running empty.

We were halfway through the tour when a woman walked in, her shoulder-length auburn hair bouncing with each step. She was dressed in jeans and a colorful blouse.

“Hey, Hank,” she called out, her voice cheerful. “Got those new deliveries yet?”

“Morning, Laken,” Hank replied. “Yeah, they’re in the back. Mind helping Rae here get settled? She’s our new hire.”

Laken’s eyes lit up as she turned to me, extending her hand. “Hi, Rae. I’m Laken Mitchell. Welcome to the team!”

“Thanks,” I said, shaking her hand. Her grip was firm but warm, and there was something about her that put me at ease instantly.

You can’t be this comfortable around strangers.

But they didn’t feel like strangers.

And they didn’t feel like danger, either.

“Come on,” Laken said, motioning for me to follow her to the back of the store. “I’ll show you the ropes.”

We spent the next few hours going through boxes, unpacking goods, and chatting. Laken was easy to talk to, with a bubbly personality that made the time fly by. She told me about her love for Silver Ridge, how she’d moved here a few years ago to start fresh after a messy breakup. It was clear she knew about having a past and was someone who could understand the need for a new beginning. Not that I was planning on sharing too much with her. Getting close to new people was just as dangerous as trusting older relationships.

That was what I’d had to learn the hard way.

“You’ll love it here,” Laken babbled, unaware of the tug-of-war going on in my mind. We stacked cans of beans on the shelves. “Everyone’s so friendly. It’s like one big family. And everyone knows everything about everyone . I think that’s the part I hate and love the most. In equal parts.”

I swallowed hard. “It doesn’t sound very good not to have privacy.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t…” Laken tilted her head. “But it’s nice to know that someone has your back when shit hits the fan, right? Because if someone doesn’t know you’re going through a tough time, they can’t actually help you. So I guess there’s upsides and downsides to having people so close to you.”

I nodded. I guessed she was right in some ways. It still scared me to think that around here there were no secrets.

When I was made of nothing but secrets.

“Sounds really good,” I lied, trying not to sound as worried as I felt.

Laken seemed to sense my hesitation. “Hey, don’t worry,” she said, giving me a reassuring smile. “We all have our reasons for being here. Just take it one day at a time. Change is hard, you know?”

God, she had no idea.

I nodded. As the day went on, I found myself relaxing a bit more. The steady rhythm of work, the soft murmur of customers browsing the aisles, and Laken’s easy chatter all combined to create a bubble of normalcy that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

By the time the store closed, I was exhausted but content. Hank handed me an envelope with my first day’s pay and clapped me on the shoulder. “You did good, Rae. We’re glad to have you.”

“Thanks, Hank.” I slipped the envelope into my bag. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I had a steady job. I had a place to lay my head tonight.

I was safe, for now.

Overall, I wasn’t doing too badly.

My mind flashed on Tanner, but I forced myself not to think about him. I couldn’t afford that. I’d managed without him for years and that wasn’t going to change. I wouldn’t allow it.

As I walked back to the cabin, the sun setting behind the mountains, I allowed myself a moment of peace. Silver Ridge was starting to feel a little less like a hiding place and more like a home. Maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to fit in here for a while before I had to move on.

But the shadows of my past were never far away. As I unlocked the cabin door and stepped inside, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still being watched. I had hidden the evidence—Jethro’s files—in a hollowed-out floorboard, but it didn’t feel safe enough. I needed to find a better place, somewhere no one would ever think of looking.

I glanced around the cabin, my gaze landing on the small window that overlooked the forest. Tanner’s cabin was up there somewhere. In the mountains, away from the prying eyes of the curious, friendly townsfolk.

I understood him

The thought of him brought a mix of emotions—fear, longing, confusion. I couldn’t afford to get tangled up in his life again, not when mine was already a mess.

I sank onto the bed, the day’s events swirling in my mind. I had a job, a tiny bit of stability. But I was still running, still looking over my shoulder. And I knew that if Jethro found me, everything I’d built here could come crashing down.

Hell, I was lucky if he’d let me live.

I curled up under the blankets, and my thoughts drifted back to Tanner.

Was he thinking about me, too?

Stop it.

I closed my eyes, willing myself not to think about him, until sleep dragged me under.

He was at my door, wearing that shirt that clung to his muscles like it was doing a favor, the cargo pants that hung off his hips in just the right way. His eyes were deep and dark and filled with need.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“It’s none of your business.”

He took a step closer to me, and the air around us grew thicker. My body ached for him. How long had it been since he’d touched me?

“You’re my business, Rae.”

He stood close to me now, his long hair framing his perfect face. His regal nose, square jaw, and those deep-set eyes that could bore right into my soul. I was captivated.

I knew I had to get away from him, but when he cupped my cheek, electricity ran through my body.

“Tanner,” I said, trying to stop him.

He kissed me. Softly, at first, his lips brushing against mine.

“What are you doing here? You left.”

“I know.”

“You’re not here,” I said. “You’re not real.”

He cupped my face in both his hands, and I felt small and delicate against his large frame. He slid one hand down to my throat, thumb under my chin, and I was his.

I’d always wanted to be his.

I looked up at him and swallowed, and he looked down at my lips. He slid his tongue along my lower lip, sucked it into his mouth, scraped his teeth along it.

“You’re mine, Rae.”

“You left,” I said.

“I know.”

He kissed me, then. His tongue slid into my mouth, and his other hand slid from my cheek over my shoulder, my back, and he cupped my ass. He pulled me against him so that I felt his erection, and he grinded himself against me.

I moaned into his mouth.

All reason disappeared as he drew me in, making me ache for more.

Tanner led me to the bed, and when we collapsed on it, it was our bed back home—when we’d still lived together in Seattle.

He was on top of me, naked. I ran my hands over his perfect chest, chiseled and muscular. His shoulders bunched as he held himself up with arms braced on either side of my head.

My legs wrapped around his waist.

Tanner dipped his head, his back rounding, and he sucked one nipple into his mouth. I was naked beneath him, and he kneaded my breast with his hand, scraping his teeth over my nipple. I gasped and moaned . My mind was filled with fog, and all I could think about was his hands on my skin, his tongue on my neck.

His lips on my ear.

When he entered me, it was slow and torturous. His cock slid into me, stretching me.

I gasped.

I was slick, ready. He slid in deeper, and I grabbed his biceps, holding him tight, urging him in.

His cock throbbed inside me, and when he was all the way in, his pelvis ground against my clit, and I cried out.

His movements were slow, deliberate. He rocked his hips in time with my heartbeat, his cock filling me up.

His eyes were intense, looking down at me. I met his gaze and lost myself in the moment, in the pleasure.

He leaned down and kissed me, and his hand found its way to my throat. He slid his thumb along it, his hands large. Tanner had always been so strong, so powerful. His body covered mine on the bed, a giant against me. But his power was in his restraint. He knew just how much to push, how much to give before he had to hold back. And that was so much more incredible than any other power.

I wrapped my legs tighter around his waist, and his cock pulsed inside me, filling me. He rocked his hips faster and deeper, and the bed slammed against the wall. The windows rattled, and I cried out, dragged back into a world that was perfect; this was us, and nothing else mattered.

My orgasm was building, and it came like a wave and washed over me. It spread through my body like warm water, and I was dizzy with pleasure, lost to the sensations.

Tanner kissed me, his tongue sliding along mine, and he pumped faster, harder, deeper; he was growling now, a low and guttural noise, and then he came.

His cock pulsed inside me, his cum filling me up, and then his muscles relaxed, and he sank down on top of me.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he murmured in my ear. “Why are you here?”

“What?”

“Rae.”

“Tanner,” I breathed and closed my arms tighter around his neck, but he was gone.

I opened my eyes, the darkness wrapping itself around me. I was alone in my bed in the cabin. Tanner wasn’t here.

I suddenly felt empty and alone.

I slipped out of bed but dragged the cover with me, wrapping it tightly around me against the cold. I walked to the little window and looked out over the dark forest, the trees that hid Tanner from view, somewhere up there.

My mind echoed with his same question, asking me over and over again.

Why are you here?