Chapter Five: Rosie

Dinner was ready. After hurriedly unpacking their clothes and putting them in the closet and drawers, Rosie had rustled up a quick dinner for her and Elliott from the small amount of supplies she’d brought with her. Tomorrow, after her morning appointment, they’d have to visit the grocery store to stock up for the rest of the week.

Originally, she’d planned to eat out as much as possible and had been looking forward to a week off from cooking duty. But since Elliott was here, too, she’d cook in the evenings and make him a packed lunch for when he was at Camille’s.

Rosie made her way across the cabin. Time to call Elliott in for dinner. He’d asked if he could go outside and play. Rosie’s first reaction was to say no.

What if there were bears and wolves in the forest surrounding the lodge? But then she’d told her son he could play outside as long as he stayed on the porch.

Which he’d agreed to. And from the sound of his laughter, and the stomping of his feet as he ran up and down the wooden planks, he was enjoying himself thoroughly. Rosie reached the screen door and pushed it open, the hinges creaking gently in the evening air.

“Elliott.” She kept her voice low so as not to disturb the other guests in their cabins. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay, Mommy!” he said, running past her into the cabin, cheeks all rosy from running and the cool evening breeze.

Rosie smiled as he ran for the kitchen. “Wash your hands!”

Elliott turned in a wide circle, trotted off to the small bathroom, and turned on the faucet. Since they’d arrived at Bear Creek Lodge, Elliott had not once complained about his game console not working.

“I wish we could live here in the forest. It’s so much fun!” he exclaimed as he ran back to the table and took his seat in front of a steaming bowl of pasta in a rich tomato sauce.

Rosie gave her son a big smile. “I like it here, too. But this is just a vacation, remember? My job is back home.”

Elliott’s face scrunched up thoughtfully. “Maybe you could find another job here in Bear Creek?”

As they ate dinner, Rosie mulled over her son’s suggestion. She couldn’t deny that since they had arrived in Bear Creek, she’d felt more at peace than she had for weeks, months even, but she knew that life wasn’t always so simple.

And the cause of her relaxed state might have more to do with what she’d left behind. Namely, Terry.

Right now, he was out of sight and out of mind. And likely out of cell service.

“Can we still go for a walk after dinner?” Elliott asked, breaking Rosie from her thoughts. “You said we could.”

She glanced outside, noting the deepening shadows. “It’s getting late, but we can walk around the trails close to the cabin.”

“Do bears come out after dark?” Elliott asked as he forked up his pasta.

“I think they can be out in the daytime, too,” Rosie said. “I guess we should educate ourselves.”

“Or ask Levi,” Elliott suggested. “I bet he knows all about bears and wolves and the trees and the mountains.”

“I bet he does,” Rosie agreed. “He’s lived in Bear Creek all his life.”

“I’ll ask him tomorrow,” Elliott said.

“Just remember,” Rosie began. “Levi is working on Camille’s kitchen. So you can’t spend the day asking him questions.”

“Can’t he work and talk at the same time?” Elliott asked.

“Maybe,” Rosie said. “But I’m asking you to be respectful.”

“I will,” Elliott said, picking up his glass of water and taking a sip. “I like Levi.”

“I do, too,” Rosie replied and skewered a piece of pasta with her fork.

Elliott ate in silence for a moment, but Rosie could read his expression. There was something going on in that head of his. Something that would likely lead to a dozen more questions. But then he sighed and focused on eating his dinner.

“Hey, slow down,” Rosie said as Elliott forked up a big mouthful of pasta and shoved it into his mouth.

“I can’t wait to go bear hunting,” Elliott said as he finished his dinner.

“We’re not going bear hunting,” Rosie told him. “We’re going for a walk.”

“Not real bear hunting,” Elliott reassured her.

“Elliott, I need you to listen. If you ever see a bear, you need to know they are big and dangerous. You don’t approach them. It’s not a game.” Rosie fixed her son with a firm look, the one she saved for when she needed Elliott to know she was being serious. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” he whispered.

“Okay, since it looks like you have eaten every scrap off your plate, shall we go for that walk before it gets too dark?” Rosie stood up and started to clear the plates from the table, deciding to leave the dishes until later. Once Elliott was in bed, she’d have time to do them.

“Yes!” Elliott’s face lit up, and he left the table and quickly grabbed his sneakers, pulling them on with enthusiasm.

“Ready?” Rosie asked after she’d laced up the new hiking boots she’d brought for this trip. When they visited the grocery store tomorrow, she should also buy Elliott more suitable clothing from the mountain gear store they had passed on the way to the electronics store. If they were going to hike any of the trails, they should be prepared with backpacks, water bottles, and a map. It was easy to get lost in the mountains.

The sudden weight of being solely responsible for her son pressed down on her. She’d feel much happier if she had company. Maybe she could ask Camille to hike with them.

Or Levi.

That treacherous thought crept into her head. She did not instantly dismiss it.

There was nothing wrong with a little daydreaming about a handsome, protective man who would be willing to fight off a threat with his bare hands to save you.

And that was all it was, an innocent daydream.

“Ready!” Elliott said, jumping up and down on the spot. Hopefully, a walk would tire him out and he’d get a good night’s sleep. It would give her a chance to catch up on the work she’d planned to do that evening.

But as they stepped outside and crossed the parking lot hand in hand, she was glad Elliott was here with her. Even if it would disrupt all her carefully laid plans for the week.

If she never met another man, never opened her heart to another, and worked hard to provide the life Elliott deserved, she would never have another child.

So she planned to make the most of every minute with her son.

They joined a well-used trail that led into the woods. Elliott, full of energy, ran ahead, and Rosie smiled as she watched her adventurous boy.

“Stay close!” she called after him, fear mingling with her joy. She wanted Elliott to enjoy their time in Bear Creek, but all the talk about bears and wolves made her hyper-aware of their vulnerability. The woods, lush and alive, seemed to close in around them, and she shivered despite the warmth of her jacket.

But the sound of the birds tweeting in the trees and the rustle of small animals in the undergrowth as they went about their business calmed her. If there was a large predator close by, surely the small creatures would know and fall silent.

As she shook off her fear, Rosie began to enjoy her new surroundings, the soft sound of the breeze through the trees, the smell of fresh pine and damp earth, and the feel of the forest floor beneath her feet. She breathed in deeply, letting the forest atmosphere seep into her bones.

Up ahead, Elliott paused and turned back, his face alight with excitement. “Come on, Mommy.” He beckoned to her before he turned away, his little legs carrying along the trail. She laughed, the sound unfamiliar to her ears as she ran to catch up with him as the trail curved around a bend.

She hadn’t fully grasped the immense burden she’d been shouldering, how the weight of it had been pressing down on her, stifling her. Until now. Until this moment, when the relentless pressures of her normal day-to-day life melted into insignificance as the untamed wilderness opened out before her.

Rosie caught up to Elliott, scooping him into her arms and spinning him around. “I’ve got you!”

He giggled, and she leaned down, smothering him in kisses, her fingers lightly tickling him until he laughed, the sound echoing through the trees.

“Race you to the big tree!” Elliott wriggled free and pointed to a towering pine farther down the path. His small feet pounded the earth as he dashed off with Rosie at his heels.

“You beat me!” she gasped, feigning defeat as Elliott touched the craggy bark of the pine in triumph.

“I love you.” Elliott flung his arms around her, and she picked him up, cradling him against her. “And I love the trees, and the sky, and the mountain.”

“I love you, too.” Rosie leaned against the tree, catching her breath as Elliott explored the rough bark with his fingers. “We should head back to the cabin. It’s getting late.”

“Do we have to?” Elliott asked, but then he rested his head on her shoulder, a sure sign he was tired.

“We could have some hot cocoa,” she said as she carried him in her arms back down the trail. She loved the weight of him in her arms. Soon he’d be too big to carry. He was growing so fast.

“I’d like some hot cocoa and a cookie?” Elliott asked hopefully.

“We don’t usually have cookies before bed,” Rosie reminded him.

“We don’t usually go for a walk before bed,” Elliott countered.

“No, we don’t,” Rosie agreed. Since they moved into the apartment, they rarely went out on an evening. But when they moved to a house with a yard, that would all change.

Rosie clenched her jaw. That day was a long way off. Even with her most optimistic financial projections, the dream of a house with a yard felt like an elusive ghost, always flitting just out of reach. Just like her dream of a happy marriage.

“Maybe just this once,” she conceded with a soft smile, acknowledging the small victory in Elliott’s eyes. “One cookie and some hot cocoa.”

Elliott squirmed in her arms. “I want to walk the rest of the way.”

He wriggled out of her arms, and she leaned down, his feet running in the air before they hit the ground. “Wait at the end of the trail. Don’t cross the parking lot,” she warned him.

“I won’t,” Elliott called back as he raced on ahead.

Rosie picked up her pace, keeping Elliot in sight at all times. But as she walked, her skin prickled and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She glanced around, peering into the trees as she walked. Was it her imagination?

No, she had an unmistakable sensation of being watched. It wasn’t a threatening presence, but it was enough to rouse the protective mother within her. She jogged after Elliott, who was near the trailhead. The lights of Bear Creek Lodge were visible through the trees.

Surely, no predator would come this close to the lodge and cabins. Unless it could smell food.

She was close to Elliott now, only twenty feet away…

A blur of movement caught her eye, and she halted, heart racing. But then, it was gone. If it had ever been there in the first place. Perhaps it was just her overactive imagination.

However, as she reached Elliott and held out her hand, she could not shake the feeling that there was something out there.

“Let’s go get that cookie,” Rosie said as he slipped his small hand into hers.

They crossed the parking lot, with Rosie still scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. But if there had been anything in the trees, it was gone now.

“Levi!” Elliott jumped in the air and tugged at her hand as they approached cabin number seven.

Where, seated on the porch steps, was, indeed, Levi.