Next to You: A Secrets of River Hollow Novel by Dulcie Dameron

Author:Dulcie Dameron [Dameron, Dulcie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-08-08T23:00:00+00:00

Thirteen

As darkness descended, Shyla’s anxiety reached an agonizing new level. No amount of lavender, tapping or deep breathing was helping her relax. She paced the living room so much she was sure she’d worn down the hardwood.

Buck’s threat hung over her like a dark storm cloud, threatening to pour down on her at any moment. Her fingers itched to do something—anything—so she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and scrolled through her contacts.

Jack’s dinosaur sounds drifted to her from his room. At least she knew he was okay. For now. What would Buck do once he reached them? One thing she knew for sure—he would make her pay for leaving.

She chewed on her thumb nail as her other flew through her contact list. Seeing the names of the people she cared about brought a prickle of tears to her eyes. Would any of them be willing to come over and help calm her down? Was there anyone she could trust enough to confide in?

An image of her new boss flew to the forefront of her mind, startling her. Her feet halted, the hardwood creaking beneath them. Of all the people she could want in a crisis, Casey was the last one she’d consciously think of. If for no other reason than that he was a…man. And especially not when she had dear, lovely friends like Claudia and Indigo, even Prue.

So why did a man come to her mind first?

Maybe it was the fact that he was a little broken and scarred like she was. Or maybe it was his staggering strength in the midst of his trial that called to her. Not just the strong physical presence he exuded, but the silent, inner power that seemed to seep from his pores. He was a man she could rely on. Something inside of her recognized it. She didn’t know how or why, but she did.

When she looked down at her phone, her thumb hovered over Casey’s contact info. Almost without her permission, her thumb pressed down on his name. After a few rings, she put the phone to her ear and waited.

“Hello?” Casey’s deep, masculine voice rumbled through the phone, sending a tingle of awareness down her spine.

“Um…Casey?” Her voice cracked and quivered.

“Shyla?” he asked. “What’s wrong?” Concern rippled through his voice, forcing her tears to spill over her lower lashes. A hard lump formed in her throat, silencing her. She couldn’t even tell him what was wrong. She swiped at the tears that trickled down her face with one hand.

There was a rustling on the other end of the phone and then a rushed, “I’ll be right over,” just before the line disconnected.

Shyla tossed her phone on the couch and sank down, covering her face with her hands. She trembled uncontrollably, unable to stop the flow of tears now. As quietly as she could manage so she didn’t alert Jack to her fear, she cried into her hands.

What seemed like only moments later, a harsh knock rapped on her front door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.