Forever His

CH. 4 - Finding Her Adventure

Riverliegh

Savannah didn't come to say goodbye this morning, and I can't say I blame her. She was still devastated that Josiah had confessed his undying love for me, and that was just enough to make her break. Apparently, our friendship wasn't strong enough to survive this. Deep in my heart, I've always known that our friendship had always been platonic on her end. But I always kept my promise to her, and I never told Josiah that she was in love with him. That secret would be kept, all of them would be till the day I die. Even if we were no longer friends.

The Dixon's had wanted to throw me a going-away party last night, but I quickly declined. I hated being the center of attention, and that would have been too much for me. I tried to stay away from huge crowds like that.

I quickly loaded the last box into the bed of my truck and handed the keys to the cottage to Mr. Dixon. He would be giving them to the new management team for them to rent it out.

"Are you sure you can't stay? We're going to miss you tons." Mrs. Dixon had a trickle of tears running down her face.

"I'm sure. I need to have new experiences, fresh adventures, and try new things. Things I never got to do before." I smiled and played with my truck keys while I kicked the dirt with my boots. "It'll be great, exciting even." I could even hear my own voice, and it sounded like a lie.

In all honesty, I was terrified of the new things to come. I'm doing something so new, so different, so unfamiliar. And I'm honestly not sure if I'll end up finding what I'm looking for. I'm moving to a cabin and waiting to see what happens with my life. In my whole life, I've never left this town, and here I am suddenly moving away.

Not one for awkward silence or goodbyes, Mr. Dixon grabbed my arms and pulled me to his chest for a hug. "Well, we will miss you. You'll always have a home here." He patted my head and let me go. When he pulled back, I swore I saw some unshed tears in his eyes.

"Tell Savannah to call when she's ready. I'll miss her and always care for her."

They both nodded and walked to their car. I watched them back out of my driveway as I jumped into my truck and started it. I rolled down the windows and turned on my favorite country station. This cabin is going to be my new beginning. No more hiding, no more being shy, and no more working myself to death. I'm determined to make new friends and enjoy life. Aunt Luella always wanted me to leave Fredricksburg, to leave Texas. And I'm going to show her I will be what she always wanted me to be.

The drive was excruciatingly long. I had already been driving for 12 hours, and still had 6 more hours to go. My eyes were growing heavy, and I knew it was no longer safe to keep driving. I decided to stop at a motel in Tuscaloosa for the night.

As I pulled into the motel, I saw a few patrons in the parking lot. It was 9pm, so I wasn't expecting to see many more people than I did. As I walked up to the office, I noticed a creepy old man behind the desk. I was starting to regret my decision to stop there when he looked up and saw me. Greaaaaat.... There goes my plan to go somewhere else. As I walked through the door, he looked me up and down while licking his lips.

"Hmmm, just the one?" He grunted while looking at me intensely.

I stuttered for a moment, trying to come up with a believable lie to indicate that there was someone else with me. But, of course, I'm a terrible liar and I agree that it was just me. I paid for the room, and he handed me the key. I walked back to my truck and grabbed my bag on the way to my room.

Once I got settled, I started looking more into Landrum. It was a smaller town, with a population of just under 3000 people. Very few people visited because it was small and not much of a tourist spot, and fewer people moved into Landrum. Throughout my search, I found very little information, just that it was small and super family-oriented. They had a thriving economy, and besides a few random animal attacks, it was a relatively safe community.

The thing I was the most excited about were the hiking trails, and the lake nearby, so I could still get some swim time in.

I didn't even pull back the covers as I got into bed. I jumped on top of the thin comforter in my favorite baby pink hoodie, gray sweatpants, and my fuzzy knee-high socks. Laying my head on my pillow, I buried my face into it. The faint sound of wolves howling helped lull me to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sun shining on my face. I groaned at the brightness, and realized that I had forgotten to close the curtains last night. Slapping my forehead, the thought of some pervert watching me sleep crossed my mind. Great... It wouldn't matter much anyway, it's not like I'm anything special to look at.

Looking at the clock, it said 6AM. The late summer sun had risen early, but 6AM was too early to wake up with no work to get to. I decided to take a long hot shower before heading to the diner across the street for breakfast.

I grabbed my favorite dark wash bootcut jeans and my white off the shoulder Justin Moore t-shirt and headed for the shower. The steam quickly fogged up the mirror, and I easily spent 20 minutes standing under the hot spray. I never really got more than 5 minutes of hot water at Aunt Luella's.

As I got out and dried my darkened wet hair, I noticed the highlights had started to fade. I made a mental note to look into salons in Landrum. I could barely reach the blowdryer. Being 5'3, I never understood why they were always put up so high. After trying to jump and grab it, I climbed up onto the counter and unhooked it to start drying my hair. I put on some eyeliner and mascara as soon as I was finished with my hair.

Throwing on my boots and grabbing my purse and keys, I headed across the street. As soon as I got to the door, I realized it was empty and there was a 'closed' sign hanging on the hook in the window. I groaned internally and headed back to the motel. I might as well pack up and hit the road. I'll grab something to eat from the gas station on my way out of town.

As I was quickly packing up my things, I heard a knock at the door. Not thinking anything of it, I opened the door to be faced with a tall, pale-faced man. I've never seen this man before, and he was staring at me as if he's known me for a long time.

"May I help you?" I was hoping to sound braver than I was, but I could hear the tremble in my voice and I knew he could too. He was just staring at me, no emotion on his face, and he was so still I swore for a second he didn't even breathe. He was deathly pale, with eyes as dark as night. His high cheekbones and unnaturally pointed chin sent chills up my spine.

"Yes, I wanted to see if the room was to your liking." He gave me a mysterious smile. Had he not been so intimidating, he would have been somewhat handsome. Not only that, but his voice was so low and somehow calming. I was still feeling uneasy with how he was staring at me, so I slowly inched the door closed as I responded.

"Uhm, yes... I-it was." I stuttered. "It was great, I'm actually checking out now." I quickly grabbed my things without taking my eyes off of him. I'm not about to get my ass jumped. As I waited for him to move, he continued to stare at me. What a creep.

"Really? Just one night? Travelers usually stay a couple of days to check out the hiking trails. I'd be happy to show them to you." His demeanor had completely changed, going from intimidating to full of amusement.

"No, thank you, I'm just passing through. Now, if you'll excuse me..." I pushed through the door, accidentally brushing up against his arm. He immediately tensed up and closed his eyes. I could practically see the red flags waving intensely around him. It was definitely time to get out of here.

Quickly heading to the main office, I returned my key and pretty much ran to the truck.

After the encounter with the strange man, I didn't want to stop for gas and snacks till I was sure he wasn't following me. Even then, I quickly pumped my gas and ran in to get potato chips, a beef stick, and a can of redbull. Breakfast of champions right there!

The hours pass by quickly as I listen to music, and before I know it, I'm 20 minutes away from town. I look down to grab my phone and check my GPS. As I'm coming around the corner, there's suddenly a small barricade across the highway. I slam on the brakes, and my phone flies to the floor.

"UGH!! This is just not my day!" I came to a complete stop and slammed my head on the steering wheel. I heard tapping on my window. I take a sharp inhale as I roll the window down. This man was freaking huge, and was still taller than my lifted truck! He was beyond intimidating with his dark eyes hovering over me. I was too shocked and forgot how to speak.

"Where are you headed ma'am?" he grunted as he pulled out a clipboard and started to click his pen annoyingly.

"I finally cleared my throat and managed to get a few words out. "I was left a cabin from my late Aunt, I'm moving into Landrum." Knowing that the town was weary of strangers, I pulled out all my documents. I assumed that people moving into Landrum was rare. They have visitors and businesses going in and out throughout the year, but that was about it. Even with the beautiful hiking trails and great photography locations, they prefer to keep tourism minimal.

He gave me a quick glance, and I knew he had questions. Before he could say anything, I handed him all my documents. The deed to the cabin, the will, the lawyers statement and all my identification. He was shocked, to say the least, and I could tell from the look on his face, he was not expecting me to come prepared.

As he's going through the paperwork, several other men come up and look at me through the truck window. They were all SO tall! I got uncomfortable when the first man coughed and told me to wait in the truck.

He started to walk over to a small toll booth on the side of the road, and appeared to be making a phone call. While he was on the side of the road, everyone else was eyeing me and the truck. They had no weapons, but they were all standing with their arms crossed. That move alone made their biceps stand out even more through their muscle shirts.

Definitely not bad eye candy while I wait.

Sasquatch comes back and hands me all my paperwork. He smiled at me, he actually smiled!! Don't get me wrong, he was good-looking when he scowled, but with a smile his face was insanely handsome.

"Welcome to Landrum, I'm Chad." He held out his hand, and as I placed mine out for a handshake, his hand completely engulfed mine.

"Just so you know, we don't get a lot of new people moving in. Just take it one day at a time and people will get to know you." He paused, "The mayor will meet you at your cabin to welcome you and give you more paperwork to fill out. You've got about another 45-minute drive to the cabin. Drive safe."

He smiled again, and with a tilt of his head the other guys opened the gate to let me through.

Dear lord, what in the world have I gotten myself into? I wanted a new adventure, and it looks like I just got one...