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Glancing down at her stocking clad foot, she was horrified to see it covered in patches of blood. It was no wonder they had been hurting so frightfully.
“My God, sweetheart, why didn’t you say anything?”
Unconsciously, her eyes slid to Jay’s face. At first, he looked taken aback. Then a deep scowl tugged
at his brows. Erika instantly looked away, but from the corner of her eye, saw Jay drive an angry hand through his hair. Then to add to her immense pain he slid her boot back on and laced it shut. “Stand up.”
“I can’t,” she said, no longer caring how weak he thought she was now. “I’m done walking.”
“You’re not going to,” he said. “Now come on, get up.”
Erika looked at him with irritation. “Well I can’t fly!”
“Get up, Erika.” He was growing impatient and not very polite as he hoisted her into a standing position. She groaned painfully, but he ignored her and then without consent, lifted her skirts and bundled them around her waist exposing her pantaloons beneath.
She shrieked both from the cold and from the invasive act, but before she could utter a protest, Jay turned around and with one great big heave lifted her onto his back.
Startled, Erika automatically reached out and grabbed hold of his neck.
“Not so tight,” he said, reaching up to loosen her grip. “You may want to see me dead, but you might want to at least wait until the town comes into view first.”
Too tired to argue or complain, she ignored his comment and relaxed her grip instead. His arms came around and gripped her legs, reminding Erika suddenly of them as children. Because Jay had always been the biggest, the town’s children would often climb upon him as if he were a carnival ride. She had been no exception. Resting her cheek against his back, fond memories of the past entertained her as he plodded on through the deep snow.
She wondered whatever happened to that young boy. He was always full of joy and laughter. So unlike the cynical man he became. If she even recalled correctly, she remembered admiring him terribly. Following him wherever he went, and thinking he was as big as a horse. There was no other boy like him, and unlike most little girls in town, Erika already had a pony. Jay was much more fun to play with. In her childlike way, she thought she could keep him as she would anything else she fancied.
Then slowly, he stopped coming around to play and began to ignore Erika altogether. His interests eventually turned to vandalism and causing general mischief wherever possible in town.
They had covered a great number of distances for quite a while, when Jay unexpectedly stopped walking and released her legs so she had no alternative but to slide down off his back. She couldn’t help but frown with disappointment and hoped he didn’t expect her to walk now. Though her feet were still in immense pain, she had actually begun to experience a tiny bit of relief up on his back. And, oddly, a sense of tranquility.
“Why did we stop?”
He took a deep breath and gave his temples a vigorous rub. “You’re heavier than you might think.”
She wasn’t insulted in the least. Instead, she looked up at Jay with concern. In all the years she had known Jay Colby, this was the first time he appeared in the slightest bit frail. He always seemed rock strong, as if nothing could penetrate his huge frame.
“Jay, do you hear that?” Ryan asked, coming to stand next to them.
He shook his head wearily.
“Seagulls,” Ryan told them, beaming.
Jay didn’t look much interested as he closed his eyes and rubbed his fingers over his brow, but said, “Seagulls? In the middle of winter?”
“Try telling them that. The first true sign of spring—is the return of the seagulls.” He glanced at Erika and smiled. “It also means we’re close to the lake.”
She perked up immensely. “We actually made it? Thank God.”
“Why don’t you two rest a little and I’ll run up a ways and see if I can see anything?” He told them and for the first time since this entire horrible incident, seemed to have taken control.
Jay looked unsure at first, but then slowly nodded his head. “All right.”
There was a large boulder jutting out from the earth and Erika gladly took refuge on it while she watched Ryan run off through the thicket of trees. She was amazed at how much energy he had, but then again, he wasn’t carrying a hundred and ten pound female on his back.
Her eyes slid over to Jay.
He looked back.
Immediately, she turned away.
