Chapter Twelve

 

THE drive to Stone Trail was a slow and hazardous one. Usher began to wonder if they would ever reach town in one piece. Once Jarreth pulled into the parking lot of The Cannonball, Hanna seemed to relax. Usher hated seeing his friend so distraught, but he didn’t blame her. His encounter with the werewolf had left him scarred. From now on he’d never be able to step outside at night without looking over his shoulder or peering into the tree line with fear. He could only imagine what Hanna had seen and the nightmares she’d have after this night.

With the snow and wind steadily filling in the plowed lanes and most of the citizens sequestered indoors, quiet reigned over the town except for a group of teenagers who crossed the parking lot on their way to the bowling alley. Only two cars were parked in The Cannonball’s parking lot.

“Business is booming,” said Usher.

Jarreth chuckled. “Yeah, I see that. Is Jess working tonight?”

Usher pointed. “That’s her car over there.”

Inside, the warmth of the building greeted them. Usher inhaled the familiar scents of pretzels, popcorn, draft beer and the faint odor of deep-fryer grease. The tavern’s lights glowed dimly, bathing only one customer at the bar, who sat nursing a mug of beer.

“The motel is at the end of this street,” Jess was saying, as Usher approached her with Jarreth and Hanna. She shoved a phone book across the counter to the patron. “It’s called The Trail’s Inn. You better look up the number and make sure they’re not booked with travelers, due to this weather.” As the man whipped out his cell and then started paging through the phone book, Jess turned her attention to Usher. “What on earth are you three doing out in weather like this?”

“What on earth are you doing at work on a night like this?” Usher shot back, smiling.

“My kids are with the sitter, and I can bunk in the back room if I have to,” she replied, her eyes bright with humor. However, one look at Hanna sobered Jess. “Oh, hell. What’s wrong?”

Hanna started to sob.

Jess flew around the bar and took her in her arms, hugging her tightly. She stared at Usher over the little woman’s head. “What happened?”

“Not here.” Jarreth nodded toward the barfly. “We’ll sit out here and watch the bar while you take Hanna in the back and calm her down.

Jess nodded and escorted Hanna down the hall.

“What do we do for tonight?” Usher asked. He noted the time behind the bar: Ten o’clock. I sure as hell don’t want to travel the highway home. Usher ambled behind the bar and reached for a bottle of whiskey. “Want a drink, Jarreth?”

“Not until I’m sure I don’t have to drive anymore in this mess, but pick something out and I’ll buy it. I figure we’ll need some artificial calm to get through the rest of this night.” Jarreth tugged his gloves off and shrugged out of his coat, placing everything in an empty bar chair. “I think every nerve I have is frayed into fluff.”

Usher laughed. “Me too.”

“Good night, fellas,” said the man sitting at the bar. “Tell the lady bartender that I’m leaving my car here.” He jotted something down on a napkin with a pen from his front shirt pocket. “And that if there’s a problem with me leaving it here, this is my cell number.”

“Goodnight,” Usher and Jarreth said simultaneously, and then grinned at one another.

“And be careful walking in this snow and wind,” Usher added. “It’s getting steadily worse out there.”

The man put on his coat and hat, waved and left the building.

Jarreth took out his BlackBerry and dialed a number.

“Who are you calling?” asked Usher.

“The sheriff’s office.”

Usher listened as Jarreth relayed the night’s events to the dispatcher, including the death of Hanna’s farmhand and the cows that were slaughtered.

Shooting Usher a look of disbelief, Jarreth said into the cell, “So you’re telling me there’s no one who can come out to The Cannonball to talk to Hanna? How can you be the only one there? A man was killed by this… creature.” He listened, nodded, and then said, “I believe she’ll be staying with Jess, who tends bar here most of the time. Okay, thanks.” Finally, he grumbled something under his breath and dropped his phone into his pants pocket.

“I take it there’s no one on hand and there’s nothing to do but sit and wait until the storm’s over, right?”

Jarreth nodded.

“Fuck.”

“That’s an understatement,” Jarreth replied.

“Guys?”

Usher turned toward Jess who stood in the doorway. Jarreth looked at her expectantly.

“Hanna told me what happened,” she stated. “Denver’s dead?”

“It’s hard to comprehend,” Usher said, “but it’s true.”

She nodded once and walked over to the counter. “I’m having trouble accepting it, but by the way Hanna acted as she told me the story, I’m compelled to believe her.” Sighing, she leaned on the bar top with her forearms. “It’s frightening, though. Are you two sure it’s an actual werewolf and not a freak of nature, and the stormy night that made you think it was bigger and scarier than it really is?”

“Positive,” Usher replied. “And Hanna is right. Staying here in the bar is probably the best plan.”

“Right,” Jarreth stated. “Something like that is less apt to come into a big place where it can be seen.”

Jess glanced up at Usher and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Yes, Hanna feels safe here since it’s a public place, and with business nonexistent tonight, it won’t be a problem to crash in the back. There are a couple of cots and plenty of blankets, so I’ll call my sitter and stay here with Hanna. That way the police won’t have far to travel when the storm stops. Maybe a deputy will come here first. I’ll just give the sheriff’s—”

“Already did that,” Jarreth said. “Only person in the office is the dispatcher.”

She groaned. “I figured as much.” Noticing the bottle of Jack Daniel’s on the bar top, she quirked a brow at Usher.

“Ring that up for us,” said Jarreth. “We’re going to my house once we leave here.”

Surprised, Usher said, “We are?”

His friend nodded. “Mom’s in the hospital, your dog is locked up safely in the house, and I’m not tempting fate by traveling that god-awful highway again in this storm.”

“You’re right.” Usher returned his attention to Jess as she slipped the whiskey into a fifth bag. “Are you sure you and Hanna will be okay?”

“Absolutely.” She handed Usher the bottle and then accepted a twenty from Jarreth. “I’ll lock up once you guys leave, and I have your cell number should I need to reach you.”

“Don’t step outside until daylight, understand?”

“I won’t, Usher. I’m not like one of those idiots in the horror movies.” She grinned.

Laughing, Jarreth put his coat on again and then stuffed the whiskey under one arm.

“Be safe,” Usher called as they left. “Oh, and the barfly’s cell number is on that napkin if you should need him to move his car tomorrow.”

He paused outside the entrance. Once Jess put the key into the lock and he heard it clack, he waved to her and walked in Jarreth’s snowy footprints to the Dodge.

 

 

THE trip through town raised the hair on Usher’s nape. Under any other circumstances, Stone Trail would’ve looked like a magical Christmas world, but with a werewolf skulking around the mountain, the town had a sinister atmosphere.

Snow continued to fall in blinding white blankets. Jarreth turned on the wipers, but they did little to keep the flakes cleared, now that the precipitation had gone from fine and dry to large, wet flakes that clung to everything like puffy glue.

“Fuck,” said Jarreth, and he leaned forward, peering over the steering wheel. “Seems like the weather forecast was off again. By daybreak, we’ll have twice as much snow, if not more, than what the weather stations said.”

“Maybe the werewolf will freeze to death.” Usher watched as the businesses and residences sped past his window.

Jarreth laughed. “Something like that finds a warm place to hide out. I’m betting it was somewhere in the milking barn.”

“Why didn’t it attack us?”

“I’ve been tossing that around in my head.” Jarreth braked to make a right turn onto a narrow residential street. “And I’m convinced the werewolf was watching, gauging us, sizing us up. Plus, why attack us when we have shotguns?”

Usher looked over at his friend. “Are you saying that it still thinks like a human when it’s in werewolf form?”

He nodded.

“Wouldn’t we have to use silver bullets?”

“Well, if the legends are true, yes, but the werewolf would have no idea whether or not we had silver or not, so why take the chance of leaping out and getting killed?” Jarreth slowed the truck and turned into a narrow driveway.

Realization hit Usher hard. “Man, it’s difficult enough to deal with this thing as an animal that’s gone mad, but thinking about it with a human mind that thinks and plans its next move scares the shit out of me.”

Jarreth snorted. “No kidding.” He shut off the engine and then grabbed the whiskey and one of the shotguns. “Let’s go inside and make a late meal. After all the excitement, I’m starved.”

Getting out of the truck, Usher paused and looked up and down the neighborhood. All these people inside their homes and they have no clue werewolves truly exist. He shivered and shut the passenger door. Following Jarreth up a shoveled walk full of new snow, he stopped at the front stoop when his friend paused long enough to unlock the door and flip on the foyer light.

He shut and locked the door after Usher stepped inside and waited for him.

“Take your stuff off here and let it drip on those newspapers,” said Jarreth as Una’s Schnauzers danced and barked wildly around his feet. “We can lean the guns in the corner. I’ll put Mom’s dogs in the basement. Otherwise, they’ll be a nuisance since they’re not acquainted with you.”

Later, with the furnace blasting warmth into the house and the oven warming for a pizza Jarreth found in the freezer, Jarreth showed Usher around his mother’s home.

“Wow,” Usher said, “it looks small from the outside, but you have a lot of room.”

“That’s one of the things that sold my mom on buying this house.”

Usher admired the huge flat-screen TV, the curio cabinets full of feline and dog figurines, and three large shelving units—one for DVDS and two for books—built into two walls. He paused at a tall, elegant cabinet boasting beveled glass.

He pointed at something on a middle shelf. “That church building is beautiful.”

Jarreth smiled. “My father gave that statue to Mom on their tenth wedding anniversary. When I was a kid, our home burnt to the ground, so Mom lost all her keepsakes she had from their wedding. To appease her, Dad had a replica made of the chapel they were married in.” He chuckled softly. “My father loved surprises but had a tough time keeping something secret. He couldn’t stand anyone not knowing about what he was doing, so he told me about the gift and made me promise not to tell Mom. He even had silver accents put on the windows, the doors, and the entire steeple is silver too.”

“What a great gift,” said Usher. “Did your Mom like it?”

“She flipped over it, and it’s still her most prized possession.” Motioning, Jarreth turned and strode across the room. “Let’s sit in the kitchen. I need to put the pizza in the oven.”

Ten minutes later, they sat at the kitchen isle and sipped from short glasses of Jack Daniels with a splash of 7-Up. Usher admired the stainless steel and black enamel design of the kitchen as the aroma of a cinnamon air freshener overpowered the room.

Jarreth called the hospital to check on his mother. Seemingly satisfied, he disconnected the call and placed his BlackBerry on the countertop.

“How’s your mom?” Usher asked.

“Sleeping. She can come home tomorrow if the roads are cleared.”

“That’s good news.”

Usher let out a big sigh of relief. “Yes, it certainly is.”

“I feel like I’m in a nightmare and I can’t wake up.” Usher sipped from his glass. “I can’t help wondering about the big timber wolf too.”

“What about it?”

“Why did it save me?”

Frowning, Jarreth stood and began tearing the plastic off the frozen pizza. “What makes you think it saved you?”

“What other reason would it have to jump between me and the werewolf? It acted similar to how Brock was protecting me.”

The oven door opened with a creak, and Jarreth slid the pizza inside and shut the door again. He ripped up the cardboard bottom from the pizza packaging and tossed it in the trash can.

As Usher watched Jarreth move around the kitchen, suspicion poked his brain. He saw the carnage at Hanna’s farm, so why does he act like he doesn’t believe me about the wolf?

“The timber wolf might’ve had a score to settle with it,” said Jarreth. He checked the oven’s temperature. “Wolves, from what I understand, are very territorial.”

“Maybe, but you weren’t there, Jarreth. It really seemed like it was defending me.”

Jarreth took the pop out of the refrigerator and freshened both their drinks. “For now, let’s just relax and enjoy the quiet. My mother is safe, Hanna and Jess are fine and comfortable at the bar, and we’re here in the house safe and warm too.” He shuddered. “It’s been a weird evening.”

Why do I get the feeling he’s avoiding the subject? Usher frowned but just as quickly shrugged the thought away. Jarreth was right. Their emotions and nerves were high strung and it had been a bizarre evening, indeed.

“Shit,” said Jarreth. “I forgot to get the paper plates and chips out.”

As he started to get up again, Usher motioned for him to sit still. “Tell me where everything is. I’ll get it while you chill for a few.”

“That cabinet for the paper plates,” his friend replied, pointing, “and that one over there for the chips.”

Usher found the chips and set them on the isle, then opened the cabinet over the range. He searched its contents, his gaze sliding over plastic cups and utensils, an unopened box of salt, a pack of napkins, and several odds and ends such as birthday candles and cake decorating tools.

“No paper plates up here, Jarreth.”

“What? Are you sure?”

“I don’t see them.”

“I could’ve sworn we had a pack—”

Usher turned to say something and found himself toe to toe and face to face with Jarreth. His words died on the tip of his tongue, and his gaze locked with his friend’s. Heaven help me, I could drown in those dark-chocolate eyes of his. He swallowed, feeling heat creep up his neck and settle in his cheeks.

Jarreth’s eyes turned black, and his attention traveled over Usher’s face and settled on his mouth.

Is he… is he thinking about kissing me? Could he actually—no, he’s not gay. He made that clear earlier tonight.

Jarreth reached past him, his chest pressed to Usher’s shoulder. As he rummaged in the cupboard behind him, Usher could’ve sworn he heard Jarreth inhale deeply.

What the hell? Did he just smell me?

Regardless, the proximity of their bodies sent an electrical charge throughout Usher’s body. His cock hardened, and his pulse fired through his form at light speed. Usher held his breath, afraid to move or even twitch. Damn, I want him so badly it’s like a drug!

“Well,” Jarreth’s voice rumbled in Usher’s ear, shooting more rockets of need through Usher’s body, “I guess you’re right. Mom must’ve moved the package, but I’m too tired to hunt for them right now, so we’ll use plates.”

He stepped back, but only enough to put a few inches between his body and Usher’s. Jarreth’s gaze met Usher’s again, and this time Usher saw… what?

His eyes look almost hungry. He gulped again as he wrestled with his libido. Please kiss me! I promised you I wouldn’t do it again, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it….

Jarreth blinked and moved over to the opposite cabinets. “I’ll get the plates if you want to find the pizza cutter in that drawer by the stove.”

Confused, his cock screaming for release, Usher pulled the drawer open. I don’t know how we can be just friends when I feel like this about him. I want Jarreth so badly it renders me stupid. With disappointment heavy in his heart, Usher found the cutter, placed it on the isle’s top and then sat on his bar chair. He reached for the whiskey and dribbled another shot into his drink.

This is going to be a long, torturous night. He put the glass to his lips and gulped.