Forgotten (The Lost Children Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  “Oh,” Mica said.

  I turned to Jacinda. “You should go with Mica. You could learn how to rope calves.”

  Jacinda’s nose wrinkled. “No, thank you.”

  “Are you sure?” Mica asked.

  Jacinda looked like she’d rather drink paint than work with cows. “Not for me.” She turned her gaze back to me. “Have fun with Dean.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Goodbye, Jacinda.”

  I followed Mica out of the dining room, but Jacinda’s comments still lingered in the back of my mind. It also didn’t escape my attention that she never replied to my question about Flint and Di.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Dean and I went on another trail ride. We spent a few hours meandering through the hills. I often wondered how Dean got any work done. He spent the majority of his afternoons with me. However, he continually assured me that he rose early and did most of his work then.

  Jacinda’s comments made me wonder, though. I studied Dean while we rode. He was being friendly because he was my friend. Or at least, I’d always thought so.

  Scents of leather filled the barn as we wiped down the heavy, western saddles. “Want to sit together at dinner tonight?” Dean asked as he lifted his saddle to its post.

  My hand stilled. It wasn’t the first time Dean had asked me to join him. Of course, most days he asked I was working. Since it was my day off, however, I was free.

  Still, I paused. “Uh, sure,” I finally replied.

  Dean grinned.

  When dinner finally rolled around, I couldn’t believe how nervous I felt. I inwardly cursed Jacinda. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have thought twice about eating with Dean. As it was, my hands sweat like a glass of ice water on a hot summer day. I kept rubbing them against my jeans as I walked to the main house.

  “This isn’t a date. It’s not a date,” I whispered as I entered the dining hall. If it was a date, Dean would have picked me up at my cabin. He didn’t. Therefore, it wasn’t a date.

  “Lena!” Dean called. He sat at a table.

  Oh crap.

  He’d obviously showered and was dressed in the nicest clothes I’d seen him in. Clean jeans and a clean flannel. I walked stiffly forward until I was at his side. A waft of cologne drifted my way. The dust and horse smells that normally clung to him were gone.

  Even though this was feeling more and more like a date, I couldn’t stop my smile. I’d never seen Dean without a cowboy hat. The tan on his face was pretty amusing. The upper half of his face shone white. The lower half was deeply tanned.

  I swallowed a smile and sat beside him. “Hi.”

  He cocked his head. “What’s so funny?”

  I hurriedly coughed. “What? Oh, nothing.”

  His gaze twinkled. “Come on. I’m not letting you off the hook that easy.”

  I smiled again but this time couldn’t stop my laugh. I pointed at his face. “That’s an interesting tan you have there.”

  He reached up, as if not understanding. I brought my hand to my nose and placed it horizontally across my face.

  It clicked. He chuckled and then laughed deeply. “Oh, yeah. It’s from the cowboy hat.”

  “Figured as much.”

  “You should get a hat. Then you could look as cool as me.”

  “You’re right. It is a pretty fashionable tan. I should look into that.”

  Dean laughed again and all of my nervousness melted away. Jacinda and her stupid comments. Of course Dean and I were only friends. This is how we always acted.

  “You look nice,” he said.

  I glanced at my simple jeans, t-shirt and flip-flops. “Uh, thanks.”

  “Shall we?” He waved toward the buffet table.

  “Sure.”

  Di was topping off the water pitchers at the end of the table. She eyed me curiously when Dean and I filled our plates. Jacinda was another matter entirely. I swear she kept approaching our table just to torment me. She winked when I mouthed at her to go away and snickered when she walked back into the kitchen.

  Dean took a bite of his steak. “How do you like your job here?”

  “It’s good. I mean, we all really like it.”

  “How long are you staying?”

  “Hmm…” I cocked my head. Country music floated through the air. Snippets of conversation from the other tables drifted to us. I spoke louder as the din in the room grew. “I know we’re employed until October. Not sure beyond that.”

  “You know,” he cleared his throat and set his utensils down. “They sometimes need help through the winter. Maybe you could stay on year round. We could spend the holidays together.”

  I almost blew water through my nose. I hastily set my glass down and grabbed a napkin. Coughing vigorously, I wiped my face. Had he really just said we could spend our holidays together?

  Dean clapped me on the back, a frown on his face. “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I managed through the coughing.

  Dean rubbed my back. The coughing had subsided but Dean didn’t seem in any hurry to remove his hand. “You sure you’re okay?”

  Heavy energy abruptly pulsed through the air. I stiffened. Dean still rubbed my back, oblivious to who just entered the room. I didn’t have to look. I knew Flint just walked in. His energy was so strong it felt like a hot ribbon wrapping around me, sliding along my limbs. I inched away from Dean, but Dean’s hand stayed put.

  “You want me to get you more water?” Dean’s hand moved down to rub my lower back.

  “No. I’m good.”

  I tried to inch away but it didn’t help. Dean just smiled as he softly rubbed my muscles. He started saying something else but stopped. I wasn’t listening anyway. Between Dean’s hand and Flint’s energy, my senses were overloaded.

  Dean’s gaze was trained on the door. I followed it. Sure enough, Flint was here. He stood by the door, staring at us. I switched my vision. His orange and blue cloud pulsed and grew around him. It seemed to double in size every second. I hurriedly snapped my vision back to normal.

  My breath sucked in when Flint strode toward us. His steps were purposeful and strong, his shoulders tensed, his hands fisted. My gaze dipped lower. His shoulders tapered to a toned waist that was as hard as the rest of him. Desire flowed through my veins. It came out of nowhere. But seeing Flint like that, hot with rage, purposeful and strong, did something to me. It felt like fire licked my insides. My hands gripped the table tightly.

  My senses flooded with his nearness and scent. Spice, wood and tangerines. His scent only made me want him more. I tried to keep my voice even. “Hi,” I said a little breathlessly when he stood beside our table.

  “Hi.” He scowled at Dean before coming back to me. “Can I talk to you?”

  I blinked. “Talk to me?”

  “Yes.”

  Dean stopped rubbing my back but didn’t remove his hand. “We’re kind of having dinner right now.”

  “I’m aware of that,” Flint replied tightly.

  “What do you want to talk about?” I asked.

  “Can we go outside?” Irritation lined Flint’s words. His dark eyes bore into mine. For a fraction of a second, he let the curtain fall open. Deep emotion swirled in those inky irises. With a blink, it was gone.

  Despite trying to control myself, I started to cave. I inched closer. I wanted to soften into him, to wrap my arms around him. My heart ached to be with him, if only for a second. All of sudden, I realized what I was doing. I abruptly straightened. I hated that I couldn’t control these emotions, especially when he so easily ignored me.

  “No, not right now,” I replied.

  “No?” His eyebrows shot up.

  “Like Dean said, we’re having dinner. Can we talk later?”

  The power off Flint soared. He gritted his teeth, turned and stalked away.

  The rest of the dinner was awkward, to put it mildly. Flint sat at a table over from us. Hot energy pulsed toward me the entire time. Dean chatted away and acted like Flin
t wasn’t there. Meanwhile, I squirmed and fidgeted. All I wanted was to run to Flint. I knew, however, that I’d look like a pathetic girl falling all over her first crush. Not to mention, Dean and I were having dinner. If I left, that would be rude.

  When dinner finally ended, Dean smiled. “There’s another bonfire tonight. Want to go?”

  Jacinda’s head whipped toward mine. She stood over twenty feet away, cleaning up the buffet, yet I knew she heard him. She was trying to hide a smile.

  Between how Dean’s hand had lingered on my back and his now eager expression, the hundred percent certainty I’d felt that he and I were only friends dipped down to ninety percent.

  “Um, I think Flint wanted to talk to me.”

  Dean’s mouth tightened. He glanced toward Flint. Flint was currently attacking his steak. Literally. It was like he thought the thing was still alive from how he stabbed it. The knife’s blade actually bent.

  “Can’t you talk to him later?” Dean asked.

  “Ah, I guess so.”

  We stood. Our chairs scraped loudly. I felt Flint’s gaze burn into my back on my walk out of the dining hall. Flint’s energy grew to an entirely new level. It was seriously making my head spin.

  Outside, I took a few deep breaths as the world returned to normal. I didn’t understand how nobody else could feel what I so easily felt from Flint. Just now, it had been so strong, it felt like a living life force all on its own.

  Oblivious to my turmoil, Dean smiled and reached down. His fingers brushed against mine. I stuffed my hands in my pockets.

  Make that eighty percent.

  “Um, I can’t stay out too long. I’m got to…err…” I released a hand from my pocket to pull at a curl.

  Dean just smiled. “I’ll walk you home whenever you need to get back.”

  Dean led me down the pavers that cut into the front lawn. When we reached the gravel, the wind picked up. His cologne wafted toward me again. Another grin spread across his face as we started to walk.

  “We should go to the creek tomorrow on the horses,” Dean said. “There’s a nice picnic area there. Maybe we could pack a lunch.”

  “Ah, I usually eat lunch in the kitchen while I’m working.”

  “Oh.” His smile dimmed. “Maybe on your next day off.”

  Guilt pummeled me as we walked to the bonfire. Had Jacinda been right? Did Dean like me more than a friend? I chewed my lip. I hated everything about this. Dean had only ever been nice to me. Why couldn’t I like him instead of Flint?

  The smell of wood smoke filled the air the closer we got to the fire. It was also getting dark. I shivered as the temperature slowly dropped.

  “Cold?” Dean asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.” I plastered a grin on my face. Dean was already unbuttoning his flannel. A crisp white-t-shirt shown underneath. “Really, I’m fine.”

  “Oh, sure.” He re-buttoned the top.

  The next thirty minutes were entirely uncomfortable. It was the complete opposite to how I’d initially felt at dinner. I didn’t know if Dean wasn’t taking the hint or if he thought awkward side steps and mumbled responses were the norm on “first dates.” I groaned inwardly. How had I gotten myself into this?

  I was about to throw myself into the fire when I felt him. I stiffened and almost dropped the stick I roasted marshmallows on.

  Flint’s energy pulsed toward me. My head whipped around. When I couldn’t find him, I switched my vision. His cloud gave him away. He stood off in the trees. A large oak almost hid him, but his shoulders were broad enough that it didn’t hide him completely, and his pulsing orange and blue cloud glowed around him. I snapped my sight back to normal. Since it was so dark, he blended into the night. If it weren’t for his energy and glowing cloud, I’d have never known he was there.

  “Um, I should probably turn in.” I hastily stuffed the marshmallow in my mouth.

  Dean straightened. “I’ll walk you back.”

  I forced a smile. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

  Dean frowned. It was the first doubt I’d seen flash across his face. “I’d feel better if I saw you home.”

  I remembered Di’s order for none of us to walk alone at night. Besides, Dean deserved better than for me to ditch him at the fire.

  “Okay, thanks.” I smiled genuinely.

  He perked up and placed his hand on my lower back. He kept it there until we returned to the gravel driveway.

  The entire walk to my cabin I felt Flint follow. I didn’t know who he thought he was fooling. He was silent. I’d give him that, but I swear I’d feel his energy a mile away. At least when it was flowing this strong.

  On my porch, I turned to Dean to tell him goodnight. His lips descended over mine and his arms encircled my waist before I knew what was happening. I jumped back as if I’d been burned.

  Flint was at my side in a second.

  “I think Lena’s ready to turn in.” Flint towered over me with fisted hands and tensed shoulders.

  Dean hastily stepped back and blinked. The bewildered expression on his face made my guilt flow stronger.

  “Flint?” Dean shook his head a few times, as if he wasn’t sure if he was seeing things. Dean glanced around. “Where the heck did you come from?” The utter confusion in Dean’s voice made my eyes widen. I couldn’t believe Flint hadn’t been more careful about his speed.

  “He was on the hill, coming down from the barn,” I said quickly.

  “You were?” Dean asked.

  “Yep, he was. Okay, then. I’m turning in. Night, guys!” I bolted through the cabin door and slammed it behind me before either of them could respond. Guilt made me cringe. It wasn’t the nicest way to end the night with Dean, but I wasn’t ready to face that conversation. Not yet at least.

  Breathing heavily, I leaned against the door and sank to the floor. The hard wood pressed into my back and the tiled entryway was cold. I didn’t care. All I knew was that I needed some time to figure out what the hell just happened.

  Since it was dark and quiet in the cabin, I knew Jacinda and Di were still working. I didn’t know where Mica was. Even though I usually preferred to be surrounded by people, at this moment, I was glad to be alone.

  “What the hell was that?” I finally muttered. I was about to stand when I felt it again. Flint’s energy. It came from behind the cabin. It was so strong I felt it through the wall.

  Wide-eyed, I stood and opened the door. Cool evening air swirled into the cabin. Moonlight illuminated the porch.

  With hesitant movements, I peeked out. Dean was gone, thankfully. I didn’t see anyone else. Shivering, I crossed my arms and walked quietly down the porch and around the side of the cabin. Tall grass brushed against my legs. When I rounded the back corner, sure enough, Flint was there. He was sitting in the grass, aggressively pulling petals off some wildflower.

  “Flint?” I said.

  He bolted to standing. “Lena?”

  His hair was a mess, like he’d been running his fingers through it repeatedly.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  I balked. “What am I doing here? Uh, I live here.”

  He dropped the flower and raked a hand through his hair. “Oh. Right.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  He looked down and shuffled his feet. The movement was entirely bizarre. I’d never seen Flint as anything but calm and cool. This was a complete one-eighty.

  “I…ah…” he stammered. He didn’t continue.

  I raised my eyebrows. “You what?”

  He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged. A confused expression crossed his face. “I don’t know.”

  I shivered in the cool night. His head snapped up. “Are you cold?”

  “A little.”

  In a move so fast he was a blur, he stood beside me and was putting his jacket around my shoulders. The warm fabric fell around me before I could protest. In the next second, a cloud of spice, wood and tangerines wafted up to greet me. My he
ad spun.

  In just a t-shirt and jeans, he shoved his hands back into his pockets. Strong, muscled forearms peeked out. A rush of desire shot through me again. As before, it took me completely by surprise.

  “What did you want to talk about in the dining room?” I asked. Hot, raw energy flowed out of him again. My pulse quickened.

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?” I cocked an eyebrow.

  He glanced away and ran a hand through his hair again. “It was just…” he made a noise in his throat, like a frustrated growl. “Dammit,” he seethed.

  His frustration took me completely by surprise. “Is everything okay?”

  He laughed humorlessly. “Oh yeah, everything’s fine.”

  When I raised my eyebrows, he took a deep breath. It looked like it pained him to continue. “I don’t know why I came up to you like that. I’m sorry.”

  “So…you didn’t have anything you wanted to talk about?”

  His dark gaze had that deep emotion in it again. In the moonlight, it practically swirled. Except this time, it didn’t go away. “No, not really. I saw you sitting there with Dean. He was touching you, and I don’t know…I kind of…”

  The silence stretched.

  “You kind of what?”

  “I kind of lost it,” he said quietly.

  I waited for him to explain. He didn’t.

  “What does that mean?”

  He raked a hand through his hair again. This time, he kept his gaze averted. “I wanted to get you away from him and telling you that I needed to talk to you outside was what I came up with.”

  That admission left me speechless.

  Flint ran a hand through his hair again. It was practically standing up straight by now. I’d never seen him so unsure or embarrassed before.

  “Oh, um, okay…” I murmured.

  “So yeah…” He turned and took a step back. Raw energy still poured from him. It took me a second before I realized he was about to walk away.

  “Wait!” I called.

  He stopped dead in his tracks. Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, I waited until he turned to face me. “I don’t get it,” I said.