RIVER (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS) Read online

  But it was so out of character for him, she couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong. Normally, the bar would stay open until the small hours of the morning as long as there were customers inside. And the fact that no one else connected to the bar appeared to be there was another cause for concern. It was so out of the ordinary.

  The feeling rolled over her for a moment and she felt a tingle in her spine.

  “Come on, Stacey,” she said to herself. “You’ve got to stop being so paranoid. Get yourself home.”

  She shook her head and laughed at herself for being so dramatic, and then she left the bar and let the door swing closed behind her.

  Home was a lovely little log cabin in one of the residential streets off Main Street. She had lived there for a number of years after her father had passed away and she had been left a number of properties in his will.

  Stacey and her family had been in Lost Creek for generations, and as far as she was aware, they were one of the original founding families. For that reason, her family had been lucky enough to own many properties around town, and she had been glad to know that her future had always been secured. Her father had been an incredibly kind and good man, he had been revered in the community, and he had many, many friends. When he had died after a short illness, it had shocked the whole town, but it had been Stacey who had suffered the most.

  She missed her father, and it felt strange to be truly on her own.

  It was one of the reasons she had stuck in at the bar and accepted the job when they had offered it to her. She wanted to keep busy, she wanted to focus her mind on something positive, and now that she didn’t have to worry about money, it felt good to know she could work anywhere she chose without having to think about progression.

  The bar suited her just fine.

  She loved the buzz about the place, she loved the fact that she got to meet lots of new people, she liked being out at night, and she liked sleeping late in the morning.

  She was a night owl.

  A creature of darkness, and one of habit.

  She liked living an easy life.

  She slid her key into the lock and clicked the door open. As she stepped inside her hallway and flicked on the lights, she smiled and sighed.

  It felt so good to be home.

  She locked the door behind her and wandered into her living area, where she closed the blinds, and turned off the little lamp she had left on. When she went through to the kitchen and started to pour herself a glass of water, suddenly, tiredness gripped her and she knew she had to get herself up to bed and fast.

  She dragged her feet as she began to climb her staircase, turning off lights as she went. She wandered along the upper hallway and pushed open the door to her bedroom, and when she saw her plush, king size bed, she grinned and kicked off her shoes.

  As she had been growing up, Stacey had always assumed she would live with another girl when she was at this stage in her life. She had watched so many movies where girls who were just out of college moved to the city and shared an apartment, they would have night outs together, go for dinners, chat all day in parks, and then work cool jobs. They would get home after busy days and cook with each other, have amazing gossip, and share a bottle of wine while doing their nails. But things hadn’t quite worked out like that for her.

  Stacey had never left Lost Creek.

  And even though she had friends, she didn’t have the need to live with them. She didn’t need the extra money, so she didn’t need to rent out the spare bedroom. She was happy go lucky and enjoying life as it was. But it was nights like this, and moments like this, when she really felt how lonely she was.

  She sat down at her vanity mirror and started to remove her make-up. She felt grimy from the bar and what she really wanted was a shower, but she knew if she forced herself into the water, she would only be waking herself up when what she really wanted to do was crash out and go fast asleep.

  She moisturized after she had cleansed and toned her face, and then she took her supplements. She had forgotten that morning and didn’t want to risk missing a day. After her father had become ill, she had seen how fragile life could be, and she felt the need to take care of herself even more.

  In her adjoining bathroom, she brushed her teeth and flossed, and then she slicked on some repairing lip balm, before she clicked off the light and went back through to her bedroom.

  Her purse was strewn across the bed, and she picked it up and reached inside for her cell phone as she climbed into the bed and turned off the little lamp on the nightstand.

  She didn’t notice at first that she had a notification. In fact, it took her several glances at the screen to realize that amongst all of her junk mail and social media invitations, there was even a text in there.

  A text from Esme.

  Her heart began to hammer in her chest.

  Esme.

  She opened the message and read the words frantically, holding her hand up to her mouth and blinking back the tears.

  “Oh my god,” she said as she let the phone drop onto the top of the blankets. “He’s here…”

  She clapped her hands together and smiled widely.

  Her best friend had finally given birth to a beautiful baby.

  She pressed reply and started to type a hurried reply…

  S: Oh my goodness, you guys! Congratulations! I hope you’re up for visitors because I am literally coming round to see you first thing in the morning! Name? Weight? Time? I need to know everything! Love you xx

  She hit send and she couldn’t keep the smile on her face. Her best friend was a mommy… she could barely believe it!

  What had been a so far stressful day, had now turned into one that was full of joy.

  She would sleep soundly knowing that the next day she would be meeting a brand new little life… And she couldn’t wait.

  3.

  She was warm and snug as she rolled over in her soft, bouncy blankets and yawned. Her curtains were drawn, but she could tell from the light behind them that it wasn’t early. She had definitely had a good sleep in after her late shift in the bar.

  She rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms up high to the sky, when, suddenly, a memory came crashing back to her.

  The text.

  Esme had given birth to a baby!

  “Oh my god!” Stacey said as she sat up quickly and reached for her cell phone.

  She opened the message between them and read it over and over again. She hadn’t heard back from Esme since she had sent the reply, but her original one still made Stacey grin from ear to ear.

  E: He’s here, Stacey… I’m a Mommy! Baby boy born in the very early hours of Wednesday morning… a midnight babe xx

  She grinned and read it again and again. And then, suddenly, she saw that it said Wednesday morning. It was now Friday. That meant her best friend had somehow managed to go a full twenty-four hours before contacting her to tell her the good news.

  She felt momentarily hurt, but then she shook her head and laughed at herself.

  “You have no idea what something like that is like,” she whispered. “Cut poor Esme some slack.”

  She pushed the blankets away from her body and rose to her feet. She walked over to the windows and threw open the curtains and was greeted by the bright, beautiful sunshine that was filtering down from the tops of the mountains and making the snow glisten.

  “Today is a good day,” she said with a wide smile.

  After she had made her bed, eaten her breakfast, and drank two cups of strong coffee, she finally felt as if she were ready to tackle the mammoth task of showering and getting ready.

  Her hair still smelled of stale beer and smoke from the bar, and she wanted to wash away all the dirt she must have collected while she had been working there for the past few nights.

  She turned on the shower and let her hand wave around under the stream of water until it was hot enough, and then she jumped in and reached for her shampoo.

  Stacey loved her sh
owers, and she usually found that she had epiphanies while she was washing her hair. So, it was no surprise to her this morning when, suddenly, it hit her about the bar the previous evening and of how there hadn’t been anyone but Blu there.

  She stopped lathering her hair with soap suds and her mouth gaped open as she looked toward the sink. Her mind was working overtime, as if the penny had just dropped.

  “No one was there… did they know about the baby?”

  As soon as she had the thought, she wanted to dismiss it. Surely, if a new baby had been born into The Nowhere Bar family then the entire team of bad boys would be in there wetting the baby’s head and celebrating with Zeke, the new dad.

  She shook her head and continued to wash her hair. She was going to have to stop overthinking everything. Maybe all the late nights and the close contact with too many nocturnal people of Lost Creek and fun seeking tourists was starting to warp her mind. Maybe it was time she needed a bit more normality.

  She rinsed her hair and turned off the shower, and then she reached for her big, fluffy, white towel and wrapped it around herself.

  Back at her vanity mirror, she moisturized, dabbed on concealer and foundation, a slick of mascara and a tiny bit of blush. She dried her hair roughly and scrunched it up into a little messy bun on the top of her head and put in a pair of her favorite earrings.

  She felt shiny and new, and ready for the day.

  She was far too excited, and she couldn’t wait to meet Esme’s new baby boy.

  She dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a little sweater, and she put on her snow boots before pulling on her jacket. She was going to hit Main Street for an adorable present, and she was going to get Esme some flowers too.

  She picked up her purse and headed toward the stairs. She had a good feeling about the day ahead. And she couldn’t wait to get started.

  When it came to gift stores in Lost Creek, there wasn’t exactly an abundance to choose from. Stacey wandered down toward the best place in town that would likely have something along those lines, and she was going to have to hope for the best.

  When it came to gifts and novelty items, the kind of things that were sold in town were mostly souvenirs for the tourists. But there were also a couple of small boutiques that sold clothes and had recently expanded their collection to include some lovely children’s items.

  Stacey pushed the door open to one of the little boutiques and a bell tinged above her head. She had only been inside the store once before, but she vividly remembered it had the best collection when it came to gifts for children and babies.

  She stepped into a multicolored world of clothing, toys, and eccentric artwork, and the lady behind the counter that she knew to be one of her neighbors held her head up and smiled.

  “Hi there, Stacey,” she grinned.

  “Hi, Mary!” she replied.

  She wandered toward the back of the store and started to look at the gifts for babies. There wasn’t a whole lot there, but when she saw an adorable teddy bear she couldn’t help but pick it up and hug it to her chest. It was blue and had a big, navy ribbon around its neck.

  “Well, aren’t you lovely…” she smiled.

  “Oh, we just got a delivery of the new bears,” Mary said. “They really are gorgeous, aren’t they?”

  “They are,” Stacey smiled. “I’ll take him.”

  She turned and wandered over to the counter and plonked the little bear down on the top.

  “Do you have anything for a new mom?” she asked as she stroked her chin and looked around at all the different little alcoves.

  “It depends on what she likes,” Mary sighed and smiled.

  “I was thinking flowers…” Stacey trailed off.

  “We have orchids?” Mary offered as she pointed to a far corner that she could see had a luscious selection of plants.

  “Perfect,” Stacey grinned as she made her way over.

  Mary had been a part of town for as long as Stacey had known, and she became aware of her following her toward the back of the store.

  “Is it someone in town who’s had the baby?” she asked underneath a hushed voice.

  “Yes,” Stacey beamed. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to say though…”

  Mary nodded her head and smiled. Surely, she could figure it out, Stacey thought, it’s not like she hasn’t seen Esme wandering around with her baby bump for the past few months.

  She scanned along a shelf filled with beautiful flowers. The orchids were all stunning in their own individual ways, but it was a large white one in an oval white pot that caught her eye. It was big and looked like a work of art. It was a statement for any room and a truly wonderful gift.

  “This one is stunning,” she said as she reached out and picked it up. “I’ll take this.”

  “Good choice,” winked Mary and she took it from her and began to walk back toward the register.

  She rang the items up and started to remove the tags.

  “Would you like me to giftwrap the bear?” she asked.

  “That would be amazing,” Stacey grinned.

  She watched as Mary pulled out some lovely baby blue gift paper that was adorned with small, fluttering birds. As she wrapped the teddy bear, Stacey looked out toward the window at the hustle and bustle of the town beyond.

  “How are things over at the bar?” Mary asked.

  “Oh, you know what, we’ve been really busy, actually!” Stacey admitted. “Now that the season is starting back up again, we’ve had a lot of full nights.”

  “Yes, I’ve noticed town is starting to pick up again…” Mary said. “It had seemed like things had all been quiet for so long.”

  “I know,” Stacey agreed.

  And it was true. The whole town had been in a quiet kind of lull and it had been relaxing but also a little unnerving. They weren’t used to not having the place overrun with tourists, which made everything tick over nicely and kept the cash flowing in.

  “There you are,” Mary beamed as she passed Stacey the lovely giftwrapped present and the orchid.

  “Thank you so much,” Stacey grinned as she reached for her wallet.

  Her jaw almost hit the floor when the total came in at just over $100 dollars, but she had to just suck it up. It wasn’t every day her best friend gave birth, and not only that, it was clear that Mary didn’t get a whole lot of customers. If Stacey wanted places like this to stay open in town, then she was going to have to support them.

  She handed over her credit card and smiled, and then she gathered up her purchases and headed for the door.

  “Thanks, Mary,” she called over her shoulder as she pushed the door open with her side. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Sure,” Mary smiled. “And tell Esme congratulations for me, won’t you?” she winked.

  Stacey smiled and laughed and then nodded her head.

  “I will do,” she beamed.

  She knew Mary would figure it out, and like she had thought, it wasn’t exactly hard to tell when Esme had been wandering around with a baby bump only a few weeks earlier.

  “Right,” Stacey said to herself as she looked up and down Main Street. She let her eyes fall onto the big clock in the center of town and could see that it was approaching noon. She couldn’t wait any longer, she was going to have to go straight to see Esme and the baby.

  She picked up her pace and headed toward the base of the mountain and the secluded residential area that was spread out across the bottom. Her excitement level was rising, and she was ecstatic to be heading toward their home. A little baby was waiting for her and she couldn’t wait to give him a squishy cuddle.

  She raised her hand and knocked on the door much quieter than she would have if she didn’t know there was a newborn baby in the house.

  She took a step back and peered into the window at the side of the door, and then she smiled widely when she heard footsteps approaching from the other side.

  The doors clicked open and Zeke was standing there with tired looki
ng eyes, but his face cracked into a smile when he saw her, and he pulled her in for a hug.

  “Congratulations,” Stacey grinned as she hugged him back. “I can’t believe the baby is finally here. How are they both? And, how are you? You look pretty tired!”

  “Yeah, there’s not much sleep going on in this house,” he laughed as he scratched the back of his neck. “Please, come in. Esme is in the living area at the back.”

  Stacey followed Zeke inside and they wandered through the darkened hallways and toward the back of the house. Her skin was prickling with excitement, and as she rounded the corner, she stopped and held her hand up to her face when she saw Esme sitting there cradling her little bundle of joy.

  “Hi,” she smiled.

  Stacey squealed quietly and ran in to see her. She knelt down in front of her friend and wrapped her arm around her and the baby, and looked at them both.

  “Oh my goodness,” she whispered. “He’s so, so tiny.”

  Esme laughed and nodded her head. She too was blinking back tears and obviously full of emotion.

  The girls sat in silence, completely stunned, and just taking in the moment of how peaceful and lovely it felt to be with a brand new life.

  “I’m speechless,” Stacey said finally as she handed the wrapped up gift to Esme. “He is just so perfect.”

  Zeke was standing in the doorway with his huge arms crossed over his chest and he nodded and laughed.

  “He truly is,” he smiled.

  Stacey looked back at him over her shoulder and when she turned back to Esme, she was already undoing the wrapper on the gift and was pulling the teddy bear free.

  Stacey rose to her feet and smiled, waiting for her to say thank you, but she was surprised to be met with a bit too much silence.

  “Oh, oh,” Esme smiled eventually. “Thank you so much, Stace, this is lovely! He is going to adore it…” She looked down at the bear in her hands and Stacey didn’t understand why she appeared to be so bothered by it.