KODHI Read online

  When he was out of sight, Alyssa sucked in a big lungful of air and sank down into the water. Her mind was spinning and she felt excited. Whoever he was, he was intriguing and so handsome it was almost alarming. She bit her lip and blew the hair out of her eyes as she smiled to herself and looked up to the sky.

  “I’ve got a feeling I’m going to like it here,” she whispered as a flock of birds soared overhead. “I’ve got a very good feeling indeed…”

  4.

  The stars twinkled overhead and all she could hear were the sounds of howling wolves and growling bears. She wasn’t afraid, though; she kept her eyes tightly closed and she hugged herself, digging her feet into the fresh soil, taking in the scents and sounds of the forest.

  She didn’t know how she had ended up there, but it felt right. There was something about this place that felt like home. As if she should always have been there, as if she were a part of the mountains and lakes and streams already.

  She knew there was someone with her, but she couldn’t make out who. Their shadow was lurking on the edge of her subconscious and as she reached out to try and grasp hold of them, they seemed to move just out of reach.

  The woods were dark and the trees all towered above her like waving arms. Even with their huge circumference, they seemed as if they could bend and break and as the wind picked up, she found herself beginning to feel nervous.

  “Why am I here?” she said aloud.

  There were whispers around her but they didn’t seem like human voices, it sounded like growls. Deep growls that grew with each passing second.

  She slowly opened her eyes and could see ahead in the forest, standing on the rise of a hill with the full moon a beaming backdrop behind it, the silhouette of a great, heaving bear.

  It was so big it was like a monster, but she wasn’t afraid. She felt something else entirely, it was like she was being drawn to it. She wanted to get to her feet and cross the forest floor, climb up the rocks and reach out and touch it. She wanted to feel its fur and be held there against it, keeping warm and feeling safe.

  The bear’s eyes were so bright and alive that they pierced through the dark and held her there in a trance, and she was sure she knew them. She was sure she had seen them somewhere before. They were otherworldly but also familiar.

  She held out her hand and tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come. And before she had a chance to move or do anything more, the scene in front of her slowly started to fall away into nothing. The moon and the stars and all of the trees and sounds of the forest seeped and melted into nothing but cool and soothing blackness.

  She was no longer in the woodland, but alone and she was warm and safe in bed.

  When Alyssa awoke, she sat up and pushed back on her hands so her back was flat against the headboard.

  “What a weird dream,” she said as she stifled a yawn and began to rub her eyes.

  Her nights had been dreamless for so long, it had been almost unheard of for her to have one so vivid. It was haunting her and replaying over and over in her mind; she couldn’t let it go.

  She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her cellphone, opening her messages and sending a quick text to her mom.

  A: I’m still alive and well… No need to panic just yet. Angie has been great, thank you for asking her to take care of me! xx

  She looked around the bedroom and smiled to herself again. This really was a stunning house and she was so lucky that her parents had bought it. They had never been the kind to splash their money around, but it seemed that, as they were getting older, they were starting to loosen up a bit and want to make some wise investments. Alyssa could agree that this was definitely one of them.

  She climbed out of bed, walked over to the window and pulled open the curtains. The sunlight poured in and she was breath taken at how beautiful the views were all around the cabin. The mountains were so high they disappeared into the clouds and the snow that dusted them along the tops toward the peaks was both inviting and chilling. She wanted so much to head out there and try her hand at skiing again, but she also knew she had to concentrate on what she came for. She had to work on her art.

  She went downstairs and into the incredible living area where she put on the kettle and waited for it to boil while she rooted through the refrigerator for some sweetbread and jam. Her stomach growled and she dug into it greedily as she flicked on the television and leaned against the island in the center of the kitchen, watching the news flash ahead of her.

  She hadn’t expected to feel so liberated, but it genuinely did feel amazing to be waking up alone. She compared it to her dingy little apartment and to how miserable she had been back there, and even though she hadn’t even been down in the main part of town yet, she knew she didn’t want to leave and go back to the city.

  “There’s nothing for you there now,” she said aloud as she poured the hot water into the mug and made an instant coffee. “Absolutely nothing at all…”

  She knew she really did have no good reason to go back. Her job was average and it wasn’t as if she had worked hard to get it. She was a waitress and she could do that anywhere. The restaurant hadn’t been anything special and the majority of people she had worked with had been dull and arrogant, all of them pursuing their other dreams on the side but bitter because they were never actually getting anywhere. She wouldn’t miss any of them if she didn’t return to the city, and she wouldn’t miss her apartment, the extortionate rent or the fake friends she had made while she was there.

  And now, she certainly wouldn’t miss Simon.

  Her mind felt alive and her fingertips were electric with anticipation and the need to create. If this little mountain town could inspire her this much in less than twenty-four hours, imagine what it could do to her if she stayed a little longer and made the place her home…

  She grabbed her phone from her back pocket and sent another text to her mom…

  A: I’m not going back to the city. Is it okay if I stay here for a while? I’ll figure out what I’m going to do in the next couple of months.

  M: Do what makes you happy, sweetheart. I never liked you living in that city anyways. It’ll be good to have a house sitter up at the cabin for a while! Not forever, mind you… ;) xxx

  Alyssa grinned. She was still young enough to move from place to place and she didn’t think she had ever felt so connected to somewhere so fast. It just made sense to her that she should be there for a while, see what the town had to offer, ride the wave of inspiration while she had it and see where it led. If she was lonely and bored after a couple of weeks, she could pack up her stuff and go home to her parents’. And if she was still happy there, then great.

  It was an incredible feeling to know the world truly was her oyster. And she was no longer trapped by anyone or anything.

  It was time for her to find out what she really wanted out of life and who she truly was.

  She drained the rest of her cup of coffee and finished her breakfast, and then made her way back to the veranda and looked out across the vista and down to the town.

  “Welcome home, Alyssa,” she smiled to herself. “You’re now officially a resident of Lost Creek.”

  She swept her hair into a high pony tail and slipped on her sunglasses as she stepped out the door and began the walk down toward Main Street and the center of town. Her excitement was growing with each step she took and she felt electric with ideas and inspiration.

  It really was picturesque and beautiful, and she could see instantly why her parents had fallen in love with the place. The town was perfect for both a weekend retreat and for spending a longer vacation. The main street was bustling and alive, and it was so beautiful with the snowcapped mountains as a backdrop that it was like something out of a Christmas movie. She smiled as she passed each little shop and peered inside, everyone was different and quaint in its own way.

  She noticed how friendly each person was, and how everyone seemed to be in an incredibly good mood. It was as if the resid
ents of the town felt as lucky to be there as the tourists, and there was a real celebratory and festive feel to it.

  It was a million miles away from her life in the city, and after she had spent a good hour exploring, she began to walk back up to her cabin and off Main Street. She ran through her mind all the things she had seen. There had been plenty of stores and restaurants, a few bars and hotels. It really was like a little universe all its own, and she delighted in the idea of finding herself a waitressing job there when her money finally started to run out.

  She made her way up the steep rise toward her cabin, and smiled as it came into view. She really was so goddam lucky. A week before, she had been in a shitty relationship, working a job she didn’t enjoy and living in a city she despised.

  Now, thanks to Simon and his brutal dumping, she was feeling on top of the world and was turning her life around.

  She climbed the hill toward her front door and made her way up the steps, she could see the cars were still in the Sweeney’s drive and she could hear sounds of laughter and music coming from inside. It felt good to have a lovely family nearby, and it made her yearn for her own parents. It had been such a long time since they had spent any time together and it almost felt so different now. Now that she was grown up and out on her own, their relationship had changed. She was no longer a baby, and they no longer treated her like one. Even though she would always be the most important part of their life, she still felt a lack of family unity and it made her crave it even more.

  She put down her grocery bags from her trip into town and began to unpack them as she flicked on the TV to one of the music channels. Her canvasses and paints were still waiting by the door, but she had big plans for the afternoon. She was going to take them and the easel and head down to the nearest lake to create.

  While she had been lying in bed the previous evening she was sure she could hear the soothing sounds of water and she knew a stream couldn’t be far away. She wanted to encase herself in the forest, really become one with nature and see what poured out of her. She hadn’t felt so inspired in as long as she could remember and she was raring to go.

  After she had lunch, she gathered her things together along with a picnic rug and she put them all in a large rucksack with the exception of the easel and canvas, which she planned to carry under each arm. She stepped out onto the veranda and walked down the side steps and through the gate that led out of the backyard and past the boundary with the Sweeney’s property. The woodland was right there with its thick luscious trees and as she made her way into the woods, she could already hear the babbling brook up ahead.

  She navigated the slippery rocks a lot better than she expected and as she reached the bottom and turned to look back up the hill she had just climbed down, she couldn’t help but congratulate herself.

  “Not bad,” she laughed. “Not bad at all.”

  She looked around the little forest clearing and at the stream which ran out ahead of her. It was a lot wider than she had expected and was completely hidden from above because of how thick the evergreens were. She tiptoed across the loose rocks and found a large, flat one where she could unroll her rug and set up her things. She felt as if she were perched right on the edge of the world, with a vast valley beneath her, when in reality, she was probably only a meter or two from the ground.

  Birds twittered around her and she looked up and smiled as the sun poured through the gaps in the trees and illuminated the water, making it look gold and glittering. The entire forest felt more magical than she ever could have prepared herself for. There was something there she had never felt before and it made her feel deeply rooted and connected to her surroundings.

  “Maybe you really have been in the city too long,” she laughed to herself. “You’re finding euphoria from amongst nature.”

  She lay the canvas across her knees instead of propping it up on the easel and she pulled out some charcoal before she breathed in and out deeply and looked all around her again. She was looking for something. A specific snippet of life that she wanted to capture.

  She had never been one for landscapes, but being in such a dramatic setting she wanted to take advantage of it and see if it could lead her on to great things. One of the ways Alyssa worked was to begin with something and then rapidly move on to something else that would sprout from the initial idea. She liked to think of herself as a creative chameleon and today would be no different.

  She began to draw big swooping lines across the canvas with her charcoal and mimicked the silhouette of the trees ahead of her. As she worked, she zoned out on reality. All that existed was her and this moment and the art she was creating.

  She was so engrossed she almost didn’t hear the twigs snapping behind her, and the sound of footsteps coming closer as they made their way across the rocks. She knew she should turn to see who was approaching, but at the same time, she was on such a roll she couldn’t bear to pull herself away.

  Whoever was out there with her moved alongside and went past her and down to the stream. They must have been at least forty feet away but their presence was sharp and intense. Even if she hadn’t heard them approaching, she still would have known they were there. Their aura was electric.

  She finally let her eyes flick up and her breath caught in her throat as she realized who it was.

  Even though she was brand new to Lost Creek, she recognized this person beyond a doubt.

  It was the man who had been tending to the trees who had startled her in the hot tub.

  She couldn’t help but smile and felt a rush of excitement fill her insides. There was something about him that was very endearing. He was so tall and muscular, so rugged and, obviously, a little wild, but the way she had seen him with the trees had proved him otherwise. He obviously had a very caring side too. And it made her want to know more.

  He bent down and let his fingertips trail in the stream and then he turned slightly so his eyes caught hers. There was a void between them that was filled with silence, but something their eyes were speaking to each other let Alyssa know she was not alone in how she was being pulled to him.

  Their draw was natural and different.

  She had to remind herself to breathe and then she lifted the canvas off her knee and rested it down on the rock next to her.

  He stood up fully and took a step closer. Alyssa wanted to say something, she wanted to let him know she was open to a conversation, and that she didn’t want him to disappear again. But she didn’t know how she could do that without sounding desperate.

  So she stayed silent and waited to see what he would do.

  And luckily, she wasn’t disappointed.

  He took another step closer and then faltered as if he were unsure if he should approach her or not. His arms were so wide and tanned they made her heart race even more. He was clearly very strong, and all she could wonder was what he was capable of doing with them. She imagined he could lift her over his head with just one hand, and she felt herself blushing as the possibilities opened out from there.

  He nodded his head to let her know he recognized her and then he took another step closer. Alyssa lifted her hand to wave, and that seemed to give him the green light he had been looking for.

  “We meet again,” he called up to her.

  “You seem to have a habit of sneaking up on me…” she smiled.

  “I was afraid you’d say that,” he laughed.

  She had been so surprised by him the night before she had completely missed how deep and sexy his voice was. And he was very self-assured, which was such a turn on it made her chest burn with heat.

  “A total coincidence,” he said with a shrug.

  “I know, I believe you,” she smiled.

  “I know pretty much everyone here in town, and I thought you must just be here on vacation, but I’ve since been informed otherwise. Your parents bought the cabin?”

  He was even closer now and she could make out all his incredibly attractive features. He was devastatingly handsome.
More so than anyone she had ever met. He was tanned and rugged, his chin and cheeks covered with dark stubble and his hair a shaggy mess on top of his head. His eyes were so deep and bright that they sent shivers right through her whenever she looked into them, and he had an edge to him that was unlike anything she had ever come across before.

  She could tell he was different, but she just couldn’t place how.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “They bought it months ago but this is the first time I’ve been out.”

  He nodded again.

  “I know,” he smiled.

  She cocked her head and looked at him suspiciously.

  “Angie’s my mom,” he said with a little laugh. “She filled me in when I went back to the house last night and told her I’d almost scared some poor girl half to death.”

  “Oh,” Alyssa laughed. “Is she? Well, your mom is lovely, she has been so welcoming and good to me since I arrived.”

  “She is,” he agreed. “She’s a rock to my brother and me.”

  Alyssa couldn’t take her eyes off him, and it was clear he was intrigued by her too. He came even closer and leaned against the rock.

  “What you doing out here?” he nodded down at the canvas and Alyssa instinctively clutched her dirty hands together. They were gray from the charcoal and she held them up and laughed.

  “Just working on something new,” she smiled. “I was telling your mom I’m out here for a break but also to reconnect.”

  “Well, this is certainly the place to do that,” he smiled knowingly.

  “That’s what people keep telling me,” she laughed. “And I can see they’re right. This place really is something else.”

  He nodded his head and looked up at her and she felt caught there again, like a deer startled in a set of headlights.

  “I’m Kodhi,” he smiled as he held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet someone here in town who isn’t just all about ski season and drinking themselves stupid over at the tavern.”