I looked at my watch. It was just after three. I needed a shower, a soak in the hot tub and something to eat; in that order. I had taken a casserole out of the freezer that Cecilia had left for me. I was going to heat it up and make Rabbit eat some of it. I was sure she was existing on toast or sandwiches.
Inside, I hung up my coat, went into the bathroom in the hall and, shivering in the cold, I stripped and hopped into the shower quickly. I grabbed some clean clothes in the mudroom and went downstairs. Almost immediately, I heard footsteps above me. I sank into the tub, letting the heat ease my muscles. The footsteps ceased, so I assumed Rabbit was now back in the bedroom. I heard Bear bark sharply and frowned. He rarely barked. Rabbit must have closed the bedroom door and he wanted in. The ache was so bad in my leg that I reset the timer for another twenty minutes when it went off, needing the extra cycle today. I rubbed the muscles ineffectually, thinking once again of Rabbit’s well-done massage. The timer shut off and I got out and dried off.
Bear was barking again and I could hear his paws beating across the floor. I went upstairs and found him waiting for me, pacing. I remembered I hadn’t fed him and walked slowly to the kitchen. I noticed the bedroom door wasn’t shut, just pulled to. I knew his reason for the barking and pacing now. He was hungry. He continued to pace back and forth to the front window and I sat his food down and called him. He came over, looking at me, a low whine in the back of his throat. I looked at him, leaning down and patting his head. “What’s up, Bear?” I asked, confused at his stance. He was acting rather strange. He padded down the hall towards the bedroom and stood whining by the door. My stomach clenched and suddenly I was nervous. Was Rabbit okay? I followed him and pushed the door open. The room was empty. The bathroom door was open and she wasn’t there either. I made my way to the living area and made sure she wasn’t lying on the couch. My heart began to beat faster. Where was she? I called her name but only silence greeted me. I quickly checked the closed-off rooms but they, too, were empty. I made my way upstairs, praying she had fallen asleep and hadn’t heard me but there was nothing but another empty room staring at me.
She wasn’t downstairs.
She wasn’t in the basement.
She wasn’t in the house.
Anywhere.
Rabbit was gone.
Chapter Eleven
Joshua
I took in a calming breath. She probably went outside to get some fresh air and I was panicking over nothing. I went downstairs, opened the door and looked around. I called her name but heard nothing. A thought occurred to me and I went back into the bedroom, searching. The bag I had found in the car was gone.
She was running. But to where? What was she thinking? Where the fuck was she going? I roared out in frustration and panic as I grabbed my coat and boots and hurried to the barn with Bear hot on my heels. I had to find her.
The truck thundered to life and I tore down the driveway, the tires spinning on the snow-covered surface. As I rounded the last bend, I saw her, trudging slowly through the still-unplowed snow about a hundred feet ahead of me. Her head was bowed and she was struggling to keep moving forward. I threw the truck in park and climbed out of the cab. Bear jumped out behind me barking and running through the thick snow.
“Rabbit!” I yelled, following Bear. She kept going. I pushed forward closing the distance. Bear had reached her and was in front of her, dancing around, barking and jumping. She ignored him and kept plodding forward. “Rabbit! Stop walking right fucking now!” I snarled loudly in anger. I closed the last few feet and grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “What the fuck are you doing? Where are you going?”
She barely looked at me, pushing my hand off her arm, as she turned back away from me. “Away from you.”
“Exactly how far do you think you’re going to get before you fucking freeze to death?” I demanded, grabbing her once again.
“I don’t really care,” she muttered.
“Well, I do,” I shouted. “You’re coming back to the house. Now!”
She looked at me and my heart lurched at the sight of the frozen tears on her face. “I’m not your problem, Joshua. Just forget I was even here. I’ll just get to the main road and someone will pick me up there.”
I stared at her in horror. She really thought she’d just walk to the road? That it was that simple?
“Rabbit, the road is at least a mile away—probably more. And, it won’t have any cars on it. It won’t even be plowed yet! Even if I let you go, you’ll never make it!”