The Apple Tree (21 page)

Levi tossed a branch through the crisp, fall air, sending Aldo running across the driveway to get it. He laughed at the dog’s goofy tail wagging as it dived into a pile of orange leaves, searching for the stick. Heavy clouds gathered above and when he glanced up at the sky, a tiny drop fell on his nose. He shivered. Maybe they should go back inside the house, but Aldo looked like he was having too much fun.

The distant sound of tires on the gravel made the dog look over.

Levi recognized the sound as Peter on his way for another visit and he groaned. Did he really have to deal with this right now? It’d ruin his perfectly good mood.

“
What now?” Levi asked as Peter climbed out of the car.

“
You’re always so happy to see me. Warms my heart.” Peter smirked, holding his hands against his chest and sauntering toward him.

“
Haven’t you heard? They have this thing called a telephone now. You don’t have to actually come for a visit every time you have something to say,” Levi said.

“
Maybe I just miss your handsome face, asshole.”

Levi rolled his eyes, throwing the stick again for Aldo.

“
Did you know Bianca has a photo of you?” Peter crossed his arms. “From 1909?”

Levi froze, slowly turning to look at him. “What? There are no pictures of me. I never let anyone take my picture.”

“
Eh.” Peter shrugged. “I may have taken one without you knowing around that time.”

Levi ignored Aldo trying to give him back the stick. “Are you joking with me right now? Because this isn’t funny.” A cold splash landed on his forehead and he brushed it off.

Peter held up his hands. “I’m not joking. I was hired to photograph the courthouse. You just happened to be walking by. I didn’t think it would be that big a deal. You’re only in the background.”

Levi sat down on the porch steps, holding his head in his hands. “And Bianca has this photograph now? Does she know it’s me?”

Peter shrugged. “She said something about it being your great grandfather.”

“
Why are you telling me this?” Levi narrowed his eyes.

Peter held out his hands and started pacing as if he were a school teacher giving a lesson. “Okay, sure, I’d stick needles up your fingernails to find out how the hell this curse started.” He paused, moving his head back and forth. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I might try that later. But… I still don’t want to be exposed to the general public. That wouldn’t be good for either of us.”

“
And how do you know Bianca has this photo?” Levi’s face grew hard.
“
Did you see her again?”

Water splashed all around them now as the clouds emptied their burden.

“
I did, because she asked to see me.” He smirked and ran a hand through his wet hair. “She invited me over to her house. We had a really good time.” He emphasized the last sentence.

Levi jumped up and got in Peter’s face. “I told you to stay away from her.”

“
And you don’t tell me what to do.” Peter planted his feet and stood with his arms crossed.

Levi studied him as the rain dripped down their foreheads. “I know why you like her, but she’s not Clara.”

“
Who said that she was?”
Peter pressed his lips together.

“
I see the similarities and I understand why you’d find that appealing, but they’re not the same person. Not even close.”

“
And you know her so well, right? If I remember correctly, she was kissing me while you were still sitting around watching her.” Peter’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

Levi took a deep breath. “I’m not going to do this again. We don’t need to start throwing punches every time we see each other.”

“
Why not? Hurts like hell, but it heals in a couple minutes.” He shrugged. “I find it’s a good stress reliever.”

“
Just go.”

Peter huffed, opened the door of his car and leaned against it. “She likes you, doesn’t she?”

Levi shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. I think maybe.”

“
I saw you playing disc golf. She seemed happy.” Peter looked down, scuffling his feet on the gravel. “Later man.” He slid into the seat and started the engine.

Bianca stood in the kitchen clutching the photograph and studying the familiar, handsome face. How could a distant relative look so ridiculously similar? She sighed. Even if it was his grandfather, it made her miss Levi terribly. She picked up her phone and called him.

When he answered, her stomach flipped at the deep sexy sound of his voice.

“
Hey, Levi. It’s my day off and I was planning to go out for a bike ride. You already know that I usually ride in your area, so… can I stop by?”

He was quiet for a second longer than expected. “Yeah, I think we need to talk. Come over. About an hour or so?”

Her throat grew dry. He thought they needed to talk? She swallowed. “Yeah, about an hour. See you then.”

B
ianca clutched the handle bars, grateful for the long ride before she had to face Levi. Was he breaking up with her? They weren’t even officially together. Her muscles burned and the wind rushed past her cheeks, calming her some. The rain had ceased, leaving the ground wet and the air smelling sweet and fresh. The cool breeze on her skin countered with the inner heat generated from the exercise.

She rode further into the countryside until everything started to look the same. A thick covering of trees surrounded the road on both sides. Would she recognize his driveway? She’d only seen it the one time.

A mailbox marked Elwood sent a jolt of recognition through her and she exhaled a sigh of relief.

Peddling down the long gravel driveway, her heart beat erratically from both exercise and nerves. He couldn’t be breaking up with her. Everything had been going so well. Did he know Peter had come over yesterday? She rode around the curve and hopped off her bike a few feet from the house, leaning it against a tree. She stood a moment to catch her breath. Hopefully he wasn’t watching her through the window. How embarrassing. But she didn’t want to knock on his door breathing like a fat lady climbing the stairs.

A movement in the woods caught her attention. Her eyes darted around the moss covered branches, searching for the origin.

A pair of yellow eyes. Adrenaline shot through her body as she took in the animal’s pointed ears and huge snout. The mountain lion watched her, unblinking.

What were you supposed to do in these situations? Don’t make any loud noises? Or do make noise? Shit. She couldn’t remember a damn thing. Her feet locked in place as she watched the gigantic beast.

It took a step forward. It’s golden fur shone as it stepped into a beam of sunlight filtering through the trees.

She swallowed and ran for the door of the cabin. Immediately the lion’s heavy footsteps followed.

The door swung open and Levi appeared. He ran straight for the mountain lion, yelling, “Gun, in truck!” before he tackled the beast. Throwing his burly arms around the lion and grunting as he squeezed the huge body.

Bianca watched the scene, eyes wide and thoughts a blubbering mess.

Growls erupted from the wrestling pair, twisting and tumbling over the dirt. The lion stretched its neck around and with his gigantic teeth, bit into Levi’s shoulder.

He screamed a terrifying, gut-wrenching sound and seemed to relax his grip on the animal.
Crimson liquid flowed over them both.

She finally willed her legs to move and ran for the truck, throwing the door open. A rifle lay across the seat and she grabbed it, surprised by the weight. What the hell was she supposed to do next? Toss him the gun? He was in no shape to reach out and take it from her.

Dark red stains covered both Levi and the mountain lion. Don’t think about the blood. Don’t think about the blood. Lifting the rifle, she aimed for the lion. Her hands shook. What if she hit Levi instead? She lowered the rifle and ran forward until she was only a few feet away from the distracted mountain lion’s head.

She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

The force of the shot pushed her backward, sending her tumbling onto the muddy dirt. The snarling stopped. She stumbled to her feet, tossing the gun aside.

Both Levi and the lion lay in a tangled heap on the ground, blood everywhere, neither of them moving.

Sobs tore through her body as she leaned over them. The bullet had gone through the lion’s head, right underneath his ear.

Warm, salty tears flowed from her eyes, blurring her vision. A strange shrieking echoed through the trees, which she finally realized came from her.

The lion’s golden eyes stared straight ahead, but he lay motionless on top of Levi. She grabbed the hind legs and pulled with all her strength. It only moved a few inches. Sobbing and gasping for breath, she yanked the lion again, until she’d dragged it completely off of Levi’s body.

Dropping the mountain lion, she crawled over to Levi and pulled his head into her lap. He didn’t respond in any way. His eyes remained closed and his chest still. A huge gash had been torn through his stomach and a chunk taken from his arm.

“
No! No! No! No! No!” She clutched his body and leaned in to kiss his unresponsive lips as tears flowed over her cheeks onto his face.

T
he overwhelming blackness faded, replaced by an intense and burning pain. Levi wanted to writhe and scream in agony but his body lay still, completely unresponsive to his minds commands. After several torturous minutes, the pain subsided enough to focus on other sensations, like the delicate brushing against his lips.

What was happening? The last thing he remembered was seeing the mountain lion charge toward Bianca. Muffled sobs broke through his consciousness. She sounded so sad. The sound became clearer as the pain continued to recede. Bianca. She was crying. How could he comfort her? Gentle pressure on his lips again. Bianca was kissing him.

Bianca was kissing him!

Joy filled him, pushing away all remnants of pain. He still had little control of his body, but he managed to find the strength to move his lips gently against hers, relishing every second of his angel’s touch. Sensation returned to his arm and he lifted it, sliding his fingers through the hair on the back of her neck.