Every once in a while, you need to get away from it all.
I was a woman on the edge, shaken and shattered after a breakup that felt like it tore my entire world apart.
My best friend, sick of watching me drown in misery and melancholy, harassed me until I agreed to go with her on a week-long wilderness retreat.
She promised days spent bonding and getting in touch with our inner bad-asses. It was supposed to be all about the two of us roughing it and making do with the bare minimum. She assured me we were going to be pushed to our limits in ways that were unimaginable. Neither one of us could have ever guessed just how right she was.
Nowhere in the glossy brochure did it say anything about the fact I was going to have to battle the insufferable but deliciously rugged and sexy trail guide instead of the elements. The brochure also forgot to mention the part that warned when y
ou left civilization behind, there was no place to pack your inhibitions and fears.
I was told that I would be facing a week where the only thing I should expect was the unexpected. However, no one mentioned that I was going to have to fight for my life…and my heart as soon as I ventured into the unknown.
I was a pro at hiding from my feelings but when it came time to face a real threat, one that could change everything, I learned I was more of a no surrender, no retreat kind of girl.

Retreat is created by Jay Crownover, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author. 

Retreat

The horses were nickering at each other, stamping their feet in annoyance as another loud bang echoed through the valley we were camped in. I pushed my completely unruly hair that had long since escaped the braid I foolishly thought would tame it, out of my face and looked around with wide eyes. Both Lane and Cy were stalking around the camp with flashlights bobbing, their faces set in flinty lines. The brothers were clearly aggravated as they attempted to search out the source of the noise in the darkness. The two men who didn’t say much were also out of their tents looking at the thick woods that surrounded us. In fact, they were both fully dressed and didn’t look like they had bothered to bed down for the night at all. The younger of the men even had a flashlight similar to the one Cy held in his hand. As he swept the trees with beam, he muttered, “That was gunfire.” 


Chapter 15: Not So Alone Part 2