After I’ve pulled myself into a seated position, I bend my head to study my grazed palms. As I watch, the superficial scrapes heal until all that remains are a few spots of blood and dirt.

“You shouldn’t be this far from the house,” a deep male voice murmurs from a few feet away.

I lift my head and meet the pale green eyes of the very man I was chasing, who now stands half tucked behind a tree.

“You keep running away, and I needed to talk to you.”

He shifts his gaze over my ...