2. Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Pete
Songbirds chatter happily as they bounce from limb to limb in the trees lining the nearby creek. I inhale deeply, taking in the rich scents of pine and soil. There’s no one around for miles. Just how I like it.
Out here, on the mountain, it’s just me and the land. No judgment and no expectations. Just the steady rhythm of the wilderness and the sweat on my brow.
I swing my axe down hard, splitting a thick log clean in two. I stack the pieces onto the growing pile beside me, then roll my shoulders, shaking off the tension. A hard day’s work—chopping wood, checking my traps, tending to the land—is better than the noise of town.
I used to be part of that world once. Too many people, too many eyes, too much talking. It’s easier up here, where the only voices belong to the wind and the trees. Some of us are just loners by nature. And there’s nothing wrong with that, despite what all the busybodies in town think.
By the time I head back to my cabin, the sun is sinking behind the ridge, streaking the sky with orange and gold. I stomp the mud off my boots as I step inside, the warmth of the fire in the woodstove already seeping into my bones. Tossing my gloves onto the table, I reach for the stack of mail I grabbed from my box earlier. Bills. A couple of junk flyers. Then something catches my eye that makes me freeze in my tracks.
The town paper, folded in half, sits beneath the pile, and right there, in bold print, is an advertisement for the charity auction.
My gut tightens as I skim the names. I already know who I’m looking for before I find her.
Stella Lawson to support Hawks Roost Public Library.
My grip tightens on the page. The town’s librarian. I knew she wouldn’t be able to pass up an opportunity to raise money for the library.
She’s bright, warm, and always smiling when I see her—even if it’s from a distance. And now she’ll be standing on a stage, letting men bid on her like she’s an object they can buy?
I don’t like it.
The thought of another man winning the date, taking her out, making her laugh, maybe even touching her at the end of the night? My jaw clenches as my teeth grind together.
I don’t belong in town. I don’t do crowds. But for this? For her?
I’ll make an exception.
My stomach flips when I notice the date of the auction. Tonight. I don’t have time for a shower, or even to change my clothes. If I’m going to make it there in time, I have to go just as I am. Sweaty, covered in sawdust, and with mud on my boots.
Well, shit. At least the town gossips will have something to talk about it.