CHAPTER 4
BLANCHETTE
Dawn came, but I slept right through it. I didn’t wake until I felt the warm heat of a summer day seep into the bedroom, making me sweat and toss beneath the duvet. I blinked my eyes open to bright sunlight, my skin sticky, the sheets twined around my legs like ribbons.
My first thought was I missed breakfast.
I groaned but knew there was coffee stocked in the cottage kitchen, so the situation wasn’t completely terrible.
Despite the couple hours in the early morning where I’d lain awake in bed, listening for the wolf to return, I felt…
rested. The city flu that had plagued me for the last week felt banished.
Even without caffeine coursing through my veins, I felt oddly energized for the day.
My breathing felt clearer. The usual pressure behind my eyes was gone, my nose no longer itching or congested like it always was back in Graymore. I guess I just needed some fresh air.
Meg was right, I thought begrudgingly. This was exactly what I needed.
But I’d never tell her that. She’d be smug about it for years.
I allowed myself the luxury of lounging in bed, the duvet tossed off as the AC finally clicked to life.
Cool air drifted over my skin like a touch as I gazed out the glass pane of the widest window.
From bed, I had a view of the tops of the trees, and they looked much more inviting than they had last night.
Coffee first, I decided. I’ll take it on my walk.
I wanted to explore the property. After my bath last night, I’d rummaged through the wicker basket again, munching on the chocolates, and discovered a small map of Juniper Hollow with a clearly defined walking path that wrapped around the lake and led into the forest. Maybe I’d follow it this morning.
When was the last time I’d had to crane my neck back to see the tops of trees?
When was the last time I’d had earth, not pavement, beneath me?
When was the last time I’d heard peaceful quiet, not slashed through with the sound of cars honking and wailing sirens and voices everywhere?
Even when I’d lived in Everwick, I’d stuck to the town and the beach. I’d had shifting, hot sand beneath my feet more than the cool steadiness of the woods.
With a plan half formed in my mind, I got ready, pulling my hair back and slipping into leggings, a long-sleeved tee, and my tennis shoes. For once, I went without makeup. As my coffee brewed into a chipped red ceramic mug, I gathered the keys and my phone, slipping them into my pocket.
Unlatching the door, I took a swift peek outside, staring at the deck of the porch where the wolf had been. I wasn’t worried about encountering one during the daylight, but I’d need to be vigilant after dusk, just as May had warned.
Then I set off.
The lake glittered in the sunlight, greeting me when I stepped off the porch.
There was a gentle breeze which made the tall reeds lining the shores sway.
I stopped for a moment, listening. So quiet.
The heat of summer helped hush sound, but I only heard the chirping of birds and insects.
The grounds were empty, including the cottages surrounding the lake.
In daylight, I counted nine in total and saw that the ones nearest the reception cabin were updated. The ones across the lake from me needed some paint and general upkeep. Some were leaning, looking old and tired, though the landscaping around them was neat and tidy.
They must’ve just opened for business, I decided.
Moon Gate Cottage stood proudly behind me, and I thought that once this B&B really got its feet under it, it might be booked solidly all year round.
It had potential. City dwellers would love a weekend escape to the woods, especially with Everwick so close.
Only getting here certainly wasn’t easy. I snorted when I remembered the little sign on the dark highway and the jolting, bumpy road.
It needed a lot of work, I thought, taking a sip of my bitter coffee as I wound my way around the lake.
I spied the path as it trailed toward the tree line of the denser part of the forest. A tall mountain was in the distance, one I recognized, having seen it looming over Everwick for most of my life.
I didn’t know if I’d ever been so close to it though.
The moment I stepped onto the forest path, the world hushed even further.
Coolness seeped into me, the shade of the thick boughs and velvety green leaves blocking out the heat of the rising sun.
Golden light filtered through the trees, dappled and soft, grazing over fallen leaves and moss-covered trunks.
Even the air felt fresher, threaded through with the glorious crispness of woody pine tangled with the undertones of sweet organic rot of plants.
Wildflowers grew at the base of trees or wove through brambles of bushes, bright pink, lilac, and cobalt blooms greeting me wherever I stepped.
The calls of birds echoed distantly, though they grew quiet when I stepped into their domain.
Even in the late morning, I heard the chirping of crickets, hiding under leaves or in shadowed trunk hollows.
I swore I heard the trickling of a stream, but I didn’t spy one, thinking it was perhaps hidden in a valley of underbrush. The path began a gentle incline at the start of its loop, and I followed it faithfully.
My neck was on a swivel as I took deep lungfuls of breath, feeling my shoulders further unknot themselves. It was hard to believe that two days ago, I’d been passed out on the boardroom floor at this hour, forgotten.
The path narrowed at the top of the incline.
I was out of breath, not remembering the last time I’d gone to the gym or stepped foot on a treadmill.
There’d never been any time, and Erik kept me well enough on my toes.
After a brief rest, I maneuvered over a fallen tree, careful not to spill the last of my coffee.
Then…I began to hear strange sounds.
My heart froze in my chest when I thought, at first, that it was a wolf, hearing a rough growl and a huff of exertion. Then, moments later, I heard a deep muttered curse, the voice carrying oddly and clearly in the forest, bouncing off trees and funneling right toward me.
Not a wolf. A man, I realized.
I crept forward slowly, curious. When the path turned, I stumbled upon a cleared landing, on which sat a cabin that was clearly under construction given the presence of a rusted miter saw, fresh lumber and sawdust, and various power tools scattered about, some of which were hooked up to a generator.
The walls of the cabin had been completely torn down, leaving only the wooden frame and the porch, which looked brand new though unstained.
Inside the heart of the cabin was a man.
The first thing I saw were bulging biceps, considering he was leveraging a wooden beam—alone—with a rope of all things.
The angle of his arm blocked out his face.
All I saw was a straining, muscular body.
A thin black tee molded to his wide chest, the scatterings of sawdust and chips of wood sticking to it.
Unconsciously, my legs carried me forward, and when I neared a bush close to the tree that loomed over the cabin, his face finally came into view.
Thick, dark brown hair stuck to his damp, sun-kissed forehead.
His brows were furrowed, violent little slashes across his handsome face that rivaled the sharpness of his gritted jaw.
His lips were pressed in his exertion, eyes narrowed enough that I couldn’t make out of the color of them from this distance.
The hot owner? I wondered, eyes widening. Meg was right. Again.
Then came the sudden realization: I shouldn’t be here.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I saw his eyes cut to me, as if he heard it too.
Blue. His eyes were a blue so deep and clear, like the Aurealian Sea on a perfect summer day.
I gasped when I saw the rope loosen—
Then horror struck me when I saw the heavy beam begin to topple, heading straight toward him.