Chapter Nine
Outside My Comfort Zone
The email from Belladonna weighed on my mind as I walked to the trailhead. Why was she reaching out now of all times, especially when things felt like they were going sideways here?
If I’d believed in bad omens, I’d be searching the trail for a four-leaf clover, because I could use any kind of luck right now. Instead, I checked my watch. Twenty minutes until sunset. I’d have to hustle, but I could get to Wildwood Point just in time.
Flora tugged on her leash, and I let her guide me up the steep, rocky path. The sun’s rays stretched out across the sky. A wide embrace of a subtle golden yellow that melted into a deep orange. I needed this. The peace and quiet. The chance to get out of my head for a little while.
A cool breeze caressed my cheeks while we worked our way up the mountain.
Flora stayed by my side as I headed off the main trail to an alternate path I’d learned about from Lia.
It was a tougher hike with a series of switchbacks that the SAR team used for training.
I began to pant as I tackled the steep, narrow inclines that required you to use your balance.
For ten minutes I went all out, moving without stopping until the blood raced in my veins, and the pine-scented air filled my lungs. I dug my boots into the dirt, concentrating on the muscles contracting in my legs.
Bunnies scampered out of low-lying bushes. A family of robins inched to the edge of a branch on a nearby aspen. The crackle of dry brush deeper in the forest alerted me to a family of deer peeking out of a dense copse of trees.
The appearance of animals usually brought a calming stillness, but today all that raced through my body was fear and anger, and a lingering worry that Clo would know about the email from Belladonna, and guilt me into responding.
The more I stretched my legs, ascended higher up the trail, the more I had to focus on my breathing, sucking in more oxygen as I climbed.
It was just a few more yards to the top of the ridge.
It was my secret spot. A place to hide away from my worries – like Lia’s refusal to share what had been bothering her these last months.
How Aster wrapped herself up in other people’s relationships so she could avoid her own lack of a love life. And, of course, Bryce’s damn article.
Since I was old enough to form memories, I had the drive to protect my sisters.
As the oldest, I didn’t have any other choice.
Belladonna flitted in and out of our lives like a destructive summer storm.
Showing up unexpectedly, flipping over everything in sight, and then disappearing just as quickly.
Sure, Clo housed and fed us, but my sisters needed comfort, reassurance, and they looked to me for that steadiness.
And if anyone taunted or threatened them?
A fighter buried deep in my soul rose out of the ashes.
She was less Xena: Warrior Princess and more of a velociraptor, keen on using her razor-sharp talons to destroy anything that might threaten her family.
Belladonna’s email flickered through my mind again.
The last time she was home, she’d promised she’d stay in Harvest Moon.
Even offered to help Aster in her shop. Then, like she always did, she disappeared one rainy night without a word.
Aster pretended she wasn’t hurt, but it was clear by the wobble of her lower lip every time I saw her for the next few days that Belladonna had, once again, broken her heart.
Flora’s short bark wrenched me out of the memory. She darted forward and dragged me up the narrow dirt path. Along its edges, trees bent into a natural arch, shadowing the path from the fading afternoon sun.
‘Slow down, girl. We’ll get there soon.’
She continued to strain against the leash. It only took a few more steps to understand her agitation. Bryce stood against a flat wall of rock that overlooked the valley. Indy panted at his feet.
‘Hey! Wasn’t expecting to see you here.’ He scrubbed a hand over his head; a slight sheen of sweat coated his toned forearms. A bright blue athletic shirt made his hair look like rich copper. The smile that spread across his lips unlocked something wild and angry in my chest.
‘What the hell are you doing here with Indy?’ I bent down and petted the dog’s head, trying to sense any lingering signs of poisoning.
‘He was bouncing off the walls in the cabin. Today he drank several bowls of water and ate a good meal. I know you don’t think much of me, but I do care about my dog. I’d never put him at risk.’
The indignation in his voice made me pause. Made me wonder how much of my frustration over my own family, my own problems, made him an easy target for my anger.
‘Fine but keep an eye on him just in case.’
‘You know I will.’
I stepped to the edge of the ridge and pulled in a lungful of air. ‘How did you get up here? This trail… it’s not for tourists.’
He let out a short, barking laugh. ‘I’m a tourist now?’
‘You’re not exactly a local.’
‘You’d be surprised what people share when you put them at ease.’
Yeah, he was full of it. I’m sure all he had to do was flash that confident smile, make that gentle tilt of his head like he was really listening, and the locals would spill their guts – which was my fear.
What would it take for someone to feed him a story about Lia’s unique connection to the land? Or Aster’s ability to predict a person’s perfect love match, all just to convince him there was some kind of magic here?
Those aching knots in my shoulders returned, and I focused on the vast emerald forest spread out before me.
He took a few steps until he was beside me. ‘I can go. You may not believe this, but the last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.’
He kicked at a loose rock near his feet.
Chuckled as my gaze narrowed on those stupid expensive boots.
‘They’re starting to break in.’ He patted at the pockets of his brown cargo shorts.
‘Brought these just in case.’ He held out the mound of Band-Aids I’d handed him the other day. ‘I promise I’m learning, Dani.’
He was too damn charming. And the way he said my name so softly, like it was something precious, was almost indecent. He took another step forward, and I swore for no more than a flicker I saw that orange glow.
I shook away the image. No more. I was done getting caught up in the ‘true love’ fantasy.
The belief that there was one person on the planet who was truly meant for me.
It was the one thing Belladonna and I agreed on – love was nothing but a rush of chemicals in our brain.
An entertainment industry ploy to convince us that everyone got a happily-ever-after.
It’s what made people buy books. Watch endless romantic movies.
‘Who told you about this trail?’
‘I was at the tavern—’
‘Mo needs to stop talking. This path is supposed to be off limits to everyone except search and rescue.’
‘Yet, the last time I looked, you’re not a first responder.’
‘But my sister Lia is.’
‘She’s quite the personality. If there’d been a sharp knife near her at the coffee shop, I think she would have hurled it in my direction.’
‘Lia would never be that overt. She’s more of a poison-you-in-silence kind of woman.’
A warm throaty chuckle spilled from his lips. ‘Poisoning aside, I’m glad you’re here. It gives me more time to grovel.’
‘There’s not enough groveling in the world that’ll make me forget how you conveniently hid who you were.’
He tucked his muscled arms across his chest and arched a single brow that on most men might look ridiculous, but on him was too damn sexy. ‘Not so sure about that. Groveling is sort of my specialty.’
‘Oh, please, do tell.’
‘I suck at dating. My job has always been the number one focus in my life,’ he admitted. ‘I can start something, but it always ends in flames because I’m traveling, and I’m terrible at phone calls and texts. If I could do my job without my phone, I’d chuck it straight into the forest right now.’
At least there was one thing we could agree on.
Back when I started the clinic, Aster convinced me I needed to start a social media account.
Post pictures of the cute dogs and other animals I treated to drum up business.
But once word started to spread about me, weird comments about magic began to pop up.
I threatened to delete the account until Bree agreed to take over posting, keeping me from getting anxious anytime I saw a new comment.
‘Why write an article about Harvest Moon? You usually do more serious pieces, like ferreting out corruption in small governments, or calling out politicians who are cagey about where they get their election donations.’
A slow grin spread across his face. ‘You’ve been reading up on me, huh?’
‘It’s more like “keep your enemies closer” and all that.’
‘Enemies.’ He inched closer. ‘Is that what we are?’
‘Well, no, I mean, yes,’ I stuttered. ‘For now, I reserve judgement on exactly what we are.’
His gaze never moved from my face, wandering the lines of my nose, over my cheeks, halting at my mouth. ‘That’s fair,’ he said on a ragged breath. ‘I promise you I’ll only write the truth about what I find here.’
His words were like jumping into an icy lake.
I couldn’t flirt with him. He was here to write some idiotic piece about the town, and my job was to protect my sisters.
To knock down whatever ridiculous tales the locals spun to get people to spend precious dollars on oversized cowboy hats, and T-shirts that said mind-numbing things like There’s always magic to be found in Harvest Moon.
Sensing my unease, Flora tugged on her leash, pulling me toward the rest of the trail.
Indy started to turn in circles, yanking Bryce sideways.
‘See, look, I did listen to you. A leash.’ He bent down to nuzzle Indy’s head, a silver glimmer swaying below his neck. ‘And tags.’
‘That’s good,’ I mumbled as Flora tugged again. ‘I should go. I want to finish my hike before it gets too dark.’