1. Knox #2
“Yes, all the brothers except for Atticus.” Finley gestured beyond the tree line where the top of a large house could be seen. “He’s a retired tech executive and his wife Annie is an actress, so they’re back and forth between here and L.A.”
“Sounds awful,” I said. “Not a fan of Southern California.”
“Atticus isn’t fond of L.A. either,” Finley said.
“But that’s what we do for love, right?” Finley waved an arm toward the fire pit as we came round the path.
A ring of Adirondack chairs circled the large stone pit, string lights crossed overhead.
“The fire pit’s where everyone ends up at the end of the evening whether they mean to or not.
There’s a bonfire tonight after the tree lighting. ”
“Tree lighting?” Madeleine asked. “How fun.”
“It’s a tradition here.” Finley pointed to a large fir to the left of the lodge. “We’ll have cocktails for your group and hot buttered popcorn. It’s spectacular. One of my favorite nights of the year.”
Madeleine continued to hobble around in her heels. She’d be lucky not to sprain an ankle.
Finley continued. “Barn and stables are off east—that’s my husband Soren’s kingdom, and the corrals beyond. Horses get assigned tomorrow.”
“Horses?” Madeleine asked. “I don’t ride.”
I didn’t either but I kept that to myself.
“He’s already picked gentle ones for both of you.
Ivy mentioned neither of you were horse people.
I’m not either, which is funny considering my husband’s great love for them.
He’s giving you Duchess, Madeleine, who I always ride.
A total dear of a horse, although she’s a bit of a diva. Doesn’t like to get too dirty.”
“Perfect,” I said under my breath.
Madeleine shot me another look.
“And Knox, you’re to ride Cash. He’s older and a little tired, but sweet as can be.”
“I thought all boys from the south rode horses?” Madeleine said to me.
“Not ones who grew up poor,” I said. “Only pet we had was a stray cat who kept the mice out of the house.”
“Where are you from?” Finley asked.
“Little town in Alabama,” I said. “You won’t have heard of it. No one has unless you were born and raised there.”
“And you, Madeleine?” Finley asked.
“Um, here and there. No one place,” Madeleine said.
“I thought so. You talk like a newscaster,” Finley said.
Madeleine didn’t comment.
Finley pointed west, where the land sloped off toward a dark line of trees, the creek running between snowy banks.
“Pond’s down that way—it freezes up beautifully.
I expect we’ll have skating before the wedding.
A skating night’s on the calendar but we’ll see if Mother Nature cooperates.
There’s a footbridge over the creek. Prettiest spot on the whole ranch, if you ask me, though Soren says that’s because I don’t have to shovel it.
” She swept her arm north toward the pines climbing into the mountains.
“The sleigh trail runs northwest and the riding trail loops northeast, up to the overlook. You can see the entire valley from the top. Save it for a clear day.”
The snow was coming steadier now, catching in Madeleine’s dark hair, and her shoes had gone from black to salt-rimmed gray at the toes.
Ruined, probably. Four hundred dollars dissolving one crunch-slide at a time.
It was the best thing I’d seen in months, and I was fairly sure that made me a bad person, and I was quite sure I didn’t care.
“Okay, one safety note.” Finley stopped to show us a rope that that seemed to attach cabins as well as one that went to the lodge.
“We have storms come through here. Sometimes out of nowhere, so we have these ropes here in case anyone gets lost. Just follow it hand over hand until it gets you to a cabin or the lodge.”
Madeleine shuddered. “I hope that doesn’t happen.”
“Most likely won’t,” Finley said. “But I like to err on the side of caution.”
“Makes sense,” I said. “Not that I’d be out in a storm. I’m more of a stay by the fire sipping Jack kind of guy.”
“Me too. And here’s your little corner.” Finley stopped where the path split, gesturing at the two cabins sitting shoulder to shoulder near the fire pit, porches not fifteen feet apart, both strung with lights and wreathed.
“Keys are in the doors, wood’s stacked, coffee’s in the cupboards, your adult beverage of choice in the liquor cabinet or mini-fridge.
IPAs for you, Knox, from a local brewery.
Good stuff. And a bottle of vodka and tonic waters for you, plus a few bottles of red wine, Madeleine. ”
“How did you know what we like?” I asked.
“Ivy and my sister-in-law, Sammie, planned each part of this wedding with meticulous detail. Sammie’s married to Thad, who is technically my boss, but we’re all family and pitch in wherever we’re needed.
But Sammie plans all the weddings and events for our guests. She’s absolutely brilliant at it too.”
“Did you say wood?” Madeleine asked. “As in, a real fireplace?”
“Yes, no gas here. The Moon family likes it old school for our guests. Other than the fire pit. That’s too hard to manage with real wood.
But if you have any trouble lighting the fire, just give me a ring and I’ll send someone.
We have it all set to light with just a flick of a match though, so you should be fine. ”
Finley looked between the two of us once more, cheerful as Christmas morning and clearly sharp as a tack.
She handed us each a sheet of paper from her clipboard.
“This is the calendar of events for your month here. Ivy told me to make sure everyone knows they’re invited to all the group events, but attendance isn’t mandatory. ”
I quickly glanced down at the calendar. For heaven’s sake, there was a group activity every day. This was going to be a long month.
“Great,” I said. “So much to look forward to.”
Madeleine must have caught the edge in my voice because she fixed her gaze on me and said, “You know what a privilege it is to have a whole month to enjoy ourselves courtesy of Ivy and Jack? I’d say we’re pretty lucky.”
“Yeah, totally agree. Ladies.” I tipped my hat and then went up the three steps to the small porch on the front of my cabin, unlocked the door and went inside to the pleasant scents of cedar, woodsmoke, and cinnamon.
A wreath hung on the mantel above a fire the staff had laid but not started.
I placed my bag and guitar case on a bench at the foot of the bed.
It was a simple room but perfect in every way.
King bed with a fluffy comforter; two leather chairs in front of the fireplace; a mini-fridge tucked in one corner, with a coffee maker above.
I hung my hat on the rack by the door—the rack, never the bed—and went to pull the curtains for a nap before dinner. And what did I see? A terrible characteristic in the layout of cabins one and two.
My side window looked straight across fifteen feet of snow into the front windows of cabin two.
No trees between us, no fence, nothing. Madeleine’s curtains were open and her lights were on, which meant I could look directly into her cabin.
At the moment, she was sitting on the end of her bed, shoulders hunched and one ruined pump dangling from her fingers.
I should have closed the curtains and walked away, but I didn’t.
She dropped the shoe on the floor and pressed both thumbs into the arch of her foot, and grimaced, her shoulders heaving from an obvious sigh.
She didn’t even look like herself. Instead of a formidable and tasteful business woman, she looked young and kind of lost. Vulnerable almost with her shoulders down like that and her head hanging, rubbing her foot like a waitress at the end of a double.
She was tired, I thought. Like deep in your bones tired.
It was plain as day, and it made me wonder who she really was under her designer clothes and that hair that looked like it had just come out of the salon.
She straightened up, rolled her neck, and then stopped dead, clearly spotting me staring at her. I held up a hand like an idiot. She answered by pulling her curtain shut. I yanked my own curtains shut like a man caught stealing.
As usual, off to a great start with Madeleine Price.
At least we hadn’t gotten into a screaming match. The merch incident was still fresh in my mind. I had yet to be forgiven for it by our snooty Miss Price, but I didn’t care. Some things mattered more than playing nice.
Whatever. I wouldn’t think about her again today. A nap and then dinner. I wouldn’t have to interact with her this month if I didn’t want to. And since everyone, including Ivy, knew we despised each other, I felt pretty sure we would be kept apart as much as possible.