Chapter 7
Kim
The afternoon sun slanted through Neil's workshop windows, turning sawdust motes into floating gold. I should have called Pemberton an hour ago, but I kept finding excuses—helping Neil measure boards for the desk he was building, brewing fresh coffee.
"You're going to have to call him eventually." Neil's voice carried no judgment, just gentle understanding.
"I know." I set down the jpgs I'd been pretending to study. "I just need to figure out what to say."
"Just lay down the law. Tell him you need a leave of absence.”
Yeah, like it would be that easy.
The phone felt heavy in my hand. Six years of following Pemberton's orders, six years of being invisible in the background while he took credit for research I'd done. And now I had to call him and explain why I wasn’t going back to work for him.
Neil put down his sanding block and came to stand behind me, solid and reassuring. "Want me to leave while you call?"
"No. Stay. Please."
I hit dial before I could lose my nerve.
"Dr. Fox, you better not be calling in sick for tomorrow." Pemberton's voice was sharp with suspicion.
"No, Dr. Pemberton. I'm calling about a significant historical discovery."
His snort carried clearly through the phone. "The Vermont logging camps? I told you that was a waste of time."
"It wasn’t. I found an Underground Railroad documentation cache. Original documents from 1853 to 1855, including coded slave manifests and safe house records."
Silence. Then, "You're certain they're authentic?"
"The paper, ink, and writing style are consistent with the period. The names match historical records. I need to do further research to confirm, but I’ve got several more leads."
"Interesting." His tone shifted, calculating now. "I'll need to verify this myself. I want you back tomorrow with whatever you've found."
“The weather took a turn for the worse,” I said, knowing I was taking the coward’s way out. “My rental car was caught in mud. I’m stranded.”
“Hire a car.”
So much for that. "Actually, the reason I’m calling is to request a leave of absence so I can explore this area more thoroughly.”
"Denied."
"Dr. Pemberton—"
"You'll return tomorrow with the documents
“I can upload the photos I took of them.”
“That’s a start. But I need to send a team to see what else is out there.”
“I’m handling this.” I took a deep breath. “This is my project and I’m going to see it through. By myself.” And Neil, of course. But Pemberton didn’t have to know that.
His laugh was cold. "Any discoveries made during company time belong to the university."
"This was done on my own time,” I protested.
“Be back here tomorrow or your fired."
“Fired?” I nearly choked.
Neil made a grumbling noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl.
"Wait. The property owner has already decided to work with the Vermont Historical Society with me as the lead." I looked over at Neil who nodded, confirming what I hoped he would.
"Without authentication from real historians? Good luck with that."
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone. "He’s going to fire me."
Neil's arms wrapped around me, pulling me against his chest. "He has no claim on anything found on my land. This is your project. You don’t need him."
"He'll blacklist me. No university will hire me without his recommendation. My student loans, my apartment..." The reality crashed over me in waves.
“You don’t need the apartment anymore. You’re staying with me. And you can apply for grants," Neil said.
"But without Pemberton’s references, who's going to take a chance on me?"
“We don’t have to figure it all out tonight. And we don’t have to do this alone. Give me a minute.”
Neil walked outside and left the door open.
The fresh air was nice, and I caught bits and pieces of his conversation as I took deep breaths and tried not to hyperventilate.
I had a suspicion that the conversation with Pemberton was going to be difficult.
But I didn’t think he’d fire me. Maybe he was bluffing.
When Neil came back in, I couldn’t stop myself from throwing myself into his arms. I needed to feel his solid presence to ground me.
“We’re going to Sam and Jess’s house.”
“Who?” I didn’t even know he had neighbors that were close enough to visit.
“My brother and his wife.”
Another brother? “How many brothers do you have?”
“Three and you’re going to meet all of them tonight.”
I pulled back to look at him. "I'm not ready to meet your family. I’m a wreck right now."
"You’ll be fine." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Besides, Jess is a lawyer. She'll know exactly how to handle Pemberton."
"A lawyer?" Hope flickered for the first time since the call ended.
“Pemberton’s not going to know what hit him.”
NEIL
The drive to the Sam and Jess’s place took us deeper into the mountains, along roads that hadn't seen a county maintenance crew in a few weeks. Kim pressed close to my side in the truck, still shaky from Pemberton's call. The bastard had no idea what he'd just started.
"Tell me about your brothers," she said, needing distraction.
"Kevin runs a maple syrup operation. He's the oldest, the one who keeps us all in line. Sam's a wilderness guide for rich tourists who want to pretend they're survivalists for a weekend. And Shane's a paramedic”
"You all sound so different."
"We are. But when you grow up in the system, you learn that the family you choose is the only one that matters."
Kevin's truck was already there when we arrived at Sam and Jess’. Kevin’s wife Tonya was helping him carry containers of food inside.
"That's a lot of food," Kim said.
"Food fixes everything.”
Shane arrived last in his beat-up paramedic vehicle.
Tonya took one look at Kim's face and pulled her into a hug without asking. "Neil texted that you were having a rough day. Boss troubles?"
"He threatened to fire her," I said flatly. "For refusing to steal the documents she found on my property."
Kevin's expression went dangerous in that quiet way of his. "Explain."
I laid it out while Tonya and Jess got Kim settled inside. I brought my brothers up to speed about the discovery, and Pemberton's demands.
"Wait." Jess leaned forward, her lawyer instincts engaged. "He claimed ownership of your project after he told you it was all bullshit?"
"He said my employment contract gives the university rights to any discoveries made during company time," Kim said, wrapping her hands around her mug of tea like she needed its heat.
"Were you on the clock? Was this an official university expedition?"
"No, I was using personal time."
"Then he's bluffing." Jess's smile turned sharp, the kind that probably terrified opposing counsel. Did you record the call?"
"I... no. Should I have?"
"Doesn't matter." Jess pulled out her phone, already making notes. "I can write a cease and desist if he tries to claim the documents. The Historical Society will be thrilled to work directly with the property owner and the discovering historian."
"I'm not sure I have the qualifications.”
Tonya made a dismissive sound. "You have your doctorate, and you found something everyone else missed. That’s good enough."
Kim blew out a shaky breath. “I’m not sure I can do this.”
"You can," Shane said.
Sam sprawled in his chair, grinning. "Plus, think how pissed this Pemberton guy will be when the news breaks. 'Local historian discovers major Underground Railroad site.’”
“I’m not local,” Kim said.
“You will be by the time this is all over with.”
Kevin had been quiet, thinking with that strategic mind of his. Finally, he spoke. "Here's what we do. Document everything on site, work directly with the Vermont Historical Society, and let Jess handle any legal threats."
"But what about my career?" Kim asked. "He'll make sure I never work in academia again."
"So don't work in academia," Sam said, as if it was obvious. "Museums, historical societies, private collections—they all need experts. And they pay better than universities."
Kim looked around the room, bewildered. "You don't even know me and you’re all in."
"You're Neil's," Kevin said simply. "That's all we need to know."
"Plus," Tonya added with a warm smile, "anyone who tells off a controlling boss is our kind of person."
KIM
As the night wore on, I found myself relaxing in ways I hadn't in years. They cared that Neil cared about me, and that seemed to be enough for them to welcome me into the family.
"So, what made you become a historian?" Tonya asked, refilling my tea for the third time.
"My grandmother," I admitted. "She died when I was twelve, but before that, she'd tell me stories about her grandmother who worked on the Underground Railroad in Ohio.
She had this old quilt with patterns that were supposedly part of the code system.
I spent years researching whether that was true or myth. "
"Was it true?" Jess asked, genuinely interested.
"Partially. The quilt code theory is disputed, but some patterns definitely had meaning within specific communities. My grandmother's quilt had the Bear's Paw pattern, which indicated mountains or hills to follow."
"Like these mountains," Neil said quietly.
"Exactly like these mountains." I met his eyes across the table. "When I found references to Burke Mountain in Thornton's journal, I thought about her quilt. It felt like she was pointing me here."
Shane shifted in his corner. "Sometimes the dead guide us to where we need to be."
The weight in his words silenced the room for a moment. Then Kevin stood, breaking the spell.
"It's getting late. Kim, welcome to the family. Whatever you need to handle this Pemberton situation, you've got it."
"The cease and desist will be ready by tomorrow afternoon," Jess promised. "What's his full name?"
"Dr. Harrison Pemberton III," I said, and Sam snorted.
"Of course he's a 'the third.' They always are."
As everyone prepared to leave, Tonya pulled me aside. "There’s something you should know about Neil."
My stomach tensed. "What?"
"He doesn't let people in easily. None of the brothers do. But once you're in, you're in forever. They'll move mountains for you." She squeezed my hand. "Just don't break his heart. I don't think he'd survive it."
The drive back to Neil's cabin felt different. I was part of something bigger, something that had been forged through shared trauma and chosen loyalty.
"Your family is amazing."
"Our family," Neil corrected. "You're part of it now."
"You think they can help?"
"We don’t make promises we can't keep.”
I watched the stars through the windshield, processing everything that had happened. This morning I'd been Dr. Pemberton's invisible research assistant. Tonight, I was part of a family that had formed its own gravity, pulling in damaged souls and giving them place to heal.
I thought about Tonya's warning about not breaking his heart. She didn't understand. Neil might be the one built like a mountain, but I was the one who'd been shattered and remade in the span of a few days.