Chapter 9 Blair #2
“We went on a hike to Hidden Lake,” I say, deciding to keep it simple for now.
She nods, looking impressed. “Nice. That place is so beautiful. I’ve only been there a few times in my life but it’s the perfect place to escape the world and just be, right?”
“When we stopped at the top of the hill and looked down over it, it took my breath away...” I trail off, remembering the way the sunlight danced off the water.
Isla’s eyes flash with curiosity. “And? What else happened on this secret date y’all didn’t want us to know about?” I can’t help but snicker at her sing-song tone.
“We talked, had some lunch, and went for a dip in the lake. It was nice.” I don’t say how I stripped down to my underwear though. “Just a normal date, you know?”
“No, I don’t know because by all accounts, Sutton doesn’t date. Case can’t even remember hearin’ him talk about seein’ anyone in forever. This is all new territory for his brothers. I’m not surprised he wants to keep you all to himself though.”
I lift a brow. “What do you mean?”
“Case is the same,” she says. “Growin’ up with an identical twin, let alone three other siblin’s, it meant they had to share everythin’.”
“I know the feeling.”
“You have a big family too?” she asks.
“Two brothers and a sister. And a lot of farmhands, neighbors, townsfolk. You know how it is.”
She nods. “I do. Especially the nosy townsfolk. Mom was the town florist, so she knew all the comin’s and goin’s.
It was nice, but it also meant everyone knew what I was up to growin’ up.
Birdie too. Anyway, when Case and I met and then reunited, I knew it was just as special to me as it was to him because he was all in from the start.
He made it clear that I was his and only his. ”
Something she said sticks in my mind. “Hold that thought. What do you mean met and reunited?”
“Oh, I forgot you’re new to town and missed the whole story. Maybe you should just read the book when it comes out,” she says.
“There’s a book?” I gasp.
Isla opens her mouth and slams it shut again, her face turning a little pale as her mind works a mile a minute. “Forget that. It–uh–came out wrong. I just meant that there’s this big, long story, that’s all.”
I get the impression she’s covering up for something. The problem is, I don’t know what.
“I’ll give you the Cliff Notes version. Case and I randomly met one night in Anchorage and had the most intense, platonic, non-sexual one night stand.
Literally.” My eyes widen. “The problem was, we didn’t exchange names or numbers before I left the next mornin’.
I figured there was no point. He was from North Cali and I was movin’ back here to look after Mom.
I didn’t think we’d ever see each other again. ”
“She’s got MS, is that right?”
She nods. “Yeah. She’s got a treatment team now so she’s doin’ a lot better than expected.”
“I’m glad,” I say softly. “OK, so help me out here. How did you go from strangers with a connection who didn’t swap numbers to getting married next weekend?”
A smile curves her lips. “Fate had plans that we didn’t know about.
You see, the very next day I moved back to Timber Falls.
That just happened to be when Case and his brothers decided to move here to fulfil their grandfather’s final wishes.
Although it took us months to realize my best friend and his big brother had fallen head over heels in love with one another.
We saw each other again the night Will proposed to Birdie. ”
“Nooo…” I say, staring at her in shock. “That’s like–”
“Fate,” she says. “I told you. Never believed in it before. I do wholeheartedly now.”
I’ve never really put much weight in the idea of fate and destiny. Then again, moving to the Alaskan mountains for six months wasn’t even on the list of possibilities until Uncle George called me.
“That story sounds straight off the pages of a romance novel. No wonder you said I could read the book. It’s like soulmates reunited.”
“I thought you didn’t read romance,” she says.
“Not really. My best friends do though.”
She pauses for a moment, as if contemplating something. “Would you read a book if I gave it to you?”
I shrug. “Sure. It’s not like I’ve got a super heavy patient-load right now. Compared to the job I left behind, working here almost feels like a holiday.”
“A bit different?” she says with a smirk.
“That’s an understatement.”
We fall quiet and just for a moment I feel like I’ve somehow escaped her third degree about Sutton.
“Don’t think I’m lettin’ you off the hook, Blair. You’re tryin’ to distract me from askin’ about my brother-in-law.”
“You mean Jude?” I tease.
She rolls her eyes. “Woman, tell me about you and Sutton. Are you feelin’ the vibe? What do you think of him? Are there tingles?” Tingles? How would she know about that?
“Sutton is…” There are many words to describe him. Far too many to say now, “a genuinely nice guy. Before moving here, I wasn’t sure there were even men like him out there. Not for me, anyway.”
Isla’s eyes flash. “OK, first. Nice? Just what every guy wants to hear,” she muses.
“You can do better than that. I know we’ve just met, but I promise you, my intentions are good.
I’m a little protective over everyone at Cooper Ranch but that also includes you.
And with all of the testosterone up on the mountain, us girls have to stick together. ”
A giggle escapes me at the same time my heart swells.
“I didn’t think…” I shake my head. “It’s not that, OK.
I promise. It’s just–” My voice softens.
“He makes me feel seen–like he really sees me–not what I bring to the table or what I can do for him. Just me. And it doesn’t feel intense or off putting, it feels like the most natural thing in the world. ”
“Girl! She says, clapping her hands excitedly. “Isn’t that the best feeling?” She waves her gorgeous engagement ring in the air between us. “I’m marryin’ a man who makes me feel like I’m the most beautiful, special, and most important woman in the world.”
“I love that for you,” I reply.
Isla leans in, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “You could have that too, you know. OK, what else?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, scrunching my nose up.
“Come on, Blair. Don’t leave me hangin’. Did sparks fly? Was there a kiss at the end? Is there goin’ to be a second date.”
“No kiss. Yes to a second date. And as for sparks?”
“Yes…” She’s leaning in so close now that I can feel her body heat.
“I don’t know if it's the altitude or something, but there’s always this strange energy between us whenever we touch.
It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
But it’s not bad.” I actually don’t know how to explain it.
All I know is that every single time his skin has touched mine, it’s like I’m being brought to life.
“What does it feel like?”
“Like a low-frequency buzzing most of the time. But warm. And then other times, it’s like a jolt that goes straight through me like a lightning bolt.” Isla's eyes flash. “Whenever we touch, it’s the most natural thing in the world… like we’ve been doin’ it for years.”
Her eyes crinkle into a whole-face smile. “I knew it!” she says with a fist pump. “I knew you came here for a reason. Just wait until I tell Birdie.”
“Tell Birdie what? I thought Jude told everyone about the hike?”
That’s when she freezes and stares at me with the guiltiest look on her face. “Remember when I asked if you’d read one of those mountain man books?”
I eye her warily. “Yeah…”
“I think you need to come to my locker after your shift. I’ve got just the one for you to read first. It might help… explain things.”
“Explain what? What am I missing?” I ask
“Read the book first then you, me, and Birdie can have a date of our own. Then we can fill in the blanks for you,” she replies quizzically.
“I’m not sure I understand,” I say slowly.
She puts her hand on my arm and gives me a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Read the book, and I promise you will.”