I imagined being one of those trees, whiling away your life watching the goings-on of Frazier Falls and never knowing that there are far more interesting places to be.
I chuckled at the thought. That job would be a dream for me. Watching. Listening.
“Except I’m not a tree, and I do enjoy a good fire, which would be cannibalistic if I were a tree,” I said aloud, shocked by the echo that returned to haunt me as I passed through a rare clearing in the forest. The sunlight painted the area in silver and gold, the snow on the rocks glistening in a futile attempt to melt before the darkness of night set in.
I brushed the snow from one of the rocks and sat down to take in the surrounding sights. All the clearing needed was an errant deer rummaging around for a stray patch of grass, and the image of a winter paradise would be complete. While I remained sitting here, a deer, or any other animal for that matter, would never dare show its face for fear of becoming dinner. Sighing, I got up and moved on, continuing my steady, twisting climb up the hill.
Eventually, it got to the point where I had to admit that I was bored, and without the sun, my walk underneath the trees had grown cold. I rubbed my hands together, my gloves doing nothing to heat me.
I had to come back down once I reached the top. I knew I should call it quits and leave before numbness set in, and yet, I didn’t. I must have walked at least three-quarters of the way up the hill. There were another ten minutes to go before I reached the top. Another ten minutes to freeze. I fumbled for my cell phone to check the time—it was past four. The sun would be low in the sky, painting the entire town in sunset tones of gold and red and purple. The view from the top of the hill would be worth the discomfort.
I plowed through the snow, ignoring my numb, stinging fingers, and the vague ache in my calf muscles until the trees thinned and the steep, uphill incline smoothed out. When I reached the last of the trees, I heard a noise I hadn’t been expecting—a voice.
What was someone doing all the way up here? They must be as crazy as me. The irony of the situation was not lost. Something caused me to retreat behind a pine tree, keeping me concealed, while I worked out who it was that was up here on their own.
“He’ll help you with the potatoes that you’re so obviously looking for,” the voice said rather sarcastically. It was female and familiar … and Irish.
“Oh, no, she hasn’t told me her name; I must bribe it out of her.” Emily continued, in a sing-song voice as if she were recounting a fairytale to a young child. “Save me from hitting my head, my arse. He was the reason I fell in the first place.”
Okay, that bit wasn’t part of any fairytale I’d ever heard before.
Even bad language sounded wonderful in Emily Flanagan’s accent. I was certain I could listen to her insult me all day and still crave more.
“But what the hell is she doing …?” I wondered quietly but aloud.
“Then that woman—Lucy—the one who ‘helps’ my ma sometimes!” she exclaimed. “What is she after? Is she trying to weasel her way into the will? Ma has nothing. Lucy could have it. Nothing is nothing, no matter how much you divide it up.”
“Hey, that’s not fair,” I protested out loud. I heard Emily gasp as she took in the fact that she wasn’t alone.
“Who’s there?” she called out, uncertainty painting her voice.
“You’re going to hate that it’s me,” I admitted, not moving from my position of relative safety behind a tree.
“That’s you, Eli, isn’t it?”
“In the flesh.”
I could practically see Emily’s eyes narrowing in suspicion even from where I was standing.
“Did you follow me all the way up here?”
“Lord no. I was doing the rounds.”
“You were doing the—for God’s sake, stop hiding behind a tree, and face me like a grown man.”
I bowed my head beneath a branch as I made my way out of the tree line and into the glorious sunshine and the most outstanding view of Frazier Falls one could get.
I swung around with a hand protecting my eyes from the glare of the sun, looking for Emily. I found her sitting beneath the canopy of trees several yards away from the one I’d been hiding behind.
I gave her a broad smile. “Hardly believe you made it all the way up here, given how much you hate the town.”
She rolled her eyes. “Ma wanted me to go for a walk.”
“You were kicked out? At your age?”
“What of it?” Emily fired back defensively.
I shrugged. “Nothing much. It’s just funny.”
“What did you mean by doing the rounds?”
“I was making sure nobody had messed up part of the forest. With Rich gone, I took over his searching for unattended campfires or trash left by teenagers or idiots.”
Emily frowned. “Seems a bit cold for that, even for underage drinkers.”
“I know, but the rounds still have to be done. Rich and Owen flew out this morning for Germany. Pax is helping out in Wilkes’ again, so that left me.” I threw my arms in the air in a mock celebration. “Hooray.”
“You … do you own the forest?”
I nodded as I made my way over to sit down beside her. Emily immediately backed away.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I looked at her pointedly. “Sitting down. It’s freezing out. I could do with proximal body heat, and so could you.”
She looked as if she desperately wanted to argue, but after a moment or two, she gave up.
“Fine. Do what you like,” She looked at me quizzically. “Do you own the whole forest?”
“No, my brothers and I only own the southern part—the area closer to the creek. The Stevensons own the rest. They’re the siblings who run the mill.”
“That basically means your family owns the whole forest now.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Because Carla is marrying—oh. Shite.”
I put two and two together halfway through Emily’s sentence. I almost laughed in response.
“Have you been stalking me, Miss Flanagan?”
“Not you, but your family. It was my friend from California, not me.”
“And how did your friend know to investigate a family she’s never met in a town she’s never been to?”
Emily looked away, a red flush pinking her cheeks. Or at least, she might have been blushing. Her face had been so red with the cold already; it was hard to tell.
“I may have been trash talking about you to her. She looked you up.”
“What? Then she recited my entire family history for your benefit?”
She winced. “Would you believe me if I said it was pretty much exactly like that?”
“Strangely enough, yes. Something tells me your stubborn pride wouldn’t let you so much as type my name into a computer no matter how curious you were.”
“I don’t know whether that’s a compliment or an insult.”
I glanced at her and was momentarily distracted by the sunlight glinting off her beautiful green eyes. Her hair was reflecting it, too, setting it on fire. Emily Flanagan was stunning. Even I was man enough to admit that.
“Let’s call it a bit of both.”