CHAPTER 1
GRIFF
I hated driving into town.That’s why I limited my trips to once a month, twice if I really fucked up and needed something that couldn’t wait. Even with a population of twenty-five hundred, Misty Mountain was too crowded for me. I was much more comfortable on my own, living in my cabin at the top of the mountain where the only conversation I had to listen to was between the howling wolves at night.
If it weren’t for the custom survival gear orders that I dropped off at the general store every month, I might not ever have to venture into town. That would be heaven. Maybe one of these days I’d find someone I could trust that could deliver my supplies and pick up outgoing orders. Until then, I’d continue to drive down the mountain once a month, complain about it the whole time, and try to keep to myself.
“Hey, Griff.” Jack lifted his chin in acknowledgment as I entered the front door of the Misty Mountain General Store.
“Hey.” My voice came out rough. Not much of a surprise. I’d barely spoken out loud since the last time I saw him about a month ago.
“I’ve got your order packed and ready to go. Just give me a minute to finish ringing this up.” He turned his attention back to an older woman standing at the counter while I waited.
“What were we talking about?” The woman leaned toward Jack. I didn’t know her by name, but I recognized her. She and her sister had come up the mountain a few years ago and tried to get me to donate some of the gear I made for a fundraiser to redo the park. I didn’t mind helping and gave them a couple of knives to auction off. But after that, I put up a handful of “No Trespassing” signs and hadn’t been bothered since.
“You said something about Caleb Blake’s old place, Mrs. Mackey.” Jack continued to scan her groceries, obviously used to making small talk.
“That’s right. His niece is in town.” Mrs. Mackey put her hand to her chest and lowered her voice like she was divulging classified information, not trying to fan the fires of a small-town gossip mill.
Pretending to study a selection of hand-poured candles from some local artist, I took a step toward the counter. Caleb had been my nearest neighbor and the closest thing I’d had to a friend in all the years I’d lived on the mountain. His death a few months ago had hit hard.
“I heard his place was tied up in probate,” Jack said. “Is it going on the market?”
“No, that’s just it,”—Mrs. Mackey slapped her hands down on the counter— “she’s moving in.”
The candle slid out of my hand and hit the floor with a sharp crack. Dammit. So much for keeping a low profile.
Mrs. Mackey turned my way, her gaze flying from my face to the mess at my feet and back up again. “Do you know something about this, Griffin?”
“No, uh, just surprised is all.” I cleared my throat, trying to chase away the frog that had taken up permanent residence.
Jack grabbed a broom and dustpan, then rounded the counter. “Caleb kept to himself. I didn’t even know he had family.”
“Let me.” I took the broom and swept the glass into a small pile, hoping Mrs. Mackey would keep talking.
“There’s probably a lot about him we didn’t know,” she said. “And the way he died, that poor man. All alone up there on that mountain. God rest his soul.”
I ignored the way the hair on the back of my neck bristled. She didn’t know anything about what happened to Caleb. I was the one who’d found him, his broken body at the base of the rocks that separated his land from mine. The sheriff had looked around, but when he didn’t find anything suspicious, he ruled Caleb’s death an accident.
Something about that didn’t sit right with me. I told him I didn’t think it was foul play. That wasn’t really a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. I’d been keeping an eye on his place while the court figured out what to do with it, but I hadn’t heard anything about someone moving in.
Bending down, I tightened my grip on the dustpan. While Jack bagged Mrs. Mackey’s groceries, I swept the glass into the dustpan and pretended to tune them out.
“Why would a young woman from the city want to live up on that mountain all alone?” Mrs. Mackey didn’t wait for an answer. “And with the will still in probate court… maybe she’s not quite right in the head.”
“Maybe she wants to learn more about her uncle.” I spoke without thinking, a move that completely contradicted my usual MO. As Mrs. Mackey and Jack turned my way, I cursed under my breath for putting myself in the middle of the conversation.
“Did Caleb say something to you before he passed?” Mrs. Mackey looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time.For the past twenty years I’d managed to fly under the radar, but it seemed like I’d just pasted a fucking target on my own back.
“No.” I dumped the dustpan in the trash can at the end of the counter. “Just hypothesizing.”
“Hmm.” She tapped her credit card against the terminal to pay for her groceries. “If you hear anything, I hope you’ll say something. We don’t want some outsider making waves around here.”
“We’ll all keep an eye out. Do you want help getting those bags to the car?” Jack asked.
I leaned on the counter while he gathered up the bags and followed her out front. When he returned, I traded him the orders I’d filled for the box of supplies he’d packed up for me.
“Folks really love your work.” Jack ran his finger over the handle of one of the knives I’d made. “Are you sure you don’t want to take on more orders?”
