I took a long sip of my beer. As I quickly weighed my options, Juniper scanned the bar, and her eyes met mine. A soft smile spread across her lips, and she lifted her hand in a friendly wave.
“What are you going to do, Griff? Scare her off and take your chances with someone new moving in, or teach her how to survive in a place that’s so beautiful it can take your breath away while you fight for your life?” Hank asked. His eyes crinkled at the edges like he was enjoying my personal hell.
Neither option appealed to me, but I had to choose. Taking my chance with someone new could be a challenge. But spending time with Juniper? Keeping her close and teaching her everything I knew about taming the wild nature of the mountain? Either she left and the wrong hands took the land, or she stayed—and I let her get under my skin.
Option number one might kill the mountain. The other might kill me.
CHAPTER 4
JUNIPER
It wasdark by the time I pulled into the clearing. I’d skipped the drink Clara offered at the Rusty Elk—good thing, since navigating the winding mountain roads stone cold sober was hard enough. I supposed I’d get used to it if I planned on living up here for a while. And the more I explored the town and the surrounding area, the more I wanted to stay.
I hadn’t planned on stopping in at the Rusty Elk, but after a day driving around, visiting Whispering Falls and stopping at the Misty Mountain Lookout, the thought of coming back to the lodge and having to cook something wasn’t appealing. So, I’d ducked into the Rusty Elk and ordered a burger and fries to go.
Running into Griff had been a big surprise. I didn’t think he ever left the mountain, but there he was, taking up more than his fair share of space at the bar, his usual scowl in place. He hadn’t even waved back when I smiled. The man was built like a slab of granite and just as cold.
Good thing there were plenty of friendly faces in town so I wouldn’t have to rely on my grumpy neighbor for socializing. I got a kick out meeting Miss Lila at the adorable bookstore in town and planned on stopping by the Pine and Petal Caféto try one of their lavender lattes next time I drove down the mountain.
I climbed out of the car and carried the bag holding my burger and fries with me. At least what was left of my fries. They’d smelled so good, I’d devoured more than half of them on my way back.
It was so dark I had to use my flashlight app to light the way to the front door. I should have left a light on, but I had no idea I’d be gone so long. Maybe I could look into installing some motion-detector lights. I had zero experience with getting things done around the house. My dad always hired those types of jobs out, but how hard could it be? If only I had WIFI. I’d have to download a few online how-to videos the next time I had internet access.
Appie chastised me for staying out so late as I entered the front door.
“Sorry. I know you’re hungry. Just give me a second.”
He tracked my every move as I opened his can of salmon pate and scraped it into a bowl. Then I sat down at the table and reached for the old leather journal I’d found stashed behind a few field guides last night. I’d read the first few pages, and was eager to dive in. Uncle Caleb had dated the entries, and I flipped to the last few entries—the ones he made right before he died.
November 3rd
Came across some unusual tracks. Might be a bobcat but more likely a large fox. Storm dropped 7” on us last night. Need to get the propane tanks refilled soon.
I flipped forward several pages and spotted Griff’s name in shaky writing.
December 24th
Griff stopped by and gave me one of his knives. The handle’s from that massive elk we took down together last year. I’m lucky to have him as a neighbor. Just wish he’d let go of all that damn guilt. We shared a steak dinner.
I swallowed the big bite of burger I’d just taken and wondered what kind of guilt Griff was holding onto. Clearly there was more to him than the gruff, growly, grumpy side I’d seen. There had to be if my uncle considered him a good friend. I turned a few more pages but there wasn’t anything more about Griff, just notes on the weather, the snowfall, and things he wanted to do around the lodge.
The last entry was dated January 11th, three days before my dad got the call that his body had been found.
January 11th
Need to talk to the sheriff. This harassment is getting out of hand. I’ll never sell.
The last line was underlined three times, the pen digging so deep it nearly tore through the page. My stomach twisted. Had someone really been harassing him? And if they had—where were they now?
Suddenly, the silence in the cabin felt less peaceful and more like a warning. As much as I loved the lodge and the land surrounding it, it seemed difficult to believe someone would want to try harassing my uncle into selling.
An uneasiness settled over me, and I ended up tossing the rest of my dinner. My stomach was too upset to eat. With no television, no internet, and no cell service, I pulled out my laptop and uploaded the pictures I’d taken over the past few days.
Then I vowed that no matter how much I didn’t want to bother him, I’d head up to Griff’s cabin the next day to find out if he knew anything about what happened right before Caleb died.
The next morning, I baked up a loaf of banana bread figuring I’d use that as an excuse to stop by Griff’s place. After the way he’d ignored me at the Rusty Elk last night, I didn’t expect a warm welcome and thought maybe a fresh loaf of bread might help.
I wrapped it up in foil and pulled on my coat and boots. I’d meant to stop by the general store to see if I could find something more appropriate for traipsing around the mountain, but it was closed by the time I’d figured out a way to end my conversation with Miss Lila. That woman could talk the ears off an elephant.
