“Could you bring me my bag?” I ask.
“What bag? You didn’t have a bag last night.”
My heart drops lower than my soul. My crystals. I can’t lose those. “Are you sure? I really… really need that bag.”
“What’s so important? ID? Money?”
With no clue how he’ll respond, I hesitate before saying, “Crystals.”
“Come again?”
“Crystals and stone. Or as many people would say it’s a bag of rocks.”
“What were you doing carrying around a bag of rocks? Does that have anything to do with dancing naked?”
He’s choosing his words carefully and obviously censuring his disbelieving expression. Too bad our intimate moment was interrupted. That was probably my only chance to be with him. There’s no reason for me to skirt the crazy sounding truth now.
“No, not really. But they do have a lot to do with the full moon. I told you I’ve always been interested in stones. There are properties to each stone, each form of crystal. People use them to enhance different aspects of their lives, for manifestation. For protection.”
“Yeah, I get that. Why a bag of rocks?”
“The full moon. Crystals can be cleansed, their power restored and augmented when they’re set out under a full moon, when it’s at a peak of energy. The stones I have—had with me are ones I’ve been collecting for years. Each is special for some reason. Since I’m at the start of a new phase in my life, I need as much of their attributes as I can find. So I spread them out on the teal silk bag I keep them in so the moon could cleanse them.”
“Can you start again? Collecting the rocks, I mean?”
It’s difficult to set aside the sorrow that’s burning behind my eyes. I clasp my hands tightly together and sigh. “Sure. It’s possible.”
He paces from one side of the room to the other. “Do you remember having the bag when you left the clearing?”
Furrowing my brow, I think for a long moment. “I… I really don’t know. The snow disoriented me. I thought I was headed to the path back to the lodge.”
“I think I know the area where you were.”
A tiny rise of hope makes me ask, “Do you think you could get there from here?”
He gives me a curious glance. “Yes.”
“Could you… would you… look for my crystals?” This is taking a huge chance. It would serve me right if he laughed me out of his cabin.
Watching him pace silently increases my anxiety. I take a deep breath. Another. He stops in front of me. “This really means a lot to you, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
“There wasn’t much snowfall after you showed up here. I might be able to follow your trail. In case you dropped the bag somewhere along the way.”
“You would do that? For me? You don’t know me. Why waste time on a crazy stranger?”
He plants his palms on the arms of my chair and leans forward. “Because I’d like you not to be a stranger. I see how important this is to you. But I can’t promise anything.”
I capture his face between my palms and guide him closer for a kiss. “I know my crystals could be gone forever. Just knowing you care enough to go looking for them means so much to me. Dane, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, babe,” he says against my lips. “No problem.”
five
Dane
Whatever the hell possessed me to volunteer on a hopeless mission to find a bag of rocks I’m not sure even exists? Now wrapped in layers under my coat and extra socks under my boots, I stand in front of Deca and know the reason. Because, as kooky and unlike any woman I’ve met before as she is, I would do anything for her.
