Her eyebrows shot up. “I’m here to do my job. Which requires verifying property lines. Which requires your cooperation.”
“And what if I say I’m busy?”
“Then I’ll wait.”
I snorted. “You’ll freeze.”
“No, I won’t.”
Right on cue, a gust of wind blasted a pile of loose snow off a pine branch above her and dumped it straight onto her head.
Her lips formed a tight line as she brushed it off her shoulders. “That was unfortunate timing.”
I couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped. “Sure was.”
She let out a slow exhale, her breath fogging the air in front of her. “This isn’t personal. If the Kincaids have nothing to hide, the review won’t change anything.”
My jaw tensed. “What makes you think we have something to hide?”
“Nothing,” she said. “But people talk. And if this ridge really does have a contested history, the sooner we figure it out, the better.”
I didn’t like the way her words hit too close to the truth. Too close to the marker burned into my mind.
“You’re going to piss off half the town,” I said.
“They can take a number and come see me down at town hall during office hours.”
I huffed out a dry laugh. “You really think you’re ready for Mustang Mountain?”
“I moved here, didn’t I?”
“Yeah,” I said, starting to doubt the rumors that she hadn’t earned the job. “You did.”
For a second, her expression softened, like maybe she wasn’t just here to draw lines on a map. Like maybe she saw something in the snow and the trees and the ridge that reminded her why people fought for land in the first place.
“It’s beautiful up here,” she said.
“It is.”
“And remote.”
“That too.”
Snowflakes drifted sideways, clinging to her hair. She didn’t seem to notice.
“Will you show me the boundary line?” she asked. Her voice wasn’t pushy this time.
I studied her for a long moment… her flushed cheeks, her determination, the way she was trying to act like she wasn’t freezing.
“Fine,” I said. “But be careful. I don’t want to have to haul you back down the ridge if you get hurt.”
“I’m not going to—” She slipped again.
I caught her by the arm again.
She sighed, her breath shuddering. “Okay. I might have worn the wrong boots today.”
“Might have?” I asked.
