“I’m a little bit in love with your house.” Audrey sipped coffee and looked out at the mountains. It was a beautiful early-December day, with a dusting of snow on the ground, just enough to make everything shimmer beneath the blue sky above. “This view is seriously incredible.”
“It was a big part of what sold me on the house,” Michelle told her. “I have trails out there too. Would you like to go for a walk after you’ve seen my art collection?”
“I’d love to.”
And so, an hour later, they walked down the back hill together. Audrey had borrowed boots and a hat, and she looked sohappy. It must be contagious because Michelle felt awfully joyous herself.
“Oh, look! Deer prints.” Audrey crouched to look at the hoofprints in the snow. “That’s so cool.”
“I get all kinds out here,” Michelle told her. “Deer, coyote, bear, and lots of smaller prints I can’t tell apart ... fox and raccoon and such.”
“Amazing. I’d be out here looking at animal prints every day. Aren’t the bears asleep for the winter, though?”
“Probably, but with climate change, they don’t always hibernate all winter anymore. When we get a warm snap, I’ll see evidence that they’ve been up and about. I had to stop putting up bird feeders because I couldn’t keep them out, and it’s not good for them to associate your house with food. It leads to nuisance bears. Then they cause damage, and sometimes they have to be put down, which is unfair, if you ask me, sincewecaused the problem, not the bear.”
“You sound like such a Vermonter.” Audrey’s expression was fond. “Not many Brits could give such an elegant speech about black bears, I bet. But you’re right. It’s sad when our actions have negative impacts on wildlife.”
“I have a healthy respect for all the animals out here. They leave me alone, and I leave them alone, but I do love looking at them from my windows.”
“And you have that gorgeous painting of them in your office.” Audrey stood, sliding her hand into Michelle’s and giving it a squeeze.
“Yes.” She had a whole collection of paintings by local artists, including a winter scene with several deer. It reminded her of her own backyard.
“I still can’t believe you have a Cassatt and a Bonheur in your living room.” Audrey held tight to her hand as they reached the bottom of the hill and headed into the woods on one of the paths Michelle had created. “And a St. Claire in your bedroom. That’s so badass. You, Michelle Thompson, are extremely badass.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that ...”
“You are.” There was something fierce in Audrey’s tone, and this wasn’t the first time she’d come to Michelle’s defense. Honestly, she had no idea what to make of it, except that she never wanted their time together to end.
“If you like animals, I know which path we should take,” she deflected.
“Okay, but I thought we agreed we prefer seeing wild animals from inside the house?” Audrey glanced cautiously around them.
“We did.” Michelle smiled, purposefully playing coy, but she wanted to see Audrey’s face when they reached their destination. She had a feeling it would be worth it.
“Okay. I’m trusting you not to lead me to an angry bear’s den,” Audrey said playfully.
“Good. This is actually my favorite time of year to hike. It’s cold enough that there are no bugs. You can even walk through thick vegetation and not worry about ticks, but it’s not so cold that it’s miserable, and there’s not much snow on the ground yet. This light covering makes it so easy to see animal tracks, though. I think early December is perfect.”
“I probably wouldn’t have thought to hike in December at all, but you’re right. This is really nice.” Her hand was still in Michelle’s.
“It’s so quiet. Another reason I love hiking in December.” Michelle gazed through the trees ahead. Their branches were mostly bare now, although a few brittle brown leaves still clung, rustling in the breeze. The trail parted before them, and she made a left turn.
“Are we still on your property?” Audrey asked. “Did your house come with these trails?”
“Yes, and no. I made them myself.”
“Well, holy shit. That’s impressive. How? I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“First, I came through the woods with little colored flags to mark out potential routes. I did that last year this time, when it was safe to walk through the underbrush without picking up ticks. Then I used a brush trimmer to remove vegetation along my new trails, and I brought out the chain saw to take down a few small trees that were in the way. Now they just require maintenance. During the greener months, I have to come out here once a month or so and trim it all back so nature doesn’t reclaim her land.”
Audrey gave Michelle a heated once over. “Okay, now I’m picturing you out here with a chain saw, and let me tell you, that is one hot mental image. Please tell me you wore flannel to get the job done.”
“I might have. I honestly don’t remember, but I do own flannel.” Michelle hadn’t thought of herself as hot in such a long time, and it was undeniably good for her self-esteem to know that Audrey did.
Audrey used the hand that was holding Michelle’s to haul her in for a kiss. “Promise me that next time you come out here with the chain saw, you’ll invite me along?”
“To help or to watch?” Michelle’s hands were on Audrey’s waist now, and kissing in the woods was yet another new thing she loved.
