But even as she rationalized the sensation away, her body remained alert. Years of living alone had honed her instincts, and they rarely steered her wrong.
She forced herself to continue eating normally though, not wanting to draw attention from the other diners if her imagination was simply running wild. The last thing she needed was to become the crazy city woman who jumped at shadows.
Her phone buzzed against the table, and she grabbed it gratefully, needing the distraction.
How’s the writing going?Cosette’s text appeared with typical perfect timing.
Electra’s lips curved as she typed back.Actually wrote twelve pages today.
The response came immediately.TWELVE PAGES?! What kind of mountain magic is happening up there?
Not sure. Just something about this place. It’s tapping into something I didn’t know was there.
Or SOMEONE is tapping into something. Speaking of, how’s the hot sheriff? Please tell me he’s been making more house calls.
Despite herself, Electra laughed out loud, earning a curious glance from Millie behind the counter.You watch too many movies.
I READ too many romance novels—there’s a difference. But seriously, lean into this. Whatever’s happening up there, whether it’s the mountain air or Sheriff Sexy, it’s working. Your creativity is back, and that’s what matters.
Electra paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. Cosette was right—something fundamental had shifted since she’d arrived in Blackpine. The words were flowing again, but more than that,she felt alive in a way she’d never experienced. Every sensation seemed sharper and more vivid.
I think this book might actually be something special,she typed.Different from anything I’ve written before.
I KNEW IT! This is going to be our next bestseller, I can feel it.
Speaking of which, I should get back to the cabin. Want to write while the inspiration’s hot.
GO! Write! Channel whatever mountain mojo you’ve discovered and give me pages.
Electra grinned as she pocketed her phone and signaled Millie for the check. The older woman approached with a knowing smile.
“Good meal?” Millie asked, setting down the bill.
“Incredible. Best meatloaf I’ve ever had.”
“Family recipe. Been making it the same way for thirty years.” Millie paused, then added casually, “Surprised Sheriff Hale didn’t make it in tonight. Usually stops by for my meatloaf.”
The comment sent an unexpected flutter through Electra’s chest. She’d been half-hoping to see Rune, though she’d never admit it out loud. There was something magnetic about the man—a gravitational pull she couldn’t quite explain or resist.
“Maybe he got caught up with work,” Electra offered, leaving a generous tip on the table.
“Maybe.” Millie’s tone suggested she found that explanation as unlikely as Electra did. “Drive careful heading back to your place. Roads get tricky in the dark, and there’s been... unusual activity in the woods lately up there.”
The words sent a chill down Electra’s spine, but before she could ask what kind of activity, Millie had already moved on to another table, leaving Electra with more questions than answers.
Outside, the mountain air bit at her cheeks as she unlocked her sedan. The parking lot sat empty except for her car and a beat-up pickup she assumed belonged to one of the locals still inside. Street lamps cast pools of yellow light that seemed to emphasize the darkness beyond their reach rather than dispel it.
As she drove through Blackpine’s quiet streets, Electra found herself scanning the shadows between buildings, that persistent feeling of being watched following her like a second skin. But the town appeared deserted, windows glowing warmly behind drawn curtains, revealing nothing more threatening than families settling in for the evening.
The road back to her cabin wound through increasingly dense forest, her headlights cutting through darkness so complete it seemed solid. Here, away from the town’s modest light pollution, the night pressed against her windows with an intensity that made her hyperaware of how truly isolated she was.
This is what you wanted,she reminded herself.Solitude. Space to think and write without distractions.
But as the miles rolled by and the forest thickened around her, Electra couldn’t shake the admission forming in the back of her mind—the mountains were changing her, awakening something she hadn’t known lay dormant inside her. And Rune was undeniably part of that transformation.
The realization should have terrified her. She’d come here to escape complications, not invite new ones. But instead of fear, she felt anticipation humming through her veins like electricity.
When will I see him again?
