by Amy Star
CHAPTER TWO
“As you can see, the cabin has suffered from a bit of neglect over the years,” Mason said, leading Clara around the outside of the modest cabin. “At one time, it was upgraded with a rainwater collection system and a small solar unit, but it will need a lot to make it a desirable place to live.”
“It looks fine to me,” Clara said, standing on her tiptoes and trying to peek through a window. “How many bedrooms are there?”
He blinked.
“Um, I’m not sure. I haven’t opened it up and looked.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”
“It’s locked, and no one seems to know where the key is.”
“I didn’t think about looking for a key while I was cleaning out Granny’s house,” Clara said.
“Looking at the outside, I would say it has at least two rooms; maybe even three small ones.”
“That sounds nice,” Clara mused. “It looks like it has a fireplace, too.”
“Yes, yes it does. That’s pretty much all we can see since the door doesn’t open, so I guess now would be a good time to go back to my house and look over…”
He stopped midsentence, watching Clara as she wandered over to the front door. She seemed distracted and a little flighty, but somehow, it worked for her. But she was in no hurry to get things done, and that was starting to frustrate him. He had things he needed to do.
And the first thing was getting her off the mountain before the sun set. Mason looked at his phone, scowling at the readout and wondering how so much time had gone by already. At the rate she was going, the three hours they had before then was going to fly by.
He heard a click and looked up, surprised to see the door to the cabin opening when Clara pushed on it.
“How in the world did you open that?” he asked, closing the distance between them and looking at the door knob.
She shrugged.
“It just opened.”
“I’ve tried to open that a dozen times.”
“Well, I guess you loosened it for me,” she said, gently squeezing his forearm appreciatively. “I bet you’re hell on a stuck pickle jar.”
He was still standing there, frozen, when she walked away, taking a tour of the small cabin and leaving him on the porch, looking baffled. He shook his head and sighed. Clara Finch was a character, but that still didn’t explain how she’d just opened the door like that. He knew it had been locked. Right?
Clara was leaving him behind, completely unconcerned with his confusion. Or oblivious, he thought. He jogged to catch up with her as she breezed about the room, inspecting the sturdy, handmade wooden furniture that was covered with simple bedsheets. With each sheet she removed, she kicked dust up into the air, sending the tiny little motes swirling into the air.
He cleared his throat, and she turned, then realized what she’d done, and rushed to open a window.
“That’s alright,” Mason said. “You can leave them closed.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s a beautiful day, and this place has been closed up tight for at least a year.”
“A year? No. It’s been deserted for over a decade.”
“No, it hasn’t,” she laughed, handing him a neatly written note. “See? It outlines everything that was cleaned and when they were here. It was almost a year ago, so the house was opened then. My Granny passed away not long after this, so I guess they have a key.”
“They who?”
“The cleaning service.”
Mason scowled at the paper.
“You’ll need to cancel this service if it’s yearly.”
“You’re right. They don’t need to come anymore.”
“Exactly,” he said, smiling now that they were finally on the same page about something.
He was about to suggest they leave when something caught Clara’s eye and she dashed into one of the three bedrooms.
“This is wonderful,” she said, pulling a sheet off an old rocking chair in the corner of the room. “I think I have a picture of my Granny rocking my mother in this very chair. What a treasure.”
“You can take it with you,” he offered, but she was already onto another part of the room.
“This bathroom is divine. It could use a little work, but I love the way it’s set up.”
Mason followed her to the other side of the room, but he didn’t see what she saw. The bathroom was small and cramped, with a small half barrel serving as the bottom of the shower, and a faucet that came out of the top of the wall near the ceiling. It was primitive at best, though he was sure that someone like Clara would call it rustic.
He felt her slide past him and caught the subtle scent of honeysuckle in her hair. Before he could stop himself, he inhaled deeply and smiled.
She was beautiful, with a pert little nose and an expressive face that gave away her every thought. Not that her mouth left anything she thought to the imagination, but the slight pout to her lips and her melodic voice made her nearly constant chatter amusing.
“You were right, it has three rooms, but they’re bigger than I thought they would be. I bet the furniture was made up here. But how in the world did they even get mattresses up here?”
“It’s difficult, but doable.”
“Did you see the little barn around back?” she asked, looking out the window in the living room.
“I did. It holds four horses and has two storage rooms that are twelve-by-twelve feet like the stalls.”
“That’s wonderful. I saw some fencing, so I guess there’s a paddock.”
“There are a few pastures behind the barn. You can’t see the gate from here. I guess the person who built the place moved them from pasture to pasture so they didn’t overgraze.”
“Someone in my family built it,” she declared confidently.
She opened the door that led to the back porch, leaving Mason to follow her.
“I want to see all the pastures,” she said, throwing her arms wide as if to embrace the outdoors and all it had to offer. “I want to see where they kept the horses, and where they went for water. I want to see it all.”
“There isn’t really much time, and it’s a lot of walking.”
She was flushed with excitement when she turned to him.
“What about your four-wheeler?” she asked. “You said it holds two, right?”
“Well, yes it does, but—”
“Alright, then. Let’s go.”
She was already at the parked four-wheeler by the time he turned around, sitting in the front, hands on the handlebars.
He laughed.
“I’ll drive,” he said.
“It’s probably better. I don’t know how to drive one of these, but it doesn’t look too hard.”
“It takes a little practice.”
She slid back rather than getting off to let him mount. Blowing out an exasperated breath, he slithered his way into the front seat. Her arms went around his waist, and she held him tight, her body positively trembling with excitement.
“I guess I’ll have to add driving a four-wheeler to the list of things I need to learn.”
“You won’t use it much, but it’s a nice skill to have,” he said, driving through the first pasture at a fast clip. “On flat terrain like this, it’s pretty easy. But when things get rough, it takes a lot of skill to handle a machine this big.”
“I’m a quick learner.”
“I’m sure you are.” He slowed the four-wheeler and was starting to make a wide circle when he said, “That’s all there really is for pastureland. It’s pretty much flat and green like any other quality pasture.”
“What’s that over there?” she asked, pointing to a small bit of water in the far corner of the furthest pasture.
“It’s part of the stream that runs by this cabin. The pasture is completely fenced off to deter larger predators, but whoever did it made sure to fence in a small fork of the stream so that there’s always water. It’s genius, really, and it allows the water inhabitants to slip throu
gh the gaps in the fence without being big enough for a coyote or a bear.”
“A bear?” she asked breathlessly. “Do you think they would come this close?”
“Are you kidding? This mountain is almost untouched. I bet there’s been a bear or two that has walked right onto your porch.”
And at least one that’s been inside your home, he thought, chuckling to himself.
“Where does the stream come from?”
“The lake,” he said.
“There’s a lake? That’s amazing.”
“It’s really more of a glorified pond, but it’s around ten acres and empties into the river on the other side. The current isn’t too strong in the lake, but it does keep the water clean and moving so it’s always fresh.”
“Where does the water come from?”
“Rain, mostly, though there is some runoff from the east side of the mountain, which is higher and connected to the next mountain.”
“I want to see the lake.”
Mason didn’t even bother arguing this time. Clara seemed to be a woman who didn’t take no for an answer, and so far, his protests had been squashed by her flights of fancy. Besides, until she signed the papers, he couldn’t risk pissing her off. If that meant a quick trip out to the lake on a four-wheeler, so be it.
Mason gunned the engine, taking off like a shot and guiding the vehicle through terrain that was starting to get uneven as they went through the gate of the last pasture and out into the undeveloped land. He planned on keeping this plot mostly unchanged, not sure yet if he was going to use it to house animals for food and dairy, or if he would turn each of the large pastures into an individual homestead. But he was excited to work it out, creating several options until he found just the right one. Then Phase Two would be complete and he would be ready to start bringing people in.
There were so many things he still needed to do.
“This four-wheeler is quieter than I thought it would be,” she said over the wind that whipped her blonde hair around her face.
“It’s a special edition: solar powered, electric engine.”
“It must have cost a fortune.”
“Not really, but it wasn’t cheap.”
“I like it.”
“Thank you.”
They drove by the rushing stream as they started up a short hill. Bouncing over rocks as it tumbled down the steep hill, the churning water kicked up a fine mist that hung in the air, clinging to their skin as they passed through it.
When they topped the rise, he knew Clara was going to gasp, and she did not disappoint.
“Wow!” she said.
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“It’s surreal. I feel like I stepped into a dream. I didn’t know water could be that blue. And that little island out in the middle just makes the entire scene more magical.”
“It’s more of a sandbar with a few boulders on top, but it is pretty.”
He drove around the lake, letting her enjoy the view as she pointed out birds skimming the water, then soaring into the air with their prize. Across the lake, a small herd of deer drank from the edge. Their ears twitched when Mason took the four-wheeler closer, but they didn’t run, and only one stopped drinking long enough to eye them curiously.
Mason still gave them a wide berth, heading back to the cabin. Clara had loosened her grip somewhat, letting her hands rest on the tops of his legs near his hips. Her fingers were dangerously close to being improper, but Mason brushed it off and focused on the trail ahead. He didn’t have time for a woman, and Clara wasn’t going to be around.
Clara jumped off the four-wheeler when they made it back to the cabin, her grin a mile wide.
“This is such a magical place.”
“It really is.”
“The deed says it’s four hundred and sixty-eight acres. I guess I don’t know how big an acre is, because what we looked at still seems rather small.”
“A good portion of the acreage for this property is wooded, with some open spaces a bit away. It’s not a perfectly square plot of land, but I think you misread it. It’s under four hundred acres.”
She shook her head, pulling a smart phone out of her pocket and scrolling through some pictures. When she found the one she wanted, she used her fingers to zoom in and showed it to him.
“See? It says that right there.”
“Is that the deed? Do you not have the hardcopy with you in the car?”
She scoffed.
“Are you crazy? I went straightaway and put it in a safe deposit box with the deed to Granny’s house in the city and her will, the bank accounts she had, and the stocks.”
She was counting things off on her fingers as she listed them one by one.
“I’m going to need the actual deed.”
She ignored him.
“How do I know where the property line is? There are a bunch of numbers here, but I can’t make sense out of them.”
She flicked her finger to go to the next page and showed him what she was talking about.
He read the numbers, surprised to see that parts of the Finch property were obviously spilling into land that he’d been told was his. He made a mental note to get his deed out and double-check it, not that it mattered. Even when families started moving into the community, Mason would still own the homes and the land. They would earn their keep by upgrading and repairing the homes as needed, but if they ever left, they would be walking away with only the things they brought with them. It was the only way he could make sure that he wouldn’t have to turn around and repurchase the land later on.
“I’ll have someone email you an aerial map if you’d like,” he said, handing the phone back.
“That is fantastic.”
“As you can see, this cabin needs a lot of work, but it’s definitely livable until then.”
“It is more than livable,” she said. “It’s wonderful. I can’t believe this has just been sitting here empty all this time.”
“There were a lot of cabins just like this that have been left to fall into disrepair. There are some that are in better shape than this one, but most of them need a lot more work.”
“I didn’t realize there were so many cabins. Are there a lot of people living here?”
“Not at the moment.”
“I just can’t believe this place. An entire mountain of cabins and homes, and people just living off the land.”
“It’s magical,” he said, looking at his watch pointedly. “We really should get going,” he said. “I have a lot to do before it starts getting dark.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about you having other things to do. That’s fine. If you need to leave, I’ve got this under control. Thank you so much for all your help.”
“Help with what?”
“Finding this place. If it wasn’t for you, I never would have known that Granny had this place, and I would probably be sleeping in my car.”
“I’m not following.”
She smiled.
“I needed a change and this dropped into my lap at the exact moment that I needed it. It’s a sign, and now I can live my life the way I’m supposed to. Isn’t it beautiful? I know you know what I mean.”
“I’m still not sure what you’re talking about, but it sounds wonderful, and we should probably get going so you can sign some papers and be on your way before nightfall.”
He took a step toward the door, but Clara didn’t budge.
“I think you’re confused,” she said, smiling sweetly. “I’m not going anywhere. This is my family’s home, our roots. I’m moving in.”
CHAPTER THREE
Mason watched the signal bars on his phone as he drove toward the highway, cursing under his breath when one bar appeared, followed by the phone immediately losing its signal again. It was almost dark, and he needed to get this done and get back up the mountain before visibility was an issue. He didn’t know the fire road well enough to risk it at night. There were so many drop-offs. He might feel like his control
was tumbling down a steep cliff, but he had no desire to experience that in real life. It wasn’t worth the risk.
All at once, the phone found its signal, and three bars popped up on the screen. It wasn’t full, but it was good enough.
He dialed, waiting impatiently.
“Bethany,” he all but shouted when the woman picked up.
“Hey, Mason. Congrats, but I’m at home eating dinner. Can I call you back—”
“Bethany, what the hell happened? I thought you had this one in the bag.”
“I did,” she stammered. “She was very excited to meet with you.”
“Yeah, well, she’s moving in, Bethany. Her car was packed and she moved all her shit in.”
“What? There’s no way. I talked to this woman for like two hours. She never said anything about moving in. She just kept talking about the most off-the-wall things and…” she stopped abruptly. “Oh, man. I think she misunderstood what I told her. She thinks that you’re there to help her fix up her family’s old home, right?”
“That’s what it sounds like.”
“I don’t understand. I gave the same exact spiel to everyone I spoke with. Why didn’t she get it?”
“Because she’s in her own little world,” Mason said. “It’s baffling. I mentioned the contract several times and it was like she didn’t hear me. She just kept talking, but it didn’t even occur to me that she was planning on staying until she flat out refused to leave.”
“Maybe she’s touched in the head.”
“No. I think she’s doing it on purpose. What do we know about her?”
“Nothing much,” Bethany admitted. “I found her family history, and I eventually found her name and number. It was pretty easy.”
“Maybe it was too easy.”
“You’re being suspicious.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Look, I’ll do a little more digging, and I’ll email you everything I find tomorrow. But I don’t think she’s got an ulterior motive. Maybe seeing the place was so emotional that she decided she wanted to move in.”
