Magic in the Mountains

by Donna Kunkel

  On Sunday, her seventh day there, she was so exhausted she could hardly function. She crawled into the blankets right after dinner.

  Steve strode over to her. “You can’t keep doing this. For the last two nights, I’ve watched you toss and turn. You have to be miserable sleeping on the hard, wooden floor.”

  “It is pretty hard.” Alex rolled onto her back and looked up at him.

  He leaned over, picked her up off the floor, carried her into the bedroom, and laid her down on the bed. She tried to object, but he interrupted. “You can’t keep going on without a good night’s rest. I promise that I won’t come near you. I might accidentally touch you with an occasional stray arm or leg, but that’s all.”

  She snuggled under the fluffy covers and immediately fell asleep.

  Chapter 6

  The next morning, she woke up a lot more rested. He’d kept his word and stayed on his side of the bed. With the extra sleep, she wasn’t nearly as exhausted. As she did every morning, she looked out the front window. At least now they were getting a few moments when the sun peeked through the heavy, gray clouds. Snow blanketed everything. Only splotches of dark green proved there were fir trees scattered around the valley. She knew her car was out there, but all traces of it were obliterated, buried under the days of snow. In the direction of the road, only the tops of the fence poles still managed to poke through, the rest of the fence buried. Past that, the mountains towered, their granite faces sparkling in the bright light. Absolute quiet filled the valley, not a single bird called out. There was a softness to the scene creating a sense of peace. She’d pondered why people would choose to live in such a desolate place. Now she started to understand. There was a peacefulness here that she’d never felt in any city.

  With all the snow, it looked like she’d be stuck here forever. How would the plows ever manage to clear the road out? And if they did, her car would be buried until spring. Steve had mentioned that she’d come through a pass before entering the valley; the pass was probably also buried. By the looks of the mountains the brutal winds had kept the snow from accumulating on the peaks, dumping everything in the valley. It was hopeless.

  Steve had said that he’d be able to get her back to the highway if there hadn’t been an avalanche. Unfortunately, her car wouldn’t be able to get there for several months. She had to have faith that he knew what he was talking about, but she couldn’t get him to commit to any date. He kept avoiding giving her an answer. When had become the biggest question.

  Today she tried to use the ax to chop some firewood. Chips flew everywhere, but each time she struck the log the blow hit in a different place. This was another job she figured she’d never learn. She could hear Steve trying to cover up his snickers. Of course, when he did it, his blows hit the exact spot every time. She gave up trying when her arms ached. After finishing the rest of her chores, she went inside to get cleaned up. How she had managed to get so many wood chips in her hair and inside her clothes was a mystery. Only after shampooing her hair was it wood-free. As she brushed her hair out in front of the fire, she listened to the wind whistling down the chimney, causing the flames to flicker. At least she was warm. She watched the dancing flames until lunch.

  The next morning Steve woke her up when he said, “Um, Alex. Can I get up?”

  Alex stirred and realized that she had her arm draped over his side. She jerked it back and slipped out of bed. “Sorry, I didn’t know what I was doing.”

  “That’s okay,” Steve said as he slipped a jacket on.

  He tried to keep his face averted, but Alex caught a glimpse of a smile. At least he wasn’t upset. She went on out and looked out the front window. Sunlight filled the valley, with only scattered clouds.

  “Look. Sun.” Alex pointed out the window.

  They quickly donned some warm clothes and boots to get outside before the weather changed. Steve wrestled the front door open and they both stepped out onto the front porch. The snow drifts obliterated the steps and porch railing, but that didn’t matter. The frigid air almost made her go back inside, but she took several more steps out onto the porch. Fresh air. After having to stay inside so much, this felt like heaven. Snow blanketed and drifted around everything like a fondant icing. The branches on the nearby fir trees were bent almost to breaking under the snow piled up on them.

  She took a few minutes to admire the snow. It didn’t matter how many times she’d seen the white fluffy stuff, she was still awed by it. Sunlight hit the snow crystals and prisms of color flashed purple, green, and blue throughout the surrounding white, as if glitter had been tossed across everything. The world had been transformed into a fairy’s winter wonderland. Maybe being stuck here wouldn’t be too bad after all.

  Ice stalactites hung from the edges of the roof, thanks to the bright sunshine. Last night the wind had died down leaving snow on the sides of the looming mountains. She pulled in a lungful and coughed from the frigid air. At least I’m not alone for once. She had a wonderful selection of books to read in front of a merrily crackling fire. Mysteries were obviously Steve’s favorites, being the most prevalent, followed by spy thrillers. He did have groups in other genres as well, although there were only a couple of romances, probably left by some old girlfriend. Tomorrow they’d start digging a path out from the porch. Within a day or two, she’d be able to finally contact her family.

  She turned to go back inside and ran into Mandy. She stumbled and fell forward. Steve instinctively reached out to catch her. Alex’s hands splayed across his chest, while he firmly held her upper arms. He pulled her closer and they both paused. Her heart pounded as she leaned into him, her fingers curling into his coat. Their eyes remained locked together, hardly blinking. Puffs of vapor expanded around them as they took long, deep breaths. Steve whispered, “Are you okay?”

  “Never better,” Alex whispered back.

  They stayed immobile for a minute before Steve moved away. “We’d better get some breakfast. Anna Belle is probably waiting.”

  Alex nodded and followed him inside. During breakfast, they didn’t speak, but kept stealing glances when they thought the other person wasn’t looking. During chores the demon hen escaped as Alex left the coop. Alex dashed over to Anna Belle’s stall and hid. Alex jumped when Steve nudged her.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  Alex pointed to the speckled hen. The hen strutted back and forth in front of the door to the henhouse like an attack dog. “Why in the world would you ever buy a hen like that?”

  Steve leaned on the shovel’s handle and watched the hen. “It isn’t like I picked the hens out. I bought some fertilized eggs, hatched them, and that’s what I got.”

  “Why do you put up with her?”

  “I don’t have any problems with her, and she lays a lot of eggs.”

  Alex slipped out of the stall to get the bucket filled with feed. That hen sure would be good for dinner. I could see her in a large pot with a bunch of potatoes, carrots, and spices.

  The hen raised up high on its feet, squawked, and started running toward her.

  Alex took off for the door to the cabin. Her feet danced across the floor, slipping and sliding in the loose straw.

  “Better move faster or she’s going to catch you.” He doubled over laughing.

  The bird jumped up and grabbed Alex’s pant leg, sinking its claws into the fabric.

  “You little—” Alex fumed. “If I get a hold of you.” Alex yelled as she stabbed at the hen with the empty bucket.

  “I think that hen enjoys tormenting you.” Steve shooed the hen back into the coop and walked back to Alex. He clasped her arms and kissed her cheek. “You sure do make my days brighter and more interesting.” He headed back to the stall, whistling.

  Alex stormed off to the cabin. She’d only been inside a minute when Anna Belle nudged her. “What the—” She looked over to see both doors partially open. “You can’t be in here.” Alex pulled on Anna Belle’s halter, but the cow wouldn’t move. Alex pulled and
pulled. “Come on, girl,” she coaxed.

  Anna Belle gazed around the room ignoring Alex’s attempts to get her to move.

  “This is not my day.” She headed back out to the barn where Steve was still whistling. “Um…Steve…Anna Belle’s in the cabin.” Alex looked down and toed some hay.

  Steve stopped and turned to face Alex. He pointed to a spot behind her. “I swear, that cow follows you around like a dog.”

  Alex turned to find Anna Belle standing a few feet behind her. She put her hands on her hips. “All that pulling and coaxing. All I had to do was walk out to the barn and you would have followed?” she said to the cow.

  Anna Belle moved forward and shoved Alex with her head.

  Alex gave Anna Belle a pat and headed back to the cabin, making sure the doors were completely engaged. How was it she couldn’t seem to do any of the jobs without messing up? She was such a dork. Had she really been using magic to do even the simplest of chores? She sat down at the kitchen table and went through her typical morning. She never used magic for fixing breakfast, too many electrical appliances. But getting ready, that was another story. Her wand was always lying on her bedside table. She would pick it up to pull her clothes out and put them on in seconds, or use it to make her bed and put the laundry away. She used it without even thinking.

  Being stuck here was turning out to be beneficial. It was breaking her from using her wand for all those simple tasks. If she wanted to act normal, then she’d have to avoid using her magic. If she couldn’t function here without using magic, then she’d never be able to live as a normal. In time, she’d get better and quit messing up as often. She needed to slow down and avoid rushing. That’s when she’d screw something up.

  Steve walked in still whistling, Mandy trailing behind. He looked at her and smiled. She could see him shake his head as he headed to the bedroom for some clothes. Mandy wandered over to the fireplace and plopped down. Steve continued to whistle as he headed to the bathroom.

  “I’ll show him. No more mistakes. I’ll prove to him that I’m not completely useless.” Mandy turned her head to look at Alex.

  At lunch, Alex looked at Steve again. Now she knew why he’d taken so long getting cleaned up this morning. He’d trimmed his beard to an inch long. Up until now, his face had been fuzzy and scruffy. But today, he actually looked distinguished.

  “I like your beard. It looks so much better shorter,” Alex said.

  Steve placed the food on the table.

  “Why’d you trim it?”

  Steve shrugged and sat down. He fussed with his fork before answering. “I thought you might like it better shorter.”

  “I do.” She pushed her food around her plate and kept her eyes down. “It looks a lot neater.”

  “I’d trim my hair a little shorter, but that’s something I can’t do by myself.”

  Alex continued to stare at her food. “I could give you a simple cut…If you want…I owe you so much for letting me stay here. This is the least I can do to help. I’m not much help with the chores.”

  “You’re a big help. I get tired of dealing with those hens.” He chuckled and looked at her.

  She looked up. “So you do have problems with them.”

  “A little, but nothing like you. I swear that speckled hen is out to make your life miserable.”

  Alex nodded and started to eat.

  Steve took a couple of bites. “Maybe after lunch you could trim my hair?”

  Alex nodded. She’d get the chance to run her fingers through his hair. His long, silky locks that weren’t straight as a board or curly, but kind of flowed around his face in gentle waves. She dug into her meal before she could say anything embarrassing.

  ****

  After the lunch dishes had been cleaned up, Steve said. “What do you need?”

  “Scissors, towel, and your comb.”

  When he returned, he sat on one of the kitchen chairs. “My hair isn’t in good shape right now. I should get some conditioner, but I always seem to forget when I’m at the store,” Steve said.

  “Actually, I know an old-fashioned concoction you could try,” Alex said.

  “Go ahead and try it. It’s not like I’ll be seeing anyone soon.”

  Alex went over to the fridge and pulled out the pitcher of milk and took an egg out of the basket. Steve turned to watch what she was doing. She poured a little cream into a bowl, broke the egg into it, and beat the mixture.

  “Are you going to put that on my hair?”

  “Sure. It actually does work, but it takes a couple of shampoos to get all of the smell out. And it doesn’t have any fragrances in it.”

  “Yeah, but—”

  Alex placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him away from her. She draped the old towel around his shoulders. “I need to cut your hair first before I treat it. Do you trust me?”

  “I guess so.” Steve straightened in the kitchen chair, still wondering if this was a good idea. Maybe Alex couldn’t cut hair worth a damn, and he’d end up with a whack job. She said she could do a good job with a simple cut and how hard could it be to shorten his long hair.

  “How much do you want off?”

  “At least several inches, enough to get rid of the bad ends.”

  She slid her hands around his locks and pulled them back.

  The second her fingers brushed his neck, a tingling spread out from the point of contact. The skin on his neck felt alive. He inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out. It didn’t matter if he got a whack job, this was worth whatever she’d do.

  She slid her hands under his hair, her fingers spreading up across the back of his head.

  Wherever her fingers touched his skin, a warm current reached out. He stopped breathing for a moment. From somewhere within his chest, a flame of something stretched out. Something he’d never encountered before. The flame was warm and alive. He took a deep breath and held it. The flame radiated out from his chest, spreading out into his arms, flowing on toward his fingers. His heart pounded as his blood warmed. He exhaled, then started breathing steady and deep.

  Her fingers gently slid up.

  The flame reached up through his neck. He closed his eyes, experiencing the sensations to their fullest. The flame slowed and tentatively reached out toward the current emanating from her finger tips.

  Her fingers froze in place.

  Her current and his flame touched, slipped back apart a second, then touched again.

  His nostrils flared as he inhaled. Her scent was rich and vivid, filling the space around her. His hands clutched the chair and held on as his jeans got tight. The flame slowly wrapped around her current. Her current responded and curled to intertwine with his. They curled and twisted together.

  She pulled her fingers out through his hair, separating the strands.

  Her current quickly dissipated and his flame slid back down to his chest. His pulse slowed.

  She picked up his comb and ran it through his hair. After several passes, she set the comb back down on the table and picked up the scissors. The soft snips of the scissors were almost buried under the sounds of their breathing. He savored her apple scent mingling with his cedar and grass. It reminded him of warm fall days. A log popped and broke apart. The sections of wood crackled. He could enjoy a life like this, being with her, but he couldn’t. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her.

  “Maybe you should put the conditioner on,” she said.

  He never heard her lay the scissors down. His voice broke when he started to speak. “You’d better do it. I’d make a mess.” Besides, he wanted her to touch him again—to see if his flame would reach out to her again.

  She paused before starting.

  The cool mixture made him gasp.

  “Sorry, I guess I should have warmed it up.”

  “It’s okay, keep going.”

  She dribbled some more on his head then started working it in.

  This time his flame raced straight up and started to twist an
d play with her moving current, teasing and taunting the current to reach out even further. The play was comforting while still being invigorating. He couldn’t keep from smiling.

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah. Maybe you should do this again in a few weeks. My hair is in pretty bad shape.”

  She worked the mixture on down his hair.

  His flame lingered, waiting for more, then slid back down. He’d have to convince her to do this again. Never had he felt this before. Who knew a simple haircut could be so erotic.

  “You need to wash the egg out.” Alex went over to the sink and washed her hands.

  While her back was turned, Steve dashed to the bathroom before she could see how much of an effect she’d had on him.

  ****

  What the hell was that? That was something new. She could feel her magic reaching out to him…calling him. Her fingers tingled from touching him. And she hadn’t wanted to stop. She sat down in the chair he’d vacated. It had taken all her willpower to pull her hands away to pick up the scissors. She’d never sensed this before by simply touching a man’s neck. I wonder if it would happen again?

  Maybe she’d have to find out. If touching him felt this way, what would happen if they kissed? She heard the water turn off and Steve came out rubbing his hair between the towel.

  “I think that conditioner helped. You’ll have to do it again next week.” He headed back to the bedroom humming.

  So he sensed it too. Would she really want to experience this again? Hell yes. She jumped up, got the broom, and started sweeping up the hair clippings. She needed a distraction before she did something she’d regret later.

  Steve came out still smiling. “Thanks for the cut. It feels a lot better now.”

  Alex watched him saunter over to his chair. Mandy followed on his heels, circled a couple of times, and lay down in front of the chairs. Alex finished cleaning up the hair, picked up her water, and headed toward the other chair. At least this had been something she did right. She settled into the chair and opened her book.