Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

AVERY

That settles it. I’m lost.

And not lost as in a few blocks over from my intended destination.

No, I’m turned about in the North Carolina wilderness, with nary a house nor person in sight for the last thirty minutes.

Here I thought this spur-of-the-moment trip to the mountains would relax me.

Now, I’m terrified I’m alone in this forest, save for a Sasquatch or Yeti.

I know I’m dramatic, but I’m also scared shitless.

Planting my feet, I scope out the trees surrounding the narrow path, desperate for something resembling … anything.

Did I pass this rock already? I did. Or was it a different rock?

I’m also fully aware that the temperatures at this elevation dip below freezing at night and although my hiking gear looks fashionable, it’s no match for a snowstorm.

This city girl is beyond screwed if I can’t fumble my way back to the cabin.

I lean against a boulder, burying my face in my hands.

“Another brilliant idea, Avery,” I mumble. “Yet another winner of a situation in this shit show called life.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad.”

Jerking my head up, I spy an older gentleman standing not five feet away and wearing a lopsided grin.

A relieved laugh bubbles up from my chest. “Thank God. I was wondering if I was the last person left on earth.”

He smiles, leaning on his walking stick. “These woods will do that to you. You’re not from around these parts, are you?”

“What gave it away?”

“Everything.” He removes his hat with a smooth motion, offering a slight bow. “My name is Walter, and I’d be happy to help you off the trail. Where are you staying?”

“I’m Avery, and that would be amazing. I’m renting a cabin off Hickory Trail. It’s that way … I think.” I motion up the trail even though I have no clue at this point.

Walter’s eyes widen. “How did you wind up way over here? Ms. Avery, you are miles from your cabin. No way you’ll beat the snow.”

“There’s snow coming?”

Walter glances at the sky with a slight nod. “Judging by the smell of the air, a good six inches or more, easy.”

“Wonderful. This is how I die.”

“Not while I’m here.” Walter motions to my backpack, tossed to the ground next to me. “But we best get moving.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe.” That’s as much information as he offers.

Under normal circumstances, I would never follow a stranger deeper into the woods, with snow and darkness approaching. But I trust Walter’s intentions.

Maybe it’s my years of nursing, observing the human psyche in all its moods. Or maybe he’s a serial killer who plans to feast on my liver.

At this point, I’m willing to risk it.

Walter takes the lead, traversing the steepening incline with sure steps while I bumble along behind him. Every few minutes, he glances back, likely to ensure I haven’t tripped over a root or fallen headlong into a ravine. “You okay back there?”

“Fine,” I manage. “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

He pauses, allowing me time to catch up. “Waiting for you, obviously.”

“Clever,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “Do you always rescue stragglers?”

Walter smiles. “I’ve helped a few, but some don’t want to be saved.”

“Well, I want help. I’ll hop on one foot and sing if it gets me out of here before dark.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Now that I’d like to see. You’re no bigger than a minute, Avery. Hiking alone is not a smart idea for the inexperienced. What’s a city girl like you doing out here?”

“Escaping life,” I admit, shrugging. “I thought nature would clear my head, but now I’m rethinking that—along with most of my life choices.”

“If you don’t like a choice, change it.”

I scoff at his greeting card response. “It’s that easy?”

Walter shrugs again. “It’s not that hard. Life’s a journey—good, bad, and everything in between. But running doesn’t solve anything. Your problems will still be there when you get back.”

I swallow hard, staring down at my boots. “The thing is, he won’t.”

Walter pauses, pivoting to face me. “A lost love?”

“No,” I say with a sigh. “That’s the problem. I should’ve loved him, but I never did. I’ve never loved anyone like that. Guess I’m broken.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Thirty-six and never been in love?” I laugh bitterly. “Seems broken to me.”

“Not at all, Ms. Avery. You just haven’t met him yet.”

I huff out a breath, not believing his words. “What if I have? What if I passed by him and didn’t notice he was the one?”

Walter’s eyes spark with mischief. “When you meet the one, you’ll know.”

“What are you, the Appalachian sensei? Passing out words of wisdom as you save stranded travelers?”

Walter grins, pushing aside a branch. “I’ve been called worse. Feel that? Snow’s here.”

“How much further?” The flakes hit my face, stinging my already chilled skin.

“Half a mile. Better hurry.”

A half-mile hike on flat ground? Piece of cake. But add snow, steep climbs, and exhaustion, and it becomes an endless journey. My legs burn, my feet are soaked, and I can’t feel my fingers.

Come to think of it, I can’t feel most of my body.

I collapse against a felled tree, panting out my breath. “Walter, I can’t keep going. I’m too cold.”

“Doesn’t get any easier if you stop. Come on, it’s just over that hill.”

I narrow my eyes at him, skeptical. “You said that two hills ago.”

He offers me a wry smile. “A white lie to ensure motivation, but this time, it’s true. Let’s go. This storm isn’t letting up anytime soon.”

“I’ll bet your family is worried about you being out in this mess,” I huff out, each step a painful undertaking.

“Most of them are gone now. Except my son-in-law, although he’s more dead than alive these days.”

“Is he ill?”

“Heartsick. Has been since he lost his wife in an accident. Had the perfect life until that point. Now, he doesn’t have one at all.”

Walter’s candid dive into his family’s tragedy catches me off guard. In the city, people are too wrapped up in their own lives to listen to your stories, so you learn to keep them buried, acting like everything is fine.

Meeting someone so brutally honest, even when the truth is painful, feels like a breath of fresh air. “That’s terrible.”

Walter stops suddenly, and I damn near smash into him. He leans on his walking stick, his face drawn. “Life is full of good and bad experiences and most of it isn’t anybody’s fault. Like the accident. Nothing anyone could have done to save his wife, but he blames himself regardless. Can’t forgive himself for something he had no control over. Hell, most days, I think his wife is more alive than he is, even though her body has laid in the grave for two years.”

“Sounds like he loved her very much.”

“More than life, apparently, since he’s opted out of living one. The worst part is it would kill her all over again to know how unhappy he is. My daughter loved life. She loved him. She’d want him to live again, but he’s more lost than you were a few hours ago.”

I don’t know his son-in-law, but my heart aches for a soul carrying that much grief. Perhaps I’ve avoided that level of sorrow because I never bothered to allow anyone deep enough into my heart.

“Can’t you help him?” I ask, wondering why he seems to hold the man at arm’s length.

“Not anymore, but I’m hoping someone else can. Ms. Avery, the love that is meant for you will always find you. Remember that.” Walter doesn’t elaborate on his cryptic statements, instead pointing at a dim light shining through the trees. “Go on, take those final few steps and see your salvation.”

Calling on my last vestiges of strength, I drag myself to the top of the ridge, a cry of joy escaping my parched lips at the sight of a cabin not fifty feet below me. “How wonderful. Walter, you’re amazing. Look at this lovely house, in the middle of nowhere. You live out here all alone?”

But there is no answer. And when I turn around, there is no Walter.

“Walter? Where did you go?” I walk several feet back down the trail, calling his name, but the only reply is the snow crunching beneath my feet and the wind howling in the treetops.

A blast of cold lashes my cheeks, damn near knocking the breath out of me. One thing is certain: I can’t stay here any longer, unless I want to turn into a human popsicle.

Besides, Walter knows these woods. Hell, he’s the one who led me here. He likely just ducked off the trail to grab some kindling. Knowing how effortlessly he moved this entire trek; he’ll grab an armful of wood and still beat me to the cabin door.

Another gust of wind pushes me forward, as if nudging me toward the cabin.

My salvation, as Walter put it.

Universe, you don’t have to tell me twice.