Chapter 9

Barrett gives me the okay to take a quick shower this morning before he rewraps my foot, thank goodness. It makes me feel completely energized.

Watching him move around the kitchen after we"re done breakfast, putting dishes away while another pot of coffee brews, is my new favorite form of entertainment. I can"t get over how graceful he is. Maybe he"s just lived here so long that he"s learned the most efficient way to navigate the kitchen.

I"ve noticed that Barrett is efficient in most things, except for last night when he certainly took his time with me. Every time I think about that my belly flutters and my shoulders creep up an inch from the prickling sensation that instantly runs down my spine.

The way he touched me was so gentle, until I made it clear I needed more. He"s so cautious with me. I"ve never had anyone in my life who is that caring.

Mom was nice to me sometimes, because she had to. But as soon as I was able to take care of myself, she was off like a shot. Meanwhile Carl is only nice to me when he wants something.

Barrett, though? He just wants me to be happy. I can tell already he doesn"t have it in him to play games. Maybe it"s naive for me to think that I know someone so well after just a few days, but I honestly think Barrett couldn"t be more open.

He brings me a fresh cup of coffee, setting his own mug beside mine. Then his eyes crinkle up with that adorable half smile. I wonder if, from a distance, strangers see it as a scowl?

"May I see some of your photos? Your blog?"

"Sure," I say with a grin.

I start to get up, but he shoves my shoulder back down ever so gently. "No. I"ll bring your camera bag."

"And my laptop, please – in my duffle bag."

Instead of just reaching in to grab the laptop, he brings me the entire bag, setting it on a chair beside me.

He seems surprised by my laughter. "I"ve heard that you guys were sometimes afraid to go into a woman"s purse and rifle through her things. I didn"t know it was true."

He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. "Might be…girl things…you don"t want me to see."

I gasp. "Barrett, are you actually blushing under that tan?"

He scowls. "No."

"You are!" I tease.

There"s a low growl from the back of his throat. "And here I thought you were a nice girl."

I can"t help laughing even louder while I slip the memory card out of my camera and into the laptop. Turning it toward him, we flip through the photos I took the other day.

I keep quiet as he nods, murmuring the name of every bird, and pointing out some of the rarer species of trees.

"Maybe I should add some of those to my stock photo collections. I"m hoping to start making a little more money from my photos. Perhaps if I have photos of stuff that other people don"t, it will help," I muse. Then I open my blog, turning it toward him so that he can scroll through a few pages" worth of posts.

He reads quickly, nodding in agreement with some of my points, and even chuckling once or twice. Then he turns to me with a dazzling smile. "I was worried about you going off the trail. But you"re right – it was worth it for those photos."

He pushes the laptop back a bit and takes my hand. "You respect the forest. This is one of the good blogs. Informative, charming, and it"s about your topic, not…well…yourself." His fingers squeeze mine gently as he looks deep in my eyes. "It"s wonderful, Sage."

"Thank you." I"m touched that he likes it. "I get comments sometimes from people who live in cities saying they like to read my posts on coffee breaks so they can pretend they"re out in nature."

Barrett"s head tilts to the side as he stares down at our hands for a moment. "If your blog is focused on the birds and wildlife of Old Hemlock Valley, it could be useful for people who are planning to come hiking out this way."

"For sure. Real nature lovers."

"Maybe you could add a link to the town"s tourism website. And they can link to your blog. Cross promotion or whatever it"s called."

"Oh!" My mind is already racing. "Maybe I could speak with some naturalists in the area. Field researchers. Experienced hikers. People like you, who know the forest."

His eyebrows pull together. "You"re not interviewing me."

"I wouldn"t have to use your name. We could write a post sharing a few insider tips. The best seasons to see certain species, when is the best weather, that sort of thing."

"Safety information." Barrett nods. "A checklist of what they should have in their backpack before they even think about going out into the wilderness."

"Perfect."

I want to keep brainstorming, but just then my phone beeps from where it"s charging in the bedroom. Barrett jumps to his feet and brings it to me face down, as if to make it abundantly clear that he"s not even looking at it. Sweet.

I sigh. "It"s my brother Carl." Skimming through his texts, apparently he wants me to give him the car back tomorrow. Something about an important deal, and needing to deliver some things. It makes me a bit queasy that he always expects me to drop everything to help him.

"Is he worried about you?" Barrett asks. "Did you tell him that you were hurt but you"re healing quickly?"

"I, um, never mentioned it." It"s sickening to realize that Carl truly doesn"t care about me at all. I don"t think he"s ever once asked if I"m okay. Even though he knows that I drive out to hike alone, and always sleep in the car.

Crap. I still don"t know if I"ll have to get the car towed, or how long it might take to get to where Carl wants me to drop it off.

"I usually drive back to Mackton and he picks up the car. This time he needs me to drop it off in…" I peer at the screen again. "How far away is Pinesley?"

Immediately, Barrett"s jaw clenches. "I don"t want you going there." His voice has dropped, sounding even more gruff than usual.

"Um…" There"s a squirming, heavy feeling in my stomach. I don"t want Barrett to meet Carl, unkempt, uncouth, and frankly kind of rude as he is, for fear that my mountain man will think less of me.

"But to answer your question, it"s about forty minutes southeast of here." His hand slides under the table, fingers tapping on his knee. Staring at the table for a full minute, it"s like he"s trying to burn a message into the wood with his eyes.

Finally he says, "If he hasn"t mentioned what kind of business it is, it"s nothing that a nice young lady should be anywhere near."

I"m still trying to figure out how to respond to that when there"s a knock at the door which makes me jump a mile. A heavy hand lands on my shoulder, then gently caresses my neck. "Shh, Sage. It"s probably just a neighbor."

He crosses the length of the house in just a few strides. "Come on in, Riggs."

A tall, burly man as big as Barrett steps in, glancing at me in obvious surprise. "Just brought your compressor back. It"s on the porch. Should I put it in the garage for you?"

"Nah, that"s fine. Riggs, this is Sage."

I wave and he nods. "Nice to meet you."

He"s wearing dark worn jeans almost identical to Barrett"s, but his snug t-shirt is dark gray instead of black.

"Riggs has a house around here, but he only drops by to borrow my tools." Barrett"s gruff tone is softened by the way he throws me a wink that his friend can clearly see.

"Thanks for the loan," Riggs chuckles. "Ever need a favor, just holler."

"I do, actually." Barrett"s eyes flick to me. "Could you run me down to the Maple Trail lot? If Sage"s car isn"t sunk too far in the mud, I"ll drive it back."

"Sure thing."

"Thank you," I call out as Riggs gives me a nod and steps outside.

Barrett comes over to kneel beside me. "Perfect timing. Will you be okay by yourself for a bit?"

"Of course."

He carries me to the couch, making sure that I have fresh coffee, a glass of water, and the remote control.

He starts to leave, then pauses, glancing back at me almost sheepishly and pulling out his phone. "What"s your number, princess?"

He shoots me a text, waiting to make sure my phone beeps from the coffee table.

"Back soon."

He stops at the door again, then looks back at me. He returns and drops to one knee, leaning in for a gentle, almost breathless kiss. His hand tangles in the back of my hair, holding me against him as I try not to quiver. Even his softest kiss manages to make me tingle all the way down to my toes.

"Better," he whispers. He kisses me one last time, then straightens up, winking again before he leaves.

After he"s gone, the house feels achingly empty. Hollow. Even though he"s so silent, Barrett is a huge presence.

I"m blown away that he left me here alone, although he barely knows me. I would never prowl around in his things, of course, but he doesn"t know that. Well, he knows that I can"t exactly prowl: I"d be hopping on my canoe paddle crutch. I don"t know which would disappoint him more, the hopping or the snooping.

Already, we can read each other so well. Which is why I feel like a jerk for wanting to keep him away from Carl?—

No. To be more accurate, I want to keep Carl away from him.

I send Carl a text, saying only that I"ll be in touch tomorrow. I don"t want to commit to anything more yet, since I have no idea what"s going on there.

Not just with the car, either. Whatever Barrett and I have together is so new and fragile that I don"t know how to navigate it. He"s been tiptoeing around the thought of me staying for a while longer, even after my foot heals, but I don"t know what he"s thinking for the longer term. Does he want us to date? Surely he can"t imagine I"d move in right away.

Staring out the window to the lush, green forest, I realize I have some decisions to make. And some questions that need answers.

First, how am I going to get the car to Carl when Barrett doesn"t want me to go to Pinesley at all, and certainly not alone?

Second, do I want to stay here in Old Hemlock Valley? It would be a dream come true to not have a day job, and just be able to work full time on my photography, my blog, and promoting birding in this area.

And the biggest question of all: how do I figure out what Barrett"s intentions are when he speaks so little and is the opposite of forthright about what he wants for the future?