Gunnar sat up and gave his face another good scrubbing, then stared out the windshield at Bottomless and thought about Katy’s belief that she was somehow responsible for Fontanne’s death. The bastard had been lugged off the mountain three days ago, the subsequent autopsy revealing an aneurysm had ruptured in his perverted brain, thus making him suddenly keel over dead two hundred meters from the summit.
And Katy was—had been—a paramedic. But to the best of his knowledge, she didn’t have X-ray vision, so there was no way she could have known Fontanne had been on the fast track to hell.
She had, however, told Shiloh that she could see—in her mind—what was wrong with people, much like he could see angels. Which, in Gunnar’s book of how the world worked, was about as likely as him being a mythical warrior from Atlantis who traveled through time killing demons—whatever the hell those were—with a sword.
Even though he’d seen a lot of strange things that defied science during his real-world travels, Gunnar couldn’t decide if he was having the mother of all dreams or if he needed to be locked up for his own protection. Because, since arriving in Spellbound Falls, he’d been taking almost daily swims in an inland sea that shouldn’t exist, waking up some mornings to the sound of a dead cat loudly purring on his chest, and falling under the spell of a beautiful, definitely real angel/enchantress. Oh, and he’d taken an eagle’s word for it that hiking down to the fjord—which also hadn’t existed five years ago—would net them a ride back to Inglenook in a boat.
Realizing he was in danger of self-destructing if he stalled any longer, Gunnar forced himself to get out of the truck. He went in his cabin and put on his swim trunks, headed down the stairs and across what was left of the beach, then walked into the water up to his waist. He dove into an oncoming swell and surfaced several yards from shore, then started swimming with every intention of not returning until he’d purged at least enough rage to be able to control his reaction the next time he saw that square, two-inch, flesh-colored bandage on the inside of Katy’s right forearm. If she ever let him near her again, that was.
Chapter Eighteen
The morning after her resignation was not nearly as satisfying as Katy expected. With nowhere to go, nowhere she was needed, she stood in the doorway of her cabin and stared out at the woods, wondering what she’d been thinking. She’d stood up for herself, sure, but at what cost? So much for logic if it took away what she cared about most.
With a deep breath, she pushed herself out of bed. Maybe, with nothing but free time on her hands, she should spend the day with the people, and animals, she loved. Okay, she told herself, making a list in her head. After she got dressed, she’d hit the coffee shop, grab some coffee and donuts to take to see her parents, then swing by and take Quantum for a ride on the way back. By the end of a day like that, she might just start to see the big picture.
Just as she was about to head out, she heard the sound of truck tires on gravel. Katy peeked out the window, and the sight made her head buzz. What was he doing? There was no room for Gunnar Wolfe in this day. What nerve to just show up, especially after the way he’d acted the day before. A small voice whispered something about the way she’d acted, too, but she pushed it away and stepped back from the window.
“Katy?” he called as he knocked.
She froze, considered pretending she wasn’t there, then remembered her pickup sitting out front. But she could be out for a walk, couldn’t she? Or maybe someone came and picked her up, a guy even. She could have a date, a morning date, couldn’t she? Who was Gunnar Wolfe to decide she wasn’t allowed to date anyone else?
A second knock stilled her thoughts and made her smile. They hadn’t even spoken, and she was already picking an imaginary fight. At this point, he probably wouldn’t care in the slightest if she had a date. She felt pretty sure she’d sealed their future fate, or lack thereof, yesterday. But then, why was he standing outside her front door?
“Katy, it’s Gunnar,” he said, voice quieter but somehow more intense. “Please let me in.”
A curious tingle started at the back of her neck. Maybe she could spare a few minutes in her wide-open day. With a deep breath and a big flourish, she swung the door open.
Gunnar’s eyes went wide, as if he hadn’t really expected her to answer. “Oh, hey. You’re here.”
“Yep. Though just about to head out.”
He nodded. “Understood. I won’t keep you long.”
Katy smiled without meaning to, realizing in a hot rush that she’d missed his face. Apparently, she’d gotten quite used to starting her day with those penetrating blue eyes and that cocky smile. She stared down at the floor until the heat passed. Last thing she needed was for him to feel like more than an interruption.
She stepped back to let him enter, then folded her arms and waited for some explanation.
“Sorry to intrude,” he said, “but I need your help.”
“Is something wrong?” Sharp prickles of concern now crawled up Katy’s back.
“No. No. Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then why me?”
Gunnar flashed a sheepish smile, then glanced around the room. His gaze landed on her sloppily made bed, the turquoise comforter crooked and lumpy. “Nice place. Looks lived-in.”
Her frown actually stung, it landed so hard. She opened her mouth, ready for some verbal pouncing, when he held up his hands, palms out in clear surrender. “That wasn’t a criticism,” he said. “I’m always suspicious of people who are too neat. A home should look like people want to be there.”
“Great. I passed your test. Now, what do you need?”
“I was wondering if you’ll be going back to real estate now that you’ve left the department.”
She peered at him, hard. “You came out here to discuss my career plans?”
“No. I mean, perhaps indirectly. I happen to need a real estate agent, and since I’m new to Spellbound Falls, you’re the only one I know.”
“Is there something wrong with your cabin?”
“Other than being small and full of mosquitos, you mean?”
“Here in Maine, we call that charm.” Katy grinned, unable to resist reminding him he was an outsider.
The blue eyes twinkled. “Oh, I’m well acquainted with the charm of the place. I’m just not sure my Aunt May will share that view.”
“You have an Aunt May?”
“I most certainly do. And she means to come visit very shortly.”
Katy felt a little like the top of her head might lift off. This couldn’t be, not if Gunnar was a warrior from Atlantis. Not if he was ages old. Unless Aunt May was from Atlantis, too . . .
Needing to center herself, she walked over to her table, pulled out a chair, and gestured for Gunnar to take the other. “Let me get my notepad,” she said as she dug through a kitchen drawer.
“You’ll help me?” He sounded like a kid who’d just been given ice-cream money.
“I’ll listen. Do some looking. No promises.”
He dropped into the straight-backed chair. “None expected.”
Pen and pad in hand, Katy sat down opposite him and fixed her eyes on his. Something flickered deep inside, equal parts hope and intrigue and desire. How was this man constantly able to surprise her? “So, you need a house for Aunt May?”
“Well, I need a house for me, so I’ll have a comfortable place for her to stay.”
“Any specific location?”
“I was thinking I’d like something on Bottomless.”
Wow. Nice choice. “That’s going to be pricey.”
“I figured. But something about it reminds of me home, of Iceland, which should make Aunt May feel right at home.”
Iceland? Really? “You looking to rent or buy?”
“Maybe rent with the option to buy?”
Katy grinned again. “Commitment issues?” she said befo
re she’d even realized her intention to speak. Why did this man make her want to flirt like crazy, even when she was mad at him?
Gunnar chuckled. “I’m working on it.”
Hmm . . . was he now? She took a minute to jot down the details, a break from his rugged face her ulterior motive. His smile was still impossible to resist.
“Tell me about Aunt May,” she said after a few moments.
“She’s hard to describe. I think you’re better off just meeting her.”
Her heart thrummed faster than seemed healthy. “I’ll be meeting her?”
He shrugged. “I think that’s part of the plan.”
Huh? Katy gulped. “Whose plan?”
“Well, Aunt May’s mostly, but I guess mine, too.”
“Why would that be her plan?” Katy’s voice sounded like it had in high school, squeaking exactly like it had when Ryan Forrester asked her to prom.
“I told her about you. Before. When it seemed like there was something to tell.”
“You talked to your aunt about me?”
He leveled a look on her, full of oh-please-you-know-what-I’m-talking-about energy. His eyes rolled gently, clearly calling her crazy. Katy’s smile begged to come back, but she held it at bay. Man, talk about an unexpected turn of events.
“What did you tell her?”
“Apparently, more than I’ve ever told her about a woman before. Hence the visit.”
Suddenly grateful she was already sitting down, Katy shook her head and looked back at her notepad. “You two sound close,” she said.
“Well, she raised me when my father couldn’t do the job. And she protected me, pulled me free of his toxic, alcoholic cloud.”
Katy’s heart wobbled. The little boy softness took over his features again, and a gust of gratitude blew through her, made her want to know this woman and to be a woman like her, someone who made space in her life for a child in need.
“She sounds wonderful.”
“She is. She’s also a handful, but I guess I consider that part of the wonderful at this point.”
Her own mother’s worried face flashed in Katy’s mind, bringing her back to their conversation on the island and the way she’d looked when Katy told her Gunnar was one of Nicholas’ warriors. There was no reason for that worry now. With the troubled childhood he’d described, Gunnar had to be mortal, had to be an ordinary human. Well, maybe not quite ordinary, with abs like his, but . . .
She grinned, heart light and relieved as it dashed out of the shadow of yesterday’s conversation. She’d been wrong, about a lot of things. And now, magically, they were righting themselves before her eyes.
“Care to share the joke?” Gunnar asked.
Katy gasped and glanced up at him, blushing to think that she’d been so caught up in thoughts of him that she’d forgotten he was in the room. “I’ll see what I can find on Bottomless,” she said. “How soon do you need something?”
“I think it’s safe to say immediately.”
She laughed. “And when will your whirling dervish of an aunt arrive?”
“A day or so after immediately?” he said with a wink.
Oh, good gracious. This man should not be allowed to wink. Katy smiled at him, hoping she didn’t look like a lovestruck idiot. “I’ll get to work, then,” she managed. “Not a problem, considering I don’t have anything else to do these days.”
Gunnar dropped his head and peered up at her contritely. “Yeah, about that.”
She watched him, eyebrows raised. Now what?
“I was hoping, if I offered a decent-enough apology, you might consider taking back your resignation.”
The room brightened, like the sun had been waiting for a good reason to shine. Katy reached across the table and touched his hand. The heat of his skin set hers to tingling, but she tried not to think about that. “I don’t think you’re the one who needs to apologize.”
“I did undermine your authority,” he said. “And I didn’t trust that you had it together.”
“Well, to be honest, I’m not sure I did. I brought my baggage to the job, and that’s never okay. You did what a good chief should. You kept my feet on the ground, even if that wasn’t what I wanted.”
“So, resignation rescinded?”
“Yes, most definitely rescinded.”
Gunnar’s smile lit up the room where the sun couldn’t reach. Katy leaned into its warmth and let the magnitude of her thoughts sink in. This man kept her feet on the ground. He was an anchor. He was her anchor, just like her father was for her mother.
Joy flooded her body. From now on, her gut got top billing, no matter how brilliantly logic played devil’s advocate. Ah, how she loved magic.
Chapter Nineteen
Katy closed the door on the stunning lake home and decided that, despite not really being a bona fide agent anymore, this might be her proudest real estate moment. Not only had she found the perfect house for Gunnar in record time, the price fell below his budget and offered one of the prettiest water views she’d seen anywhere on Bottomless. Plus, it was vacant and waiting for him to move in. If this place didn’t make him happy, the man simply could not be pleased.
Now all she needed to do was show him the house and then show him where to sign. She glanced at her watch; three hours until sunset. He needed to see this place in daylight to properly appreciate it, and since she was due back at the station tomorrow, this afternoon offered their only shot. The thought of being back at the station made her smile since, only a day ago, she thought she’d worked her last paramedic shift ever. What a difference a few days, and one seriously important conversation, could make in a person’s life.
Pulling out her phone, she texted Gunnar the address and asked him to meet her. He texted back asking if she could give him two hours and, though it bummed her out to have to wait longer for him to see it, she realized that would give her a good window to go see Quantum and to check on Shiloh. He’d been on her mind lately, like something about his life needed her attention. Plus, she really wanted to see what he’d done with his chickens.
As she pulled up to the stables at Inglenook, those very chickens seemed to form a welcoming party, swarming into the yard when she turned off her truck. Shiloh had certainly not exaggerated when sharing his poultry plan—chickens of every imaginable shape and color bobbed happily at the ground: red, brown, black, white, speckled, puffy, and plumed. The kid’s vision made her smile, and she couldn’t imagine a better, more inspiring and imaginative place in the world for him to grow up.
She slipped out of the pickup and immediately heard her name ring out.
“Katy! Hey, my friend Katy!” Shiloh rushed her way, his body moving not unlike those of his chickens.
“Hey there,” she said and held out her arms for a big hug. “How are you doing?”
“I’m very good. Excellent.” He stepped back and beamed up at her. “My chickens are laying all kinds of eggs, and Mrs. Oceanus is very happy about our business deal.”
“I knew you could do it,” Katy told him. “You’re an amazing kid.”
Shiloh’s face tightened a little, wavering between nervous and perturbed. “I’m not really doing a lot of kid stuff anymore. I have a lot of jobs around here now.”
“Oh, do you now? What kind of jobs?”
His small chest seemed to puff up two sizes. “I take care of the chickens all by myself, and I help out in the stables, and I keep track of how many eggs each chicken lays for Mrs. Oceanus. I even help Mom with the kid activities sometimes.”
A worried twinge poked Katy in the ribs. He’d settled in just fine, made a real place for himself, but she felt suddenly concerned about him growing up too fast. Though he sounded a lot like the kid she’d met on the plane, there was a disconnected air about him, as if facts and figures had taken the place of laughter and whimsy in his life. Thinking b
ack to that conversation on the plane, she wondered if he’d simply found a new way to avoid facing his fears.
Spotting a log bench near the stables, Katy flashed him a smile and tipped her head in the bench’s direction. “Let’s go sit for a minute.”
“Okay, but just for a minute. I have a bunch of things to do this morning.”
“So, what do you do in your free time?” she asked when they’d planted themselves side by side on the cool, planed wood.
He peered up at her. “I don’t really like free time.”
“What? All kids like free time. When do you play games and run and swim? And Inglenook has to be a great place for bike riding.”
Shiloh shook his head. “I don’t have a bike.”
Katy grinned. Finally, something she could take care of. “Oh, that’s an easy fix. I’m sure my cousins have extras. I can bring you one.”
His head shook harder. “I don’t know how to ride,” he said quietly.
“Oh. Well, that’s an easy fix, too. I can teach you.”
Eyes narrow, Shiloh peered up at her. “I thought you were my friend.”
Katy’s pulse did a double-take. What a strange reaction. “I am your friend, Shiloh. Friends have fun together and teach each other things.”
“What if I don’t want to learn them?”
“Is that because you’re scared?”
He looked away, stared out into the trees. “Why does everyone always ask that? Can’t I just not like things sometimes?”
The quiver in his voice stabbed Katy in the heart. Time to back off. “Sure, buddy,” she said. “You get to decide what makes you happy. Friends also care about that.” She smiled down at him and waited.
After a few long moments, he nodded up at her. One side of his mouth allowed a half-smile. “Thanks, Katy,” he whispered.
“Of course.” She glanced at her watch. “Hey, I’ve still got some time. Want to go for a trail ride?”
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