by Jill Snow
Jake Lincoln was the town sheriff, a friendly man about Ethan’s age who always had a smile and kind word for everyone. As he’d put it to Ethan when he’d first arrived in town, it was Jake’s business to know who was in town for any length of time and who was passing through. He needed to know the troublemakers. Although young to be in the position of sheriff, Jake had devoted several years to the Rangers, as had Ethan. He could appreciate a man who served his country. Whereas Ethan had come home for good with an idea and little purpose, Jake was only one in a long line of Sheriff Lincolns over the years. It seemed to be a family tradition.
After he shook hands and had a quiet word with a few of the other diner customers, Jake made his way over to the table. The middle-aged waitress, Cathy, bustled over with a fresh cup and a pot of coffee to pour. She topped off Ethan’s cup while at the table. He nodded in thanks.
“There you are, sheriff. Can I get you anything else? A burger? Piece of pie?”
Jake nodded at the table. “I’ll have what he’s having. Ethan has good taste.”
With a smile, Ethan shoveled another bite of pie into his mouth as the waitress nodded and bustled away to the glass display containing pie pieces. After swallowing, Ethan asked, “How’s work?”
Jake shrugged. “Same as can be expected.” There was little in his dark eyes to hint at the shadows he no doubt lived with, having served in hostile places. Ethan didn’t have to wonder whether the other man woke up in a cold sweat some nights from nightmares. He knew—it was part of the job. Although he wasn’t scarred on his face, hands, or anywhere his short-cut black hair displayed, Ethan would be willing to guess that Jake had amassed more than one scar, like he had. He didn’t know the man well, but he’d also heard whispers of a tragedy regarding Jake’s wife. At least that was one heartbreak Ethan would likely never have to worry about.
Ever since he’d left the Rangers, Ethan hadn’t had much contact with his comrades in arms. Sitting here with Jake felt almost like kinship again, for while in the Rangers they learned to entrust their lives to one another. Now…
Neither of them were Rangers anymore. This wasn’t a battlefield. It was life, and Jake knew no more of the size of Ethan’s wallet than did anyone else in this town. He couldn’t trust anyone with that information.
Jake eyed the half-eaten pie with bald envy as he asked, “How are you liking Pinecrest?”
Ethan took a sip of coffee and shrugged. “New neighbor.”
“Yeah?” Jake raised his eyebrows. As Cathy returned with his pie, he shot her a smile before turning back to Ethan. “Ruby has another camper?”
Ethan nodded. “A woman named Lily. She has this little dog that’s more fur than anything else.”
“Good for her. Maybe I’d better make a trip up to the campground to welcome this new arrival.”
“I don’t think she’s staying long. A couple days, maybe a week.”
Jake shrugged. “Can’t hurt to be friendly. I’m glad to hear she has another camper.”
“She doesn’t usually get many?”
Jake hesitated. He ate a piece of pie, chewing carefully before he answered. “Peak season isn’t so bad, but she’s had to rent out a smaller number of cabins this year.”
Ethan hesitated before he mentioned, “I saw a few notices on her fridge. Violations.”
The sheriff made a face. After he checked the other patrons to make sure none were eavesdropping he leaned closer. “Officially, I can’t tell you this because I’m here to uphold the law and back the Town Council, but I wouldn’t worry about those. That’s just Pittman looking for trouble.”
Ethan frowned. “Pittman?”
“Yeah. Carter Pittman. He owns the land to the northeast of Pinecrest and he’s been trying to buy the campground from her for pennies. Ruby wouldn’t sell if you offered her millions, she’s too attached to that campground. But she’s almost eighty and can’t be climbing on top of ladders to patch up the roofs anymore. There are a dozen or more small violations that Pittman keeps bringing up with the Council. Nothing serious or that might cause harm.”
Could this Carter Pittman have escalated from tattling over minor violations to sabotaging the campground, all so he could buy it out from under Ruby? Ethan opened his mouth, about to mention the plumbing he’d found cut, but he filled his lips with pie instead.
He didn’t know for sure this Pittman had done anything. And in a town this close-knit, a guy like Jake would believe the long-term resident over the new arrival. All Ethan could do was keep his eyes peeled and stop Pittman—or whoever was enacting the sabotage—from doing any more damage.
The moment Ethan struck out for his walk that afternoon, he regretted keeping his mouth shut. There, clear as day, in the soft earth off the path, were a large pair of men’s boot prints.
Only Ethan hadn’t walked there. Someone, perhaps even Carter Pittman, had been lurking on Ruby’s land. For what reason — were they out to sabotage something else? Suspicion stinging his stomach, Ethan crouched to examine the boot prints. Were they old or new? He couldn’t properly tell, given that there hadn’t been any rain in the area for the past week, but no other tracks marred the ones on the ground. If no animal had crossed here, an unlikely scenario for a long stretch of time, then these had to have been fresh. Perhaps even today, as he had been in town for pie.
Putting the tracking skills he had learned in the Rangers to good use, Ethan followed the footprints and other signs of passage. A broken twig, the scuff of the mulch underfoot. The farther north he marched, the more certain he was that the trespasser was Ruby’s neighbor.
Less than ten minutes out, instead of stumbling across the watcher, Ethan encountered another unexpected woodland visitor. Wookie yipped and ran up to him, gleeful. Lily’s voice followed.
“Wookie, where are you? Don’t you abandon me too, we’ll never get back…”
Branches cracked as Lily stomped through the forest, not bothering to hide herself. She probably thought she was alone. She sounded on the verge of tears. Ethan gave Wookie a cursory pat and called, “We’re over here. Wookie is fine.”
“Ethan?” The crackling stopped. After a moment’s hesitation, Lily continued walking. She broke through the trees just ahead of him, her bright yellow t-shirt a beacon in the dappled shadows of the trees. When she spotted him, she stopped in her tracks.
Wookie trotted over to her, tail wagging, as if to say, look what I found!
“What are you doing here?” Lily blurted.
He raised an eyebrow, smirking as he rolled his shoulders. “I’m out for a walk, just like you.” He pointed to the light backpack hanging from his shoulders. He didn’t plan to be out in the woods for long, so he hadn’t brought the pack he’d designed, containing everything he’d need in order to sleep in the woods overnight or for multiple nights. All he needed was a few emergency supplies, a water bottle, and a couple of energy bars in case the pie didn’t hold him over.
She glanced over her shoulder, chewing on her lower lip as she stepped from foot to foot. Unlike him, she had nothing. No water, no food, no map or compass. Her bare legs were scratched, leaves in her hair. At least she had a hooded sweatshirt on this time. It came as no surprise when she hung her head and admitted, “I’m lost.”
“You should have stayed on the path.” He chided her as gently as possible.
“What path?”
He held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. When she did, her palm clammy and her skin smooth, he led her through the trees toward the path he’d passed while tracking those footprints. Once there, he was strangely reluctant to let her go. He looked into her eyes, glistening with the remnants of her distress.
“This path.” His voice was hoarse. Reluctantly, he dropped her hand and pointed to a narrow path through the trees that led south. “That’s the way back to camp.”
“How do you know?”
“The moss on the trees.”
She frowned. “What?”
He couldn’t help b
ut smile at her confusion. “Moss grows where it’s damp. On a smooth, vertical surface, that will be on the side that isn’t exposed when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, when it is at its hottest. That’s the north side.” He pointed at a nearby white bark pine tree. “See the way the moss is facing us?”
“Yes…” she answered, dubiously.
“Walk around to the other side.”
When she shot him a wary gaze, as if she thought that he was pulling her leg, he couldn’t help but smile. He slid his hand around to the small of her back, touching her so lightly that it made his fingers tingle. She didn’t object, and that only sent a lingering warmth through him as he guided her forward, emboldened. He pointed at the south side of the tree, devoid of moss.
“See? No moss here.”
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “There’s moss near the ground, right there.”
“A lot of moisture rises from the ground. You can’t count on anything under two feet to guide your path. Choose a tree with moss at eye level, that’s more reliable.”
She turned toward him. She smelled like lemon again, a scent he couldn’t help but think of her whenever he smelled it. It was sunny and fresh, just like she was. “Did you learn all this stuff from walking the woods around here?” she whispered.
No. He’d learned it in the Rangers. He’d used it on hikes when he’d needed to get away from all the gold diggers in his life. Eventually, he would need to get away from her, too. Whenever someone learned he had money, they inevitably tried to take advantage of him—even his own sister. Lily might think him a handyman for now, but how long could that last?
Pulling his arm away, he murmured under his breath. “No. I learned that trick before coming here. Follow me, I’ll show you back to camp.”
And there, he would find something else to occupy him than Lily’s presence. Something like finding the person bent on sabotaging Ruby’s campground.
Chapter 11
Coffee was comprised of four main ingredients: the coffee beans, sugar, cream, and water. Take out the cream and sugar, and you might still be able to get it to function the way it was supposed to. But without water? Lily stared at the tap over the scarred enamel sink in the kitchenette. Why wasn’t there any water coming out?
This early in the morning, when the sun had barely risen but Wookie was wide-eyed, wet-nosed, and raring to begin the day, Lily couldn’t function without coffee. She had to provide for herself during this challenge, so she had taken to heating water in a pot lent to her by Ruby and transferring the boiled water into a travel mug, hopefully without spilling any on herself. She thanked her lucky coffee beans that she had decided to bring instant instead of something that needed to be filtered first.
But all of that hinged on having water.
Wookie whined, pawing at the door as she peered through her fur at Lily, forlorn. Lily felt the same way. What had she done to stop the water from coming? Was there a water tank? Had she used it all up? She’d already been taking quicker-than-usual showers because of the cold water that emerged from the nozzle.
This day was going to be a disaster. Where could she find water? Ruby probably wouldn’t wake up for hours. Should Lily knock on Ethan’s door and ask to use his sink? That wouldn’t be weird at all…
“You have to do this on your own.” Her voice sounded groggy and gravelly in the darkened room. Wookie scratched at the door into the main room of the cabin once more.
Lily took a deep breath. Think. If she had been out in the wilderness, what would she do for water?
She’d use the lake. Boiling water got rid of any bacteria, didn’t it? Or maybe she wouldn’t use it to make coffee, but she’d need water for something, wouldn’t she? Washing herself or flushing the toilet. Yesterday, she’d lit the fire herself with no help from Ethan at all. She could handle finding a little clear lake water. Heck, she was getting good at this self-sufficiency thing.
Her mind set, she pulled on a chunky beige sweater. The hot handyman would probably think she looked ridiculous in her shorts with a thick sweater, but she was already wearing her one pair of jeans every night and her sweats to bed and there was no way to do laundry so.... She pulled on her flat-soled tennis shoes and tucked the laces under the tongue rather than do them up properly. She was still half-asleep.
Wookie scratched at the door again. “All right, girl. I’m coming.”
The dog yipped happily and danced in front of the door, chasing her tail. Lily grabbed a pot for the water and led the way outside. As she cracked open the door, she warned, “Don’t even think of running to Ethan. I am not in the mood to chase you this morning.”
The moment she opened the door, Wookie bounded away. When Lily called her name, the dog paused by the stand of trees and crouched to do her business. She returned, trotting up to Lily, a moment later.
“This way, Wookie. Heel.”
Since she wasn’t a strong swimmer, Lily hadn’t walked the path to and from the lake more than once. It was beautiful and peaceful and this time of morning, it was too cold for bugs. Lily had noticed they only came out once the sun had warmed the air. In the dim, greyish-pink light, she could barely see the tree branches before they walloped her in the face.
“You should have brought a flashlight,” she muttered under her breath.
Add it to the long list of things she should have done. She hadn’t brought a flashlight, aside from the one attached to her phone. Technology was forbidden during this little challenge, anyway. The sun was already sleepily rising from the horizon, so by the time she reached the lake, she should be able to actually see.
As the trees in front of her drew away, Lily stumbled down the path. The long grass tickled her calves as the shore gently sloped toward the water. The early morning sun glistened off its still surface, the far side a picturesque shadow of pine trees shielding the roofs of cabins. It was beautiful.
A mosquito bit her neck. She slapped at it.
And painful.
Deciding not to linger, she followed the grass to where it ended, replaced by mud and a jumble of rocks. The rocks piled atop one another in a haphazard mess, as though Mother Nature had decided to clean out her closet and left them there, out of sight and out of mind. Beyond the rocks, the water glistened in the early morning light. The muck was too thick to walk through and Lily could only imagine what kinds of creatures lurked inside it. Looked like she’d have to climb on the rocks.
Lily slapped another mosquito before she clambered up the rocks. They weren’t very high or difficult to climb. The soles of her shoes slipped a bit against the slick areas. As long as she avoided the parts with moss, she should be all right. Behind her, Wookie’s claws clicked and she wheezed as if searching for the best path to follow Lily.
“Don’t go into the water, girl. I don’t want to have to give you a bath … somehow … without running water.”
Okay, now how to get the water into the pot. From her perch on the rocks, she would have to bend way over to reach the water unless she went further down where some rocks were closer.
She firmed her chin. She was already out here. A few feet more wouldn’t hurt. She climbed over to where a rock jutted from the ground at an odd angle. From there, she could scoop up the lake water and hope it was mostly clean. Squaring her shoulders, she tentatively stepped from her rock to the slanted one. She tested her foothold first, making sure it was solid before she leaned her full weight on it. Safe. Leaning down, she angled the pot to scoop up some of the water. Was the lake here really as deep as it looked from the glimpse?
As she crouched, her foot slipped on the slick rock.
No!
She tumbled into the frigid morning water. The cold water seized her lungs. She thrashed, trying to pull herself up again. Luckily, it wasn’t as deep as she’d thought, but her sweater was caught behind her. She couldn’t reach to untangle it. She dropped the pot, panic overwhelming her.
Ever since he’d retired from the Rangers, Ethan didn’t sleep
well. He found himself up at odd hours of the night, memories and nightmares circling his subconscious like sharks ready to attack the moment he slipped into slumber. He’d discovered one thing that refreshed him after a restless night. Hiking through the woods in the early morning. One more reason why he’d chosen Pinecrest Lodge to be his sanctuary. In the morning, as the birds stirred and the sun rose, a quiet peace descended upon the world. Untouched nature.
He followed a narrow path that led to the lake. Breathing the fresh air laced with the scent of pine, he watched the finches twittering in the branches as the sun cast long shadows across the forest floor. Birds called, chipmunks rustled in the leaves. And there was a high pitched yelp.
Wait. Was that Wookie?
That dog took to running off despite what her owner wished. What if she had been cornered by a raccoon or hurt herself? Despite the fact that he hadn’t carried a weapon out with him, Ethan bolted toward the sound. Twigs snapped beneath his hiking boots, branches stung him as they smacked into him while he passed. He didn’t care. He hated to admit it but that darn dog had captured a piece of his heart with her brown-eyed unconditional love and acceptance. He couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to her.
The yipping became more frantic and he ran toward it, his heart thundering in a way he’d been trained to control. He held panic at bay by paying attention to his surroundings, cataloguing every minuscule detail.
The trees thinned as he approached the lake. The rising sun, pierced his eyes and stained the horizon red. Wookie scrabbled over the rocks and grass to get to him, her barks even louder now. They rang in his ears. And that … was that a ripple in the water?
Something had fallen in.
Not something. Someone.
Lily!
He shucked his backpack, kicked off his hiking boots, and dove into the lake. He cleared the rocks easily in his arc, aiming for a shallow dive given that the water wasn’t more than four feet deep here.