Page 29 of Entwined in Norway

It was frustrating to say the least, but before he climbed any higher, he had to sit down and take a break. Even though it had been a dry couple of days, the forest floor was damp so he pulled his waterproof coat out of his pack and sat down on there. The layers and layers of pine needles that had fallen over the years made for a soft landing when he plonked himself down. He lay back against the slope and listened to the silence while he thought about what he was going to do next.

His plan had always been to find the forest. See if it still existed after all these years. It could easily have been harvested, and his hopes would be dashed. But that question had been answered, and he was lying on the floor of this forest, which quite possibly was partly his. The second part of his quest was making it known to the current owner. That was trickier, not least because it wasn’t the faceless person Erik had been happy to confront before he got here. Someone he imagined was a ruthless money-maker, tearing up the land for their own gain. He’d been quite prepared to take something from that person. It felt fair since he’d lost so much himself, that he could redress the balance.

But he didn’t feel that way anymore. It belonged to Mats, a guy who was clearly preserving his family legacy rather than exploiting it. Okay, he’d make money from the hotel, but it wasn’t at the cost of everything that mattered. Heck, he’d even given his sister one of the biggest jobs, keeping it in the family, which was something Erik could get behind. As he stood up, stretched, packed his waterproof away again and continued his slow ascent, he realised he was going to have to rethink his strategy.

After another half hour of slow progress, the trees stopped, replaced by naturally-seeded spruce and other greenery as the top of the mountain came into view. The ground gradually levelled out until Erik was standing on the top. The view was far more spectacular than he’d imagined it would be. He could see the large fjord that led to Bergen in one direction and to the North Sea in the other. There were mountain peaks all around him, some with snow on top. Some shaped like a pile of sugar, some far more dramatic with sheer vertical sides that soared from the water. Incredible.

He sat and pulled out his water and a Kvikk Lunsj chocolate bar, enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. A week here would not be long enough. He only had three more nights booked at the hotel, and it was going to take longer than that to speak to Mats and talk all of this through. He’d see if he could book another week to give him more time to get to know Mats and Ida, and surely that could only help his cause when he presented his documents to them.

But he knew part of his decision to stay longer was driven by his attraction to Ida. He was drawn to her in a way he hadn’t been to a woman before. There was more to her than met the eye, and he sensed from their conversation over breakfast that she was a complicated person. Independent because she’d had to be, because she was the one taking care of everyone and holding the family together now that their parents had gone. Regardless of what had happened last night, a night of absolute perfection until he’d had to leave her on the quayside, she clearly wasn’t a woman who was going to smile sweetly and walk into the sunset with him. He didn’t want that anyway. He didn’t know what he wanted, but it wasn’t a woman with no mind of her own. So maybe Ida was going to be a challenge he hadn’t expected or been looking for, but she was one he would not give up on after one small — awkward but small — setback.

The walk back down was infinitely easier than the way up. Keen not to prolong the hike, Erik opted to go straight down the side of the hill.

Walking downhill felt easier, but it wasn’t long before his leg ached the same way it had after the plane journey, and the slow, deliberate steps he started out taking were making it worse. So he ran down between the trees, using them to stop him from losing control and ending up rolling down the hill and probably breaking his leg again. This hike was probably a one-time thing.

It was a relief to get back into the kayak. He paddled back around the way he’d come but stopped at the opposite tip of the island instead of going to the main jetty. This was a better spot to keep the kayak, and the walk back through the woods would give him a chance to stretch his legs with a normal walk after the exertion of the mountain.

He’d thought this would be a moment of triumph. He’d found what he came for, but it didn’t feel like that. Now that he was here, it felt different. Almost as if he was betraying something.

13

Ida was at the reception desk when Erik came back from his kayaking. Was it her imagination, or was he limping?

‘How was it?’ she asked.

‘Great. I paddled up the fjord, past the island, and then got out and hiked up the mountain.’

‘Is that why you’re limping?’

His face took on a determined look as if he were building up for an argument. ‘I’m fine.’

‘Okay.’ He was looking at her the same way Emil did sometimes when he’d been doing something he shouldn’t. ‘If you want to stomp up a mountain and hurt yourself, I don’t care. But if there’s anything you need, anything I can do to help, please tell me.’ Since he wasn’t Emil, she tried to keep the frustration out of her voice. And she must have done that because his face softened.

‘Thanks. I feel like an idiot.’

‘There’s no need,’ she said gently.

‘Is there any chance of an ice pack?’

‘Of course. I’ll get it sent up.’

‘Thanks.’

He turned away, and Ida saw him grimace as he climbed the stairs. The third floor probably seemed like a long way away, but he was a grown man and they had no spare rooms. Or did they? Ida checked the system. The guests in the Spruce suite had checked out and left on the first boat. The room had been cleaned, but they’d had an email from the new guests confirming a late check-in.

‘Hey, Erik.’

He was on the first-floor landing and leant over the rail.

‘Wait there.’ She ran up the stairs. ‘Do you think a bath would help?’

‘My room doesn’t have a bath,’ he said, unable to keep his irritation at her seemingly pointless suggestion out of his voice.

‘No, but you can use the one in here.’ Ida led the way across the landing to the door of the Spruce suite.

‘Wow, this is fancy,’ Erik said.

The bed dominated the room. Doors on either side of the bed led to a dressing room area behind. Ida led him through there and into the bathroom that had a huge shower and a bath that was close to the window with views out over the mountain he’d just climbed.