Page 14 of Aaron

The mountain is everything I imagined and more. The trees and the way the waning sunlight peeks through the leaves are so beautiful. Rolling down my window, I take some photos. I want to remember this. Maybe I could use some of these photos for my Snowdrop Falls series. How cool would that be?

And then we’re here. Abbie pulls to a stop in front of a gated driveway, and it’s just the gate. No guards. No electronic box to put a code in. Just fence lines as far as I can see. How the heck am I going to get up to the house? I can’t even see it from here.

“Do you want me to wait with you?” Abbie asks.

“No, it’s okay. They said they’d see me on video and come down,” I respond, crossing my fingers. I don’t know why I even believe it will happen. For all I know, I’ll be standing here, waiting to get in, when my brothers show up, if they can find their way.

“Okay, so long as you’re sure.”

“Yeah, you’ve already gone out of your way. I appreciate the ride and the conversation. It was very nice meeting you,” I say before I climb out of the truck.

Abbie gets out of her side and grabs my bag from the back. “It was nice meeting you, too. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“I hope so. If I make it to town, I’ll stop by the store.”

“Great. Take care, Cherise.”

“You, too.”

As she turns the truck around and heads down the mountain, I face the gate. Should I try climbing it? I’d probably fall and kill myself. There’s no sign of anyone or the house. How will I even find Jac? Maybe I should have thought this through. I’m alone, with no way to defend myself, in the middle of the forest. Good one, Cheri. I suppose I could toss my suitcase at any wild animals and run for it, but my four-foot-eleven-inch self won’t get very far.

My stomach growls again, and now I have to pee. Great. Now I’m waiting here for someone to show up while I’m doing the pee-pee dance. Fantastic.

As I contemplate my life choices and decide whether I need to step behind a tree, I spot someone coming down the road. Thank God! I want to yell at him to hurry, but I think better of it. What if Jac didn’t see my text? Is he going to shoot me for trespassing? Am I trespassing if I’m outside the gate? Since I don’t know, I decide waiting is my best option.

Running my hands over my hair, I hope it still looks okay. My T-shirt is even more wrinkled now than when I got off the plane in Asheville, but there’s nothing I can do now. I take a deep breath as he approaches and smile. Merda! He’s so tall, like one of the giant trees. His dark brown hair is wavy, and he’s got a short beard, too—be still my beating heart. No flannel; instead, I’d swear he’s wearing a bespoke button-down and slacks. Maybe it’s not so strange; they’re billionaires, after all. But is he one of them? Or someone who works here.

He stops on the other side of the gate and crosses his arms over his chest. His muscles flex against the fabric, and I think my panties get wet when his gaze meets mine.

My mouth is so dry, and I’m shaking, but I need to say something. Anything. Too bad what comes out of my mouth is stupid…

“Hi. Is this Gallant Mountain?”

five

Aaron

It’s my turn to clean up after our family dinner. Eating together ensures we see each other every day and can catch up on what’s going on, either at work or around the homestead. Asher rarely took part before he found Emma and made her his, but now he’s here all the time.

Every day a different brother cooks dinner. Another cleans up afterward. With four of my five brothers married, they split the work with their wives. It was Asher and Emma’s turn to cook today. The grilled kebabs served over rice, made with venison from Asher’s last hunt and vegetables from our garden, were delicious. I’m not going to lie, having all the women around has definitely improved the quality of our meals, not that any of us are inept—Mom made sure of that.

It’s a good thing Emma put some aside for Andrew and Jaclyn, and I know how much he eats. Anticipating the newlyweds wouldn’t be joining us, she’s packed up a care package ahead of time. Someone will have to drop it off at Andrew’s cabin soon.

Chuckling to myself, I realize I’ll have an easy cleanup tonight since there’s hardly any leftovers to put away, and I add them to a container, then handle the dishes we used at dinner. Emma must have already washed and put away whatever she used in the kitchen while Asher grilled.

After turning on the water in the deep farmhouse sink and giving it a moment to heat, I rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher.

“One more.” Adrian reaches around me to add a glass to the sink.

“Where did that come from? The island’s empty.” I ask as I pick up the next plate.

“My office, sorry. I meant to bring it when I came up for dinner.”

I expect him to leave like everyone else has. Instead, he crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the counter. Still holding one of the wet dishes, I turn to meet his gaze. “Something on your mind?”

He shrugs. “Not really. Just wondering whether you’re heading to your office or home when you’re done.”

I think about it for about ten seconds, but I’ve got too much I want to do before I stop for the night. It makes me wonder why he’s asking, though. “I’ve got a few things to finish up before I take off. Did you need something?”