Page 22 of Consumed By The Forbidden Mountain Man

"He got scared," I say. "Tony's coming this weekend. Reid panicked."

Holly nods. "Your brother's protective, but he's not unreasonable."

"Reid thinks he will be."

"Reid thinks the sky's gonna fall if he lets himself be happy for five consecutive minutes. That man's been punishing himself since his divorce." Holly tears off a piece of her own pastry. "He built Claire a house. She left anyway. So now he thinks everything good has an expiration date."

The cinnamon roll sits untouched. My throat is too tight to eat.

"What do I do?"

"Nothing." Holly smiles. Small, kind. "You've done your part. You showed up, you told him how you feel. Now he's gotta decide if he's brave enough to keep it."

Saturday morning. Tony's truck pulls up at eleven forty-five.

I hear it from my cabin. The rumble of the diesel engine, the crunch of gravel, a truck door slamming. My brother's voice calling out, "Ivy! Get out here!"

My chest seizes. Part joy, because I've missed him. Part dread, because the last four days have been the loneliest stretch of my life in a place where I was supposed to be finding myself.

Tony is on the porch of his cabin when I walk over. Same Tony. Six feet, stocky, dark hair buzzed short, our father's jaw. He scoops me into a hug so tight my feet leave the ground.

"You look good," he says, setting me down. "Mountain air's working."

"Thanks."

He studies my face. Tony's not Reid. He doesn't do quiet observation. He's direct.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"You're lying. You always look left when you lie."

Damn it.

"Tony."

"Ivy. What happened?"

Before I can answer, a door closes through the trees. Boots on a porch. Reid walks into the clearing between our cabins. Clean henley, jeans, hands at his sides. His jaw is set. His eyes find mine for one second, then move to Tony.

"Tony."

"Hey, man." Tony claps Reid's shoulder. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her. She burn anything down?"

"No."

Tony looks between us. Back and forth. His smile fades.

"What's going on."

Nobody speaks. The pines do that thing where they shift without any wind, whispering among themselves. My heart is in my throat.

Reid breaks the silence. "I need to talk to you."

"About what."

"About Ivy."