Page 19 of Wild Claim

She looked down at the woodpile, then smiled back up at me. “Guess we’re going down then.”

With a careful descent down the ladder, we made our way towards the chopping block. I hefted the axe, its weight comforting in my grip. The rhythmic thud of metal splitting wood filled the air, each strike grounding me in the moment.

“Your turn.” I offered Mina the axe. She took it, her fingers brushed against mine.

“It’s heavier than I expected,” she said, struggling to lift it.

I moved behind her, adjusting her grip. “Wider stance,” I murmured, beside her ear. “It’ll help balance the weight. Now, just like with the hammer, you want a firm grip. This time, you’re using your whole body, not just your arms.”

Mina nodded. She swung, the axe glancing off the log with a dullthunk.

“Almost,” I said, unable to keep a hint of amusement from my voice. “Try it again.”

I caught myself watching Mina more than I should’ve. There was something about her pluck that pulled me in. She kept at it, swinging the axe with all she had, even as her face scrunched upin frustration. Each miss seemed to fuel her next swing. I had to admit; it was hard to look away.

“Darn it,” Mina said, crouching down. “At this rate, I’ll have one log at the end of winter.”

“Keep at it. You’re getting closer.”

She shot me a look, half-irritated, half-amused. “Liar. I’m making a fool of myself.”

“Maybe,” I shrugged. “But you’re a persistent one.”

That got a laugh out of her. She hefted the axe again. The sun dipped below the treeline when Mina finally split a log cleanly in two. “Did you see that?” she grinned.

“Good job.”

Mina beamed up at me, her happiness infectious. For a moment, I forgot to keep my guard up, forgot about the curse that hung over me. In that fleeting instant, I was nothing more than a man, standing with a woman who made me feel...

The thought jolted me back to reality. No. I couldn’t afford to feelanything. Not with what I was.

“We should head in,” I said, the words coming out sharper than I intended. Mina flinched, and I instantly hated myself. “It’s getting dark outside.”

She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. We gathered the tools and walked back to the farmhouse in silence. Just as we reached the porch, Mina’s hand on my arm stopped me.

“So, where did you learn how to fix all this stuff?”

“Had no choice. Either I learned to repair things or spend long nights cold.”

“Thanks for helping today,” she said after a beat, her voice quieter now.

“It’s work. Fixing things... it gave me purpose, you know? The roof caved in every winter at the cabin I stayed in. I’d spend days patching it up. It was peaceful. Just me and the work.”

“What changed?”

“Life. Things change.”

Her hand hovered near mine, not quite touching. “Not everything has to.”

I looked down, meeting her gaze. The warmth in her eyes threatened to melt the ice I’d carefully built around my heart. Briefly, I allowed myself to imagine a different life. A time where I could be the man she seemed to see beneath my gruff exterior. But I was cursed, dangerous. Mina deserved more than the broken man I’d become.

“This ain’t no fairy tale, sweetheart,” I growled, but there was less bite to it than I intended.

Mina stepped in front of me. “Maybe not, but I understand you a little more. The way you keep everything at arm’s length, including myself.” She reached out, her fingertips barely grazing my beard. “You don’t have to face this alone.”

The softness of her touch sent a lightning bolt through me, nearly undid the last thread of control I had. I wanted to crush her against me, to breathe her in, to consume her whole. I grabbed her wrist, my grip firm but not painful.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for. I’m not some project you can fix up like this farmhouse.”

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