Page 64 of Bad Seed

Brendan heard the delight in her voice.

Another mile up and her voice was in his ear. “How far up does this road go?” she asked.

“All the way to heaven,” he said.

A lump rose in Harley’s throat. And here she thought she’d have to die to get there.

Another fifteen minutes and she realized the slope was leveling off, and they were actually riding on level ground. He began slowing down, then turned north off the blacktop, rolled down a gravel road, and came to a stop.

There was an old wooden sign at the edge of the parking lot. CHURCH IN THE WILDWOOD. The church looked like something out of a children’s fairy tale. A pointed roof with a bell tower, a portico over the front door. Windows ran along the sides of the long, white single-story building, and massive trees stood all around the area, waiting to grow back their leaves as the weather warmed and provide welcome shade in the months to come.

Brendan dismounted, then helped her off and put their helmets in the seats.

She combed her fingers through her hair to shake out the curls, and then did a slow three-sixty-degree turn, taking in the sights.

“How’s your headache?” he asked.

“You’re just what the doctor ordered. It’s gone. It’s beautiful up here, and so peaceful,” she said, then pointed to a little house farther back. “Who lives there?”

“Brother Farley, the preacher. He’s old as the hills now, but that’s his home, and he still manages to preach a Sunday sermon.”

“Will he care if we’re here?” she asked.

“No. The mountain and the church belong to all of us.”

“Do tourists come here?” she asked.

“The mountain is off-limits to sightseers. We don’t bring people up.”

She turned and looked at him. “Then why am I here?”

“You’re not just people.”

Her heart skipped. “What am I then?”

“Maybe more than you should be, but nothing I can deny.”

She saw want in his eyes, but she knew he wouldn’t take what wasn’t given, and she honored that in him.

“We’re sure from two different worlds...”

“Depends where you’re standing,” he said. “Right now, we’re in the same place, trying to figure out your next move. I know what I want, but I don’t know yourheart’s desires. I only know you steal ketchup and love sweets. I know you’re smarter than most, and you trigger every protective instinct I have, and I brought food. Are you hungry enough to sit in that little patch of sunshine on the front steps and eat with me? I brought chicken-salad sandwiches and apple hand pies.”

“Lord. Here I was, fast-talking myself into whatever you were going to suggest next, but I did not expect it to be chicken-salad sandwiches and… What are hand pies?”

Brendan smiled as he opened the back compartment of the Harley, pulled out a blanket and a couple of paper bags, then handed her two bottles of water.

“Your table is ready, miss. Follow me.”

It was those two last words that ended her indecision. She’d follow him to the ends of the earth just to see what came next.

He had the blanket folded like a long cushion and placed on the top step of the portico.

“Nothing like cold concrete on your backside to ruin a good meal,” he said, and as soon as she was settled, he plopped down beside her and used the bottom three steps for a footrest to accommodate his long legs.

He handed her a sealed sandwich bag with her sandwich, opened a large bag of chips and put it between them, and then unscrewed the lids on the water.

“Haute cuisine, mountain-style,” he said, and lifted his bottle. “To you, Sunshine.”

---