Page 19 of The Maverick of the Mountain
I head back to the table.
“Tough to say. Been at it a while. My grandpa taught me most of what I know. I was always helping him with little projects.Watching when I couldn’t.” I sit down at the table, Corinne’s eyes on me. “Went into construction for a while, but then I guess it has been a decade or so since I’ve gone out on my own. Building furniture mostly, but I take on other projects if I’m interested.” I take a bite of the stew. Not bad. “Or if the pay is right.”
Corinne smiles. “I bet your grandpa’s proud.”
“I’m sure he is.” I take another bite.
“Oh,” Corinne says, her face paling. “I’m sorry.”
I smile. “Oh, don’t be. That man lived an amazing life. A long life too. So much so that I decided to take the leap after he passed. I’d been working myself into the ground doing construction work for other people. I wanted the freedom and life he had.” I glance around. “He built this cabin with his bare hands. Lived here on this land for longer than I’ve been alive.”
“Wow. I’m so used to moving around. I don’t know what it’s like to stay in one place for more than a few years.”
I tear off a piece of bread, dipping it into my stew. “I can’t tell you what is better or worse, but I love this land. This cabin. The mountains. Every difficulty and pleasure that comes with them, including the storms.”
“I could do without the storms, but the rest seems nice.”
It is, but I’d give it all up if it meant being with you.
“Storms aren’t so bad, so long as you prepare. And they always end eventually.”
“This one seems to keep going.”
She’s not wrong. It’s been thundering for a while now. The winds are getting wilder. But I know this cabin. There’s nowhere safer. And there’s no one else I’d rather ride out this storm with than Corinne, although if Hank could hear my thoughts, he’d have some opinions.
“It’ll be over by the time you wake up tomorrow. And we’ll have a cool day on the mountain.”
“That sounds lovely.”
She finally takes a bite of her stew, and I can’t help but smile as her eyes light up.
“This is amazing.”
“Glad you like it.”
You can have all you like if you stay. More. Anything. There’s not a damn thing I wouldn’t give you or give up to have you here with me. But rather than say any of that, I take another bite of bread and stew.
We eat in companionable silence for a few minutes, nothing but the sounds of the storm, Corinne’s satisfaction, and Hank clanking his empty bowl, making his demands for more, fill the cabin. Can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this comfortable.
But then a loud crack of thunder shakes the cabin, and Corinne jumps in her seat.
“We’re getting through the worst of it. It’ll be over soon.”
I try to comfort her, but she’s still nervous.
Another crack. Another leap. And I think back to one of the first storms I experienced in this cabin. My grandpa suggested we play a game. Chess, that time. The only game he had. I had no idea how to play, but he let me beat him. And then we moved on to a puzzle. He set it up for me and my brother, and after a while, I forgot all about the storm. All about… Well, that’s the past now.
“Ever play Scrabble?”
Corinne stares at me, a little confused.
“I… I think I played it a few times as a kid. Why?”
“Well, my grandpa used to pull out board games for us to play when a storm got really intense. It would help keep our minds off it. So, care to play?”
“I’m sure I’m going to be awful.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m terrible at Scrabble, too. Hank always finds a way to beat me.”
