Page 87 of Fall for You
Before that, even.
Heat rushed into her cheeks as she belatedly realized that he must have tucked her in. That he’d been the one to take care of her last night.
She stole a glance at his chiseled profile. So hard and unforgiving, and yet…
Had she really ever thought of him as the bad guy?
She turned back to face the window, taking in the dark trail, the dense trees blocking so much of the sunlight. She let her eyes adjust and kept an eye out for animals that might be scurrying about. Although, with the noise this old Jeep was making, they’d probably run into hiding.
As she was jostled side to side on the bumpy trail, she followed a line of trees, admiring the wooden centurions, until her eyes caught on something that looked as though it didn’t fit.
Wait. Was that…?
She straightened, her eyes bulging.
It was!
“Stop!” She slapped a hand on Eric’s arm, making him jump. “Stop the car!”
Chapter Forty
Eric’s heart nearly stopped as he slammed on the brakes. Or maybe it jumped into his throat, turning his voice gruff and croaky. “What’s wrong? What is it?”
But Willow was already scrambling out of the Jeep, tottering into the woods as quickly as her heels would take her. Eric hurried to catch up, keeping an eye out for bears or mountain lions, not to mention the plethora of other animals that could easily take out Tinkerbell while she was scurrying toward…what, he wasn’t sure.
In fact, he was so focused on the whimsical blonde that they were halfway to the old, dilapidated shed before he realized it was there. It seemed to appear from behind a crop of trees, and Eric wasn’t sure how Willow spotted it.
She glanced back over her shoulder. “What is this?”
“I…don’t know.” He frowned at the structure, which looked to be only barely standing, years’ worth of snowfall and wind leaving it half collapsed.
He’d honestly had no idea this was here.
How could that be?
Willow frowned back at him. “How did you not know about this? Don’t you come this way all the time to get to No Man’s Land?”
“I usually run or take my snowmobile in the winter, so I use the walking path. I rarely come this way.” He caught up to her and swung her off her feet. “Your toes are going to freeze,” he said by way of explanation.
And if he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms? Well, she didn’t need to know that right this minute. It was true, though. A thin layer of snow covered the ground and had likely already soaked through her heels.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and it felt so freakin’ natural, so right…
“Let me down!” She hopped out of his arms the moment they were close enough to touch the shed.
This close, the sight of the rotted wood and teetering beams made him wince. “This thing is a hazard. I can only imagine the lawsuit if some kids found their way up here and got hurt. Thank God this area is out-of-bounds. Although, I’m gonna have to get Jerry to come out here and…” He realized too late that he was talking to himself. Willow had disappeared. “Willow?”
“Here!” Her voice was muffled, and he rounded the shed’s corner just in time to see her bottom half disappearing through a gap where a window used to be.
“Willow! Are you crazy?” He tried to go after her, but the space was way too small. One had to be the size of, well…Tinkerbellto fit through. “Get out of there. It’s dangerous.”
But if she heard him, he couldn’t say. He was met with nothing but the disconcerting groan of a building begging to be demolished. He could hear its old bones creaking like it was getting ready to breathe its last breath and slump to the ground.
Eric circled the shed, mystified by this forgotten structure tucked away in the woods. It looked like a hunting hut…maybe?
How had he never noticed it before?
More importantly, how had his family’s property management team missed this obvious liability? He was already drafting an email tirade in his mind. Just wait until he got back to his laptop.
