Page 28 of Fall for You
Which meant she could snatch a couple of precious hours before kitchen duties called again.
Her smile broadened as she slid a hand over her apron pocket to feel the treasure inside. Would Eric think of her Voldemort playing card as “treasure”? Possibly not. But imagining his reaction when he pulled it out alongside her note had her giggling aloud.
The sound startled some birds from the trees to her left. “Sorry, birds,” she called out.
She laughed when one of the birds let out a loudcaw, seemingly in response.
But her laughter stopped short at the sound of twigs snapping nearby. She slowed her pace. This wasn’t the sound of a small animal scurrying.
She heard it again, but before she could even finish the thought that maybe Antony was right and she should carry bear spray…
She snapped around and had to suppress the sharp huff rising up her throat. “Dallas?”
He lifted a hand with a smile. “Hey, sis.”
She scanned the woods as he approached her, trying to ignore the flush of guilt as she looked to see if anyone else was going to pop out from behind a tree. “What are you doing out here?”
His smile faded a bit, and she bit her lip. Had she sounded too snappy?
But seriously. He was clearly following her. Maybe she had the right to be a little snappy?
“I was wondering the same thing about you.” His low voice was a drawl. Sometimes her oldest brother actually sounded like a cowboy who’d come straight out of one of those old Westerns.
There was a niggle of that guilt again, but she refused to dwell on it. Instead, she planted her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side. “I’m going for a walk. Clearly. You’re the weirdo creeping up on me in the woods.”
He flinched, but he took it in stride. “What? I was bored and wanted to see what my little sis was up to. Is that a crime?”
She shifted from foot to foot as she studied him. Okay, was he lying, or was she paranoid?
It was hard to say.
Guilt was making her overly suspicious lately, and she knew it.
But when he rocked back on his heels and gave her a bright grin, alarm bells went off in the back of her mind all over again.
“So?” He arched his brows. “Where were you headed?”
She instantly slid her hand out of the pocket of her apron, wary that he might discover the Voldemort card. She could only imagine how he’d react if he knew she was traipsing off to leave presents for the enemy.
Her mind raced before she settled on an answer. “The honeymoon suite.”
It was gratifying to see him blink in confusion. He glanced to his left, then his right, clearly doubting her sanity. “Uh…what?”
She pointed farther up the hill, in theoppositedirection of No Man’s Land. “The old hunting shed?”
Some of his confusion cleared.
“Guess you haven’t talked to Bailey about her grand plans for this place.” She turned on her heel and headed toward the shed as if that had actually been her plan all along. “If you had, you’d know her next big goal is to turn that old hunting shed into a honeymoon suite.”
“Huh.”
There was a grudging respect in that one little syllable, and Willow shook her head. Dallas and Bailey were funny. They thought they were so different, but they were really very alike.
If they’d just get over themselves and stop trying to compete for their dad’s respect, they might realize they could be the best of friends.
A few twigs snapped beneath her boots, breaking the silence.
But Willow wouldn’t be the one to try and get them to see that. She, Brandon, and Antony had agreed a long time ago that staying out of the battle zone was the best chance of survival when it came to the twins.
