Page 47 of Where Broken Wings Fly

“Okay, so Rachel and Miranda. Sisters.”

“Yep,” Ryder confirms.

“But they’re both with Doc? Like… with with him?”

“Been married nearly fifteen years. Not legally, of course. But they’ve been together forever as a kind of shared unit. Mia, Henry and Phoebe all belong to them.”

I figured as much, having observed their behaviour over the past week or so. Rachel and Miranda both clearly love Doc with everything they have. Their kids are lovely as well, all offering their clothing and toys to Arianna.

“You look a bit mind blown right now.” Ryder snorts.

“Not at all. It’s just a bit unconventional.”

“Sure, but not around here. We don’t judge. People can live however they want.”

“And it works?”

“So far,” he replies with a wink. “What’s the other question?”

Feeling myself flush pink, I curse my curiosity. Ever since I ran into Zach’s sullen, antisocial twin in the middle of the storm, I’ve been dying to know more about the three gruff men that have captured my attention.

“I met Micah. He seems interesting.”

This time, Ryder howls in amusement.

“That’s not the word most would use.”

“I was trying to be polite,” I retort, biting back laughter. “What's the deal with those three? Are you related to them too?”

“Nah. Just neighbours, though, we’ve been best friends for as long as I can remember. Killian grew up here and the twins were adopted by his folks when they were kids.”

“Where are Killian’s parents?”

His smile falters, grief filtering across his face. “They passed away years ago, hiking Mount Helena. There was a freak accident. Killian was eighteen at the time.”

“Shit. That’s awful.”

“Yeah, it was pretty rough on Killian for a long time. He kinda closed himself off after that, but the twins were still underage and ended up being entrusted to him.”

That explains so much—Killian’s abrasive attitude and obvious sense of mistrust, his clear protective instincts and inability to tolerate other people’s pain. Beneath his barked words and prickly exterior, he’s simply trying to protect the family he has left.

“Listen, I should get going.” Ryder jabs a thumb over his shoulder. “You need anything picked up from town while I’m there?”

“Oh, I don’t think so.”

“Alright. Take it easy, Willow.”

“Be careful on that mountain road.”

“Worried about us?” He chuckles.

I wave his antics off. “Whatever.”

Still laughing to himself, he shoots me a final wink before jogging back over to the truck and climbing inside. The pair disappear, their taillights swallowed by trees. With the new information, I have an idea of all the residents in Briar Valley.

The other cabins are occupied by various families, all with their own colourful stories. Marilyn and her husband, Harold, moved here twenty years ago after going bankrupt and fleeing loan sharks. Lola gave them a chance to rebuild, beyond their credit histories.

Their neighbours, Andrea and Theodore, lost a daughter to terminal illness in the nineties. They moved to town to escape the reminders of their loss and found a new family here, going on to have two more children.

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