A horn honked in the distance.
She looked out and saw a big black 4WD truck slide to a stop on the other side of the bridge.
Stepping back from the window, she put her hand to her pounding heart. It wasn’t Tucker’s truck.
They made themself announced by blowing the horn. Better than being snuck up on. It’s probably fine. But what if…
She spun around, looking for something to use as a weapon. That flimsy fishing pole wasn’t going to scare anyone. She stepped into the kitchen and grabbed the cast-iron skillet. The darn thing was so heavy she couldn’t lift it with just her one hand. Swinging it wouldn’t be easy.
The shopping bag on the coffee table caught her attention. She lunged for it and dug for the air horn. Hopefully, if it could scare a bear, it would scare a man.
Should’ve gotten the pepper spray too.
Why didn’t I make a plan for this when I was clear-headed?Right now, her thoughts were running as wild as a kitten in a rainstorm.
“Hello?” The deep voice was followed by heavy footsteps in front of the cabin.
Her heart pounded as she scanned the house for her phone in a panic. She inhaled sharply when she realized it was still on the front porch, and the front door was wide open. All that stood between her and the deep-voiced stranger was a screen.
She backed up to the sink, unsure of what to do. She took a steadying breath, praying it would be okay. “Hello, can I help you?” She didn’t move, waiting to see if he responded.
“Hello! Ma’am? I’m a friend of Orene’s. You met my brother Jesse too, I believe.”
The rush of breath she’d been holding expelled in a whoosh. “Coming.” She felt like an idiot for overreacting.
“I’m sorry to just drop in on you like this, but when I heard we had a new neighbor in town, I wanted to say hello and let you know we’re just on the other side of the mountain.”
“Oh, okay. I’m Natalie. Nice to meet you.”
“Will you be a year-round resident?”
“That’s the plan. It’s so lovely here.” She stepped out onto the front porch. He was dressed in khakis and a long-sleeved Carhartt T-shirt in a rust color that saluted the season. An older gentleman, his curly graying hair looked more like a Halloween costume in the way it hung wild but was missing on the top and back from what she could see. His skin was weathered and dark, but his smile was white and genuine.
“It’s a good town. I’ve lived here all my life. If you need some help or have any questions, I wanted to give you mynumber. I live and work over on the other side of this mountain. We’re neighbors in a hikeable way.”
“I’m not much of a hiker.”
He let out a jolly laugh. “That’s okay, miss. I wouldn’t make you hike that mountain for a cup of sugar. Wanted to give you my phone number. If you need a cup of sugar? Or a chain saw? Or whatever, you just call me. I can be here in just a few minutes. You hear?”
“That’s very kind. You don’t even know me.” She shrugged, trying to cover up her embarrassment for letting those last words come out.
“I know you’re my neighbor, and I can tell you there’s one thing about this place. People take care of our own. You’re gonna be one of us now. We’re here for you.”
“That’s very generous. Thank you.” She extended her hand, and he gave it a firm shake, then handed her a slip of paper with his number.
“I’m Joseph P. Forrester. People ’round here just call me Joe.”
She took his number. “I’ll hang on to this, Joe. Thank you.”
“That’s all I wanted. I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.” He turned to leave. “Natalie, you should stop by the fire station tomorrow. It’s black-pot chicken day. Just five dollars will get you the best chicken, beans, slaw, and dessert you ever had.”
“Are you a fireman too?”
“Nope. Just a cook. I cook, and they serve it up. It all works out.”
“I like the sound of that.”
He jumped into a boxing stance, fingers pointing to her.“Careful now. We’ll have you helping collect money at the next one.”
