Chapter 1 – Harper
The GPS dies on the mountain road, and I laugh out loud—real, easy, unexpected. I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.
I lean out the window, not caring, as the road winds through pine and cold air. No directions needed. There’s only one way up, and I’m on it. Copper Ridge, population 2,400. My fresh start. My choice.
At the last hill, I pull over and stare. The town sits in the valley, tucked between ridges like something held in careful hands—main street, diner, church steeple, mountains all around like they were placed there on purpose.
"Okay," I say to absolutely no one. "I love it already."
My landlord is waiting at the rental house when I pull up, and she is immediately my favorite person in Copper Ridge.
Her name is Patty Greer, she's somewhere between sixty and ageless, she has a handshake that could crack walnuts, and she shows up with a loaf of banana bread tucked under one arm like it's a completely normal thing to do.
"You must be Harper." She looks me up and down, not unkindly, just the way mountain women do, like they're taking inventory. "You're younger than I expected."
"Thirty," I say, popping my trunk. "But I have the sleep schedule of someone much older, so it evens out."
She snorts. Hands me the banana bread. Then, without asking, picks up one of my boxes and carries it right through the front door like she owns the place. Which, technically, she does.
I grab two boxes and follow her in, and she gives me the tour in about four minutes flat—two bedrooms, one bath, avocado-green kitchen countertops that should be awful but somehow have real character, and a back window that looks directly out at the mountain ridge.
"Oh, that view," I say, stopping mid-box-set-down.
"Gets better in the morning. Sun hits the ridge around seven-fifteen. You're not a lie-in person, are you?"
"Definitely not." I turn from the window. "This place is perfect, Patty. Truly."
She waves me off like I'm embarrassing her, but I can tell she's pleased. "Ridgeline Clinic's three blocks east. Dr. Meyers runs a tight ship, but she's fair. You'll like her." She pauses in the doorway. "One thing… and I say this to everyone who's new."
"Shoot."
"Iron Havoc Tavern's at the end of Main Street. It's the MC's bar—Iron Havoc, the motorcycle club. They're not trouble if you're not trouble. But it gets rough on weekends. Just so you know what you're walking into if you go."
I nod. "Good to know."
"They're actually the reason this town's as safe as it is," she adds, which is not what I expected her to follow up with. "Long story. Ask me someday." And then she's out the door, calling over her shoulder, "Four houses down if you need anything. Don't be shy."
I like her a lot.
It takes me two hours and four trips from the car to get everything inside, and by the time I'm done, I'm sweaty and my hair has staged a full rebellion. I'm standing in the middle of my living room surrounded by boxes when my neighbor from across the street materializes on my porch, I see him through the screendoor, an older man in overalls with a dog on a leash who looks about as elderly as he does.
I open the door before he even knocks.
"Hi!"
He blinks, like he wasn't fully committed to actually knocking. "Ah. Gene Barlow. That's Biscuit." He nods at the dog, a wheezy beagle with a grey muzzle. "Just wanted to say welcome. We don't get many newcomers."
"Harper Collins." I crouch down immediately and let Biscuit sniff my hand. He wags once, which I consider a full endorsement. "He's wonderful."
"He's thirteen and mostly deaf, but he's got opinions." Gene glances past me at the boxes with the mild concern of someone who knows how much work that represents. "You need help with anything?"
"I think I've got it, but thank you. Truly." I stand back up. "Hey… good place to get coffee in the morning? I need to scout my options before Monday."
"Nell's Diner. Opens at six. Best coffee in the county and she'll remember your order by your third visit." He says it like a solemn fact.
"Nell's. Got it." I grin at him. "Thanks, Gene."
He nods, tugs Biscuit's leash gently, and shuffles back down the porch steps with the easy pace of a man who has absolutely nowhere to be in a hurry. I watch them go and feel that loosening in my chest again, the one that's been happening in small doses all day. Like something wound too tight is finally getting room to breathe.
