Page 31 of Challenged By the Mountain Man

Griffin doesn't talk, just leads the way with Bear trotting ahead, occasionally circling back to check on us. The path is narrow and uneven, roots and rocks making the footing tricky, but Griffin moves with the kind of confidence that comes from having walked this route a thousand times.

I focus on my breathing. On the sound of my boots crunching against the pine needles and dirt. On the way the sunlight filters through the trees in golden shafts that make everything look softer than it is.

I'm not thinking about the gun.

I'm not replaying the robbery.

I'm just... here.

"Why did you choose this place?" I ask after a while, breaking the silence.

Griffin glances back at me. "What?"

"This town. This mountain. Why here?"

He's quiet for a moment, and I think he's not going to answer. Then he says, "Because it's far enough away from everything that I can breathe. Because the quiet up here is the kind of quiet that doesn't feel empty. And because nobody asks questions I don't want to answer."

"Except me."

"Except you."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I wouldn't answer if I didn't want to."

We walk a little further, and I ask, "Do you have family? Anywhere?"

"No. Parents died while I was deployed. No siblings. Just me and Bear."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago."

"That doesn't make it better."

He stops walking and turns to look at me, and there's something almost amused in his expression. "Are you stealing my lines?"

"Maybe you should come up with new ones."

He smirks. "Come on. We're close."

We round a bend in the trail, and suddenly the trees open up into a clearing. And there, cascading down a rocky cliff face, is the prettiest waterfall I've ever seen.

It's not huge, maybe twenty feet tall, but it's perfect. The water tumbles over moss-covered rocks in a constant, soothing rush, pooling at the bottom in a clear basin before continuing downstream. Sunlight catches the spray, creating tiny rainbows in the mist. The sound of it drowns out everything else. No birdsong, no wind, just water, stone and the kind of white noise that fills up all the empty spaces in your head.

I stare at it, unable to form words.

Griffin walks to the edge of the pool and sits on a large flat rock, Bear settling beside him. He looks back at me, waiting.

"This is..." I start, then stop. "This is beautiful."

"Yeah."

"You come here a lot?"

"When I need to clear my head."

I walk over and sit beside him. The rock is cold through my jeans, but I don't care. I'm too busy staring at the waterfall, at the way the light moves through the spray, at the absolute peace of this place.