Page 20 of One Merciful Moment

"What does this have to do with Ashley?" he asked.

"The veil responds to emotion. Strong emotion. It always has. It reacts to fear, to panic, to grief. But love..." Copper inhaled deeply. "Love destabilizes it in a different way."

Boone ran his hands through his hair. He found Ashley beautiful. Being near her drove him wild. But love?

"The veil isn't punishing you. It's reacting. It's shifting. It's learning. And your emotions are part of that change." Copper clamped a hand on Boone's shoulder. "This isn't your fault. But whatever you feel for Ashley? It's strong enough that Everstill noticed."

Boone's chest tightened. His pulse pounded.

He wanted to get Ashley away from here.

Chapter 12

Ashley

––––––––

Ashley's skin prickled. She lifted her head from the row of seedlings, looked around the garden, and found Boone watching her from the edge of the field.

For the last two days, he'd stayed within sight while she worked, getting up before her to finish his job at the courthouse, then returning to hover nearby.

He claimed he wanted to make sure she was safe. Yet it felt gentler than that. Protective. Watchful. Reliable.

She knelt beside the rows of seedlings, checking the soil's moisture, brushing her fingers over the new leaves. Every few feet, she glanced up and found Boone scanning the tree line, as if danger might slip out of the woods at any moment.

Normally, Boone would've been halfway across town, mowing the courthouse lawn or fixing something that needed fixing. He kept busy because busy meant predictable and safe.

She waved him over. When he drew nearer, she said, "You don't have to stay here, you know."

"I know." He stayed.

She smiled softly and returned to her work, but she sensed tension rolling off him. He'd been fine that morning when he kissed her before leaving the house. Something must've happened.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

His gaze met hers, and a rawness flickered there. "You're choosing this. Everstill. The garden."

Her breath caught. "I'm not choosing it over you."

"Feels like you are."

She stood and approached him, touching his arm. "Being with you this week doesn't change what I can do here. But it changed how I feel about you."

Boone's mouth thinned into a straight line. She squeezed his forearm. Copper had explained that the veil responded to love. Ashley could feel the truth of that now. Boone's emotions were rising like a tide he couldn't control.

He'd changed since she arrived.

Things that used to never bother him now frustrated him. He was able to show emotion. He questioned what was happening. And while she couldn't imagine a time when he was numb to everything around him, he had explained that he'd lived that way for a long time.

Somehow, Boone regaining his emotions affected Everstill. She still didn't understand how it worked or how she'd been brought here. She never planned to develop feelings for Boone or help the community garden.

Boone gathered her hand in his. "Come with me."

"I need to work."

"It'll only take a second," he said.

He led her to the tree line, away from the garden, away from the men beginning to gather near the store. Boone kept going until the trees blocked them from view, the world falling into a hush of pine needles and filtered light.