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The sun crawled above the peaks of the Smoky Mountains, its warm beams a welcome sight as Mia Tulley picked her way through the too-high grass. Dew still clung to the vibrant green blades, the moisture wicking against the thin material of her black leggings. But she didn’t mind. Rain had poured down on Pine Valley, Tennessee for the past five days. But today’s promise of clear skies had her yearning to stretch her legs along the wooded paths and inhale the fresh, springtime air.
Had her yearning to be far away from the duplex she rented, not realizing she’d share a wall with the brooding pain in her backside she was forced to work with at Crossroads Mountain Retreat—a rehabilitation center tucked away in the mountains for injured law enforcement officers and veterans.
Chet Black was unlike any man she’d ever met and thank God for that. If his size wasn’t intimidating enough, add in the surly attitude and constant frown buried beneath his thick beard, and he was downright terrifying. But she wouldn’t let him scare her off. Not when she desperately needed a new beginning away from the prying eyes of her hometown in the next county over.
No, Pine Valley offered her everything she needed to heal—to grow from the shocking betrayal that had cut her at her knees, leaving her with nothing. And if she had to make nice with the chef at the retreat while she climbed back up on her own two feet, so be it. She hadn’t moved here to make friends. She moved here to lick her wounds and come out of her living nightmare a better person.
If she could do that by enjoying the amazing view of the mountains from the tiny porch of her new apartment, even better. She’d just continue to ignore the man who lived—and worked—beside her. Letting another man get her down wouldn’t happen again in this lifetime. Chet Black would just have to put up with her until it was time to move on to bigger and better things.
The sound of squeaking hinges echoed around her. Feeling the heat of Chet’s gaze on her back, she rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of turning with a good morning wave, not like he’d appreciate the gesture anyway. If she had it her way, she’d gladly give him a different gesture with her right hand, but that wouldn’t be nice. And damnit it all to hell, the stupid manners her mama had ingrained in her since birth weren’t something she could just forget.
Even though being too nice—and a little bit naïve—was what had landed her in her current predicament.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed all thoughts of her crumbling life and ungrateful ex and jerk neighbor from her mind and hopped over a fallen log to get on a trail that led through the woods. She’d arrived in Pine Valley in the winter, so she hadn’t explored many paths that surrounded the cute cabin-turned-duplex she’d found tucked deep within the forest. Then came the rain. So much rain.
But now the sun was out, and she was on a mission to discover her new home. Mud caked onto the bottom of her boots, making her steps more difficult than normal. A backpack sat heavy on her shoulders. She didn’t plan to be gone long but being prepared was another one of those lessons ingrained in her. Better to not be caught unaware and all that.
A lesson that struck a little close to home of late—one she’d failed to remember.
Mia might have let love blind her and leave her unprepared for her new future, but that wouldn’t be the case for today’s hike. A quick half-mile walk to a picture-perfect spot to watch the sun finish its climb above the mountains before heading to the retreat to start her day’s work. Hopefully she’d find enough zen in her time with nature to keep her level headed for a day stuck in the kitchen with Chet.
The wide trail narrowed, and the incline steepened. A deep ravine stretched along the valley floor to her side. Dead foliage rustled at her feet. Mia grunted as she watched her footing on the slick terrain. Sweat dotted her hairline, and she wiped it off with the back of her wrist, pushing aside her pesky black curls that refused to stay secured in her stubby ponytail. A fascinating mixture of majestic maples and towering oaks surrounded her, their budding leaves exploding above her like fireworks, only allowing glimpses of the clear blue sky along the edges of the green shapes.
Shafts of light beckoned her forward, and she quickened her pace up the hill. Her calve muscles screamed in protest. The mud on her boots hardened, making the moist path more difficult to navigate. Her feet slid out from under her, and a squeak of panic echoed off the thick tree trunks. Her arm shot out, and she latched onto a nearby branch to steady herself.
The thin twig snapped free and threw off her precarious balance. Her body shifted to the side, her momentum toppling her to the ground. She landed with a hard thud on a slick pile of leaves and slid down the ravine. She clawed at the grass and stones tumbling down the hill alongside her. Water seeped through the material of her pants. She dug her heels into the ground, her forward trajectory coming to a grinding halt.
She lifted dirt-covered hands and grimaced. Well darn. So much for a quick walk then off to work. She’d definitely have to shower and change before going anywhere. Tiny pricks of pain on the backs of her thighs made her cringe. Standing, she swiped her dirty palms against her pants and hoisted the still intact pack on her shoulders. She turned to head up the hill to get back on the trail toward home and something poking out from the newly upturned ground caught her eye.
Something long and thin, the color of tanned skin.
A lump of fear lodged in her throat, but she tiptoed toward the long stretch of shallow tunnel her heels had dug in the earth. She peered down and gasped. A finger pointed upward, reaching toward the sky like Michelangelo’s painting. Covering her mouth with her hands, she backpedaled before tripping over an exposed root and landing on her back side.
With eyes latched onto the exposed hand, she screamed.
* * *
Chet Black leanedagainst the back of the red rocking chair on the porch he was now forced to share with that damn woman. The woman who’d barged intohiskitchen, buzzing around like an annoying gnat. Always in the way. Always around.
He could pop Bobby’s scrawny neck like a pimple for renting the other half of the duplex to Mia without first asking him. Solitude was what Chet sought more than anything—the only reason he’d chosen to rent the small apartment from the local handyman. A tucked away cabin Bobby had converted into two apartments, renting the property to aid his retirement.
Now Chet was never alone. The thin wall that separated him from Mia didn’t do much to mute the constant noise that surrounded her like a cloud of dust that kid from the Peanuts cartoon was always consumed under. Banging around, doing God knew what, disturbing his peace and grating against his nerves.
Not like he was ever really at peace. Not since his wife and daughter had been brutally ripped away from him—right in front of his eyes.
The thick skin ringing his wrists burned, as though his flesh would melt against his bones. The steaming cup of coffee in his hand hindered him from rubbing the old wounds—the constant reminders of a past he’d never unsee. Never forget. The images of his family in their last moments on earth forever burned into his brain just like the sick symbol singed into his forearm.
Grinding his teeth, he focused on evening his breathing with his gaze set on the rising sun. He let the blinding glare of the bright rays sting his retinas. He focused on the pain. On the harsh sensation that brought tears to his eyes—tears that for once, weren’t a reaction to living without the two people he loved most. His heart outside his body that had been broken and battered then buried in graves he refused to visit. Because Laurie and Riley weren’t in the cold ground. Hell, they weren’t anywhere. He was all by himself, left to move on when taking one damn breath was sometimes the hardest thing he ever had to do.
Well, at least hewasalone. Until Mia Tulley burst into his kitchen at Crossroads Mountain Retreat and turned his already messed-up life upside down. He still hadn’t forgiven Brooke—his boss and owner of the retreat—for insisting he needed an assistant. He’d gotten along just fine without help. He didn’t need some pixie of a woman with the raven black curls and annoyingly positive attitude stepping on his toes.
He definitely didn’t need her invading his thoughts at night when he curled under the comforter he’d shared with his wife.
Taking a sip of bitter, black coffee, he snuck a peek at his watch. Almost time to leave for work. Fatigue made climbing to his feet harder than it should be. He stretched a hand above his head then turned for the door.
A high-pitched scream erupted through the trees and squeezed his chest. Setting his coffee down on the thick wooden railing surrounding the porch, he jogged down the stairs and followed the deep impressions Mia’s boots had left in the mud. He quickened his pace then swore under his breath when he realized the path Mia had taken for her morning hike.
