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“Losers.” Dakota turned around to see his other best friend, Noah Williams, had walked in. “Oh, am I in time for the hand-holding segment of the day?” He jogged over and slammed into the front desk, reaching his hand out to grab theirs.
“You are so ridiculous,” Krista said, jamming her hands into her pockets and stepping back from the desk.
“But you love me,” Noah said. “Admit it. You do.”
“I admit nothing except that you, Noah Williams, are a moron.” Krista stuck her tongue out at him then sauntered back to her seat.
“Why do I continue to let her wound me so, Dakota? The woman is a shrew.”
“I can hear you.” Krista gave Noah a middle finger, but Dakota noted how her mouth turned up in a slight smile. She may not be ready to move on yet, but she wasn’t completely immune to Noah’s flirting.
“Do you want something?” Dakota asked. “Or did you just come in here to make Krista’s day?”
A loudhasounded from Krista, but she’d turned her attention to her laptop, no doubt printing up his schedule for tomorrow. She was efficient as hell, and Dakota loved her for it. His business was a success because she knew how to keep it all organized.
“Mostly to make Krista’s day,” Noah said, “but also to ask you if you want to take my cousins and me rock climbing. They’re in town for my grandmother’s birthday bash, but they want to get in a little extreme fun while they’re here. No one does extreme fun quite like you, my man.”
“Sure.” Dakota had met Noah’s cousins before and they were a hoot. Maybe that was exactly what he needed. Some solid guy time. Just climbing rocks and shooting the shit. Then he could devise a better strategy to hunt and capture Leah. “When do you want to go?”
They ironed out the details, busted Krista’s chops a bit more, then Dakota’s ATVing group arrived and he was off, tearing through the mud while the sun made its descent into the mountains.
****
With a full week down at the new school, Leah had fallen into an easy rhythm. Arrive at school early to get some work done before the students showed up. Teach all day and have a blast with her students. Finish up the work day with some chatting with Heidi then head home to plan for the next day and grade student work over dinners such as grilled cheese, a big salad, or breakfast food. No sense in cooking a grandiose meal for one. She used to love to cook, but what was the point now? She ate to live, not lived to eat.
Having finished tonight’s dinner of a pizza bagel, she hoisted the pile of student essays into her arms and headed for the couch with her purple correcting pen. As she passed the sliding glass doors by the small dining room, she caught sight of more autumn colors painted on the leaves. When she’d left work, the temperature had been mild, yet a slight crispness infused the air, making her feel… alive.
Without thinking too much, she slid the essays into her school bag, put together a thermos of green tea, slid on her comfy shoes with a black-eyed-Susan pattern, and left the cottage to walk the half mile to Brenton Lake Park. She claimed an empty bench under a big maple tree and spent a few minutes enjoying the view. The reds, oranges, and yellows around the lake’s edge were more vibrant and plentiful. They reminded Leah of the New York autumn colors in Central Park where she’d liked to do exactly this—sit on a bench, correct papers, and enjoy being outdoors.
Of course, the nature in Vermont was much better than what she’d experienced in New York City. Everywhere she turned a breathtaking view greeted her. A beautiful, serene lake. Mountains rising up from the shores. Birch, pine, and maple trees standing tall and proud. Fields of wildflowers, although many dying now, promised to be gorgeous next summer. Wide open fields, neatly mowed or covered in cows lazily munching.
Yeah, she’d done the right thing in answering that job posting for a fourth grade teacher in Maplehaven. Her New York colleagues and friends had thought she was joking when she announced she’d be moving to Vermont, but this might be a place to heal. And even if it wasn’t, at least the scenery was magnificent, and she’d always found comfort in the outdoors.
She settled in to correct the essays and enjoy the autumn evening. The assignment had been to write about your hero and the top paper was Luke Davidson’s. In bold, block lettering, the boy had writtenADVENTURES WITH A HERO. The first paragraph read:I’m going to tell you about a hero. Not a superhero who wears a funky suit or has a special power or fights bad guys. A hero that takes people on adventures instead. A hero that I want to be just like when I grow up.
Leah’s throat grew tight and her eyes stung as she went on to read the rest of the essay. Luke provided example after example of things Dakota Brenton had done for him, his mom, Birch Peak Adventures customers, and the town in general. The entire piece read like a testimonial to how amazing Dakota was, and Leah had a feeling every word was true. She’d done her best not to think about Dakota over the past week, but if she were being honest, she hadn’t succeeded. The man had made an impression—much like he’d made on Luke apparently—and she couldn’t totally scrub him from her mind.
“I thought you stayed indoors.”
Leah’s head snapped up to find the subject of Luke’s essay astride a bicycle in front of her, Ginger panting by his side. Man, did he always look like a male model? His legs somehow appeared longer in a pair of gray swishy workout pants, and another long-sleeved T-shirt showcased a fabulous torso and chest. He leaned forward with his hands still on the handlebars and all the muscles in his arms screamed out how fit he was. He wore a baseball hat with his Birch Peak Adventures logo on it, and though everything about his attire said causal, an intensity swirled about him. As if raw energy was barely contained beneath his flesh.
That energy called out to Leah.
“Leah?”
Ah, shit.She’d been staring, hadn’t she? All that perusing of him had kept her from giving him a response. “Yeah, I do stay indoors,” she said slowly, “except when I’m outdoors.”
His chuckle stirred up something inside her, something that definitely should not be stirring.
“Maybe Vermont is working her magic on you. Changing you,” he said.
If only…
“Do you always ride your bike over here?” she asked.
He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment and the movement mesmerized Leah. “If I say yes, does that mean I’ll never find you on this bench again?”
Ouch.So he understood she was actively trying to avoid running into him. Not good. She didn’t want to get involved with him, but she didn’t want to come off as some rude city girl either.
