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“Never lived outside this forest.”
She eyes him closer. “Huh. That is not the usual story. Not unless you grew up about ten miles from here.”
Where there were several settlements… including Rockton.
“Could be,” he says. “But if you have seen me, then I am certain you have not seen me doing anything that raised alarm bells.”
“No, that I’d remember. So you’re a proper sourdough.” She turns to me. “And you? What’s your connection to this fellow?”
“I’m his wife. I’m from Ontario originally.”
“Thought so. I recognize the accent.”
“What accent?”
That makes her smile. “Exactly. I recognize the lack of one, to my ears, which means you and I are both eastern transplants. So you’re both part of this new settlement?”
“It’s ours.”
Her brows rise. “Yours?”
“We run it,” I say.
“Oh-ho-ho.” She leans back. “Now I know what’s going on out there. A fellow who grew up nearby, building a secret town that won’t bother me at all.” She shakes her head. “All right then. Let’s leave it at that. I still don’t want you here, but I can see that I’m not going to have a choice, so later we will negotiate our terms of cohabitation in these woods. For now, I’m going to rub my magic ball and predict that you are here to ask about the fellow in the gorge. I hope he’s recovering?”
“He died this morning.”
She blinks, her expression sobering. “I’m sorry to hear that. I couldn’t judge the extent of his injuries. I’m no doctor.”
“Well, we have one, and there was internal damage.”
“Which is why I do not want you in my forest. Your town isn’t even finished, and people are already poking about and getting themselves killed.”
“It didn’t happen in town,” I say. “It was a member of the construction crew. Can you tell us how you found him?”
“Nero did. The man had fallen into a gorge. We managed to get him out. I knew he had to be one of yours, so I patched him up for the journey and took him closer. I heard you in the forest and left him there for you to find.”
“Can you tell us where you found him?”
“I can, and I will.”
“Did you see anyone else? A woman perhaps?”
“Please don’t tell me you’re missing more than one.”
“Yes.”
“I have not seen any women in this forest. Not in a very long time.”
“There seems to be a miner’s camp about three miles from here,” Dalton says. “Have you seen it?”
“I have, despite the valiant attempt at camouflage.” Her lips twitch. “That is a man. One man. I decided to skip introductions. A woman living alone can’t be too careful out here.”
“Can’t be too careful anywhere,” I murmur.
“True enough. At least in the city, I would be slightly less afraid that he’d kidnap me for his wilderness bride.Slightly.”
“Did he seem unstable?”
