‘Why did he hit his brother?’ Her mouth was dry. Part of her wanted to know more, to learn about the person Adam was, but the information she was getting made her want to shiver.
Drake shrugged. ‘They said it was a reaction to what happened in Colombia, that’s why the LAPD was so lenient with him. But I heard the arguments between him and Everett, and there was no excuse for the way he treated his brother.’
Kitty took another mouthful of wine, still trying without success to equate the Adam he was describing to the man she’d spent time with that afternoon. Nothing about him seemed as dangerous as Drake was suggesting.
‘Life does strange things to people,’ she said.
‘Well it definitely messed him up. If you need company when you go down there, I’d be happy to help. To give you some protection from him, I mean.’
Kitty spluttered, spraying red wine across the surface of the workshop. After the conversation she’d had with Adam that afternoon, the only sort of protection she needed definitely didn’t come in the form of a valley boy.
Though she hated to admit it, Drake’s description of Adam had only heightened her interest in the dark, possibly violent, yet gorgeous man who lived in a cabin in the woods. One thing was for sure, when she went down tomorrow, there was no way she was taking Drake with her.
Even if she had to sneak out of the house without anybody noticing.
18
My love is as a fever, longing still
– Sonnet 147
Kitty watched the early morning sunshine creeping across her carpet. It was only six o’clock when she stumbled out of bed, her messy hair framing her face like an off-centre helmet. She stood under the lukewarm shower for a long ten minutes; her eyes squeezed shut as water poured down her face.
The house still hadn’t stirred when she walked into the kitchen. The usual aroma of coffee was absent, so she poured heaped scoops of ground beans into the filter, filling up the reservoir and turning it on. Flicking the switch on the old radio that Annie kept plugged in near the stove, she curled up into the easy chair, cupping her hands around her warm mug.
Taking a sip of coffee, she wondered when she should head down to the cabin. Adam had been insistent she come, but hadn’t said a time. Was it too early? she wondered. Would he still be out on that morning run? Even worse, would she wake him up, making him answer the door with his hair still mussed and his eyes all heavy?
Or what if he’d changed his mind altogether and asked her to turn around and go back to the house?
One thing was for sure; she’d drive herself crazy if she sat here too much longer.
Grabbing a large Tupperware box, she filled it with vegan dog food, trying not to wrinkle her nose as the thick, dried granules landed in the transparent plastic tub. It had a smell she couldn’t quite place – leafy, earthy, and more than a little pungent – and it was hard to imagine anybody could find that appetising.
Even a puppy. The poor thing.
Wrapped warmly in her thick winter coat and scarf, she followed her usual path through the trees. She’d learned the way by heart – turning left at the half-dead pine, then right at the three fallen logs – her legs following the path without her really having to think about it. The same route Jonas had taken her on their first few days here, when the snow was new and sparkling, and she hadn’t realised what lay on the other side of those trees.
Or who lay there.
Coming to the clearing at the top of the hill, she stopped for a moment, staring into the valley below. The lake was still, the winter sun reflecting in its mirror-like surface, the cloudless December sky lending it a blue tint. Last night before she’d gone to bed Annie had said something about another storm brewing, but the stillness of the air belied that thought. The sky was too clear, the air too static. There was no sign of a blizzard to be seen.
Set back from the lake, Adam’s cabin stood proud within the clearing of the meadow. A plume of grey-blue smoke curled up from his chimney, the only sign of life in a scene otherwise dominated by nature.
Was he waiting for her? Kitty’s breath sped up as she stared at the lodge, her heart banging against her chest. She wasn’t sure when she started walking
again, leaving a trail of footprints behind her, but before she’d begun to clear her thoughts, she’d already covered half the distance between herself and the building.
That’s when she spotted him standing silently in the open doorway, his eyes trained on her as she walked. His scrutiny lent her an air of self-consciousness, making her stumble a couple of times before she reached his steps. Unlike the last time she was here, the wooden slats that enclosed the porch and held the roof up were decorated with boughs of pine and holly. Laced between the greenery were twinkling lights, lending a grotto-like air to a cabin which had previously been so plain.
It looked like something from a fairy tale.
There was a lump in her throat when she spoke. ‘You decorated.’ She recognised the lights from the box she’d brought down two days ago. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought he’d do anything with them.
Adam leaned against the doorway. Though the air was freezing, he was only wearing jeans and a thin black sweater, the wool doing nothing to hide the definition of his chest. His hair was still wet, brushed back from his face, his beard recently trimmed. She could almost smell the pine scent of his cologne – an aroma that already had the ability to make her weak at the knees. ‘The box was in the way. I figured I better do something with it before the puppy decided to eat it for breakfast.’
Kitty was still overcome by the wild, primitive wonder of the scene. ‘It’s beautiful.’
His eyes didn’t leave her face. ‘Yes it is.’