wheel so hard my knuckles are white.
I’ve lived in Whiskey River for years, but I’ve never been into town, and now I’m driving down the mountain to go pick up Jana’s dog.
Thankfully, I was able to get hold of Cash on the radio, and he and Hope came over to sit with Jana so she wouldn’t be alone. Hope was thrilled because she wanted to check up on her anyway. When Cash learned where I was going, he gave me a look that I still don’t quite understand— probably telling me I’m crazy for going into town, no matter how nice they are. One look at my scar is all it’ll take to send people running.
I’m quickly finding that I don’t care how many people I send running because there’s nothing I won’t do for her. I take that back—I won’t move to town for her, but anything else is on the table.
As I’m driving down the mountain, all I can think about is that kiss. She’s proven that my scar doesn’t bother her in the slightest. It was my last worry, and now all bets are off. Whatever it takes to make her mine because I know without a shadow of a doubt that she was made for me.
I don’t know what I’m walking into when I get to town or even her apartment. I follow her directions and pull around to the back of the café, parking next to her little blue four-door car.
My truck looks out of place in this parking lot. Thankfully, Axel found Jana’s purse when the cops were going through everything in the cabin. He gave it to Cash, who brought it over before I left, so I have the keys to her apartment.
As I walk up the steps to the shared landing to the place next door, a little old woman is watching out the window, frowning at me. Wouldn’t be surprised if she calls the cops. That’ll be a great thing to have to explain. I offer her a friendly smile as I take the keys and head into the apartment.
The first thing I’m hit with is the stench of urine and feces. There’s no denying a dog lives here. A dog food bag is spilled in the small kitchen area, and poop and pee cover the floor. The only thing missing is the dog.
‘Muffin. Here girl.’ I try to sing a song to coax her from wherever she might be hiding.
When she doesn’t make an appearance, I figure if I start to clean up, she’ll eventually come out and see what’s going on. I head to the kitchen and look for some trash bags and paper towels to start cleaning up the mess. Thankfully, the dog is small, as are the piles of poop.
Once that’s done, I take the bag outside and across the parking lot to the dumpster. When I head back in, there’s still no sign of muffin.
‘What do you think you’re doing, young man?’ the old lady from the window next door stands in the doorway staring at me with her hands on her hips.
She’s a tiny little thing, barely five feet tall. I’m well over six feet and could easily overpower her, yet she’s standing here demanding to know what I’m doing. I smirk a little because I instantly like her.
‘Jana ask me to get her dog. She seems to be hiding, so I thought I’d clean up in hopes of coaxing her out.’
The woman just stands there looking at me. ‘Where is Jana?’
‘She’s at my place. She was injured, so she’s resting.’
This seems to soften the woman. ‘It’s been a few days since Jana has been home. That dog has been howling up a storm. I have her spare keys, so I came over and got her. Come on.’
Without waiting for me turns and heads back out the door. Again, I could easily overpower this woman, and here she is, inviting me into her house. I can’t go back without the dog, so I don’t have a choice as I follow her next door.
‘Now sit down. I’m going to grab some tea and cookies, and I want to hear all about how Jana got hurt,’ she says and heads to the kitchen.
That’s when a little puff of fur comes running out and starts circling and sniffing my legs. This little dog must be Muffin. She must smell Jana on me because she wags her tail a mile a minute.
I look around the living room to find a place to sit. The two small rocking chairs look like they’d crumble under my weight. I decide to take my chances with the pink floral couch and carefully sit on one side. The dog jumps up on the couch and settles right in my lap, trying to jump up and lick my face.
‘It takes a good man to clean an apartment like that. In my day, men refused to clean, saying it was the woman’s duty to do all the cleaning,’ the little lady says with a smile as she returns to the room.
Her place is better-lit than Jana’s, so I’m expecting her to take one look at my scar and recoil or show some form of fear. But she doesn’t even flinch. She sets the tray of cookies and tea on the coffee table and hands me my cup before filling hers and sitting down.
‘Now, what happened to Jana?’ she asks as she looks at me.
Again, I wait for a reaction but get nothing.
‘A few nights ago, she was coming home after dark, and she was kidnapped. The same people who kidnapped her also took her friend Hope. I helped my neighbor, Cash, get them back.’
‘Good heavens! Who would do such a thing, especially here in Whiskey River?’ she gasps.
‘What are you rambling on about, Maisie?’ another old lady walks into the house without knocking.
‘This gentleman here was telling me how Hope and Jana were kidnapped. That’s why she hadn’t been here to take care of her dog,’ Maisie explains.
The other lady looks at me, and I expect her to jump or flinch, but I get none of that. She looks me over without letting her opinion show.
‘And who is your young man?’ she asks.
‘I’m Cole. Jana is staying at my place while she heals.’
I want to say I’m her boyfriend, and she’s mine, but it doesn’t seem like the place to start that conversation.
‘And how do you know them?’ She continues to grill me.
‘ Cash’s girl, Hope, is my neighbor, Ms…’
‘Mrs. Tipton. And how come we haven’t seen you in town before?’
I guess this is a question I’ll get often. I turn my head so my scars are in plain view.
‘I’m waiting for an answer,’ she says, not taking the hint.
I point to the scar on my face.
She huffs and waves her hand at me. ‘That’s no excuse to hide away. What qualifies you to take care of Jana instead of taking her to a hospital? And is Hope okay? Who kidnapped them?’ Mrs. Tipton continues.
‘If you give him a moment, he might answer your questions.’ Maisie sasses her friend.
‘I have medic training from the military. Other than a sprained ankle and a cut that needed a few stitches, there was nothing major. She doesn’t want to be alone right now, and that’s going to take some time to get past. Hope is fine. A group of us rescued them when the cops wouldn’t do anything. And it was Hope’s mom and her mom’s boyfriend who kidnapped her. They wanted money for drugs.’
‘My goodness. I heard her mom was here looking for her. If we’d known, we never would have been nice to that woman,’ Maisie says.
‘I told you something was off about her,’ Mrs. Tipton says before she finally sits in the other rocking chair.
At this point, Muffin is exhausted from all the excitement and has decided I can be trusted because she’s falling asleep in my lap. Patting her helps calm my nerves, so I don’t mind.
‘I wasn’t surprised when Hope decided to move in with Cash. She seemed like she’d belong up there on the mountain, but I don’t think Jana would be suited to life up there. She’s so involved here between the community garden and the cafe and the grocery store. She likes talking and helping people,’ Maisie says, looking at me expectantly.
‘I don’t have any answers for you right now. I wish I did. All I know is Jana wants her dog. She’s worried sick about her, and she needs to rest for a few more days at least.’ I tell them.
‘I’ll call the assistant manager and let them know. Jana’s got nothing to worry about. The store and the cafe will be taken care of. Tell her to focus on rest, and I’ll expect all the details when she gets back.
Both ladies get me everything I need, between the dog’s food, toys, and the mat she likes to sleep on. I pass a few people in the parking lot, who look at me, but they don’t seem disgusted by my scar.
On the way home, the whole encounter runs through my head. Not a single person seemed scared of the scar or disgusted by it. No one asked or pried into something I didn’t want to discuss. I convince myself that it’s just Whiskey River. This town is different. It’s a small town, after all.
Then I think about what Maisie and Mrs. Tipton said about Jana. She’s involved in the town. She loves it there. Am I going to be able to convince her to move to the mountain with me after only knowing her for twenty-four hours? I have the added benefit of living next door to her best friend. Maybe Hope and Cash can help me convince her.
One thing I am sure of—my whole life is about to be turned upside down.
