LITMIR.BIZ

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      “I’m fine, really. Sorry we’re in your way. You can just go around me.”

      As if Wyn could ever leave a neighbor—even a prickly one—sprawled out in the dirt. The woman obviously didn’t want her help but beneath the coldness, she sensed something else, a hint of another emotion that smelled to her cop’s nose suspiciously like fear.

      She couldn’t begin to guess why her neighbor might be afraid of her but it made her intensely curious.

      “You’ve got at least a quarter-mile walk back to your place. Even if the ankle is only twisted a little, that’s going to be a long, hard slog with two kids by yourself. You won’t make it before dark. Do you have a flashlight?”

      The woman still continued to avoid her gaze but shook her head, just as Wyn would have guessed.

      “Look, at least let me try to find a walking stick you can use for support.”

      After a pause, Andrea Montgomery relented slightly. “That might be helpful.”

      “Great. Kids, can you help me? I’m looking for a walking stick that’s about this tall and this big.” She held her hand at shoulder height and made a wide circle with her thumb and forefinger.

      The boy—Will, his sister had said—found one first and produced it triumphantly.

      “That looks great,” Wyn exclaimed.

      “Thanks, honey,” Andrea said with a soft smile for her son that contrasted starkly with her attitude toward Wynona. “Let’s see if it works.”

      She gripped the walking stick and used it to pull herself to her feet. “Look at that. Perfect.”

      Her son preened as if he had just single-handedly shot down the Death Star and Wyn had to smile. Yeah, Andrea might be a cool customer to her but the woman seemed like a loving mother.

      “Thank you,” the woman said. “I think we’ll probably be fine now. You don’t have to wait for us. I’m sure you have somewhere to go.”

      “Not at all,” she answered, which was the unvarnished truth, though it was a little depressing.

      She had no one to blame but herself for that state of affairs, really. Kat had offered to bring dinner and so had Charlene. McKenzie likely would have been more than thrilled to come over. Given half a chance, Lindy-Grace probably would have thrown a parade down Lakeside Drive.

      She had shut everybody down, so it was her own fault she had no dinner plans.

      “Young Pete and I aren’t in a hurry,” she assured her new neighbor. “We were taking our time ambling home with no particular schedule and a few moments more won’t matter to us. I don’t feel good about leaving you here when you’re injured. If you don’t mind, I’ll just stick with you so I can be sure you make it home.”

      The woman looked as if she minded very much but she must have realized Wyn wouldn’t back down. She finally gave a shrug and started making her painstaking way down the trail.

      It was clear after just a few steps that Andrea Montgomery was in considerable pain but she stubbornly continued on.

      They walked slowly back with Andrea leading the way and Chloe behind her, holding her brother’s hand. The boy seemed to be warming up a little to Pete and no longer looked completely panic-stricken, though he continued to keep a safe distance between them. Wynona, in the rear, kept up a running commentary with the children, identifying some of the birds that flitted through the trees and different varieties of wildflowers they passed.

      They still had several hundred yards to walk before they reached the bridge when Andrea stumbled again and let out a gasp of pain.

      Wyn decided it was time for a little more firm intervention.

      “Chloe, I know your brother isn’t very crazy about dogs,” she said. “What about you?”

      “Oh, I love them,” she declared. “We used to have a big dog named Magnus but my dad found him a new home without kids after he bit Will when he was little.”

      This earned the girl a swift look from her mother, whose features were white with pain. Was it because the girl mentioned her dad? Where was the man? And was he the reason Andrea Montgomery seemed determined to keep her distance?

      “That’s good to know. Do you think you could hold on to Pete here while I help your mom?”

      “Oh yes!” Chloe exclaimed. “May I?”

      “I don’t need help,” Andrea said stiffly.

      Wynona ignored her and handed Pete’s leash to the eager girl, then stepped forward to the woman’s side.

      “Don’t be a hero. Trust me, that gets old after a while. Just lean on me. I’ll help you back to your house. I know you don’t know me, but, I promise, I’m harmless. I’m only trying to help. I don’t want you falling again and making things worse for yourself.”

      The woman’s mouth tightened, whether from irritation or pain, Wyn couldn’t tell. She had a feeling she was better off not knowing. They made their way to the bridge and over it, then only had the short distance to the family’s new house. By now, the children were in front of them and both of them were giggling at Pete. Will seemed to have completely warmed up to the dog—Pete’s sweet nature had a way of winning over even the wariest of hearts.

      “Your children are adorable,” Wyn said after a moment.

      Andrea’s features softened. “Thanks. I’m pretty crazy about them.”

      It was another point in her favor, along with her strength and stubbornness, which seemed more than a little familiar to Wynona.

      If Andrea hadn’t made it so clear that she didn’t want to have anything to do with her, Wyn might have thought they had a good chance of becoming friends.

      “I’m sorry your introduction to the Haven Point backcountry didn’t end well. When your ankle feels better, you’ll have to try the trail again. It’s a little bit of a climb but Mount Solace is stunning this time of year. If you keep going up this trail, you’ll eventually come to a beautiful waterfall. It’s not huge but it’s definitely worth the effort.”

      “I’ll keep that in mind,” she answered.

      “Another good trail is Crimson Ridge,” she went on, mostly to distract the woman from the pain of hobbling along on her sprained ankle. “The trailhead for that one is just past Redemption Bay. It’s one of my favorites, especially in late summer when it’s wild-blackberry season. In the fall, the sugar maples up there turn amazing colors, which is where the trail gets its name.”

      “Are you...from here?” Andrea Montgomery asked. Though pale, she didn’t falter once. Another point in her favor.

      “Yep. Born and raised. It’s a really nice community, full of good people.”

      “If everyone here is good, why do they need a police department?”

      She laughed. “Okay, most of the people are good. We’ve got a few bad eggs but they’re the minority.”

      Andrea’s new house was in sight now, which seemed to give the woman a little extra strength.

      “You picked a great time to move here,” Wynona continued. “In a couple of weeks, we’ll have our annual Lake Haven Days and wooden-boat show. Your kids will love it, trust me. There’s a pancake breakfast, a big parade, a craft fair and all kinds of activities for children. They can even make their own wooden boats and have races in the marina.”

      “Sounds...nice.”

      “Oh, it is. And at Christmastime, you can’t miss the Lights on the Lake Festival. People come from miles around to see local boat owners decorate their watercraft and parade from here to Shelter Springs and back. It’s quite a spectacle.”

      “We’ll plan on it.”

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