“Like what?” I mumble as I take a sip of my water. I know full well what she’s referring to; I’m just not sure how to answer.
“Like I’m a witch or something.”
This woman. I choke out a laugh while trying to swallow my drink, resulting in a coughing fit. “I suppose in a way, you are,” I tell her. “You cast some sort of spell on me last night. I can’t remember the last time I went back to sleep after having one of my nightmares. Hell, I didn’t just go back to sleep; I slept nearly half the day.”
I didn’t think Ari could get any more beautiful, but when she beams up at me with those green eyes shining with pride, it takes considerable effort not to swipe everything off the kitchen table and pull her in for a kiss.
But that would be so beyond inappropriate. Ari needed help, and it would make me a total asshole unworthy of her love if I took advantage of that.
Hold up.Love? Where did that thought come from?
“I’m glad it helped,” Ari says, her light voice gently bringing me back into the moment.
When I woke up this morning, Ari was sitting on the bed next to me, reading one of my old Western novels I hauled up here in a box last Spring. She was so peaceful and radiant, and for a moment, it all felt familiar. Like we do this all the time.
The crazy thing is, I want that. I don’t know how it happened so quickly, but this woman burst into my life in the most unexpected way, and now I don’t know if I can let her go.
“So, are you going to tell me why I found you trapped in a tree last night?” I ask, suddenly needing to know everything about her. She makes me restless but in a good way. I think. The jury’s still out.
Ari’s cheeks blush slightly, and she rolls her eyes self-deprecatingly. “You’re going to laugh.”
“Try me,” I tell her with a straight face.
“There have been rumors of the paranormal variety circling the old mining town you bought last year.”
“Paranormal activity? In my town?” I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.
“Well, no one knew the land had been purchased. Everyone assumed it was abandoned. Hikers have recorded odd occurrences over the last year, like evidence of recent fires that appear to be controlled and possibly ritualistic.”
“They were to clear the brush in the construction area and make a drivable path to the base,” I grumble.
“Which I understand now,” Ari says. “Obviously, my whole story is a bust, but at least I got some amazing sketches on the hike up here. I usually sell my sketches online or use them as giveaway prizes for my followers… but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough to keep this little adventure going for much longer.”
Her shoulders slump as she folds in on herself. She looks defeated, and I hate it.
“Maybe Aunt Maureen was right. Maybe I need to give up this silly fantasy of travel writing.”
I know she’s talking more to herself than me, but I don’t care. I need to know who this Maureen woman is. She apparently told Ari her dreams are silly, and that doesn’t sit right with me.
“Travel writing?” I ask, hoping to find out more. I feel totally lost and ignorant of her profession, but I can learn.
“Paranormal travel writing, to be exact.” Ari’s usually bright smile is dim and she won’t look me in the eye. She shrugs, and I can tell by how she’s holding herself that she’s anxious about my opinion. “I research and visit haunted places, well-documented UFO sightings, and graveyards, and I record and write about my experiences online. I have a blog and a webstore, and I also do some freelance articles for other indie publishers. I always have a sketchbook with me. I document my process and sketch things that inspire me. It’s weird, I know, and most people don’t get it, but–”
“That’s incredible,” I tell her truthfully. “I’ve never even heard of someone doing that, but here you are, making it work.”
“Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. You did just pluck me out of a tree because I was woefully ill-prepared for an overnight hike up in the mountains.”
“But you’re living life on your terms,” I counter.
Ari finally looks at me, her eyes brimming with tears. She doesn’t let them fall, though she nods once, letting me know that’s all she’s trying to accomplish. Life on her own terms. I can relate. I’m trying to do the same, but my life comes with a lot more complications and baggage.
“That’s the goal, anyway,” she says, subtly wiping away a rogue tear. “My aunt Maureen thinks I need to give it up and find a real job. She never understood that I don’t believeeveryghost story out there oreveryparanormal experience. But I’m open to there being more out there than we can possibly understand.”
I envy her optimism, though I know her life hasn’t been easy. Ari only briefly shared the devastating loss of her parents when she was young, and it sounds like her aunt was not a very caring guardian.
“You found a passion. A purpose. Most people go their entire lives without one.”
Ari gives me a soft smile, and our eyes lock for long moments. I thought I knew my purpose when I joined the military, but that was blown to hell afterthe incident. Literally. But now, right here in this moment, I think I may have found my new purpose.
