The Cottage on Juniper Ridge Read online

  “That’s awfully nice of you,” she told him.

  “No problem,” he said, shrugging off her praise.

  Now Jeffrey had bounded out of his parents’ SUV, which had been stuffed to the roof with boxes. “Can we go tubing?”

  “Maybe after we’re done unloading everything,” his father told him.

  As Jen was making introductions, Jeffrey picked up a handful of snow, made a snowball and hurled it at his sister, who was standing huddled inside her coat, waiting for her father to open the small trailer they’d been pulling.

  It hit her in the chest and she snarled, “Cut it out, you butt.”

  Of course, being a boy, Jeffrey ignored her request and started forming another snowball. And that was enough to make Jordan forget she was now officially a sophisticated teen girl and start doing the same. “Come on, Aunt Jen, help me.”

  Well, why not?

  “Okay, five-minute fight,” Toni said, heading for the cottage with a box. “Then we’re going to get the work done.”

  Jen was happy to join in and release the last of the tension from her scary trip up the mountain. She’d just stuffed a ton of snow down Jeffrey’s back when she realized she was the only grown-up playing. Toni was inside the cottage, probably stowing things away in the kitchen cupboards where Jen would never find them, and Wayne, who’d tossed a few snowballs, was now pulling a box out of the trailer.

  “Okay, I’ve got to go work now,” she told the kids and herself.

  “Aw, come on, Aunt Jen,” Jeffrey pleaded.

  “Sorry, guys,” she said, and went to open the trunk of her car.

  She stepped inside with her load in time to hear Toni asking Garrett, “You don’t like snowball fights?”

  “Not when there’s work to be done.”

  She felt her cheeks heating. Way to make a good impression on a gorgeous man. Now she looked like a slacker. But she felt so much better. Just a few minutes of fun had reenergized her.

  “Work is important,” she said as she set a box of food on the counter, “but sometimes you need to take a break and get in touch with your inner child.” The expression was kind of lame, she supposed, but as hard as she’d been working, she deserved a break.

  Garrett said nothing to that, which made her feel mildly chastised. And that made her feel mildly irritated. This guy didn’t know her. Was he making some sort of snap judgment about her? If so, he needed a life.

  “I think the kids have had enough of a break,” Toni said, and went outside to order the troops back to work.

  “So, when was the last time you had a snowball fight?” she asked Garrett as he walked out the door.

  He paused for a moment, then shook his head. “Can’t remember.”

  “Me, neither,” she said, but he was already on his way down the porch steps and obviously hadn’t heard her.

  Jen had asked Garrett to remove the ratty twin beds and the offensive living room furniture that had originally been in the cottage so she could use her own furniture. All that was left of the old stuff was the kitchen table, which she figured she could dress up with a cute tablecloth.

  Now he and Wayne unloaded her white leather couch. Ah, couch, sweet couch. She had them put it down at an angle so she could sit on it and simultaneously gaze out the window and enjoy a fire in the woodstove. She smiled, pleased with how it looked. This cottage was going to be her little corner of heaven on earth.

  Toni had packed food for the day, including hot cocoa mix, and she set about heating water while Jen put her perishables in the fridge.

  Meanwhile, the guys had returned with more boxes. “It’s starting to snow,” Wayne announced. “Jen, you’re going to have to learn to ski.”

  “With no job I can’t afford to take that up,” she said. She saw her landlord frowning, probably wondering why he was renting to a woman who was unemployed.

  Sure enough. “I assumed you had a job lined up here.”

  “I’m going to find one,” Jen assured him. “But if you’re concerned about how I’m going to pay the rent...”

  “The thought had crossed my mind.”

  “As I mentioned when you called, I’ve got my place in Seattle rented. That’ll cover what I owe you.”

  Well, almost. Thanks to the Christmas money her parents had given her, she’d be fine for a while, but she’d have to get something part-time to make up the difference. Money also came in pretty handy if you wanted to eat. She was confident that wouldn’t be a problem, though. As soon as she’d settled in, she’d call the shops where she’d seen those help-wanted signs.

  He nodded, taking in what she’d told him. He still wasn’t exactly smiling in approval.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not a deadbeat. I’ll pay my rent,” she said with a smile.

  He just nodded and went outside to fetch more boxes.

  Jen watched him go and frowned. “He thinks I’m a flake.”

  “Wait till he spends a little more time with you. Then he’ll know you’re a flake,” Toni teased.

  “There is nothing flaky about getting your priorities straight,” Jen muttered. “Anyway, I’ve got enough money to tide me over for a little while.” A very little while. Maybe she should’ve lined up a job before moving here.

  The men were back in the cottage now. “This is the last of it,” Wayne said.

  Jeffrey came in behind them and dropped a bag of towels on the living room floor. “I’m hungry. When can we eat?”

  “Right now,” Jen replied. “We’ve got plenty of sandwiches,” she told Garrett. “I hope you’ll stay for something to eat.”

  “I’ve got to get going, but thanks for the offer,” he said. “You’ve got my cell number. If you need anything, call.”

  “How about if I want something?” Jen teased. Like you.

  He smiled but didn’t look comfortable doing so. “You’ll meet lots of people who can help you find what you want in Icicle Falls.”

  There must’ve been some clever remark she could use. Too bad she couldn’t come up with one. Instead, she smiled. “Thanks again for helping.”

  “No problem.” He shook hands with Wayne, waved farewell to Jen and Toni and then took off.

  “That man is so gorgeous,” Toni said as Garrett trotted down the steps.

  Wayne turned and frowned at her. “Hey, do you mind not drooling over other men in front of your husband? That could give a man a complex.”

  Not that Wayne was lacking in the looks department. He was a little overweight, but he had a nice face, and blue eyes, which he’d passed on to both of his children.

  Toni shot her sister a grin. “It pays to keep ’em on their toes,” she joked.

  But Jen knew she hadn’t been joking about Garrett. He truly was an eyeful—in a good way.

  After lunch the kids convinced their dad that they needed to do some serious tubing on Snow Hill, and they left the sisters on their own to set about putting the kitchen to rights. “You know,” Toni said as they worked, “I thought you were nuts to move up here.”

  “I know you did.” Garrett Armstrong seemed to be thinking the same thing.

  “But I can see why you did. You’re getting to completely reinvent yourself.” Toni gestured to the snowy scene outside the cabin window. “And you’ve picked a beautiful place to do it. There’s something about leaving the city behind. And I swear, my family’s had more interaction in one day than we’ve had at home in the past six months.” She glanced around with a half smile. “This place is a dump but there’s something kind of retro and homey about it.”

  Yes, there was. “You know what we need now? We need a fire in the woodstove. That’ll make it really cozy,” Jen decided.

  “Great idea,” her sister said.

  Garrett had kindly left some wood and a small amount of k
indling in a metal basket by the stove. Jen grabbed some of the newspapers they’d used for packing. She hadn’t had a ton of experience making fires, other than one time at camp. Whenever their family went to the beach, her father had always been in charge of building the bonfire. But she’d watched. She remembered what to do. First you laid down paper and kindling to get the fire going. You set a match to that and then when you had a nice flame you put in a bigger piece of wood.

  The stove door screeched in protest as she opened it.

  “That obviously hasn’t been used in a while,” Toni said. “It is safe, isn’t it?”

  “Of course it is. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be in here,” Jen replied.

  She crumpled the papers, added the kindling and then searched for matches, which she found in an old coffee can. “All right. Here we go,” she said as she held the match to the paper. “Now it’s going to be really cozy.”

  “Did you open the damper?”

  “The damper?” Jen looked at the stove. Why was that smoke curling out from around the door?

  “You have to open the damper,” Toni said.

  Jen examined the stove. The smoke began to come at her more aggressively. “Where is it?”

  “Down below,” Toni said, and rushed over. She pushed in a rod at the bottom of the stove.

  But there was still so much smoke. “That can’t be right,” Jen said. “You just told me you have to pull it out,” she added, and pulled the rod back out.

  “I said you have to open it. Get the door,” Toni commanded, and pushed it in again.

  “It’s still smoky,” Jen wailed as she threw open the front door. Her eyes were starting to sting.

  “It’s going to take a minute,” Toni said, and coughed.

  “That can’t be right,” Jen said again, and pulled the rod out once more. More smoke billowed up at her. In or out, the stupid thing didn’t seem to be working. Coughing, she ran to the kitchen counter and got her cell phone, quickly dialing her new landlord. In spite of the open door the room was filling with smoke and now the smoke detector was going off.

  “Hello?” he said.

  “Garrett, I’m sorry to bother you but—”

  “What’s that noise? Is that the smoke detector?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid we’re having a little trouble—”

  “I’ll be right there,” he said, and ended the call before she could finish.

  Meanwhile, her sister had pushed the rod in again. “We had this same stove in the old house. I wish you’d listen to me.”

  “Well, you could’ve said that,” Jen retorted, waving her arms at the cloud around her head.

  “Get your towels,” Toni commanded. “Let’s try to fan some of this smoke out.”

  Jen pulled two towels from the bag and they set to work. “So much for my cozy fire,” she groaned. “Now it’s going to be freezing in here.”

  “Better cold than dying from smoke inhalation,” Toni said.

  A truck pulled up in front of the cabin, spewing snow in all directions. Garrett Amstrong burst out of the cab and came flying up the stairs.

  “What happened?” he asked, racing to the woodstove.

  “We couldn’t figure out which way the damper opened,” Jen explained.

  He inspected it and stood up. “You’ve got it right now,” he hollered over the smoke detector. “Got a broom?”

  “A broom?” Jen repeated.

  Toni dashed to the kitchen and seized the broom from the corner where Jen had propped it and handed it over. He began waving it in front of the smoke detector, which was hanging toward the top of the opposite wall. At last the thing settled down.

  “That’s great,” Jen said. “Thank you.”

  “You’ll want to open the back door,” he said as he threw open the living-room window.

  Jen nodded and hurried to the back of the cabin to open that door. What kind of idiot tried to turn herself into a smoked ham the first day in her new home? “I’m sorry,” she said as she returned down the hall.

  “It’s okay,” he said, but from the expression on his face she could tell he was wondering whether he’d rented to a total dingbat. “For future reference, always check the damper before you start a fire.” He pointed to the rod. “Make sure this is in.”

  Jen nodded, refusing to look in her sister’s direction. Toni wouldn’t exactly gloat, but she’d have that I-told-you-so frown on her face.

  “Don’t burn anything waxy in there,” he continued, “and don’t burn cardboard. Don’t use any liquid, like barbecue starter fluid.”

  “I won’t,” Jen promised. “This won’t happen again.”

  “You’d be surprised how easily problems can happen,” he said sternly. “Heating fires account for thirty-six percent of residential home fires in rural areas every year.”

  “Oh, my,” Jen said weakly. “How do you know all that?”

  “I’m a firefighter.”

  “Here?” she asked. No, on the moon. Duh.

  He nodded. “Be careful. I’d hate to have to come out here with my fire truck.”

  Don’t make me bring my fire truck. “I will,” Jen said. She felt about ten years old. “Sorry we bothered you.”

  He gave the broom to Jen. “No bother,” he said, but she wasn’t sure he meant it.

  “Thanks again,” she said as he turned for the door.

  “A firefighter,” her sister said as he drove off. “That man just gets sexier and sexier.”

  Yes, he did.

  The smoke eventually vanished, and by the time Wayne and the kids returned, the cottage was almost back to normal. Jeffrey sniffed as they walked in. “It stinks in here.”

  “Not half as bad as it did,” Toni told him.

  A scented candle, a proper fire crackling in the woodstove, along with popcorn, hot chocolate and a board game added up to a perfect family evening.

  The snow was falling gently the next day when Toni and her family left and Jen treated herself to a walk in the woods. The air up here was so fresh. The snow was so beautiful. And it was so quiet, so peaceful. Oh, yes, she was going to love it here.

  * * *

  Jen was going to go crazy if she spent another day in this place. After four days stuck in her cozy cottage, she was ready to pull out her hair. It was just her and the trees. And the snow. The white stuff was everywhere—on the deck, on the ground, on her car. On the road. In the driveway.

  What did it say about her that she wasn’t adapting to this new life she’d been dying for only a few weeks ago? She’d read two novels, watched six movies and baked two batches of cookies. And on day four she’d thrown Muriel Sterling’s stupid book against the wall.

  She was all for living the simple life but she didn’t want to live it all by herself, for crying out loud. She was ready to get out, see people, oh, and get groceries. At the rate she was going, she’d to starve here. All by herself. Well, okay, after all the cookies she’d consumed she had five new pounds of fat to live on, but still.

  She also needed to network, and the sooner, the better. In between the baking and reading and movie-watching, she’d called about both of the help-wanted signs she’d seen in those shop windows only to learn the positions had been filled. Her sister was right (as usual); she should’ve lined something up before she moved. Jumping and assuming a net would appear had been stupid.

  But she was determined not to go splat. Someone in this town had to need help. And the only way she was going to find out was to go and meet those someones.

  She looked out the window at the falling snow and gnawed her lip. You don’t know how to drive in snow, she reminded herself. Except she was living in the mountains now. That meant if she wanted fripperies such as groceries, she had to learn to drive in the stuff.

  She had snow
tires and the ground was level. And she’d gotten here in one piece, hadn’t she? It was ridiculous to be such a sissy. She could drive in the snow if she set her mind to it. She just had to take it slow. She could handle that.

  Filled with determination, she marched to the little closet where she kept her coat and pulled it out, along with her gloves and scarf. Darn it all, she was going to town.

  Once on the front porch she hesitated. More of the white stuff had fallen since Wayne and Jeffrey had shoveled her driveway before leaving, and it was buried under a fresh ten inches. But she was sure the main roads had been cleared. Nonetheless, she took a hike to see. Yep. If she could just get out of her driveway she’d be fine. It was now or never.

  She returned home and got the handy-dandy snow shovel she’d found in the shed behind the cottage, then spent forty-five minutes making a path to the road. Then she got in the car and edged it forward.

  Holding her breath, she inched out onto the road. The snowplows had come through earlier, but enough snow had accumulated since then to crunch under her tires and make her heart rate increase. She slowly made her way along Juniper Ridge and finally turned onto Icicle Road, one of the main roads into town.

  She white-knuckled it for the first five minutes, moving at a sluggish pace, but once she realized she wasn’t spinning wildly out of control she began to relax. Okay, driving in the snow wasn’t really so hard. She could do this.

  By the time she got to town she was exultant. Yes, she was going to be fine living here in the mountains.

  Her first stop was the grocery store where she stocked up on essentials—bread, eggs, cheese, rotisserie chicken, hot chocolate mix and eggnog (which was on sale now that the holidays were over). Two older women smiled at her, the guy working in the produce department flirted with her and the checker, after hearing she was new in town, gave her a hearty welcome, along with a quick rundown on some of the town’s amenities.

  Herman’s Hamburgers was the place to go for the best fries in town. Zelda’s was the number-one hangout for single women on a Friday night. The Red Barn was where everyone went dancing on Saturdays. Of course, for her chocolate supply she needed to frequent the Sweet Dreams gift shop. If she wanted fabulous baked goodies the top choice was Gingerbread Haus. For gossip and girl time, it was Bavarian Brews and for books either the library or Mountain Escape Books. There was always something happening at the bookstore, and they sponsored several book clubs.