Page 5 of Serenity & the Hermit
“Fix it? How? Do you have any kind of experience or training?”
“Take a breath and relax.” She sucks in a breath to argue, and I use that moment to shove her shoulder back in place with a crack.
“Oh fuck,” she gasps. “That hurt so bad.”
“We’ll need to immobilize it. Come inside and I’ll get you something to make a sling.”
“Oh no. I’m not going inside your murder cabin with you. I’m fine right here. Better yet, I’ll just drive myself home and keep my arm nice and still there. OK? Thanks for your help.” She moves to try and get up, but almost falls on her ass. Almost, because I catch her.
“It’s not a murder cabin. It’s a regular cabin. And a safe one at that, I promise no harm’s come to you.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what murderers say when they’re trying to convince their victims to let down their guard.”
“Yeah? Well, I mean it,” I say, scooping her up in my arms and starting toward the cabin, anyway. She squeals the entire way. Only stopping when I plonk her down on my couch.
“Huh. It’s kinda…nice in here,” she says, brushing her hair out of her face as she looks around my simple but tidy home. “Cozy. But nice.”
“You expected flesh lamps or something, didn’t you?” I smirk, pulling an old pillowcase out of the drawer and tearing it up.
“Can you blame me after the welcome I got? I felt for sure I was dead.”
Moving over to her, I kneel on the floor and position the fabric under her arm so I can tie it behind her neck. “Worst I’d ever do is shoot into the air. You’ve not no real fear from me.”
“I don’t understand why you feel the need to shoot at all,” she says while I work. “I mean, I haven’t been living in Whisper Valley for that long. But from what I can see, the folks around here more than kind.”
“It’s not whisper valley folk I have a problem with,” I say as I finish up and sit back on my knees. “It’s the people who don’t belong here.”
“Like tourists?” she asks with serious eyes. I can’t help my smile.
“Like logging companies. There’s a lot of money in all these trees that surround us. But my family and I are pretty dedicated in making sure the land we occupy doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
“Is that why you’re up here? Because you’re protecting the forest?”
“I’m up here because people shit me. Plus, yeah, it does make it easier to stop the logging. My brother, Dylan, had illegal logging going on near his cabin a couple years ago. Took every Valentine in town to band together and chase them away. We’ve been extra vigilant ever since.”
“Hence cocking your gun when someone you don’t know turns up at your place after dark,” she says, nodding in her understanding.
“That’s right. These big companies like to think they can come into small towns, throw some money and threats around and get everything they want. But some things just aren’t for sale, and they aren’t for the takin’ either.”
“Sounds kind of…noble.”
I shake my head and smile as I stand. “Ain’t a lot that’s noble about me, sweetheart. I don’t think I do a lot in life that isn’t self servin’. And I’m guessing you already know the people in town are afraid of me.”
“Well, they didn’t seem excited by the idea of seeing you, if that’s what you mean. But I’m already thinking they’ve got it all wrong. If you really were like that, there’s no way you’d have helped me like this. Why, you even tore up your pillowcase for me. And you don’t even know my name.”
“OK. What’s your name?”
“Serenity.” She smiles. “And I already know that your Nelson Valentine. We got our parcels mixed up at the post office earlier today.”
“You’re the owner of the candles?”
“That would be me. But if memory serves me correctly, they’re kinda broken now, aren’t they?”
“Not all of them.”
“Your parcel is in my car. I don’t think I broke it.”
“It’s probably just the freeze-dried fruit I ordered. What’s Bendy Bodies?”
