LWP_Final-28

Chapter Twenty-Four

Maggie stopped struggling. Her body stilled as if she’d been shot full of a tranquilizer. Even her heartbeat slowed, filling her with a sense of calm that was probably just pure and absolute exhaustion.

Hesitantly, Aimee removed her hand from Maggie’s mouth. Somewhere in the darkness a lone dog barked. And farther away, dulled by distance and landscape, was the sound of the freeway where the occasional log truck barreled down the mountain.

“What…?” Maggie couldn’t finish. She didn’t know how.

Aimee’s burnished gaze was almost serene. “It’s true,” she said quietly.

True. True. It couldn’t be. Couldn’t possibly be. Yet, the light reflected in Aimee’s animal eyes confirmed what she’d been feeling all along.

All this time, she’d been watched. She hadn’t imagined it. It was true.

Maggie opened her mouth to speak, but Aimee stopped her.

“Don’t. It’s going to take some time, Mags.”

“But why?” she choked out. “Why are you telling me now, after all this time?”

“You were on the verge of finding out, anyway. You weren’t supposed to. But I know you, and you would have put it together eventually. And I wanted to be the one to tell you.”

“What about Koda? Is he…?” Maggie thought of the man she’d fallen so helplessly for. She pictured his eyes, black like Zane’s. Black as the night she was sitting in now. How could she ever wrap her mind around this?

“He doesn’t know.”

“How could he not?”

“It doesn’t happen right away. It might never happen for him. But it did for his father. It could for his boys.”

“And Zane?”

Aimee wet her lips. “It’s too early to tell, but Jim thinks yes. Maybe for Zane.”

It took every bit of strength Maggie had not to cry out. The curse really existed. Magic surrounded Wolfe Creek, and was tangible in the form of the men who bore the same name. They carried it with them without even knowing.

“Don’t be afraid, Mags,” Aimee said, touching the spot on Maggie’s wrist that was faintly purple now. “Something terrible happened a long, long time ago. It’s changed so many lives. But the tragedy stops there.” Her face turned up, stunning in the moonlight that settled over it. “Things happen in life. You can choose to be beaten by them, or you can choose to see the beauty and peace that’s almost always there if you look hard enough. I choose to live my days as something good. Something worthy.”

And with those words, there was finally a moment of understanding that Maggie could grasp. Whatever Aimee was now, she would never hurt her, Maggie knew that. And neither would Jim. They wouldn’t even hurt Alan, as dangerous and deadly as he’d been. Aimee carried with her a realm that might take a lifetime to figure out. But she also carried her humanity as well. Maggie could see it in her friend’s expression. That part hadn’t changed. If anything, it had grown stronger.

“I’m grateful,” Maggie whispered.

Aimee’s sun-colored eyes were glassy. “Me, too. But there’s no perfect ending to this story. We can only take each page as it’s read to us.”

Maggie put her hand on Aimee’s, feeling the power there, the heat.

“I’m not sorry about what’s happened to me,” Aimee said. “It’s taken a long time, and there are moments when I still struggle with it. But I believe this is a gift. I really do.”

Maggie considered this. “Will you ever go home again? Your parents, Aimee. They’re heartbroken.”

“I don’t know.” Aimee looked away. “It’s complicated. I miss them so much. Maybe someday. But for now I need to be here. These woods are where I’m most comfortable. And there are others. Living in society is possible, but for me it’s harder. I just need more time.”

“So you’re going to stay dead.” Maggie felt the certainty of the words before they’d even formed on her lips.

“For now, yes. Until I can think of something better, yes. It’s the only way.”

“What about me? What do I do now?” She felt like she was being let out of a car on the side of a deserted road. She didn’t know whether to turn left or right. If she wasn’t the girl looking for Aimee, then who was she?

Aimee looked up. “You go home. Or you stay put. You do what you feel is right in your heart. But I think your heart is what led you back to this place.” She smiled then. “And maybe it wasn’t just to find me. There’s love for you here, Maggie. I feel it.”

The great expanse of sky above was turning a gritty blue, the moon disappearing behind the gray-velvet mountaintops. The stars were fading, until soon they’d be only a memory of another night gone.

“It’s going to be light soon,” Aimee said, helping Maggie up. She wrapped a steady arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. It felt like coming home. “Let’s get you back.”

“Maggie.”

A bright orange light shone through her closed lids. Beneath her cheek, a pillow that smelled like fabric softener.

“Maggie.”

Rough hands nudged her gently. And then breath on her temple, stubble against her skin.

She lay perfectly still, feeling as if she were moving inside the feathered walls of a dream. She opened one eye, just a slit, but enough to let a golden shaft of sunlight in.

“It’s eight,” Koda said, kissing her again. “I know I should have let you sleep, but I’m going to be on duty for the next few days and won’t be able to see you much. I was hoping you’d want to grab a bite before I go in.”

Maggie rolled onto her back. It felt like she’d been asleep for days. Or weeks, even. Her head throbbed insistently. Aimee, Aimee, Aimee, it seemed to say. She opened her eyes to see Koda swimming there.

“Hey, lassie.”

He looked so handsome in his uniform, his black hair shining in the morning light. She reached for him and his face softened.

He leaned down and she wrapped her arms around his neck, beginning to cry.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he said, pulling back. “What is it?”

She rubbed her eyes, embarrassed. He’d caught her at such a raw moment, with the dream still painfully fresh.

“It’s nothing.”

“What?” He looked so concerned that her heart squeezed. All of a sudden, she wanted to see him smile. More than anything. They’d all had enough worry to last a lifetime.

“I just had the most bizarre dream.”

“About?”

She turned toward the window and squinted at the sunlight coming through the glass. The lovely prisms of yellow, orange, and red. “About Aimee.” She looked back at Koda on the verge of saying more, but stopping short. The feeling of seeing Aimee again was still so real, that she wanted to keep it to herself a while longer.

“I’m sorry, Maggie. For everything.”

“Don’t be.” She put a hand on his thigh. “Really. Don’t be. It all happened the way it was supposed to, I think. And as crazy as it probably sounds, deep down, I feel like wherever Aimee is, she’s okay. Does that make sense?”

His expression was bittersweet. “Perfect.”

Her mouth tipped at the memory of the dream, of her friend’s sweet voice. You can choose to see the beauty and peace…if you look hard enough. She was so lucky to have known Aimee. For meeting her when they’d been little girls, for growing up together and creating a patchwork quilt of memories, joyful and grim, clear and vague, near and far. They would always be a part of who she was. And so would Aimee.

She held Koda’s hand, reluctant to let go. “I’ll get dressed and be right down.”

“Okay,” he said, tugging on a curl. His dark eyes locked with hers, and he leaned down to kiss her for a long, wonderful minute. She felt his tenderness there. Love. She could feel it. That’s how it should be. Life went on.

She washed her face, dressed quickly, and came down the stairs to where Koda was waiting at the front door. Ara was there, too. When she saw Maggie, she pulled her into a hug.

“I’m glad you’re here,” she said simply. Maggie gazed into the other woman’s face and saw for the first time how lovely her eyes were. A deep blue gray that seemed to hide nothing. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.” Winking, she turned and disappeared into the kitchen where the scent of something baking waited.

Maggie stared after her. Your heart is what led you back to this place, Aimee had said. And maybe it wasn’t just to find me.

Koda took her hand and led her out the front door. She squeezed his fingers, knowing now that he had opened his guarded heart enough to let her in. Really let her in. And that would never stop thrilling her. “Hope you don’t mind if Zane and Candi join us,” he said. “They invited themselves.”

“I’d love that.”

Together they stepped down to the walkway. The fall morning was crisp and impossibly bright. The sound of chopping wood reverberated through the air. Maggie turned to see Jim at the side of the house, tall and imposing, raising his ax and bringing it down to split a fat piece of wood. He wore an old denim coat and had a pipe in his mouth. She caught a trace of its pleasant smokiness and for some reason was comforted by it.

Maggie’s stomach rumbled. Suddenly she couldn’t wait for breakfast. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in ages.

A breeze moved the pine boughs above, making them sway and shiver in the sunlight. A stray curl blew across her face and she tilted her head just in time to see something small and dark flapping on the hinge of the gate. She brushed her hair away and stopped, curious.

Koda was already on the sidewalk, whistling something unrecognizable, hands deep inside his jacket pockets. He turned. “Coming?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I’ll be right there.”

“Just so you know, Zane’s a pig. He’ll eat everything before we get there.”

She grinned. Tucking her chin inside her collar, she crossed the lawn toward the gate. Overhead, a hawk cried. Maggie looked up and shielded her eyes, watching it dip and sway on the wind.

The gate creaked and blew open a little, then hit the post again with a bang. She looked down. There on the hinge, was what had caught her eye. Hesitant, she reached out and took a small tuft of fur between her fingers. It was soft and textured, the tips of the hair, a deep charcoal black. Her heart drummed a steady rhythm as she brought it to her cheek. It smelled like meadow grass.

Behind her, the chopping came to a stop, leaving the air naked and quiet. The house cast a long shadow, as if reaching out to touch her on the shoulder.

She turned to see Jim watching her, the ax in his hand, the pipe between his teeth. Before she could say anything, he gave her a knowing smile and turned away.

Maggie stood looking toward the little town that was tucked so perfectly away inside these vast, sprawling woods. The rooftops of the old houses were laced with frost and sparkled underneath the morning sun.

Her hands were chilly at her sides. Shivering, she shoved them in her pockets and jabbed her finger on something sharp. Pulling it out, she saw a piece of moss-covered bark.

Magic? The word was plump with meaning. She wrapped her fingers around the tuft of fur and placed it lovingly, gently into her breast pocket. Just maybe.

She walked toward Koda, wanting to stay, but not knowing if he wanted the same. “I guess I need to pack when I get back from breakfast.”

He stopped and faced her. “Why?”

“We know what happened to Aimee now.”

He watched her for a moment, his eyes mirroring the longing she felt. The desire. But was that enough?

“Don’t go,” he said softly.

“What?”

“I want you to stay.”

She considered this. Needed so much to believe it, but all she could think of was how much he’d tried to get her to leave before. “Do you really want me to stay, Koda?”

“I do.” He stepped closer. “Honestly, I can’t see my life here without you in it. Don’t you know I’ve been waiting for you? I didn’t understand that before. But I do now.”

He slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss made her dizzy, and when he leaned back, she touched her tingling mouth, savoring the feeling.

She grinned, so full of joy she thought she might break from it. It had been so long since she’d felt joy. Pure and sweet, and consuming her completely. “Aren’t you afraid someone will see you kissing an outsider?”

“You’re no outsider now, lassie. You’re mine. If you’ll have me.”

His… One little word that meant everything.

“Okay,” she said, her throat aching. “I’ll stay.”

He held his hand out and she took it, stepping close. Together, they walked along the curious, cracked sidewalk that led into Wolfe Creek, a town so often cloaked in fog. But it wasn’t today. At that moment Maggie realized a simple truth. She knew that this sidewalk could lead to so much more. It was a pathway toward a brand-new life. A new love.

She hadn’t been able to trust anyone for so long. She’d been scared of the unknown, of the mysterious and unproven. But holding onto Koda now, she knew she’d let him lead her anywhere. Down this sidewalk and beyond. Because she trusted him with her life. Her healing heart. And even more precious, her future.

“By the way,” he said, smiling down at her. “What’d you find?”

The smile looked perfect on him. Magical, as a matter of fact. She smiled back, feeling the sunshine warm on her shoulders.

“Exactly what I was looking for,” she said.

The End

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