A week had passed since her arrival and Ashley still wasn’t sure how she felt about this town.

She really didn’t have much to complain about for her new setting. Alex had been doing everything he could to make her smile and distracted. Liz was fast becoming her first friend in town. While it was nice to call someone a friend, she was a bit too talkative and curious for her own good. She kept asking about life in California and her old home. It may have been interesting to Liz, but it was more painful to Ashley. For the most part, all she wanted now was some peace and quiet.

Which is why she loved that her backyard was practically the forest itself. It was only a mile or two from Alex’s home to the first trails. Once she started up into the mountain, all her problems seem to disappear. She thought she’d get bored out by herself, but it was relaxing. Here Ashley could be alone for hours as her heart attempted to deal with loss and her mind considered her new life.

The mountains were beautiful, littered with young saplings and their ancient cousins. It looked like a whole countryside of Christmas trees. The air was a lot cooler than she was used to in the summer and she found herself walking in jeans instead of shorts. It wasn’t freezing, but once she started up the trail the temperature just seemed to drop.

After her first day of peaceful walking, she’d come to learn of a terrible enemy. Mosquitoes. After Alex got her some bug spray and lotion, he explained that after the snow melted there were small ponds everywhere. The mosquitoes bred like crazy in all the water and that meant in the spring and summer they came in swarms. If she wanted alone time, she’d have to go prepared for the pests.

He also gave her a map of the mountain and all the trails. There were dozens of laid out paths and they seemed to go on forever. She found the further she walked, the less likely she was to encounter people. Each day she pushed herself deeper into the wilderness and marveled in its silent beauty.

Today was the farthest she’d ever gone. It’d been almost two hours when she heard loud splashing followed by a playful bark. Pausing, Ashley looked to see if there was a pond and a family of dog walkers. But the sound was coming from her right, deeper in the forest and off the trail. Maybe it was a hidden area known only to locals? Keeping in mind where the path was, she stepped off and headed up the hill.

Almost instantly the sun faded as Ashley fell under the shadows of the great trees. The splashing disappeared, but she was sure she knew where it was coming from. The hill abruptly stopped, transforming into a steep drop covered in heavy roots. Not far from it was a basin of collected water. The sun was shining on it through the gap in the foliage, giving it an aura of paradise.

Ashley panicked for a moment as she saw the pack of wolves sitting around the water. There were seven of them, three adults and four pups. Two were playfully attacking each other while their brother sniffed the water. The fourth sat impatiently as one of the adults licked them clean. The other two adults were sitting on a rock in the sun. They both had their ears up and were looking at her. For some reason, she found herself calming down. She’d never seen a real wolf before. They were stunning.

The wolves were far below her but they were the ones who’d been expecting her. They didn’t seem to be threatening her, just watching. She remembered Alex’s rule of not to go near pups and stayed where she was. The wolves didn’t seem to mind her so far away. Not wanting to push her luck, she beginning to leave when a shadow appeared in the water.

It was large and moving towards the bank where the puppies were. The adults were focused on her and didn’t seem to notice. Before she could shout out a warning, something erupted from the water. She couldn’t see it through the rush of the water before it disappeared again under the surface. Pure shock kept her from shouting. The pups were wet but they were running along the water’s edge barking excitedly, their little tails wagging furiously. The shadow returned before slowly rising out of the water. It was the last thing she’d expected to see. It wasn’t an animal or some large predator. It was a man.

He rose out of the water a few feet and stopped just off the shore. He rubbed his face and shook to clear some of the water. He had a long lean body from what she could see with golden, almost white hair. She held onto a nearby tree as she studied him. He was not made of rippling muscle, but he was stunningly fit. His body unconsciously flexed against the cool air and the even colder water. The sunlight reflected off the water dripping down his back and gave his skin a healthy glow.

Ashley bit her lip. She shouldn’t be here, but the man was incredibly handsome and he seemed so at peace with the wolves. The puppies were still barking at him playfully. He smiled and started to make his way through the water to them. One of the adults on the rock barked at him and he hesitated. Ashley thought maybe the man wasn’t welcome when the wolf looked back at her. Her heart almost stopped when the man turned towards her. A slow smile crept along his lips. Ashley blushed. While he was still mostly underwater, she couldn’t see a bathing suit.

“I’m sorry!” she called out.

He waved at her before diving back under the water. Feeling terribly awkward, Ashley headed back down the hill to the trail. Her face was still warm from blushing. She couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. He hadn’t shouted back or hid. He had smiled at her.

It took her less time to get home than she expected. The walk and the sight of the man had brightened her day considerably. She felt good again. Her legs felt strong and she even ran part of the way. She used to do track, but she hadn’t run since before her mom had gotten sick. Now she remembered how much she liked doing it. Running had always made her feel alive. She practically skipped into her house. When she got in though she saw an angry Alex in the living room.

“Where have you been?” he demanded.

“Just up the mountain path,” she snapped, angry that he’d ruined her good mood. “What’s wrong with that?” Alex blew a sigh of relief and smiled. Ashley relaxed as she felt the tension instantly leave the room.

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“Nothing. I was just worried. You didn’t leave a note and I had no way of contacting you.”

“I’m sorry,” said Ashley, now feeling like the bad guy. “I should’ve told you somehow.”

“It’s alright. I think I should look into getting you a cell phone.”

“Good idea.” Ashley started towards the kitchen and Alex followed her. As she looked for something to drink, he sat down at the table.

“So did you go with anybody or did you go just by yourself again?”

“By myself. I wanted to see what it looked like around here.”

“See anything interesting?” Ashley kept looking in the fridge so he couldn’t see her blush. The thought of the man and the wolves was still fresh in her mind. Especially his naked shoulders and back. Unsure how to explain the naked man to her new father, she omitted that little detail.

“I found one of the ponds you told me about.”

“Really? You must’ve gone way out there.”

“Probably. Do any people live outside the town?” She grabbed some milk and joined him at the table.

“What? Do you mean up in the mountains?” She nodded. “Of course. There are a lot of people up there. There’s a couple dozen houses scattered out there. Some live close to each other while others live miles away from anyone. Why?”

“No reason. I just saw a few houses from a hilltop and was wondering.”

“Yeah there are plenty of people who live out there. Some are hermits who don’t like to come into town, but there are a couple of big families too.”

“Why do they live so far out?” Alex shrugged.

“Personal choice, I guess. Some of them enjoy the forest more than they do the city life. If you could call this city life.” He chuckled. “It may take them a long time to get to town, but some people just enjoy the peace and quiet. It can be nice sometimes not to have neighbors.” Ashley quietly agreed with the logic of peace and quiet. It was why she’d been out there after all. They sat in silence for a bit and he eyed her.

“Alright, so what really happened out there?” Alex asked bluntly. Ashley looked up from her milk confused. Alex was smiling. “You’re way too happy to just have had a normal walk. What’d you see out there?” Ashley tried to hide her red cheeks, but Alex’s smile grew a little bit wider. She hated that she couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

“Nothing.”

“Uh huh.” Feeling anxious, Ashley finished her milk and stood up.

“I’m going to go see if Liz is home,” she said quickly. Alex grinned and looked away.

“Alright,” he said slyly. “If you stay over there just know dinner will be ready in an hour. Liz can even come back with you if you like.”

“Okay.” She put her glass in the sink and rushed out the door. She berated herself as she crossed the street. If she couldn’t learn to lie better than she needed to find a way to keep her cheeks from betraying her. She knocked on the door and a minute later Liz answered.

“Hey Ashley. What’s up?”

“I’m using you as a quick escape,” she said as she stepped inside. Liz looked at her confused and closed the door.

“From who?”

“Alex.”

“Your dad?” Ashley turned her head and didn’t respond. She didn’t like to think of him as her dad, not yet anyway. “Are you in trouble?”

“No, I just can’t lie around him.” Liz led the way upstairs smirking.

“Barely here and already trying to keep secrets. If they’re any good you can be sure I’ll keep them. What’d you do?”

“Nothing. I just went for a walk in the mountains again.”

“So what’s so bad about that?” They entered her room and Liz hopped on her bed. Ashley took her desk chair and sat down. How to say this to someone she barely knew?

“I saw someone in the mountains today.”

“Oh really, who?” asked Liz.

“How would I know? I found him in a pond while I was walking in the mountains and just saw him there. I think he was bathing.” Liz stopped playing with her phone and sat up straight.

“How old was he?” asked Liz.

“I don’t know, about our age.”

“What did he look like?” she asked more excited.

“He looked…amazing.”

“Do tell.” Liz leaned forward.

“He was the tall, strong with broad shoulders type. I don’t know how to describe him. He looked great, but I left quickly.” Ashley looked away remembering blissfully what he looked like. She doubted she would see him again. Then again, she wasn’t sure about that. It was a small town after all and everyone seemed to know each other. She looked back and saw Liz staring at her intently. “What?”

“You said he was bathing. How much did you see?” Ashley went red and picked up a decorative pillow covered in snow patterns to throw at her.

“Stop it!” She giggled. “I only saw him from the waist up.”

“Just asking. Maybe you got lucky, maybe you didn’t. I will never know.” Liz gave her a wink. Ashley smacked her again with the pillow.

“Do you always have such a dirty mind?”

“Sometimes. Now tell me more about him. If he’s our age I know him.”

“I doubt it.”

“You’ve been in this town for a week and you’re doubting me? I’ve lived here my whole life and I know literally everybody. Come on, give me details.”

“I want to say his hair was bleached blonde, but I don’t think so.” Liz’s smile faded.

“Bleach blonde hair?”

“Yeah. It was a nice, long blondish white, around shoulder length. Why?” Liz was shaking. “What?”

“Blonde white hair, tall, great body, and out in the middle of the mountain?” Liz got off the bed and started searching her bookshelf. She pulled a book down and started flipping through the pages. From the passing pages, Ashley guessed it was a yearbook. Liz spun the book around and laid it out flat.

“Is this him?”

It was. He was dressed in torn jeans, a long sleeve brown shirt, and heavy boots. He had a wrench in his hand and there was grease on his face. He was standing with a few other students and the page said “Automotive Club.”

“Yeah. I can’t believe you know him.”

“You can’t believe I know him? I can’t believe you’ve seen Nathaniel Lexington naked. I kind of hate you right now.”

“What? Why?”

“Why? He’s only been my crush since the 3rd grade. He’s one of the cutest guys in school and is always nice to girls. No matter how many girls he’s attracted though, he’s never had a girlfriend. I don’t know what he’s holding out for, but I hope it’s me.” Liz held her hands to her chest and let out a great sigh. Ashley gave her an amused look.

“You are pathetic.” Liz laughed.

“Why, because I think he’s hot? You think he’s amazing to look at too.” Ashley bit her lip. Her eyes kept lingering down on his picture and she couldn’t give a good rebuttal. “I knew it.”

“Maybe.” Liz scooted forward a bit eagerly.

“So what are you looking for in a guy? Have you dated before?” Ashley glared at her, but Liz didn’t stop. “What? I don’t know anything about you. It’s a legitimate question.”

“Yes, I’ve dated before. No, I’m not looking for a boyfriend. I’ve got enough problems without going after a boy.”

“I disagree. I think boys are a perfect distraction to life’s problems. I just didn’t realize you and I would be going after the same guy.”

“I’m not going after him. I don’t even know who he is.”

“He’s perfection,” said Liz with a big smile. “What more do you need to know?”

“I’ll admit he looks good, but he’s not perfection.” Liz closed the yearbook and winked at her.

“We’ll see what you think when you meet him.”