Dru’s breath plumed in the air in front of her. She zipped up her jacket.
“How long have you worked at Hemlock House?” Viktor asked.
“Only about a week,” Dru admitted.
“What brought you here?”
“I’m writing a book,” she told him.
“Really?” he asked, eyebrows lifted slightly. “What’s it about?”
“It’s just fiction,” she explained. “I thought this place might inspire me.”
Dru kept the genre to herself. She wasn’t ready for another condescending look when she told someone she was planning to write a horror novel. She’d gotten enough of that from the professors in her writing program.
“You’re not secretly here to look for treasure?” he asked.
“No,” she said with a smile. “How about you?”
“I just wanted to get away.”
That was a non-answer. She stole a glance at him.
He wore a slightly dreamy expression. The moonlight made his creamy skin almost seem to glow.
“Do you walk the trails often?” he asked her.
“Not really,” she said. “But I haven’t been here long.”
“So what do you do when you’re not working or writing?”
She didn’t bother to tell him that those were the same thing.
“Nothing, really,” she replied.
“That’s a shame,” he told her. “You’re young. You should take advantage of the chance to enjoy nature.”
“Okay, grandpa,” she teased.
He grinned at her.
“Yes, I know. You’re all of twenty, so you know everything.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m twenty-four,” Dru replied. “And I don’t know everything, but I do know that spending a lot of time in nature is not for me.”
“Why not?” he asked.
“I’m accident prone, and I have allergies,” she told him.
“Nothing to be allergic to at this time of year,” he told her.
“True,” she agreed, taking a deep breath of the clean mountain air.
“Do you live at the hotel?” he asked.
“Yes,” she told him. “There’s a section in the south wing for staff.”
He nodded. “Does your room face the lawn or the woods?”
“Woods,” she said. “It’s really nice. I have a window seat and everything.”
They had just reached the entry to the first trail.
“Okay, I’m going to get out my flashlight,” she warned him. “It’s very bright.”
She slid the tactical flashlight out of her jacket pocket and clicked it on, focusing the beam on the trail.
Everything outside the beam’s reach disappeared into darkness as they stepped under the canopy of trees.
It was hard not to think about the fact that whatever had killed the rabbit earlier today was somewhere in these woods. It was probably just a hawk, but still…
She found herself listening for unfamiliar sounds. But there was nothing but the hoot of owls and the singing of the night birds.
“Are there still treehouses out here?” Viktor asked.
“Observation decks, yes,” she told him. “They’re meant for birdwatching.”
“I see,” he said.
They walked on, the trail leading around a few curves and decidedly uphill.
It was cold, but it felt good to get a little exercise. Back in Philly, she had walked almost everywhere, getting her muscles moving every day without thinking about it. Even just a week behind the desk was having an effect on her. It was good to stretch out.
It also felt nice to spend time with Viktor Striker. The slight attraction she’d felt before was warming into something more interesting.
They had just reached a spot where the path curved around a massive oak, when there was a rustling in the undergrowth and a flash of movement nearby.
Dru let out a bit of a scream, really more of an embarrassing squeak, but managed to train the beam of the flashlight on the furry thing before its bushy tail disappeared completely.
“A fox,” she breathed.
“We’re not the only ones out for a late-night stroll,” Viktor teased. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she said, distracted. “I guess that’s him.”
“You guess what?”
She turned to Viktor, remembering at the last second to lower the beam of the flashlight.
“There was a dead rabbit on the lawn earlier tonight,” she explained. “That fox must be the culprit.”
Viktor’s eyebrows went up slightly. “I see.”
“Though he didn’t eat it,” she went on. “Something must have scared him off.”
Viktor nodded.
“Should we turn back, or keep going?” she asked. “The trail loops back around eventually.”
“I hate to remind you, but do you need to get back to the desk?” he asked.
She winced. “Yeah, I probably should.”
“Then let’s turn back,” he said with a sad smile. “Maybe we’ll walk the whole trail another time.”
“Sure,” she heard herself say. “We’ll do it in the daytime when you can actually see everything.”
Frankly, she couldn’t believe she’d made it this far without tripping over something. In the daylight, she’d have a much better chance of not embarrassing herself.
Viktor’s smile faded, and he nodded tersely.
They turned around and headed back for the hotel.
Dru hadn’t realized how far they had come, it was impossible to even see the light of the old building through the trees.
“How long do you plan to work here?” Viktor asked, after a moment.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I’m hoping to stay long enough to finish the book.”
“Then what?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she told him. “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet, but I’ll probably go back to Philly. I have an apartment there. It’s small, but it’s really nice. A friend is housesitting for me right now.”
“Do you have a family?” he asked.
“My parents are out this way,” she told him. “I grew up in the area. We see each other as often as we can, but they work, and I stay busy.”
“Do you have a husband or a… boyfriend?” he asked.
She stopped in her tracks.
“I apologize,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to be familiar, and I assure you I’m not trying to woo you like that oaf back in the lobby. I was merely curious to know more about you.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “You’re just asking me a lot of questions.”
“You remind me of someone,” he said thoughtfully. “It makes me inquisitive. Forgive me.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Someone I knew a long time ago,” he said, and turned his attention back to the trail.
That was the lamest cover job for a flubbed pick-up she had ever seen, but at least he had enough respect for her to know when his attentions weren’t wanted.
Only they might be wanted…
She jogged to catch up, scolding herself for thinking he was hot in the first place. What he was, was odd. And she was here to work, not to fraternize with the clientele.