“Headed out early?” my dad asked once out of the vehicle.
“Breakfast at Ian’s this morning and to get my dog who deserted me for what I assume are endless snacks,” I said and yanked my knit cap down on my head to cover my ears since I had put my long auburn hair in a quick braid.
“I’ll give you a ride over there,” my dad said.
“Not necessary. Ian is doing a shoot in the woods. I’m going to meet him there,” I said and saw not only disappointment on my dad’s face but that something was troubling him. It was an easy tell. My dad is a good-looking man for his fifty-eight years, but the few age lines he had deepened when something troubled him. At least this time I had nothing to do with it or he’d be telling me I made his already snow-white hair even whiter. He’d never admit the truth that the men in his family were prone to their hair turning white at an early age.
My dad stood there saying nothing and that really troubled me since my dad was one to voice his opinion.
“What’s wrong, Dad?” I asked, though wondered if I really wanted to know.
“I saw someone in town today who I never thought I’d see here in Willow Lake again.”
It had to be someone my dad had no love loss for, or he possibly disliked immensely. “Who, Dad?”
“Noah Berwick,” my dad said with distaste.
My eyes shot wide, and my mouth dropped open though briefly. I had to confirm it. “Amy’s dad?”
Amy was my best friend since kindergarten. We were like sisters. When Amy was six, her dad left and they never heard from him again, not even when Amy’s mom died seven years ago. The only thing I remember about him was that he had made Amy cry for days and months after he left. Amy and her mom became an extension of our family after that.
“Does Amy know?” I asked anxiously.
“I don’t think so. I just saw him get out of a dated car in town and head into the diner.”
My dad didn’t have to tell me what diner. There was only one and it had the best food around. The Star Diner is owned and operated by Zelda Perkins, who went all through school with my dad and could tell you anything and everything just about anybody in Willow Lake. The diner was a hot bed of gossip and I intended to talk to Zelda and see what she could tell me about Noah Berwick.
“I’ll go see Ian and let him know I have to talk to Amy,” I said. I wasn’t about to let my friend face this news or her father alone.
“Good. I figured Amy would rather hear it from you.”
I could see the news really troubled my dad. Amy was like another daughter to him, and he didn’t want to see her hurt.
“I’ll see to it, Dad,” I assured him.
“I’m going to see what Noah Berwick is doing back here after all these years,” my dad said with his commanding sheriff’s voice.
“You’re my superhero, Dad,” I said and gave him a tight hug and kiss on the cheek. It was something I said to him often, my little secret way of telling him how much I love him.
The news was more than troubling, and I worried how Amy would take it. I followed the path Ian and I had made for an easy route to the lodge, but I cut off through the woods when halfway through since I knew exactly where Ian was doing the photo shoot.
The snow fell softly around me in the Pennsylvania woods, the fat flakes clinging to the tall pine trees and thick Douglas firs. My boots left prints in the soft blanket of snow, and I inhaled deeply of the cold, fresh air and made my way through the silence and beauty of the winter woods.
Normally, I would take time to enjoy the peacefulness of the vast woods, but not today. I was worried about Amy and the news I would soon deliver to her. I made my way around the trees and large rock formations that dotted the woods. It wasn’t long before I approached a small rise and when I made my way to the edge, I peered down and smiled.
The Vikings had landed!
There were four of them, but I had eyes only for Ian. A fur cloak lay draped over his shoulders and his gorgeous-muscled chest was laid bare. Leather and fur covered the rest of him, and a wooden shield and ax lay nearby. His dark shoulder-length hair was disheveled just enough to make him look sexy, add to that the scruff on his chin and cheeks after not shaving for three days in preparation of this shoot, and he was one sexy hunk.