Chapter One
Everly
“Is my dad OK? He’s acting really strange lately and I’m kind of worried about him. I mean, he’s secretive about what he does sometimes. But this was a whole new level, even for him. Do you think something is going on?” I say to Morgan as I nibble on my thumbnail. The habit annoys my father. Almost as much as my babbling does.
She navigates the big limo along the highway toward the private airport in Asheville. She’s been the family driver for as long as I can remember and if anyone would know what’s going on with him, it would be her.
Limo drivers are one of the forgotten people among the rich. They forget the driver is around, so often these service workers know all of the dirty secrets a family hides. Except my family doesn’t have any dirty secrets. At least, not that I know of. But I can’t deny that my father was acting strange last night at dinner.
Her lower lip twitches. It’s Morgan’s tell-tale sign that she’s about to tell me a lie. “I’m sure everything is fine, hon,” she tries to soothe me.
Her words only make the knot in my stomach grow even bigger. I’m on my way to the airport to leave for college. It’s my second year in film school and while I’m enjoying the work, I can’t help but wonder if I should be back at home with my dad. He’d say the idea was silly. But he was definitely bothered by something.
As a Senator’s daughter, I’ve watched my father deal with everything from outraged citizens who would throw a glass of water in his face at a restaurant (that one went viral) to letters threatening bodily harm if he passes the latest bill.
Still, I’ve never been scared for him. He’s always taken everything in stride. Until last night.
He seemed different.
Shaken.
I open my mouth to tell Morgan that I’m a grown woman and deserve the full truth when my phone dings in my bag. I pull it out and my heart nearly stops when I see my father’s name is trending.
Tapping on the hashtag, my breath comes out in a whoosh. “He’s been arrested. Did you know about this? How could he not tell me? I mean, he gets one phone call. You think he’d call me, right?”
Morgan doesn’t answer me. She’s used to the way I need to process things out loud. It’s like saying the words lets me organize my thoughts and figure out what I’m feeling and what’s happening around me. “What makes them think he’s guilty of fraud? Who could possibly believe my dad would do something like that? He’s the most honest man I’ve ever met. He wouldn’t do this.”
I scan more articles in silence. When I see that the FBI raided my childhood home this morning, I fight the urge to throw up. How could they do this to my father?
My phone rings and I answer the call from my uncle Micah. He’s his older brother, and he’s managed many of my father’s campaigns.
While my father might be the politician, anyone who speaks to Micah will quickly realize that most of my dad’s ideas are heavily influenced from his brother. Yet somehow, they never resent the other. They’ve always worked well together.
“Is it as bad as I think it is? They raided our home. How could they do that, Uncle Micah?” My voice comes out as a wail. I know it was all in the name of gathering evidence, but I still feel violated. Like a piece of my private life was stolen.
Micah sighs and in his heavy smoker’s voice finally says, “It’s only going to get worse, Everly.”
I feel like that time in seventh grade when the rollercoaster had finally chugged to the highest point. I was suddenly regretting my decision to board and desperately wishing I was anywhere but there.
I sniff and realize tears are leaking from my eyes. I swipe at them, hating that I’m so weak in this moment. My father needs me. I have to be strong for him. “What can I do for him? Can I call him? Or talk to the FBI? Maybe if I tell them—”
“There’s nothing for you to do,” Micah says, his booming tone unusually gentle. “What your dad wants from you right now is for you to get out of town for a few days. This is a shitstorm of epic proportions and he needs to know you’re safe.”
I blow out a deep breath as Morgan turns off the interstate. Only she hasn’t taken the correct exit, the one that leads to the airport.
“Can I at least talk to him?” I beg. My dad and I might not see everything the same way, but I want him to know I love him, and I believe in him. “This is all just a misunderstanding that will be cleared up in a few days anyway. Surely, they can let me talk to him.”
“You can’t talk to him right now. But I’ll make sure he gets the message. For now, I’ve rented you a cabin in a place called Mount Bliss. Morgan will drop you off there and I’ll pick you up in a few days when the worst of this has started to blow over.”
“This will help my dad?” I ask.
“This will help your dad,” Micah reassures me. “I’ve already been in contact with your professors. Your assignments will be waiting for you when you get back.”
It’s awfully fast for Micah to have pulled this together. Our family owns one of the biggest restaurant chains in the Southeast, so I’m used to seeing how quickly money can get results.
“I have to go now,” he says before I can voice my concerns. “But you should try to relax. Have some fun while you’re there. Your dad doesn’t want you sitting around worrying, sugar bug.”
I smile at the nickname that he and my father use for me. I squeeze my eyes tight and will myself not to start crying. It won’t do me or my dad any good. “OK, I’ll try. I love you.”
He disconnects the call and I lean against the backseat, feeling drained from the conversation. I didn’t realize my whole life could change in the blink of an eye.
“It’ll be alright,” Morgan says from her place in the front seat. “Your father’s been in worse scrapes before.”
I try to smile at her, but I can’t quite manage it. I wish my mom were still alive. She’d know what to say. She always found a way to soothe me. She never thought I talked too much or chided me for being too loud. She simply accepted me.
About halfway up the mountain, Morgan pulls the limo over. She makes a clucking sound. “The roads are too icy. We won’t get up there in this thing.”
We get out and she reaches for my suitcase, but I shake my head. “You should go back down while you can still get out. You said it was only half a mile further. I jog a couple miles on the treadmill every day. Shouldn’t be too hard.”
She hesitates. “Are you sure?”
“I want him to have as many of his friends around as possible,” I explain. Morgan might be dad’s driver, but more than that, there’s a deep friendship between them. She’s a part of our family and dad could probably use the support right about now.
Morgan gives me a quick hug before she gets back into the limo and reverses down the mountain.
As soon as she’s gone, an animal in the forest howls and a shiver goes down my spine. I grab my bags and start walking toward the cabin all the while praying that a wolf doesn’t eat me along the path.
***
Owen
I step from the hot shower and sling a towel around my waist. Sleet knocks against the windowpanes of my remote cabin on Mount Bliss, making me wonder if I’ll have electricity in the coming snowstorm. It’s the first one of the season, and it’s predicted to be a whiteout.
Still, the generator and massive fireplaces in the living room and bedroom will keep me warm. I have a split second of longing for a woman to keep warm with. I dismiss the idea as quickly as it comes.
But someone up there must have been listening to my thoughts because when I step into my spacious bedroom, there is a woman nestled on my bed.
She’s curled up on her side, her honey blonde hair flowing across my pillow. Even in sleep she’s frowning, and I long to reach out and ease those frown lines. She’s underneath the covers but her shoulders are bare, leaving me to wonder if she’s naked beneath my sheets.
Seeing her in my bed fills me with a sense of peace that I haven’t had in a long time and definitely don’t deserve.
Before I can figure out who she is or better yet how the hell she got in here, her eyelids flutter open.
She gazes at me sleepily for a moment before frowning and scrambling up into a sitting position. The blanket drops in her haste and I catch sight of her bare breasts, her pink puckered nipples making my mouth water.
“Who the hell are you?” She screeches as she tugs on the blanket, hiding my view of those beautiful tits. “Did you follow me? Oh, shit. I’ve seen this movie. The dumb blonde always goes into the basement. But I’m not in the basement so the hot mountain man shouldn’t be allowed to kill me.”
I cross my arms over my chest and scowl at her. “What the hell are you doing in my bed, Goldilocks?”