Respite

Chapter 2

I woke up before the sun rose. It was at this time with the glow of the kitchen light that I took time to look at the tiny house I found myself in. There were two plump fabric chairs by a big bay window by the front door. A small round table sat between them up against the bay window. I had visions of filling that window with plants and books one day. Under the loft was a small kitchen consisting of a mini fridge, a small oven, and a microwave on a rickety cabinet. There was a sink between the oven and the fridge with a window that overlooked the denser part of the forest.

            The bathroom was yellow. The walls were a dull yellow, the linoleum also yellow. The shower looked like it could be easily claustrophobic and the sink in the bathroom leaked. I couldn't control the smile upon my face. I found a pot in the cabinet below the microwave and heated some water for an instant cup of coffee before settling on one of the cloth chairs in front of the window. The rays of the sun were streaming through the leaves one by one to wake up the forest and I could feel the slight warmth of their rays.

I watched as a middle-aged man with shaggy blonde hair emerged from the woods to the left of my cabin. He had in his hand a walking stick and a cup of coffee in the other and he smiled widely when he caught me looking at him from my window spot in the cabin. I stopped breathing momentarily as he climbed up my porch and knocked on my front door.

            "Hiya, I'm Connor!" He yelled through the window at me. It was stupid of me to freeze while sitting in the window, he had obviously seen me. It took me a moment to climb out of my chair and open the door for him. I stepped out of the cabin making him take a step backwards and he looked past me into the cabin before settling to look me in the eyes, "Are you Bills new tenant?" He asked, still with a small smile on his face.

            He was a shorter man and he leaned heavily on his walking stick like his back hurt. The stick looked like an old branch that had been sanded and stained to shine with a wolfs head carved into the top of it. It was beautiful piece and it looked like he used it often. Connor had shaggy blonde hair that looked about three months past due for a haircut and a graying, scruffy beard. He had bright blue eyes that shone brightly at me with no hint of malice or negativity in them.

            "I'm Logan." I forced a smile across my face and stuck my hand out, "You startled me a bit." I professed.

            "I'm sorry about that, Bill called me last night and said that a pretty lady was moved in all by herself, and I just wanted to introduce myself. These woods can be harsh and it's nice to know that your neighbors have your back." He leaned against the rails of the small porch and watched me as I did the same on the opposite side of the porch. My coffee burned my hands, and I watched as the steam coming from the hot water swirled in the cooler wind.

            "I appreciate that. I'm brand new, so I could use all the friends I can get." This time I smiled honestly, and he seemed to relax, "How long have you lived here?" I asked.

            "My whole life. Born and raised on this property. Originally my family moved into this cabin before they built the one I'm in. We sold this bit of land to my cousin when he said he wanted to start renting out land. Turned into quite the business adventure for him." So Bill was his cousin, that made sense now, "Maggie from the diner told me we had a new girl in town, I'm assuming that's you. You've only been here a few days; how do you like it so far? We don't get many visitors who turn residents around here. They all come for the hiking and hunting and then head out the next day."

            "I guess I'm one of the few that just couldn't leave these mountains. They're just too gorgeous for me to leave. Everybody has just been so nice, and I've wanted to settle down in a small town for a while." He nodded his head enthusiastically at my words. I could tell he took great pride at the mountains and was happy someone else took notice of them too.