Blue Ridge Autumn by Cynthia Thomason

Author:Cynthia Thomason
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

BY NINE O’CLOCK Monday morning, the sparkling Xterra was blazing down the four-lane highway that ran through the center of Vickers County to country roads that wound deep into the forests. Both windows were down and the voice of Emmylou Harris blasted from the car speakers.

Cameron pulled his arm from the sling and rested his elbow on the door frame. He smiled at Julia. “Did I forget to mention the Fosgate audio package that came with this SUV?”

She stopped humming along to “Beneath Still Waters.” “Yes, you did, and it’s the feature I like best about it.”

“Have to admit, this sound system puts the one in the Jeep to shame. Good thing the Jeep has so much cool going for it in other areas.”

She laughed. “Yeah. It looked really cool stuck in the mud of the ravine.”

“Hey, that truck will be back, better than ever, you’ll see.” He reached down to the floor and picked up a plastic CD case. “Don’t forget, on the way back we listen to my pick.”

“I remember. A deal’s a deal, though I never figured you for a Bruce Springsteen fan.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said.

She’d been thinking that very thing for days now, all the while finding herself much too fascinated with the things she’d learned. “I hope one of your hidden talents is getting along with folks in the Hollow,” she said.

“No problem.” He pointed to a sign a few hundred yards up the highway. “County Road 312. This is it, Julia.”

At the end of the off-ramp, she turned right onto a paved two-lane road as he instructed. “How far?”

“About another twenty miles. But only eight on this road. After the next turn, I imagine the going will get rough.” He moved his index finger over an inch of the map in his lap. “The road we take after this is nothing more than a faint black line that hardly shows on the map.”

“Great.”

He was silent for a few minutes and then said, “Do you know how Killdeer Hollow got its name?”

“I know there’s a bird called killdeer.”

“Right. And it’s the nature of that bird that made the locals apply it to the Hollow.”

“What is the nature of a killdeer?”

“Sneaky. My grandfather pointed one out to me once. It was just sitting by the side of the road, not moving. Looked like one of its wings was broken. I felt bad for the poor creature and thought I’d rescue it. I went closer, and it flopped around and tried to fly but couldn’t.”

“That’s not sneaky,” Julia said. “It’s sad.”

He grinned at her. “Right. That’s what you’re supposed to think. It’s all part of the killdeer’s plan. When I got close enough to almost reach out and grab the bird, its wing suddenly healed and it took off into the air, with a screech that mimics its name. That’s what these birds do.

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