Page 3 of Rough and Rugged
I ignored the shoe and put the van into drive. I nodded to Mrs. Muller, who was waving. As for my angry aunt, who was limp-stomping down the driveway, I gave her a final scowl before I drove away.
Chapter Three
Beare
Itappedthebuttonon the steering wheel to accept the call from Wolf, my eldest cousin. “When are you coming?” I blurted.
Give me technology, and I was in my element. But a hammer, or a two-by-four? I wouldn’t know where to start, which was why I needed Wolf’s construction experience.
“I’ll be there by Friday, and so will the rest of our cousins.” What should have been a caravan of bears, heading north, was now only me.
“Alright,” I said with resolve.
“So, is it true?” asked Wolf.
“Is what true?” I played dumb. The grapevine in this den was faster than the speed of light.
“Aunt Frances sold the lake house,” he snickered.
He might think my situation was funny, but I sure as hell didn’t. “Laugh it up, asshole.” I mocked his laughter. “You’re lucky you’re not here with me.”
“Still! I can’t believe Aunt Frances did that.” His laughter rang louder from the speakers. It set me on edge.
“If your mother sold part of our family’s heritage, you wouldn’t be laughing.” Wolf’s father, who had been my dad’s youngest brother, had owned the land adjacent to ours.
“She wouldn’t,” Wolf huffed, but his sullen tone had me regretting opening my mouth. “Besides, the entirety of the land became mine when dad died.”
That was a sad day—one I would never forget. “I’m sorry.”
“No worries, Alpha. Now, did you…everything…need?” Loud crackling sounds drowned out some of Wolf’s words.
“What’s going on over there? I missed what you said.” I tapped the screen thinking I was going into a dead zone. Reception got spotty the farther north you went.
“I said, did you get everything we need for the build?”
“Yes, everything on the list you texted me. It’ll be delivered on Thursday.” It took me a few weeks to gather the equipment, the lumber we couldn’t make on our own, and the other necessities to build my seven hundred ninety square foot structure. “Tiny home” was what I was aiming for. I just hoped, between my cousins and me, we could get it finished in time to move in four weeks from now.
“Shit. Gotta to go, cuz. See you Friday.” Wolf hung up abruptly.
“What the hell was going on over there?” I shook my head.
I had about twenty minutes before I reached my property line. The night was murky, and the fingernail moon wasn’t a good light source, especially with the gray clouds obscuring the stars. But I knew these roads so well that I could maneuver them blindfolded.
I turned onto the semi-paved lane that led to the east side of my property, careful to avoid the potholes that could upend the camper I was pulling. I wondered how my new next-door neighbor would handle the next few weeks. Since Mom divided the family land in such a way that the original den sits just barely inside the western lot line, Axton Fields will have a front row seat to the noise and chaos as we build just inside my eastern boundary.
Did I care? I shouldn’t since this Axton took what should have been mine. However, I had to remind myself that it wasn’t his fault.
What would he think about where I was building? I’d studied the remaining acres and several reasons led me to conclude that the best spot for my new den was right next door to the old one.
One. It was the best location for access out to the main road and to the lake.
Two. I wanted the lake view from my bay window, just like in the old house.
Three. I wanted to keep an eye on this Axton. Since he was human, I didn’t need him discovering our world and calling Channel 26 news. That would bring a whole shit ton of problems I didn’t want my den mixed up in.
And finally, four. There might be a chance, like I’d hinted to Wolf, that if I explained how precious that acre was—especially the house, the new owner might sell it to me. I’d pay anything to get it.
Fingers crossed.