Page 73 of Built of Flames
Tessa had met Tansy several years before through an FBI consult they’d both worked on. They’d been friends ever since and Tessa treasured their connection.
When Tansy had offered her home to Tessa, it hadn’t taken her long to accept. She’d been moving every few years for safety, but she hoped this new home would offer that.
Tansy and her brother Joe had inherited the property from their grandfather. A parcel of over thirty acres surrounding Midnight Lake. There was a huge old fishing lodge that now housed everyone. There was even a sawmill and a blacksmith shop on the property.
In this quiet section of Vermont, there were far more trees and turtles than people. And best of all, the lodge was a two mile hike in from the road.
Not that her legs appreciated the hike, but the safety it added to her new home was priceless. At least there was a solar-powered golf cart she could use to cover the distance if she needed.
Maybe she could get Graham Buchanan to adapt some kind of vehicle to help her make the trek to this cabin in the winter. The man was a genius with vehicles.
Graham and his girlfriend Aisling also shared the home at Midnight Lake. Aisling was working to refurbish the lodge and make it more self-sufficient.
Tansy’s husband Sam owned a security business on the property. He was a former FBI agent and partnered with Graham, Tansy’s brother, and some other friends to run the business that trained people to protect themselves and others.
That added another layer of safety for Tessa.
Arson investigator Bella and her fire-fighter fiancé Mitch rounded out the group. Tansy was a scientist who’d taken the entire property off the grid by herself. She invented things like robots and prosthetics and parts for space shuttle.
They were all incredible people who were passionate about their jobs and improving the world. It made Tessa feel like a bit of a slacker even though she knew she was doing her own bit.
She tied up the canoe at the dock and hauled herself up. A flash of movement on the porch had her smiling. The small cat wouldn’t admit it yet, but she was starting to trust Tessa. The saucer she’d left of tuna sat empty and the cat had hung around after eating. Waiting for Tessa.
“Come on, Ginger. You can come inside where it’s warm. You don’t have to be out here on your own.”
She continued to speak softly as she moved slowly up to the porch. The cat peeked around the wall and watched her but when Tessa paused, she took off again.
She waited a few minutes and kept talking, but the animal didn’t reappear. Tessa sighed and unlocked the door. After a few dangerous incidents on the property, every building was equipped with good deadbolts.
Once inside, she wrapped herself in the afghan from the couch. It was too late in the day to stay long, so she wouldn’t fire up the pellet stove, but she wanted to warm up her body before she headed back.
The old injuries had healed as much as they were going to heal and she’d learned to cope with them. She’d also learned enough tricks to help her avoid revealing her weakness to others.
Weakness led to questions. Questions led to lies. And guilt. And then another move.
She didn’t want to screw up this place. Didn’t want to leave. Was it possible to have a forever home? She hadn’t believed in forever in over a decade. She wasn’t sure she’d truly believed it even then.
Although one boy had made her want to believe. No. She couldn’t think of him. Couldn’t remember him at all. That way lay heartache and danger.
Shaking her head at her stray thoughts, Tessa paced the cabin’s room and planned her next steps for data collection.
Tomorrow she’d start cataloging the birds who stayed in Vermont for the winter. She’d need to find where they roosted and nested first.
She’d collect more data and try to capture a stray cat.
She’d focus on the future.
Not the past.
Flynn Walker was glad he’d switched from his cowboy boots to hiking boots and traded his Stetson for a knitted cap. Vermont at the end of November was no joke.
As part of the FBI’s organized crime unit, Flynn had spent most of his adult life in big cities in the southern US. Far different from the ranch where he’d grown up on the outskirts of Houston.
He’d worked in Chicago for a month one January and that had been an eye-opener. He’d learned to be prepared. And that layers were they key to not freezing your ass off.
Flynn grabbed his duffel and then climbed out of the rental car and locked up. Early winter at Midnight Lake, Vermont was going to require another learning curve. One he was eager to take.
He’d jumped at the chance to partner up with some of his buddies when Sam Young wanted to jump the FBI ship and start up a business aimed at training people to protect themselves and others. Even if it meant spending time in actual winter.