Rachel stared at the smaller woman, aware of the normalcy Maggie projected.
She seemed extremely nice and accepting, harmless really. Maybe she could shed some light on what was truly going on around here.
“How long have you lived here?”
“All my life.” Maggie grinned. “I love Cougar Falls. I met Joel seven years ago when he moved back into town. He stayed and we fell in love. We’re coming up on our fifth anniversary next month.”
“Congratulations.” Rachel paused, trying to find a way to frame her next question.
“So did you know my aunt too?”
“Sure did. Charlotte was a great friend, and a funny lady. She bossed your brothers something fierce.” Maggie chuckled. “I loved seeing them run ragged after a day with Charlotte. They’d bitch about it with Joel, but always with a grin. She treated them like family, and they’ve missed that. Their parents died years ago, back when Burke was just 46
eighteen. He’s been raising his brothers and managing this place himself for a long time.”
Maggie rose when the coffee machine beeped and brought to the table a carafe, a container of milk and one of sugar. She gave Rachel a speculative look. “What about you?”
“Me?” Rachel busied herself by fixing her coffee.
“Do you have family to get back to? A husband and some kids, maybe?” Maggie stared at Rachel’s fingers wrapped around her mug.
“No. No husband, not anymore.” Her relief in saying that made her smile.
“A real jerk, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re rid of him then. Had a boyfriend a while back who wasn’t so nice to me.” Maggie’s voice softened. “Took me a while to see the light. That and Joel.”
Her face brightened. “I didn’t want to give Joel the time of day, but he wore me down.
And I’m glad he did. I’d do anything for that man.”
Rachel wondered what it would be like to have a man she could love as much as Maggie seemed to love Joel. Even with Jesse she’d been somewhat remote, walling off that part of herself he’d never quite reached. Sex with him had been great, but now she had to wonder, had she ever talked about him the way Maggie talked about Joel? Had she ever had that glow in her eyes thinking about her ex?
“So what do you think of the town so far?”
Rachel zeroed in on the question, pleased to turn away uncomfortable thoughts about her ex, as well as to take the opportunity to question Maggie about Cougar Falls. “It’s cute, but a little odd.”
“You think?” Was that humor behind Maggie’s bland words?
“What do you know about this totem pole everyone celebrates? My aunt seemed to think it held magical properties. And that she was responsible for it.”
“She was.”
Rachel stared, pleased but cautious at Maggie’s honesty. “In what way?”
47
“Look, Rachel, if I hadn’t been born and raised here, I wouldn’t believe half the things I’ve heard, let alone seen. Believe what you feel. Charlotte did. Suffice it to say your aunt was a well-respected and very important woman in this town. Her blood—your blood—runs as far back as the Salish who used to live here hundreds of years ago. And that totem is a symbol of everything Cougar Falls represents. Now that it’s missing, a lot of people are hoping you’ll bring it back.”
Great. So whatever Aunt Charlotte had been smoking, Maggie had taken a few puffs of it too.
“Sounds nutty, I know. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
Rachel was about to ask her about the Ac-taw and inner beasts when Burke and a giant of a man joined them.
“Maggie, time to gather the veggies.” The giant nodded at Rachel, his dark brown eyes tender as they fell on his wife, and Rachel placed him as a man she’d seen in the diner.
“That’s my husband, Joel, my own grizzly bear.” Joel frowned at Maggie’s laugh and hauled her out of the kitchen. “See you later, Rachel,” she yelled over her shoulder, leaving Rachel alone with Burke.
He
She seemed extremely nice and accepting, harmless really. Maybe she could shed some light on what was truly going on around here.
“How long have you lived here?”
“All my life.” Maggie grinned. “I love Cougar Falls. I met Joel seven years ago when he moved back into town. He stayed and we fell in love. We’re coming up on our fifth anniversary next month.”
“Congratulations.” Rachel paused, trying to find a way to frame her next question.
“So did you know my aunt too?”
“Sure did. Charlotte was a great friend, and a funny lady. She bossed your brothers something fierce.” Maggie chuckled. “I loved seeing them run ragged after a day with Charlotte. They’d bitch about it with Joel, but always with a grin. She treated them like family, and they’ve missed that. Their parents died years ago, back when Burke was just 46
eighteen. He’s been raising his brothers and managing this place himself for a long time.”
Maggie rose when the coffee machine beeped and brought to the table a carafe, a container of milk and one of sugar. She gave Rachel a speculative look. “What about you?”
“Me?” Rachel busied herself by fixing her coffee.
“Do you have family to get back to? A husband and some kids, maybe?” Maggie stared at Rachel’s fingers wrapped around her mug.
“No. No husband, not anymore.” Her relief in saying that made her smile.
“A real jerk, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re rid of him then. Had a boyfriend a while back who wasn’t so nice to me.” Maggie’s voice softened. “Took me a while to see the light. That and Joel.”
Her face brightened. “I didn’t want to give Joel the time of day, but he wore me down.
And I’m glad he did. I’d do anything for that man.”
Rachel wondered what it would be like to have a man she could love as much as Maggie seemed to love Joel. Even with Jesse she’d been somewhat remote, walling off that part of herself he’d never quite reached. Sex with him had been great, but now she had to wonder, had she ever talked about him the way Maggie talked about Joel? Had she ever had that glow in her eyes thinking about her ex?
“So what do you think of the town so far?”
Rachel zeroed in on the question, pleased to turn away uncomfortable thoughts about her ex, as well as to take the opportunity to question Maggie about Cougar Falls. “It’s cute, but a little odd.”
“You think?” Was that humor behind Maggie’s bland words?
“What do you know about this totem pole everyone celebrates? My aunt seemed to think it held magical properties. And that she was responsible for it.”
“She was.”
Rachel stared, pleased but cautious at Maggie’s honesty. “In what way?”
47
“Look, Rachel, if I hadn’t been born and raised here, I wouldn’t believe half the things I’ve heard, let alone seen. Believe what you feel. Charlotte did. Suffice it to say your aunt was a well-respected and very important woman in this town. Her blood—your blood—runs as far back as the Salish who used to live here hundreds of years ago. And that totem is a symbol of everything Cougar Falls represents. Now that it’s missing, a lot of people are hoping you’ll bring it back.”
Great. So whatever Aunt Charlotte had been smoking, Maggie had taken a few puffs of it too.
“Sounds nutty, I know. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
Rachel was about to ask her about the Ac-taw and inner beasts when Burke and a giant of a man joined them.
“Maggie, time to gather the veggies.” The giant nodded at Rachel, his dark brown eyes tender as they fell on his wife, and Rachel placed him as a man she’d seen in the diner.
“That’s my husband, Joel, my own grizzly bear.” Joel frowned at Maggie’s laugh and hauled her out of the kitchen. “See you later, Rachel,” she yelled over her shoulder, leaving Rachel alone with Burke.
He
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