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a fall. The ground rose to meet her, but strong hands
gripped her upper arms from behind, hauling her upright. Annoyed with herself
for almost falling, Kat shrugged off the hands and turned to face whoever had
rescued her, hoping it was Dan.
    It wasn’t.
    Despondent, she stared at the man, his weathered skin adding
years to his face. Wispy white hair like cotton wool was jostled in the gentle
wind and eyes crinkled as he smiled.
    “Nearly did yourself some damage there,” he said, nodding to
the tree root.
    “I…I did, yes. Thank you for helping me. I—”
    “Here.” He thrust out a white envelope held in a hand
gnarled by arthritis, liver spots dotting the skin. “Been asked to give you
this.”
    Kat stared from the envelope to his face. “Oh I… Thanks!”
She took it, itching to open it there and then, but instead held it by her
side. “Did you see the person who gave it to you? I mean, is he here?” She
gazed around, the path empty now except for them.
    “Oh yes, but that was last night.” The old man winked.
“Quite the charade, eh? Wish I’d thought of something like this when I was
wooing my wife. She’d have appreciated this.” He sighed. “Well, you have fun
now.”
    He turned and walked toward the bus stop, leaving Kat
mulling over what he’d said. Wooing? Was that what Dan was doing? She hugged
herself, reveling in that thought, only for reality to snatch it away.
    Don’t be stupid. He doesn’t want you. He’s made that very
clear.
    Pushing away negative thoughts—any time spent with Dan was
better than none—she opened the envelope and stared down at the paper. A series
of instructions and a crudely drawn map showed her how to get to her next
destination. Dan had signed his name in the bottom right-hand corner, a smiley
face beside it, a kiss beneath. She fought off a smile, but it spread her lips
all the same. That kiss was just something people did, wasn’t it? As much as
she hoped for more, that it meant something other than the usual everyday
thing, she told herself not to keep analyzing everything. She’d only end up
disappointed in the end.
    With a sigh she followed the trail, taking a meandering path
to the right. It led up the mountain to a flat ridge that held three log
cabins, each surrounded by well-tended gardens and picket fences. She headed
for the one in the middle, as instructed, and paused at the white gate. Her
heart beat painfully fast and she struggled to steady her breathing.
    For god’s sake! It isn’t as if you’ve never met him
before! She pushed the gate open and stepped onto the path. But this is
different. I’ve never met him outside of work. Like this, with notes and the
invitation to come find him .
    Releasing a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Kat
approached the door and knocked. Seconds passed with no response. Had she come
to the right one? She scanned the instructions then looked at the garden. Yes,
there was the yellow rosebush mentioned in the note. Definitely the right
place. Something fluttered between the stems, partially obscured by the leaves,
and she stepped across the grass for a closer look. Another envelope nestled
there and, stomach rolling as she anticipated the note’s contents, Kat picked
it up and began to read.

Chapter Two
     
    Kat,
    I may have got this completely wrong, and if I have then
I’ll just swallow my pride and keep out of your way at work in the future.
Okay, deep breath… I’ve liked you for the longest time. Sorry if that freaks
you out, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. When you said you didn’t want me
to come here with you, I can’t tell you how disappointed I was. I should have
said something then, let you know how I feel. Anyway, I’d already taken the
week off work, sure you felt something for me and, well, let’s just say I just
had to try.
    All this, me following you here and sending notes, could
come across as damn creepy, but I’d like to think it’s romantic and shows you
I’m not