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Chapter 1

Willow

“Quit staring atht back down into ain

The recipient ofis worse than my bite, stares back, unmoved by the order Fine, so it’s a s andover e

Stupid mountain

For most people, that’s probably the exact view they come here for, a quaint escape from their daily life to small town, rural America

Too bad I’m not here for a quick trip from the city No, Great Falls is my new hometown And the fancy mountainside resort I can now see is most definitely not my destination

“Ugh,” I growl, though there’s no one to hearfor hours over the last three days with nightly stops aton the cheap—scratchy sheets, sketchy neighborhoods, and greasy takeout If I see oneto scream

The road is straight and eain Broad strokes of nature’s grandeur, striped with green and brown and evenI lean forward to glance out the top of my windshieldyep, white at the very tippy-top of the peak It’s beautiful, I’ll admit that at least

But still it feelsjudgy The weight of the horizon presses in on me, even heavier than my conscience But not even thatfor help

Fine I’ll go to Podunk, Nowheresville, Mo at me like that

I coht, thankful to put the mountain behind ht be even worse