Obsession Falls(49)

And who knew what that would bring. For now, Josiah Haven liked me, and knowing that made my day.





CHAPTER 20





Audrey





I’d almost forgotten how cute a small-town festival could be. When I was a kid, I’d always looked forward to the little festivals and events in my hometown. In middle and high school they’d become less enjoyable, probably because they were times I was expected to be “on.”

Smile, Audrey, but don’t stand in front of your father.

Wave, Audrey, we need to make a good impression.

Still, I had fond memories of ice cream and honey sticks. Of parades and balloons and farm fresh produce.

But Pinecrest’s events had nothing on the weekend-long Tilikum Mountain Man Festival.

The town was bursting with people, as if every man, woman, and child in a hundred-mile radius had come for the festivities. Several downtown streets had been closed to traffic and were lined with vendor booths. It was like a farmers market on steroids. People were selling everything from the usual, like flats of luscious red strawberries and bunches of cut flowers, to the unusual, like squirrel repellent and yard art made of old car parts.

The market was just the beginning. Lumberjack Park, in the center of town, was also the center of the action. Men and women lined up to compete in a series of games and as far as I could tell, the prizes were nothing more than bragging rights. There was an archery tournament, wood chopping and log pulling contests, and other competitions showing off feats of strength.

It was riveting. I’d been to the festival with my parents when I was a kid—most Pinecrest residents went—but it was even better than I remembered.

Sandra nudged me. “You should take the occasional break from staring to take a picture or two.”

“I wasn’t staring.” I lifted the camera and took a few photos of the ongoing wood chopping contest. “I was just watching.”

“Yeah, right.”

It didn’t help that it was Josiah going head-to-head with his brother-in-law, Levi Bailey. Two shirtless men furiously chopping wood while the crowd around them cheered like it was a professional sports game? How could I not stare?

I zoomed in on Josiah and took another picture, wondering if it was possible to capture the way sweat glistened on his taut skin as his muscles flexed.

Just to be fair, I took a picture of Levi, too. After all, I wasn’t here to hang out, I was here to cover the event for the Tribune. I couldn’t spend all my time watching Josiah.

“This puts me in a very awkward position,” Sandra said.

“How so?”

“I’m either drooling over a married man or drooling over your boyfriend. It was easier when Josiah was single. He’s such a lumbersnack.”

“I don’t know if he’s really my boyfriend.”

“Oh fun, are we playing the denial game?”

“I’m not in denial, I’m just saying this isn’t middle school where you hold hands at lunch once and that means you’re together. So yeah, he kissed me, but that doesn’t mean we’re in a relationship.”

“He’s showing off for you.”

“No, he’s not. He’s just competitive.”

“He keeps glancing up to see if you’re still watching.”

Just then, his eyes lifted. It was only for a second, while he raised the splitting maul to swing again, but she was right.

My stomach fluttered and I had to press my lips together to hide my smile.

“You’re so cute,” Sandra said. “Quit it, I’m getting jealous.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m just coming to terms with the fact that there aren’t any decent eligible men my age in this town.”

“Of course there are.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Who?”

“I don’t know, I’m still new here. But there must be. This town isn’t that small.”

“Miracles do happen, I suppose.”

A tingle ran down my spine and the hairs on my arms stood on end. I glanced over my shoulder, wondering why I suddenly felt like I was being watched. There were people everywhere, of course eyes would be on me. That didn’t mean someone was intentionally watching me.

I didn’t see anyone, but the image of Colin stepping behind a group of people to stay hidden came to mind.

No. He wasn’t there. No one was watching me. I was just being dramatic again.

The crowd started counting down from ten, drawing my attention back to the competition. Josiah and Levi chopped faster, their piles of split wood growing.

Five, four, three, two, one!

They both dropped their splitting mauls and held their arms up. I wasn’t sure exactly how it would be determined who won—presumably by the amount of wood they’d chopped, but their piles looked about the same to me.

The crowd quieted while two judges picked through the wood, then conferred with each other. Finally, they brought Josiah and Levi in front of the chopped wood with one of the judges in between them. He held each man’s wrist, like it was the end of a boxing match, then raised Josiah’s arm in the air.

Cheers erupted. I let the camera dangle from the strap around my neck so I could clap and scream.

Levi smiled and shook Josiah’s hand, bringing him in for a back-slapping bro hug. It was pretty adorable. He moved off to the side where his wife and kids waited for him. They were such a cute family, it made my ovaries ache.