be a witch, but maybe I can lure him in with some secret power of the feminine variety.
“Are you sure?”
I suck the corner of my lip between my teeth. “Um, yeah?”
“Doesn’t sound very convincing, boss.” His broad shoulders roll while making a wide arc with the paddles. We glide across the water in a smooth, straight line.
I drop my gaze to the ripples skipping along the glassy surface. “Well, you have me questioning my decision.”
“As I should. The sights are about to get a lot more interesting.” Halder gestures behind me with a jut of his chin.
I swivel in my seat as if the corroded metal is waxy wood. What I find in the foggy distance leaves my jaw hanging lower than before. Holy shit, check out that view. I press a palm over my gaping mouth to trap the squeak begging to escape. My thighs tremble as I bend forward and prop an arm across the front bar. A range of mountains appear from seemingly nowhere, lifting from Lord only knows how far away, yet their size is already massive. The snowy caps extend from left to right across the horizon.
“Wow, it’s like a postcard.” The awe in my voice forms a swirl of smoke in front of me.
“This is much better. Almost guaranteed to be more treacherous, though.” Halder chuckles, the gravely sound almost tempting enough to tear me away from the landscape.
“You think so? The setting seems too picturesque for that.”
“Uncharted territory doesn’t allow for easy passage.”
“Fingers crossed for a gully or valley or whatever the clearings are called.”
“There will be plenty of those. We just have to find them.”
I scour the scene, tracking new details plotting the soil. The terrain is noticeably uneven and rough. Sharp stones and thick roots crop out of the dirt in perfect formation to trip anyone daring to pass. The woods shrink not only in bulk, but also size. Evergreens still dot the snowy shorelines, but these trees are closer to large shrubs. I’ve been accustomed to lush shields of forest greenery lining our travels. Now those dense walls are no more than patchy pillars. I failed to notice any of this. My sole focus rarely strays from the man steering us to a better chance for tomorrow. He’s too distracting, especially his dimples dusted in scruff.
This fast of a stage flip is impressive. Maybe that’s not unusual for these parts. It’s almost as if I blinked and got transported to a different portion of the Canadian wilderness altogether. Much can change in the span of a conversation, apparently. How in the hell long were we talking for so much to change?
“Pretty great, huh?”
I swing my gaze back to Halder. My nod is disjointed and slow. “Uh-huh. This is…um, majestic.”
He releases a low laugh. “That’s an interesting way of describing a desolate mountain range.”
With a flourish, I wave at the beauty spanning beyond our reaches. “But it’s a fitting backdrop for some faraway fairy tale or wonderland. I feel like we’re in a scene from Frozen.”
His head cocks to the side. “What’s that?”
A sputter bubbles from my lips. “You can’t be serious.”
The look he shoots me is flatter than a pancake. “I’ve never been much of a jokester.”
“It’s a Disney movie.” My tone clangs with disbelief, stating this should be obvious. “I think it was released before you were arrested.”
Halder rubs over his forehead. “Even if I had been around, those films aren’t really my preference.”
“Well, yeah. That I can understand. But the buzz was impossible to miss.” I’m trying to imagine how that would be possible for anyone with a television or radio. A computer with the internet would probably do the trick, too. “Did you ever hear the song Let It Go?”
“Can’t say that rings a bell.”
After clearing my throat, I count down from three. I go on to sing the chorus, pitchy high notes and all. Being the gentleman he is, Halder doesn’t cringe. “Eh?”
A quick jerk of his head. “This has nothing to do with your vocal talents, but that’s not my sort of music either.”
“We’re so watching Frozen once this is all over,” I mutter.
“I can hardly wait.” His gruff timbre is genuine enough for me to believe him.
The boat bobbles, knocking me off kilter and returning my thoughts to the path in front of us. I grip the rusted edge for support as we tip at an aggressive tilt. “What’s happening? Is something wrong? An ice bath isn’t on my list of things to experience