Page 24 of The Inn Dilemma (Give a Bookish Girl a Biker)

Chapter Sixteen

Nova

“ H ere it is.” Holt gestures in a sweeping motion toward the bones of a new house on top of an old stone foundation. There’s a standing fireplace and a chimney against the remnants of a stone wall that looks to be original.

Titan and Tootsie sit obediently by a nearby tree.

I walk over to the fireplace and knock on the stone as if I can tell if there’s a hollow spot or not. Could the treasure be hidden in this somewhere?

“So this is what you’ve been working on when you disappear for hours or days at a time?” Aunt Birdie asks, slowly walking the length of the front of the house.

Holt exhales a breath, settling his hands on his hips as he appraises the efforts of his hard work.

“Can you see the potential of this place?” he asks.

Aunt Birdie and I share a wary glance.

“Yeah,” I say with full confidence. “Completing it won’t be easy.” I motion to the work he’s already done. “But if anyone can do it, it’s you.”

Holt turns on me, his good eye lighting up his expression. He makes his way over to me, and I can tell he’s unsure of how I’ll respond to what he’s about to say. “This idea is just in its infancy phase, but I feel God calling me to start a program for at-risk boys here.”

Warmth floods my chest. Holt may look the part of a Navy SEAL-slash-lumberjack, but under all that muscle beats a tender heart. He’s always looked out for others and is one of the few people I know who truly has others’ best interests at heart.

“I love that idea,” Aunt Birdie says, coming to stand on the other side of Holt. “And you would be perfect for it.”

Holt’s humble smile warms me from the inside out.

“Thanks, Aunt Birdie.” He wraps his arm around her and gives her a side hug.

A soft rustle of leaves and then a light thump disrupts the sweet moment.

I shift my attention to Titan, who looks up at a squirrel in a tree.

The squirrel chucks an acorn right at Titan, then takes off through the trees as if it's starting a game of tag. Titan barks and chases after it, his tiny legs tearing through the woods. The forest here can be unpredictable with holes, ravines, and potentially even poachers’ traps.

An almost maternal instinct kicks in, fear for Titan’s fate overriding any logic in my brain.

“Titan!” I shout, chasing after him.

“Nova, wait! There’s…” but I don’t catch Holt’s next words as I sprint after Titan.

“Titan, come!” I shout again, my legs pumping as fast as possible, not able to even see the quick, tiny dog.

A rustling of leaves sounds just ahead, then a thump, and finally a bark far different than any I’ve ever heard Titan release.

“Titan?” I call.

There’s a ravine ahead, but the momentum from my sprint doesn’t allow me to slow down enough to stop before I tumble down into the exact thing I feared Titan would fall into.

Rocks, roots, and other forest debris scrape my arms, legs, and face as I continue my descent.

I try to grab on to one of the roots sticking out of the wall of dirt to no avail.

My head smacks against a providential pile of leaves as I finally come to a stop.

Titan barks from behind me. It’s not the sad bark from earlier, but a happy bark as he trots over and stares at me at eye level since my head is still on the ground. I lift it up and he gives my face a lick.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay,” I mutter sarcastically.

“Nova!” Holt calls from above me.

“Oh, my goodness!” Aunt Birdie shrieks. “Are you injured?”

“Umm, I don’t think anything major, but...everything hurts.” I sit up and brush some of the dirt from my arms. Wiggling my legs and toes, I shout back up, “But it doesn’t feel like anything is broken.” My ribs ache with the effort I put in to call up to Holt and Aunt Birdie.

“I’m coming down to get you,” Holt says, already turning and getting ready to start his own descent.

“You can’t climb down that hill without help. You’ll tumble even faster than Nova. I’ll run back to the inn and get some supplies.” Aunt Birdie places her hand on Holt’s arm. She peeks over the edge. “Are you bleeding?”

I notice a few bleeding cuts and scrapes on my arms and legs. I wince as I look at the rather large cut on my thigh. My adrenaline must still be running high because I don’t feel that specific pain. “A little but not a ton. I’m sore but not seriously hurt.” Thank the Lord.

That’s all Aunt Birdie apparently needs to know because she’s power walking in the direction of the inn without saying anything else.

“Can you breathe okay? Are you sure nothing is broken? Is your vision blurry?” Holt asks.

Inhaling a deep breath, my ribs groan in protest. “I can breathe fine, my vision is normal, but my ribs hurt. I’m mostly unscathed outside of these cuts and what will probably turn into some nasty bruises.”

Holt paces back and forth at the top of the hole, running his hands through his hair almost obsessively. “I’m so sorry, Nova.” Then he looks over the side and scolds Titan. “You shouldn’t have run off like that. Look at what happened to Nova.” He motions to me.

Even from down here, I can hear Tootsie’s whimper before she shuffles to the opening and stares down at me and Titan. Tootsie and Titan may be two different breeds, but they are best friends, and it’s clear she’s concerned for him.

Holt paces at the top, hands behind his head, muttering to himself for I don’t know how long. I try to reassure him but he won’t stop blaming himself.

“I’m back!” Aunt Birdie announces.

Several clods of dirt roll down and hit me in the face and chest when the rope snakes its way down the side of the ravine. Aunt Birdie peeks over the side, huffing and puffing.

“Let me try this on my own,” I say to Holt, who looks like he’s ready to repel down the dirt wall.

“Do you think you can pull yourself up?” Aunt Birdie asks.

I inhale a deep breath and say, “Let’s see if Pilates muscles help in a real-life emergency. ”

My joke falls flat.

“Do you have a blanket or something I can tie around myself to pull Titan up with me?” I ask, squinting up as the sun breaks through the clouds and an opening in the trees.

“Oh yeah.” Aunt Birdie disappears for a moment before throwing down what looks to be a baby carrier. “Put that on and Titan will know what to do.”

I strap the contraption on and turn to face Titan. His tail wags wildly as if this is an adventure and not a search-and-rescue mission. I scoop him up, and he practically slides himself into place.

Once I make sure he’s secure, I grab tightly on to the rope and slowly, methodically, pull us up, digging the toes of my shoes into any little crevice I can find as I ascend with Titan.

My arms scream and my legs burn as I climb higher and higher until my nostrils are filled with fresh forest pine and not mud and earth.

The moment he can reach me, Holt wraps his hands around my upper arms and carefully pulls me and Titan the rest of the way up while I make sure Titan isn’t smooshed in the process. The cut on my leg scrapes against the edge and I hiss in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Holt asks, taking my shoulders and scanning me from head to toe.

He must find the cut on my leg because his expression turns concerned. “You’re bleeding pretty heavily.”

I wave him off despite the now growing pain. “It’s fine. Probably just looks worse now than it will after being cleaned up. I’d be surprised if I even need stitches.”

Holt grits his jaw as he removes Titan from the carrier and puts him on the ground. The second he stands up straight, he wraps his arms around me. He presses small kisses against my hair, and I pathetically realize that falling down that ravine feels like it was worth it for this moment.

After Holt realizes I am indeed alive and okay, he scoops me into his arms as if it takes him no effort to carry me. This moment convinces me that Holt Graves is a superhero. Or at least my superhero.

Cradling me against his chest, Holt starts down the trail to the Storybook Inn, muttering “Sorry” all the way.

Aunt Birdie trails behind us, muttering to Titan what a bad boy he’s been and how he better give me all the doggy snuggles I want to try and make it up to me.

I peek over my shoulder and find Tootsie, oblivious or uncaring of the scolding her counterpart is receiving.

We reach Holt’s truck, and he doesn’t even put me down to open the door.

“What are you doing?” I mutter, trying to distract myself from getting too comfortable in his arms.

“I’m getting you to the hospital. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I never should have taken you out there.”

I glare up at him. “It was my idea to sprint after Titan as if there aren’t obstacles around every tree trunk. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

“I should have yelled louder or warned you about the ravine before we left the house,” he says.

Both Holt and Aunt Birdie look completely devastated by this accident.

“I’ll be fine. Just like I was when something similar happened.”

A shadow passes over Holt’s features. “This feels like that trip to the hospital all over again, except this time, it isn’t your fault. It’s mine.” He looks down at Titan, who is sitting and pawing at the air as if to say, “I said I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

“Keep me posted!” Aunt Birdie says before planting a kiss on my forehead.

“I will,” Holt agrees before closing my door.

With Aunt Birdie, Tootsie, and Titan safely on the porch, Holt peels out of the driveway and heads toward the same Denver hospital he took me to when I was ten.