The drive into town the next day was faster now that she had her bearings. It only took her a few minutes and she thought about walking from now on to keep fit. She needed the car today for furniture but after that it would be better to cut down on costs.

She didn’t have to worry about money since her father had passed, he had left her and Adam a considerable sum each. Adam had blown through his in a few months, but not Norah. She put it all away, collecting interest and adding to it when she worked for Ray over the summers. Alice had always made him employ her to be what he affectionately called, a ‘paper bitch’, and Norah realised, as she pulled up in front of the café, that this would be her first summer in four years that she hadn’t worked at Ray’s company. A pang twisted in her chest and she walked into the shop, thinking it was a weird thing to be sad about.

Olivia came over from the far window, empty china in her right hand and she surprised Norah with a quick one armed hug. “Hey, how are you settling in?”

“All right, I spent yesterday cleaning so at least the house is looking better. Now I just need some furniture.”

Olivia went behind the counter and putting the cups down, she started preparing Norah’s coffee, remembering what she had ordered the day before. “How much did Jack burn this time?”

Norah raised an eyebrow. “Does everyone just turn a blind eye to his pyro habits?”

“Pretty much. He’s actually a decent guy, he’s been good to my brother, Luke over the years, when he isn’t completely tanked. Also it’s fun to watch sometimes, he really knows how to start a fire.”

“Weird,” Norah muttered, before raising her voice. “Can you make the coffee to go? I want to go and check out this second hand place.”

“Sure, it’s just up the road by the way. Across the street from Brad’s mechanics. You know, Brad,” she teased, “the guy who was flirting with you yesterday?”

Olivia handed her a cardboard cup and she wrapped her fingers around its warmth. “You were watching?”

“Hells yeah, not much else to do around here, except gossip and snoop into other people’s business.”

Norah didn’t like the sound of that. She’d prefer they knew as little about her problems as possible.

“He was all over you,” Olivia continued. She looked Norah up and down. “He doesn’t seem like your type.”

She laughed. “You’ve known me less than two days, Olivia, for all you know my type is scrawny, balding, middle aged men.”

Olivia held up her hand. “Okay, first of all – gross. Second of all, you are just like me; you like them well defined, with a rock hard –“

“Don’t finish that sentence, Olivia!” Gail called out. “Or I’ll be telling your brother.”

Norah guessed her brother was the over protective type as Olivia rolled her eyes. “I was going to say, personality!”

“Sure,” Gail muttered and Olivia grinned. The door opened and more customers walked in.

Saying goodbye, Norah got back in her car, taking a long swig of coffee before she started the engine and headed up another block, pulling up in the small lot beside the second hand furniture shop. Having everything so close together was quite convenient. Grabbing the cup and her bag, she headed inside.

A short stocky man stood near the front counter, clip board in hand and looked up as she approached. “How are you doing ma’am? What can I help you with today?”

She glanced around at the array of oddly organised furniture. The smell of dust and moth balls was strong and she wondered if he ever opened the windows. “Hi, I’m just looking for some new furniture, a couch and maybe a coffee table?”

Realisation dawned and the man broke into a smile. “Ah, you must be the little lady renting Jack’s place down on the beach. So, he destroyed the couch this time, huh?”

“I guess so.” She decided to just go along with it. If everyone didn’t care what he did to the furniture, then she would have to learn to go along with it too.

He touched her arm briefly. “My names, Frank. Feel free to look around and let me know what catches your eye. I’ll give you a good deal, just make sure you pick the wooden pieces so it’s easier for Jack later on!”

Frank laughed at his own joke and Norah laughed awkwardly under her breath as she turned away. Savouring her coffee, she made her way down the disorganised aisles trying to find a decent looking couch and coffee table. The sound of a motorcycle drifted through her ears as she tested out a brown leather couch. It still had a good seat and seemed to be in good condition for a two seater. The leather had faded on one of the cushions but she would probably put a blanket over the seat so it was more comfortable. It was too big for her car, but maybe Frank could deliver it for her.

Memorising its location, she kept going behind some old shelves and at the end, sighted a few coffee tables. She was about to walk over when Frank’s voice called out – “Rylan, how are you?”

Norah’s ears perked up at the name and she snuck a glance between the shelves over at the front counter. A man stood talking to Frank, he appeared to be in his late twenties, a five o’clock shadow adorning his jawline and he smiled at Frank, giving her a glimpse of the dimple in his right cheek. Light brown hair was swept from his face and he looked like he had just come from work, his white shirt was covered in dust and had stains where he had obviously rubbed his hands. The same marks were only slightly visible on his black jeans.

He didn’t seem to mind, and Norah couldn’t help but notice that his clothes accentuated the fact that he was in good shape. Examining his average frame, she noticed he did have a rock hard – personality, she corrected her thought. Dammit but Olivia had been right.

So, that’s the guy who left Olivia on the edge of the road, she thought. She wanted to go over and chastise him but since he didn’t know who she was, it would probably be awkward. He started to turn her way and she quickly went back behind the shelves, pretending to examine the tables beside her, heart pounding in fear of being caught perving. His soft voice didn’t reach her ears and she waited for them to finish talking before coming out of hiding.

When she walked out, Rylan was gone and she went over to Frank. He looked up as she approached. “Have you found anything?”

“Yeah.” She showed him the coffee table and couch she had picked out. The coffee table was a simple dark wood and it was just long enough to maybe fit in her car.

She asked him about delivery and he said that was fine. “I can bring out the couch this afternoon, if you’re home? I would bring the table too but I won’t have any room in the tray for it.”

“That’s fine, it should fit in my car.” Frank helped her carry out the long coffee table. It was heavier than it looked and she wondered how she was going to get it into her house. Frank waited as she folded the back seats down and helped her lift it inside. They had it halfway in when the phone rang inside.

“Oh shoot, I bet that’s my insurance, give me a second.” Dropping the end, he raced inside and Norah’s legs buckled under the weight. She tried to push it in but it seemed to be caught on the seat further in. She tried to lift - cursing Frank for ditching her - when two hands appeared beside hers, lifting the table with ease and sliding it in. The scent of saw dust and pine and drifted over her and her back brushed against someone’s chest.

She spun around to say thank you and paused; her mystery helper had been Rylan, who was already walking away. She stared at his back for a moment, confused that he hadn’t stuck around for her to say thank you.

“Thanks, Rylan,” she said it softly and turned as Frank came running back out.

“Sorry about that, oh look, you got it in yourself.”

“I had some help.”

“Good, good, lucky we are such a friendly town. I better get back in there, I put them on hold. I’ll see you this afternoon then.”

Shutting her trunk, she paid Frank for the furniture and headed back down the main street. Her thoughts drifted back to Rylan. It was strange he had taken the time to help her, but didn’t hang around to wait for the praise. Most men were like puppies that way; they craved women’s gratitude – or at least the ones she knew did.

Maybe these Bellvale men were different.

As she passed the next block down, a white brick building caught her eye and she came to a stop, mentally kicking herself for not noticing the book shop sooner. Her book radar must have been on the fritz, normally the book shop was the first place she located in a new town. Unable to go home without taking a look first, she got out of her car and headed inside.

The brick work inside matched the outside but retained its natural red colour, faded from age. The walls were covered in shelves and the owner had made use of the small space, cramming every available surface with books. New books faded into old books as she went down the small aisle towards the voices at the end. Two women stood near the counter in a heated argument. They appeared to be in their late twenties, one woman had dark olive skin that made her green eyes stand out. Her black hair was tied back in a messy bun and as Norah approached, she heard what she was saying –

“Karl Urban is one of the sexiest men alive. To say that he isn’t is just preposterous. Have you even seen Star Trek?”

“I have,” the woman with strawberry blonde hair replied. “And I think he holds a certain charisma, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he is sexy. He’s not in my top ten anyway.”

The black haired woman scoffed in indignation and saw Norah observing them. She motioned her to come over with her perfectly manicured hand. “We need a third party to settle this; is Karl Urban sexy, sweetie?”

Norah saw a metal pole behind the counter, leading up to the next floor and tried to refocus on the conversation at hand. “I think you both have solid points from what I’ve heard, but I have to agree with – I’m sorry I don’t know your names.”

“I’m Wendy,” the dark haired woman said. “And this person with no taste in men is Madison.”

Madison smiled and waved. “Hi.”

“Okay so –“ She looked at Madison. “First of all, who’s your number one?”

“Jensen Ackles.”

Norah nodded in approval. “Then you do have taste. Damn good taste at that, but I think I still have to side with Wendy. Karl Urban is definitely sexy in my opinion.”

“Ha!” Wendy raced around the counter and tackled Norah in a bone crushing hug. “I like you.”

“You like everyone who agrees with you, Wen,” Madison said wryly.

Wendy stuck out her tongue and gave Norah’s shoulders a small shake. “Sorry about that. Was there any book in particular you were looking for before we dragged you into our discussion?”

“I’m just browsing, actually. I’m new to town so I’ll probably be floating through here on most days of the week –“

“Oh, you must be Norah!” Wendy hugged her again. “Olivia raved about you the other night. I do hope you let me see your writing sometime. I’m a pretty decent critique.”

“Maybe one day.” Norah, stepped away, unused to so many hugs in one day. “Would you recommend any books about the area? I’ve been busy the last month so I haven’t been in a book shop for a while.”

Wendy went to a shelf at the front of the store and pulled out a thick book. “If you’re going to be staying in Bellvale, then you need to get on the wolf train.”

“Wolves?”

Wendy handed her the book. It was about wolves and their history and surrounding mythology. “It’s more of a research book, but it’s one of our best sellers.”

“Why is that?”

“Because of the wolves in the forest,” Madison interrupted. “Also, because Wendy spreads false rumours about werewolves.”

“I would never!” Wendy declared, while Madison mouthed, ‘she does’ behind her back.

“Are the wolves sighted often?” Norah thought of the tail she had seen on the cliffs the night before.

“They tend to keep to the centre of the forest,” Wendy explained. “It’s rare that anyone sees them near the town.”

“That’s good," Norah breathed a sigh of relief.

Wendy nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m pretty sure whatever pack it is, is up further north at this time of year, so don’t stress.”

“Good. Now onto my next important question; why do you have - what I can only assume to be - a stripper pole behind your front counter?”

Wendy grinned. “No, girl, it’s a fireman pole. This building used to be part of the old fire station. It ironically burned down fifteen years ago and they decided to relocate rather than rebuild here.” She spun on the pole for effect. “This is one of the surviving structures from the old station.”

“Well that makes more sense than a stripper pole.” She weighed the book in her hand, an idea forming. “If I buy your book, can I slide down it?”

Madison laughed as Wendy leaned over the counter. “Blackmail, I love it! You do drive a hard bargain, Norah but you’ve got yourself a deal. Come on.”

Norah followed her up the old steel stairs behind the counter, they creaked under her weight and she stepped tentatively. The second floor was obviously Wendy’s private room. Books were strewn across every flat surface and a laptop was open on the coffee table, a picture of Karl Urban on the screen, the instigator of the sexy argument.

The pole came through the floor and Wendy held out her hand. “Go for it.”

“So glad I wore jeans today.” Feeling more excited than an adult should, she grabbed the pole and pressed her knees into the sides. The air howled as gravity took hold and Wendy disappeared. She reached the bottom level quickly and her feet hit the ground.

“Have fun?” Madison smiled.

Norah nodded, eyes shining. “That was awesome!”

“Look out below!” Norah stepped aside and Wendy came sliding down after her.

“It’s fantastic, right?” Wendy nudged her. “It would be better with a sexy shirtless fire man sliding down it though.”

Madison shook her head, a soft smile gentling her features as Norah paid for the book.

“I expect regular visits from you, Norah.” Wendy handed her, her change.

“Definitely.” Norah gave her a wave. “Thanks for the book.”

Madison was leaving at the same time and Norah offered her a lift. “Oh, no thank you. I’m just heading down to the beach, it’s not that far and I could use the exercise. See you next time.”

“Bye Madison.” She headed for home, thinking that Madison didn’t need the exercise at all. She was a petite girl, it looked like a small puff of wind could blow her over, or snap her in half. She seemed like a sweet person though. Her fingers brushed the hardback of the book, intrigued to learn more about these Bellvale wolves when she got home.

*                             *                             *                             *                             *

Frank’s car honked as he drove off and Norah waved before heading back inside. She had waited until he turned up that afternoon before trying to get the table out. Her living area now looked homier with the two new additions.

She had spent her time writing as she waited for Frank and was pleased with her progress for the day. Her story was set in two different time periods and followed an old police report about a gypsy girl who supposedly murdered her troupe in the early nineteen hundreds. The people in the present time were descendants of the gypsy, and were following the case by reading an old journal the gypsy had written during her incarceration which reveals the truth of what happened. At the same time, they are discovering who they are, they are dealing with their own problems.

The modern people were a hassle for Norah to write. Their chemistry and the problems they were facing were difficult to write. It was strange, that it was easier to write of characters in a time past. Norah put it down to things being simpler back then, but if she didn’t get on top of it, the modern part of the story was going to get unbalanced by the past.

Needing a break after writing and moving furniture, she grabbed the wolf book and went outside, sitting on the edge of her deck. Flipping through it, it seemed to be filled with facts but Norah liked that. Research books were like a drug to her. She loved learning about different creatures and their history. The first half of the book covered the facts of the wolf and second half was the mythology. Choosing the facts first, the sound of the ocean faded into the distance as she became immersed in the book. She was reading about their eating habits, when her skin raised. Feeling as though she was being watched, she looked around and saw a lone wolf on the cliffs above, watching her. Shaking her head, she looked away.

“It’s just looking down, it’s not looking at me, idiot,” she muttered to herself. She watched from the corner of her eye as it stared for a few more moments before melting back into the forest.

I’m just being paranoid, she thought and started reading again.

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A/N: I'm back from holidays! I'm slowly typing everything up so please be patient, I hope this chapter is all right, I apologise for any grammatical problems. If there are any major ones, please feel free to point them out ^_^ This chapter goes out to Wendy who asked me if she could appear in my book lol! <3