Somehow, this fiasco was tied up with MacKenzie. His trail was unmistakable. Somewhere he must have left records of his transactions. Could those records be here-with Nora? How much did she know?

He had always trusted his instincts. His instincts told him that Nora was probably an innocent. A lamb led to the slaughter. That knowledge made the war unsavory. For his instincts also told him that Nora MacKenzie was the key to what he wanted.

C.W. abruptly stood up and looked away from the fire and out the small four-pane window. Across the meadow the lights flicked off, room by room, in the big house. He looked at his watch; it was eleven o'clock. Nora was probably curled up with one of his farm books.

Still in his boots and coat and with arms hanging at his side, he looked awhile longer at the last light flickering in the distance. It shone, he knew, from her bedroom. He wondered if she was tired, if her head ached, and if, alone in that great big bed, she was as cold as he was.

The stars twinkled like tigers' eyes in the crisp air. The full moon illuminated the meadow between them, revealing the trodden path connecting the two buildings. C.W. sighed a long ragged breath and sat down on his bed. He was bone tired. Tired from fatigue and tired of his inner struggles.

"What the h.e.l.l," he muttered, staring at his feet. His course was clear. Fate put him on this farm at this time for a reason. And that reason was to discover the link between the Blair Bank and Michael MacKenzie. To answer at last why MacKenzie felt such hatred against him that he'd take his own life before him.

He knew the link existed-he just needed the proof. And the only one who could lead him to it was Nora. He didn't want to deceive her; he would try not to involve her in any way.

But keeping himself from getting involved with her-that was the trick. The timing was wrong, he told himself. She wasn't ready for an involvement, and neither was he. And she wasn't the kind of woman just to have s.e.x with.

Oh G.o.d, he thought to himself with dismay. He had to face it. Even after so short a time, she had worked her way into his heart. Like a worm in a rotten apple, she was devouring him. It wasn't something he could understand with logic. As Nora grew stronger and more confident, his determination to maintain a distance grew weaker. How was he going to make this work?

He stretched out on the bed and stared at the post-and-beam ceiling. In the distance he could hear the plodding, dragging sound of a porcupine. Lying with his arm beneath his head, his thoughts drifted back to Nora: her soft hair the color of cornsilk and her eyes the same verdant shade of the mountains in summer. His heart softened when he recalled how she'd struggled with the shovel that morning, how she'd sifted through her coupons, how gentle she'd been with the runt.

And how her smile made him realize his loneliness.

14.

IT WAS EARLY MORNING. Nora stood on the bluff in the sun, one hand shielding her eyes, surveying her house, her meadow, and her fields. Before her, the morning laundry danced along the clothesline in a gusty wind. Long-sleeved cotton shirts, frayed at the collar; stained jeans worn at the rear, old white socks. Nothing fancy, nothing matched.

Fourteen days she'd been here. Just two weeks and it felt like forever. Now, she had to concentrate to conjure up the hustling pace of New York and the names and faces of old acquaintances.

Nights during the first week had been anything but peaceful. The first night Nora felt something run across her head as she slept. Sure enough, mouse droppings were found under the sheets the next morning. Nora set out scores of traps, hoping in her heart she wouldn't catch anything. But she did, two fat ones, and managed to carry the heavy rodents out to the brush then lift the metal and shake them off, all without looking once at the trap.

The second night brought nightmares of Mike.

The third night the sound of screeching and snarling hoots had her left her shivering under the covers, convinced some flesh-eating cat was crawling outside her window.

"That'll be a screech owl," Seth declared after listening to her careful rendition.

"Not a coyote?"

"Nope." He wiped the smile off his face. "That'll be a screech owl."

The fourth night a bat darted and flapped through her room. The distinct flap, flap, flap of wings batting in the windless room could be heard even with her head tucked under the covers where she remained, sweating, the whole night. Nora was sure the bats would get caught in her hair and scratch her scalp apart, like her mother had told her as a child. She blushed furiously when everyone in the barn burst out laughing at her tale.

By the seventh night she was having a hard time even falling asleep. Sometime around one o'clock she heard a distinct dragging sound on the gravel outside her window. Then came a persistent, rhythmic sc.r.a.ping and clawing against wood that lasted the better part of two hours. Nora had grabbed her flashlight and crept by all the windows, but the night was so black she couldn't see much in the narrow beam of yellow light. Frustrated, she picked up an old shoe and threw it out the window toward the sound. Silence followed, then the dragging sound resumed, getting fainter and fainter until it disappeared.

In the barn the next morning she started to tell C.W. about the noise but, as though on cue, the Johnston boys and Seth walked in, anxious to hear what the missus heard that night. At first the men didn't believe she'd heard anything. Frank and Junior jabbed and guffawed and mumbled comments about her crazy imagination and her "being a woman." At her indignant insistence, C.W. went up to check the house and sure enough, the plywood by the deck had a whole corner chewed right off.

"Porcupines," declared Seth. Frank and Junior nodded. "Better check your tires. Fuel line too. They like anything with salt on it."

"That's just great," said Nora with a scowl.

That very afternoon, Nora put out a salt lick on the mountain, not fifty yards from the house. She reasoned that if the varmints needed salt, they'd jolly well get it someplace other than her house and car.

After that, Nora was so tired she didn't give a hoot who or what rustled outside her window. She slept right through it.

Her nights might have been tough, but during the days her life had crystallized. The farm set roots in her heart. Each lamb mattered. Each acre counted. And at some point in the two weeks, the house became a home.

She was glad now that she and Mike had never finished it. The house's rough state allowed her dreams to soar. While she scrubbed toilets stained by hard well water or swept the uneven plywood and pitted cement floors, Nora hummed and planned what she could do given a little money. She cleaned every inch of the big house, as everyone called it, and polished it with pride. She loved each brick and rafter.

Every morning as she did her ch.o.r.es, Nora found telltale signs that C.W. had been in the house. He was, of course, very discreet. Only his damp towels hanging on a hook in the bathroom, his coffee mug rinsed in the sink, or a sprinkling of laundry soap near the washer, served as reminders of his presence. C.W. was always doing thoughtful things, such as having her coffee ready and stoking up the fire in the morning. But he took pains to avoid her. While she was grateful for his gentlemanly distance, she wondered if it wouldn't be nice to chat over the coffee once in a while. In fact, it had been weeks since she'd had a simple conversation with anyone and she was starved for one.

From the direction of her road came the high drone of an engine clambering up the mountain. Nora stepped away from the clothesline to move closer to the terrace's edge. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she spotted a small white van with the name Green Mountain Electric emerging from the tunnel of foliage. It rounded the ledge and came to a slow stop at the house. The gravel made a tremendous racket when anyone or anything crossed it, like a natural alarm.

Nora came around the house to meet the van, cautious as always. A compact man of medium height and build was already opening up the rear of the van and pulling out a red metal workbox.

"h.e.l.lo?" Nora called.

The stranger didn't respond right away but took his time to gather a few more tools, close the door, check the contents of the box, then stroll at a leisurely pace to meet her. Before he said h.e.l.lo, he handed her a yellow sheet of paper with the order number and job description clearly stated.

"You're Zach Belfort," Nora said, reading the name on the paper.

"Ma'am," he replied, nodding his head.

Nora briefly scanned the man she knew to be Seth's ex-son-in-law. Former husband of Sarah. He looked more a lumberjack than an electrician with his red-checked flannel shirt worn b.u.t.toned up over long johns and all tucked neatly into dark blue jeans. He wore his pants high, like his work boots, over a full stomach. Whatever his job, he was a mountain man to be sure. All muscle, tan skin, and outdoor gear.

Most remarkable, however, was his full reddish beard. It encircled his face and met up with his full head of hair in a nonstop halo of red. His blue eyes twinkled over the bristly, full mustache, and Nora couldn't help but think that someday, when the red turned gray, Zach would make the best Santa. His friendly appearance made his silent distance awkward.

"You're Seth's relation. Thank you for coming."

Zach's face clouded. "You have some electrical work to do."

"Yes, right this way."

She led him into the house and pointed out where the circuits were and briefly reviewed what had to be done. Zach's responses were simple grunts of "sure" and "yep." It was clear he wanted to get the job done and be out of there. Nora obliged him and stayed out of his way. As the hours pa.s.sed, however, she couldn't help but admire his hard work and tenacity. He didn't want water or coffee but kept to his task. When he was done, Zach brought her the form to sign with politeness and, without chitchat, started loading up.

Fred Zwinger, the pump man, who was also Seth's cousin, had been equally distant. As was Joe Ball, the pockmarked plumber from Clarendon, and Darryl Weaver, the "man to see about road work," who also happened to be Seth's cousin. They were all polite, prompt, did the work for a fair price, and never tried to sell her on another job. Whether it was because they were related to Seth and had got a warning from him, or whether it was just the way of Vermont, Nora didn't know yet. In any case, none of them was chatty. When they finished, they all hotfooted it out of her way without more than a brief comment on the weather.

Zach, however, was also her neighbor. He lived down the road where most of Seth's children and relatives had settled. The Johnston family was a tight one, and they generally couldn't stand to be off the family land. Not many went beyond the state line and only a few stepped foot in a big city. With Zach, Nora decided to try and strike up a conversation.

Nora tried the weather, the house, the new ordinance to expand the quarry, even the new hunting range, but none of them sparked. Only at the eleventh hour, when he was closing up his truck, did she obliquely mention that she was from Wisconsin. Zach's head bobbed up and his eyes twinkled.

"Wisconsin? Where?"

"Milwaukee."

"No kidding. I'm from Stevens Point."

"No kidding! I thought you were a Vermont man."

Zach crossed his arms akimbo and leaned his spine and left foot against his van. Zach Belfort suddenly appeared in the mood to talk.

He started off explaining how he'd moved to Vermont eight years earlier on a job. He missed his family in Wisconsin, but he preferred the protected wildlife in Vermont to the encroaching development in the country land of Wisconsin. Like most Vermonters, the word development was spoken with contempt.

Once Zach started talking it was impossible to shut him up. Nora thought it was like a floodgate that had been released.

She wasn't about to interrupt Zach. Even though she got admitted to Zach's trust only on the merit of having come from Wisconsin, she revelled in her acceptance. Nora also was politic enough to let it be known that yes, she was open to letting a "few friends" hunt her land, and no, she wasn't some typical out-of-towner who shivered under the sheets at every hoot and snarl heard in the night. Nora figured out that Zach and Seth weren't on cozy terms these days, or he'd have heard the rampant jokes about her night escapades by now.

When Zach left, he was smiling broadly and promising to lend her a hand whenever she needed it. "If you see C.W., tell him to call me about the turkey shoot. You might want to come too."

"I will," Nora called out, waving a wide arc. Plucking up her laundry baskets, she went back into the house just long enough to turn off the lights and appliances, then headed back outdoors. Today was special. She felt social and it was time for a few visits.

With arms full of freshly baked honey wheat bread, Nora managed to knock on the door of May's trailer. Very gingerly. From the looks of the rusted door, it couldn't take rough handling. May's trailer was an aqua, white, and rust-colored sorry affair with a tacked-on, tar-papered addition on the back. Beside it, under a three-sided lean-to, sat the well-polished Buick.

Around the edges of the trailer, along the walkway, and stuck anywhere sun and soil was available were garden beds of all sizes and shapes. As she waited, Nora cast a knowing eye over the garden, noting the rich, humus soil and the vigor of the plants. These were healthy gardens, made so from years of backbreaking labor, tender ministrations and heaps of sheep manure. Yet the garden had seen better days and the season was late. Mildew and mold covered long-dead leaves and the yellowed woody vines needed pruning.

It was obvious the garden was aging, like May herself. The once-sharp edges were no longer straight, brush and chokecherry had reclaimed the borders, the raised beds were tilting and rotted, and some of the perennial beds had long since given up to volunteer tomatoes. The size and scale of this garden called for a young, vigorous woman, not an old, obese diabetic. It probably pained the avid gardener every time she saw her once beautiful garden gone to seed.

"I'm coming," she heard May calling. Nora heard heavy footfalls and a jiggle of the handle, then the door swung open. May was dressed in what was called a duster, a loose-fitting, pastel-colored kind of dress that barely covered May's shape.

"Well, h.e.l.lo! You finally made it!" May exclaimed. May always made declarations in a loud, enthusiastic voice, giving the impression that she didn't care who could hear what she had to say.

"Come on in. Just shoo that dog away," she said, brushing away a pepper-and-salt-colored mutt with a dish towel.

May stepped aside and Nora stepped up, squeezing past her into the trailer. Inside it was small but not cramped, and amazingly well organized. Nora expected to see a shabby room, given the run-down appearance of the outside. May's home was instead dainty. White dotted-swiss curtains with pale lavender trim fluttered at the small screened windows. Her two metal-legged chairs and her double bed were covered in the pastel multicolored quilt pattern, Round the World, that May was well known for. On the shelves, tables, anywhere she could put them, were potted plants and cactus in old tea cups, clay pots, and canning jars.

"I brought you some bread," Nora said, handing her several loaves, still warm. "I haven't gotten the kinks out of my kitchen yet, so I hope it's good. I'll bring you more, if you like."

"I would indeed. Now sit down. Wait; let me clear this wool out of the way." May huffed over and grabbed an armful of gray wool out of the chair and tossed it on the sofa.

Nora sat quietly at the small round table while May put some water in the kettle. It made her uncomfortable to hear May's heavy breaths, and she worried that she shouldn't have arrived unannounced.

"I won't stay long."

"Don't rush off. I'm just doing my spinning."

Nora noticed the small, compact wheel beside May's chair. "I've never seen a spinning wheel like that." She reached out a tentative hand to touch it. The golden wood was smooth. Instantly, Nora was mesmerized by the yellow wood black-trimmed tool that sat waist high. She wondered what it would feel like to feel wool slide between your fingers.

"It's a new design. Works like a charm. Here, I'll show you."

To Nora's delight, May delivered a brief lesson in the art of spinning. She attached a small clump of wool to the yarn by stretching the fibers out with the wheel. Pull, pull, spin, spin. The operation was amazingly easy and efficient, or at least May made it look that way. When Nora had a turn at it, her samples of yarn turned fat and irregular as compared to May's thin, even ones. Nora watched in awe as May's stubby fingers flew over the wool, nimble and quick.

"Some spinners like their wool clean, but it's easier to spin in the grease. Feel the difference."

Nora rubbed the two wool samples between her fingers. The natural lanolin did indeed have a greasy feel and looked like a clumped tail. The cleaned wool was softer, airy, like fine, brushed human hair.

"Is there much business in this?" Nora asked, already scheming.

"Some. More when you're good."

Nora made a snap decision. The instinctive, gut-level kind that she was good at. "I'm going to learn to do this," she said. "I've got the wool and G.o.d knows, up in that house all winter, I'll have the time."

May looked up and slowed her spinning. "You'll be tough compet.i.tion." A smile snuck out of the folds of fat.

May's head ducked back down toward her spinning. Nora beamed. In her lap, her fingers imitated May's every move. Gradually, as she gauged May's pace, Nora began handing her bits of wool to spin. The two women spun wool and tales over the next hour.

They talked about Nora's garden and what she should plant. May declared she would draw up the plans herself. They discussed Sarah, Seth's younger daughter, and whether she'd marry again and give those two babies a daddy. Sarah lived in a mobile home minutes from Seth. Her ex-husband, Zach, lived in their house down the road.

"Kissing distance away," May mumbled with disgust.

"Why don't they just get back together? I met him today and Zach's a great guy."

"Yeh-up, he is." May slowed her spinning and her eyes looked up with intent. "You ever seen Timmy? Her second born?"

"The one with the dark curly hair?"

May nodded gravely, pursed her lips, and went back to her spinning.

Nora continued feeding May the wool, thinking of little Timmy, always so curious and determined to get into trouble, and his sister Grace, with her carrot red pigtails. Then it dawned on her. Blond Sarah, red-haired Zach, red-haired Grace, and then little Timmy as dark haired and brown eyed as a deer.

"Oh," she replied.

"Uh-huh," May mumbled, her lips curled tight around her gums.

The spinning wheel spun while Nora thought that she still hoped it would all work out. Zach seemed mighty lonely.

"What's ever become of Tom?" Nora asked as she poured another cup of tea. Seth's eldest son had always been her favorite neighbor. Handsome and wiry, like she imagined Seth must have been when he was young. Tom Johnston always appeared with his pickup truck whenever they had car trouble or needed a spare hand. "I haven't seen him around."

When she looked up, May had ceased her spinning. She held a clump of wool in her hand and her face took on a faraway look. The sadness seemed to well up and swallow her whole.

"Our Tom is gone."

"Oh no," exclaimed Nora, setting down the teapot with a rattle. "I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"It's a sorry tale," May replied, shaking her head. "You might just as well hear it here as elsewheres. Tom was a good boy, always workin' hard on the farm, like Seth. But times got lean so he took a job at the quarry to ease the costs here at the farm. Same as Frank and Junior done. Two years back there was this accident. Our Tom got crushed by a load of stone."

"My G.o.d, that's terrible."

May rested her hands in her full lap. "Sorrowful pain it was. Near killed Seth as well. First his wife, then his boy. Went into the mountains for a long spell. Thought we'd lost him too. He come out again, though, and when he did it was like he found himself again. A better self."

Nora leaned forward in her chair. "How so?"

May chafed her heavy arm. "Hard to explain. Seth, Squire and I-Squire's our older brother what moved out to Florida-we was always raised close to the land. Woods, ponds, fields, that's our world. But the mountains," she looked out her window toward the great timber-laden expanse beyond the windbreak. "The mountains hold a kind of magic."