Read The Fifth Season for Free Online

her eyes, she realized it all revolved around food. Morning coffee equaled discussions on daily duties, sandwiches at lunch meant a review of finances, and dinner always entailed a battle over impending guests and Stone’s involvement. What involvement? She’d refused every appeal he’d made. Emma inhaled deeply. Her mind was rambling.
    She reached the tiny gable window. Deep breaths. Aim and shoot. Offense not defense. That was the solution.
    With shaking fingers, Emma slowly slid open the window. She crawled out the narrow space, gun at the ready. The soft trickle of a small pebble washing down the roof caused her baby hairs to stand at attention. Someone was here…but where?
    A large hand snaked out, snatching the gun and making her lose her foothold. Down she skidded, across the dewy shingles, her momentum gathering speed no matter how hard she tried to slow down.
    Her arms flailed backward, hands clawing at the air. She connected with a strong arm then a grip of iron seized her, yanking her painfully up, away from the impending death-for-certain sled ride over the roof. Inhaling shakily, Emma raised her eyes and connected with a fury of blue-steel.
    “What in blazes are you doing up here?” Stone bellowed.
    “Be quiet,” she whispered.
    Glaring, he dragged her up the wooden shingles. She scrambled for a foot hold, slipped, and fell into his arms. Eyeing her warily, Stone sat and pulled her down in front of him, tugging her tightly between his legs and against his chest. His heart pounded against her ear, and Emma realized that the calm, cool indifferent persona was a farce.
    “What’s wrong,” he said, his voice low and barely audible against the blood that throbbed in her head.
    “There’s someone trying to break in.”
    “From the roof?”
    “Yes, didn’t you hear the noise? Someone’s trying to break in.” She looked around and realized they were the only two people up there. Damn, they’d escaped.
    Emma frowned when she heard Stone’s chest rumble with laughter. Tilting her head away from him, she saw the flicker of amusement riding shotgun to the dark, silent anger.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “That was me,” he said.
    She frowned and shook her head. “Who was you?”
    “That noise. I thought I’d start early. I’ve been ripping shingles off the roof for the past hour.”
    “Ripping the…?”
    “I’m sorry I scared you,” he said. “What on earth were you doing playing Annie Oakley anyhow? And why one earth would anyone want to break into here?”
    She glared at him. The pride at having taken the attack stance suddenly withered into embarrassment. “You almost made me fall off the roof,” she argued.
    “Huh, sorry ‘bout that, but you scared the crap out of me. I guess I overreacted.”
    “Why?”
    “I thought you were someone else,” he admitted, brushing fractured pieces of clapboard shingles from her clothes.
    “Who?”
    “No one important.” The tone of his voice blocking any additional questions.
    She turned away and stared at the horizon. Emma breathed deeply and surveyed her bird’s eye view curious as to who he thought she’d been. “It’s beautiful.” The sun poured through the Grand Tetons like rivers of gold, highlighting the valley with bright rays that penetrated and melted the misty blankets hanging above the pastures.
    An eagle screeched, its cry pulling her in.
    “Hey,” Stone interrupted. “Where are you?”
    She pointed to the magnificent Bald Eagle circling a narrow stream at the base of River Run’s pastureland. “Up there.”
    “Huh,” he grunted, scooting back and slowly rising to his feet. He helped her up, and they carefully picked their way across the slick shingles to the attic window. “The next time you go all brave and crazy, call me first.”
    Emma pulled her hand from his grip. She ignored her tingling skin and damned the awareness that skittered along her spine. “I tried, but you were obviously occupied elsewhere.”
    “I think,