Page 6 of Goldie's Grumpy Grizzly
Thirdly, I clearly have some kind of curse following me around. I thought it was bad enough that I’ve been struggling with writer’s block for months now. Then I thought it was bad luck that I’d gone and ran into a bear on my way here. But then, the first two cabins I’d been placed in turned out to be problematic—one, tailor-made for giant-sized folks, and another with coffin beds and ceiling-mounted poles for their vampire guests. I would have made do with the unusual bedding, but it was like sleeping on a slab of rock.
So now that I’m hauling my belongings into the third cabin in as many days, I can only assume there’s something up with my aura.
Janelle would tell me I need a cleanse. Sage my space, bathe in salt, burn some incense, and subsist on green juice for a week.
But I’ll have to settle for the next best thing.
Resettlement into a new cabin.
This cabin is so different from the others. The expansive window brings the outdoors in with an impressive view of the forest. Beyond, I can spot the edge of the mountain as it climbs high above the valley. The interior style, while somewhat sparse and utilitarian, is pristine and welcoming. Calm, soothing white linens, exposed wooden beams, and a fuzzy (presumably faux) fur rug spread out in front of an iron fireplace just begging for my toes to slide through it.
It’s the first place I’ve ever been that feels just right.
Like home.
I unload everything I’d dragged over from my last cabin and spend the next several hours doing what I always do when I’m under deadline and pushing myself to get into Get ‘Er Done mode. I roll up my sleeves, head to the kitchen to prep, cook, and bake.
While I go through the motions, I continue to think about my story and how I’m going to finish it while I’m here. Halfway through the manuscript, I got stuck. I’d painted myself into a hell of a corner, and now everyone and their mama is waiting on me to tell them how it ends. But I don’t know.
Yet.
The answer will come to me, though. I just need to make sure I’m fueled, rested, and ready for it. So, in a matter of hours, I’ve filled up the freezer with meals I can shove into the oven, loaded up the fridge with cut-up fruits and veggies ready to snack on, prepped a week’s worth of lunches, and baked my little heart out.
Now, I have no excuses left.
I’ve got food, an inspiring setting, and absolutely no distractions.
All that’s left is the work.
Snatching up a still-warm honey nut oatmeal muffin, I drag one of the rustic, handmade chairs surrounding the dining table over to the writing desk. In the dwindling twilight, I plug in my laptop and pull up my work in progress.
Bruno shifts as he runs. He’s out of time! His last chance to save his mate is fading fast.
I squirm in the seat, already feeling an ache in my neck. This first chair’s too high.
The second chair’s too low.
The third one is just right.
Until it collapses under me and I wind up sprawled out on the floor, a little shocked but otherwise okay.
“Oh, dammit. Why? Why does this keep happening?” I blow my bangs out of my eyes and resist the urge to cry. “No. This book will not defeat me. Okay, so it’s gotten off to a rough start, but that doesn’t mean I ought to throw in the towel.”
I grab another muffin and chuck the ruined chair into a corner. I’ll deal with it later. But tonight, maybe it’s better if I rest and tackle this in the morning.
After all, everything’s better after a good night’s sleep.
Not long later, I get ready and crawl into the simple wooden bed. The mattress is pillowy perfect, the blankets puffy and cool as I burrow down into it. There’s a scent here that’s vaguely familiar to me, something sweet like berries, and I can’t get enough.
Planting my face into it, I inhale deeply, close my eyes, and drift off.
I dream of a hulking bear with deeply soulful brown eyes running toward me. He jumps as I scream and crouch down, arms protecting my head, but when he knocks into me, we tumble together. Breathlessly, I wrestle back, holding my own as the massive creature affectionately nudges me with his huge head. Light bursts within me, a giddy feeling bubbling up when he snuggles against me. His coarse fur brushes against my skin, leaving goose flesh in its wake as my arms twine around its neck and he changes form.
But before his face can come into view, something pokes me awake.
I pry open my tired eyes and jump when I find an enormous, extremely handsome man towering over me. His face is scrunched up, his brows knitted together. A flash of sharp, white teeth appears from within his dark, thick beard, and I swear to God I can hear the man growl.
I may still be dreaming… but then, he bellows at me, loud and clear.
