Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 3

"What's his problem?" Jo asked as the bell over the door jingled, signaling Ryker's exit.

"His family sort of takes care of the trails and the wildlife in the area," Seth said, "He just gets upset when tourists leave the marked trails because there are a lot of ravines and old mining holes. They used to dig for micah and other minerals around here, and there's some places where they still pan for gold." He waved a hand in the air, as if brushing away her worries. "He's got a point, if you do decide to take up hiking. Staying on the trails is your best bet to stay safe."

"Got it..." Jo said.

Sounded like that sure was one passionate nature-loving family. Or maybe they had a secret cave full of gold around here that all the locals were protecting. Jo had to suppress a grin. She'd been looking at the book jackets of too many of her grandmother's dusty mystery novels apparently.

"So you ready to check out?" Seth asked, gesturing at the bolt cutters.

Oh, yeah. Jo had almost forgotten she'd come up here to ask a question. She had momentarily been distracted by the hiker hater with the Stare. "Actually, I was going to ask if you thought this was my best bet for getting an old padlock off. I read online that using compressed air is another option..."

Seth nodded, all business now. "Both methods should work, and the cost difference isn't too much. It's up to you, really, though if you think you'll have to be cutting a lot of locks, the bolt cutter might be more practical."

"I'll go with this then," Jo said, tapping the bolt cutter. She hadn't fully explored everything on the property, so who knew what else was all locked up. Maybe she had her own secret treasure hoard stashed away somewhere. She set the basket on the counter along with the bolt cutter and caught what looked suspiciously like a small smile from Seth before he started ringing up her purchases.

"I swear, all the locks are on my property," Jo grumbled.

Seth held his hands up, protesting his innocence. "I don't ask questions."

"Well, in case that Ryker guy does. Not that it's his business," she said. Maybe his family took care of the public lands or whatever, but her property was her own. Or, well, her dad's, really.

This time Seth smiled openly, but it was friendly, not teasing or unkind. Kind of like a dad-type smile. Though maybe that was just because she'd been thinking about her dad, and the comparison had jumped right in there. "We're friendly folk here, but we also respect privacy. You've nothing to worry about on that score--even if we are a small town. There's gossip, of course, but people won't pry too much." He put the cleaning supplies in a bag for her. "Which, if no one's said it yet, welcome to Jackson's Hollow, by the way."

"Thank you," Jo said, in response to both the welcome and the assurance of privacy. She took the bag from him after swiping her card. "Any recommendations on first places to visit in town?"

"Well, it's hard to pick one neighbor over another, but it doesn't hurt to share what everyone knows anyway. Ellen's Soda Shop is the best place for ice cream and the Hollow Grill is the best place for a quick bite to eat, especially if you're craving a good burger."

Jo filed that away mentally--both helpful bits of information. "Any good coffee places?" she asked. With a community college and a small tourist scene, there had to be at least one place, right?

"I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but the wife likes what they serve at Ye Old Goods--it's mostly an antique shop with a few other random things, but there's a coffee bar at the front too."

Antiques and coffee. Well. That wasn't a combination she'd encountered before.

Her surprise must've been plain on her face because Seth chuckled. "Ms. Blue took a barista class with her granddaughter one weekend and about a month later the coffee bar showed up in Ye Old Goods. Guess it did well enough that she decided to keep it going."