Free Falling Softly: Compass Girls, Book 4 by Mari Carr & Jayne Rylon Page B

they’d picked up his old nickname from the few elders on the reservation who’d taught him all he knew. The ones who’d respected him and his hunger for learning the true old ways. Chief .
    But six weeks without wheels—or even a horse—had just about driven him nuts.
    The only saving grace, when he wasn’t working overtime on Vicky Compton’s gardens, had been the long walks he took to remote places on their land. Sometimes with one or more of the Compass Boys, including Sterling’s little brother, Bryant. He’d enjoyed sharing those things about their surroundings, and they’d practiced making fires a bunch too. Skills every kid who lived out here should have.
    Still, civilization would be a nice change. Maybe they could grab some dinner before heading back. If she would deign to speak to him. Or even look at him. And if he could rustle up a shirt. Takeout, eaten in her shop, just the two of them sounded pretty fine too.
    They pulled around the back of the row of stores on Main Street, and she guided him to the service entrance of her shop. He was impressed with her security system and the cameras until he considered her Uncle Sawyer was Compton Pass’s sheriff and her store was full of semiprecious stones and metal.
    She ushered him inside and locked the door behind them.
    “So do I get the official tour?” he asked, breaking their verbal standoff.
    “Um. Sure.” She seemed surprised that he gave a shit, which only twisted the knife in his gut a little more.
    “This is the current space. We’ve got the stockroom back here, which is nothing flashy. My workstation is up front and then the retail area is past that. I’ve been wanting to expand for a while, take on some pricier projects for online markets or maybe do some traveling shows. I just signed the lease a couple weeks ago when the space next door became available. We’ve had the shop closed with all these damn fixtures in here, but I need to reopen soon if I’m going to afford double the rent.” She shook her head. “Of course, my dad keeps paying the bill because he’s been too busy to help me, and I think my family likes me around to take Vivi to the doctor during the day and stuff, but I’m not looking for a handout from my family.”
    “You’ve done this all on your own.” It wasn’t a question. He could tell she had built it from the ground up. And done a damn fine job. The shop sucked him in. Quirky yet stylish, the way she had stuff arranged was clever. It made several of her pieces jump out.
    Glancing around at the jewelry near him, he spotted a half-dozen items that he admired. This was not stuff you’d find in a kiosk on the mall. No, her jewelry was original. Gorgeous. Like her.
    “My mom would have loved this pin. Her name was Haiwee. It means Dove.” He pointed to a bird on a silver branch with ruby eyes. The detailing in the feathers made it seem as if it were about to launch into the air.
    “Honestly, it’s one of my favorites too. Would you mind if I named it after her?” Sterling smiled as she sidled closer. She didn’t flinch when their arms touched.
    “That—that would mean a lot to me. Thank you.”
    Sterling nodded. “You’re welcome.”
    The more he looked, the more he realized she wasn’t that different from him. She saw nature in a way most people didn’t. A bracelet formed from a curve of wire dotted with blue crystal reminded him of a half-frozen stream.
    All of her designs were exquisite. To his untrained eye, anyway.
    “Wow, Sterling, you’re fucking great at this. This one here, it’s the sun, right? On a hazy day when you can see the heat waves.” He turned toward her but couldn’t see her eyes through the veil of her hair. So he reached out and tucked it behind her ear before he could think better of it.
    “Yes.” She smiled. “And thank you. Lots of people tell me my stuff is pretty, but no one ever seems to see what I do.”
    “Like this tree, with the leaves falling softly around it