Free The Pineview Incident by Kayla Griffith Page A

brilliant. We have at least two weeks before anyone will suspect a thing. The men in town will even expect us to drive off together. Where should we go first?” She had no desire to ever see the Gilbertson farm again. Not ever.
    “Church first, Horseback Falls later.” Mark ran a finger along the side of her face, making her skin tingle. “I can’t wait to show you the cave behind the falls, and I don’t need every member of the Pine View Presbyterian Church coming here to look for you.” He tapped her on the nose and headed to the door.
    “So, this is an official date?” Donna asked.
    Mark put his finger to his lips. “No. This is surveillance of sheep-like aliens and scary, clownish farmers.” He winked and disappeared out the door.
    #
    Falling in love with Mark Lewis should have been impossible from the start. They were complete opposites, or so she’d thought. But the man who took her out almost every evening wasn’t the man she thought she knew.
    This Mark Lewis fit her perfectly. In every way, through every new discovery, Donna felt more and more at home with Mark. It was as if he’d always been a part of her, which he had, only this time it was the good part of her.
    They had the same twisted sense of humor, and now that he wasn’t in the same category as terrorists, Donna found him to be remarkably funny. His taste in books and movies was somewhat questionable, but his choice in music was pretty amazing. Most importantly, Donna loved the outdoors as much as he did, which shocked them both. They spent hours walking through the southern Idaho countryside. Since Mark ran multiple guide services and knew every nook and cranny in the backwoods, he shared the very best of them with Donna. She enjoyed every minute of it. She couldn’t get enough of the crisp air, quiet surroundings, and immense beauty. They were even both accomplished swing dancers, much to their combined surprise, and Donna loved dancing with Mark on rock outcroppings, behind waterfalls, and in the middle of sprawling meadows.
    Mark and she acted as mortal enemies during the days, and fell into each other’s lives and arms each night. Two weeks flashed by before Donna had time to catch her breath, much less connive a good explanation for the mystery of the Gilbertsons’ farm. The two times they’d returned to spy on the rotund farmers, they’d seen nothing more than strange lights and metallic boxes next to the tall poles. Of course, that was enough to bring down the wrath of the town, so they tried to ignore the foreboding changes.
    “Rob Michaels is getting suspicious,” Mark said as they walked along the pebbled bank of the Little Lost River. “Of the Gilbertsons and us.”
    Donna gasped. “Oh, yeah, the Gilbertsons.” She’d been lost in quiet solitude of the river and the blissful feeling of Mark’s warm hand. She’d forgotten they were supposedly sneaking around the farm. They hadn’t been to the Gilbertson land for several days. “Some spies we are.”
    “We’re not even good at being enemies any longer. The men in my shop are starting to look at me funny. Cory suggested the alien rays were getting to my head because I’ve been smiling too much.”
    “The girls in the school kitchen are starting to ask questions, too.” Donna tightened her grip on Mark’s strong hand. “I suppose we should just admit what we’re doing.”
    “No way. Did you hear the talk in the bowling alley on Monday? The whole town is just waiting for any reason to launch an all out attack on that family.” Mark stopped and turned to Donna. “However, I would surely like to admit to the world how much I love you.”
    Donna felt a rush of warmth at his words. She reached up and touched his face, smoothing away the lines that represented lost time. “It feels as though we’ve been in love forever and yet it feels new every time I see you.”
    “Was it like that with John?” Mark’s words were rough.
    Donna thought a moment. “Yes and no.