Chapter 1

The tree house grew almost organically under their hands, every bit of it touched by them both...beautiful timbers carefully trimmed and shaved, lifted into position with block and tackle, and slowly the walls closed in around them.

Bill would finish at dark exhausted, he knew he had lost a lot of weight as his belly slowly receded exposing his tool belt. She was quiet abot his diminishing bulk yet expressed her continued love and desire for him whenever they touched. He saw the concern in her face, but he smiled and shrugged. "Don't worry little girl, like I said when we first met I ebb and flow with the seasons."

"Winter will be coming soon. Then we can spend our time fattening you back to where you belong...." and maybe a bit more she said to herself looking at the mostly finished tree house. They had added on to the original plan as they had each come up with different and unique ideas. She would brainstorm something almost impossible but somehow he would make it happen. A large spiral staircase led up to the front porch deck of the house. It had a main living space, a small kitchen with a wood stove set up. Away from the main section was a luxurious bedroom with a 360° view, and they were working on the balcony over the creek. There were natural elements in every aspect of the house and it seemed to be a part of the tree.

Soon they were finished and they began to move her in, emptying his garage and attic of treasured antique furniture both from his family as inherited hand me downs, or pieces he had collected over the years.

It was an eclectic assortment that fit the rustic charm of the lofty cabin perfectly. They purposely avoided wall coverings and paint relying on stains and clear finishes to bring out the hand-hewn beauty of the native woods.

A toilet was fitted and plumbed, solar heated water fresh filtered from the pristine creek that bubbled beneath them...it's sparkling music a peaceful balm when they chose to stay rather than 4-wheeling back to the main cabin lodge.

Eventually he managed to surprise her with her own 4 wheeler, so she didn't have to rely on him to move between the two. She laid out the foundation for some amazing flower gardens and had books full of designs and ideas for outside renovations. The whole project seemed to bring life into her eyes. As winter closed in, she started decorating both homes for the holidays and planning out huge dinners. Bill didn't mind, both his waistline and her enthusiasm expanded, and for the first time it was nice to have someone to spend the holidays with.

The work finally finished and as the last details were completed Bill realized he had seriously started putting on weight again, gradually moving up through his wardrobe into the largest sizes worn back when she first stumbled in on him. But this time he felt different...he was stronger, the muscles he had developed over the long summer easily carried his rapidly increasing weight.

He noticed too she was touching him more, letting her fingers slide over his expanding abdomen slowly almost as if she was gauging his growth. The meals she had been creating for them both certainly helped, though while she ate sparingly, his capacity seemed to almost double or triple.

Often he would find she had completely gorged him so that he could barely move, then after bathing together in the huge tub they had installed, made slow and careful love to him.

It was a magical time for him, never in his wildest dreams had he imagined such an amazing and delightful lifestyle. After an afternoon feeding he would bask in the dappled sun beneath her trees, snoozing gently, his shirt open feeling the late autumn sun play across his food stuffed belly. He would start awake by the call of a songbird or more often the musical clank as her shovel hit a rock in the garden she was preparing.

Life was good for them. They didn't want for money. On top of what he made, she also created her own works of art or woodworking to sell. Under his name of course. As far as the outside world knew, she was gone, starved to death in the woods. He shuddered just imagining such a scenario.

One day she was up in her house, working on yet another project of hers, he was straightening his now empty garage when he heard tires coming up his drive again. Looking out he saw the sheriff's car coming up the gravel path yet again. He felt his heart sink.

"Hello sheriff," Bill called out warily, "what brings you all the way up my mountain?" He moved out to the squad car not giving the sheriff reason to get any closer to his cabin than necessary.