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“Any legends we should know about?” I prodded, hoping for a story.
“Plenty,” he admitted with a reluctant half-smile. “Ghost tales, lost treasures, unexplained happenings. Keeps the tourists entertained. But I’m not a tour guide, despite what Marge has you believin’.”
Perfect opening.
“I know. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this for us, Gray.”
He grunted in response, or at least, that’s what it sounded like over the sound of the horses.
“Who lives there?” I asked, as we passed a pretty wooden-sided house sitting in front of a small lake.
“My brother, Walker.”
“Oh that’s nice. Does your whole family live on the ranch?”
He turned, eyeing me again, and I wondered if it was his way of trying to read my mind. After a moment, he nodded.
“My mother lives in a house across the lake. There’s really just the three of us now.”
“Oh, nice,” I repeated, unsure how to respond to what sounded like a half-answer. I noticed he didn’t say where he lived, so I assumed it was the main house we caught a glimpse of when we turned onto the property. I would have assumed his mother lived there, but you know what they say about assuming things.
“I wonder how many people have climbed these trails,” I mused aloud, bringing my mind back to spinning tales of adventure among the evergreens.
“Too many,” Gray said, his protectiveness over the land on full display. I smiled at his back.
I stole glances at Gray as we rode, admiring the way he effortlessly guided his horse with expert precision. There was a silent grace in his movements.
As we approached a narrow path leading up the mountainside, Gray turned to glance back at our group, his eyes meeting mine for a moment. I still had yet to see the man smile, but this current look on his face seemed to be as close as I would get.
“Welcome to the mountain.”
And just like that, as our horses followed the bend in the path, the mountain trails stretched out before our eyes.
I heard the clicks of phone cameras behind me, and my friends ooh-ing and ah-ing at the landscape. All I could do was stare.
Breathe.
Take it all in.
The scent of the evergreens, the wildflowers still dotting the ground, the encroaching canopy of lush trees, a stark difference to the ranch land we left not fifteen minutes ago. The trails through the forest went off in three directions, the land rising before our eyes.
It was perhaps the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
I felt a tear spring to my eye and blinked it away as I made a mental note of each leaf and branch and speck of dirt. I didn’t want to forget a single thing.
Almost immediately I felt Gray’s stare and when I looked at him, his brow was furrowed. He caught my eye for a brief moment before he cleared his throat and looked away.
The trail narrowed as we ascended, the horses picking their way carefully over roots and rocks. The air grew cooler, filled with the scent of pine and damp earth. Judging by the slight ache in my back, we must have been riding for at least an hour, but it felt like mere minutes. Every step the horses took led to another thing to marvel at.
Eventually Gray had us turning off the trail, through the forest itself. Hooves shuffled through the underbrush as he led us around a bend, and there it was—one of the hidden waterfalls we’d been waiting for.
The falls cascaded down in a shimmering veil, white mist rising up from the pool of deep teal water below. Rocks jutted out from the cliffside, trees and shrubs growing from the gaps between. It was untouched, a hidden paradise. My stomach jumped with glee like a child on Christmas morning.
My friends let out collective gasps behind me, their excitement palpable.
“This is incredible!” I couldn't help but gush, as Storm came to a stop and I tried to get down. Gray was already off his horse and striding over to me.
“I’ll help you dismount,” he said, then called over his shoulder to the others, “stay there and I’ll come ‘round to each of you.”
