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Her beautiful eyes filled with tears. He reached for her, but these weren’t tears of sadness, they were anger. She flung her door open and almost hit him with it.
“Well, that’s it then. You stay here like some small-town boy who’s never going to reach his potential, never going to see what life has to offer beyond these mountains. I hope you pine away for me because you’ll never find the sparks and connection we have with any other girl!”
Ammon liked that Ivy was feisty and could stand up for herself, but he didn’t much like her sass right now. He studied her, memorizing her every feature, though he already had them down. “You’re right, I won’t.”
Her eyes got sad again but immediately went fierce. “Tell me not to go,” she challenged him.
He shook his head. It was just like Jace. They felt guilty for leaving. He didn’t want them to feel that. He would never try to put that on them. “I would never do that to you,” he said softly. “Go and find your dreams, Ivy.” He wanted to tell her he loved her and he’d never stop, but that would be selfish at this moment and only hurt her. She knew he loved her, and she’d never said it back. Maybe someday … Ammon wasn’t holding his breath.
“I don’t want you sitting around waiting for me. Not dating, not progressing, not doing anything with your life.”
That stung. His passion was skiing, mountain biking, and developing this resort. His allegiance was to God, his family, and to her. If only those didn’t seem to be in direct conflict. Maybe he was being an immature eighteen-year old, but no. Heaven approved of his dreams and he knew being here for his family and developing a small ski resort into a competitive upscale mountain was doing something with his life. Their resort didn’t open on the Sabbath and they donated a large portion of the proceeds to the Denver Rescue Mission where he and Jace had volunteered with their mom since they were kids.
“If you really feel inspired thatthisis your dream.” She flung her hand at his lodge and mountain as if it weren’t the most perfect spot in existence, as if it were some hovel he could walk away from. “Then I hope that you’ll make it amazing and I also hope that you’ll move on from me and never think about or miss me, because I amnevercoming back to Summit Valley.”
Her words hit him square in the chest. Never coming back? How could she do that? At least Jace planned to return some day. Ivy was ditching him, her family, and all the people in this valley who loved and cared for her. He wanted to beg her to go experience the world and then come back to him. But he wouldn’t do that either. If leaving for good was her dream, he had to support her in it just like he wished she’d support him in staying, taking care of his dad and Bentley, being there for his mom and grandpa, and making his dream spot even better with his visions for the future and all this beautiful resort could become.
“I will miss you,” he said, despite her words and knowing it would only hurt her to hear that. The words seemed to wrench themselves from him of their own accord.
Her face softened and he thought he might at least get some kind of promise, some kind of reassurance. Instead, she sassily said, “I’m sure you will.” She flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulder, climbed into the truck, and then looked up at him.
Ammon held onto the door, staring down at her. Would he truly never be close to her again? Is that how it felt to gouge out your own heart and leave it floundering on the pavement? He was just waiting for her to drive over his heart with her truck tires and destroy it completely.
He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, but he had no clue how to change either of their paths in life.
“You claim you love me and I know you’ll miss me,” she challenged, “But not enough to pray about it and to leave home for me.”
Ammon didn’t have the words to explain. He’d tried so many times. His heart and his life were here. He knew it and despite how upset she was right now and that she didn’t want to admit it, he’d prayed many times and in many different ways, and received confirmation from God that he needed to be here. He’d hoped they could both commit to pursuing their dreams but some day being together. Apparently they weren’t going to be working through anything together. Move on? Was she serious? How could he move on from the woman who made him laugh and lit him up every time he saw her? He wasn’t laughing or lighting up right now.
“I’m sorry,” he said, arguing it out for the hundredth time wasn’t going to change anything.
“You will be sorry when you’re longing for me,” she snapped.
Ammon couldn’t help but smile at that. “Definitely.”
Her eyes softened again. “I’m sorry our dreams never lined up,” she said. “I hope you can move on from me, and find somebody who you love as much as you love this valley.”
She jammed the clutch and brake to the floor and turned the key. Ammon was still holding on to the door as she popped it into gear and took off.
He jumped back and the door flipped closed. He watched her go. He did love her and he thought she loved him, but maybe he was too immature to know what love was. He thought love was wanting her to be happy and he knew she wouldn’t be happy until she’d gone after her dreams. Would she ever come back? Did she really want him to move on?
His jaw tightened and a sudden rush of injustice made his gut churn. She was the one who was leaving him, her family, and the valley. He’d known she would leave at some point but he hadn’t been prepared for her to go so soon and to claim she was never coming back. Would she really do that?
No matter how ripped apart his heart felt, he realized he should probably take her advice. No matter how he longed for and loved Ivy they obviously weren’t a match made in heaven like he’d believed. Was it possible their sparks and connection was just a shallow teenage relationship? He wouldn’t have believed it before this moment.
His jaw tightened and he felt cold and empty inside. He would force himself to date and pray he could find somebody that he could love like he loved Ivy. A woman who could love him and his valley. No matter how he loved Ivy, they were done. He knew it deep inside, even if he couldn’t fully process it right now.
Her truck disappeared and suddenly his eyes stung. He brushed away the wetness angrily, but it didn’t matter. The tears kept coming. How would he ever find somebody like his sassy angel? Someone who could tease and consume him?
He doubted it was possible.
Chapter One
Present Day
Ivy pulled into the snow-covered Summit Ski Resort parking lot in the rented silver Audi. Nerves made her stomach flip-flop and her fingers twitch on the steering wheel. She’d flown into Denver late last night in Callum Hawk’s air bus. Throughout the past ten years as Health for All had expanded its reach and offered more than just health care to those in need Ivy had gone from being Avalyn Shaman’s stewardess to the fought-over stewardess of the entire Hawk family. Avalyn had married Bridger Hawk four years ago and since then Ivy had gotten to know and love all of the Hawk brothers, their wives, and their parents. She’d spent as much time as possible on the front lines of the charity work of Health for All, her last mission almost destroying her. With all the money the Hawk family paid her she’d been able to donate generously, and build up a huge savings account.
She’d come home for Christmas every year the past ten years, but she’d stayed at her parents’ house and avoided even going to church. She’d been too scared to see Ammon Jardine again. She got regular reports from her young cousin Abigail about the “hot Jardine brothers”. To hear Abigail tell it they both dated every local woman and tourist who visited their resort. Well, good for them. That was exactly what she’d told Ammon to do. She wilted into the seat. If only he’d loved her enough to not take her advice and to chase her across the world and tell her he loved her like he used to.
