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They buckled their boots onto their boards and lowered the visors on their helmets. It was blindingly bright up here. The four of them lined up, unable to contain their giant smiles.
And then, Jaime inched his way to the drop. With a sixty degree fall line, the adrenaline pumped through him, fueling the beast that got off on these thrilling rides. With a holler, he took the plunge.
Elation hit the moment he caught air.
The one thing he knew was that confidence kept people alive.
The moment you entertain doubt, you lose focus. And that’s how accidents happen.
So, he walled it off and let himself have a great fucking run.
* * *
It might be nine in the morning, but the ranch was long into its day. Grace crossed the dew-laden grass to get back to the big house. Arms loaded with baskets, she stopped for just a moment to take it all in.
Kate was already in the corral teaching a private lesson, and a battered pickup truck, the bed filled with workers, rumbled nearby. In a million years, she could never have imagined living on a ranch in Wyoming, falling for a single dad, and turning her fantasy sand cakes into reality.
I’m just so stinking happy.
Sure, there was fear that her parents would flip out, read her the riot act, and demand she come home. She could pretty much predict what her mom would say.
Family stays together.
What sacrifice is Jaime making for you?
Friends come and go, lovers break your heart, but family is the one constant you can count on.
But he wouldn’t break her heart. How did she know that? Because he’d done the unthinkable. He’d snowboarded on a glacier.
And, after the day they’d spent shopping, she now got to snuggle in the hammock with him and Kinny, participate in their movie and popcorn nights, and even stay long enough to read bedtime stories. He’d brought her into his family.
All of that meant one thing: he’d stopped punishing himself.
He was free.
Ducking through the trees, she crossed the lawn and the slate patio, moving around the gorgeous pool no one used, and headed through the French doors.
She stopped when she heard angry voices.
“Because you’re a shit friend,” Jeremy whispered harshly.
She waited in the dark of the vestibule that smelled of new wood and varnish.
“I said I was sorry.” There was a new level of anguish in Ben’s voice that just about killed her. How long did he have to keep paying for his mistake?
“So? You made your dick a priority over friendship. That’s it. There’s nothing more to talk about.”
She needed to get the baskets loaded, but she hung back, giving them a moment. Sunlight poured into the mudroom, showcasing the pretty hall tree, and for one startling moment, she could imagine the hooks lined with raincoats in all sizes. Boots shoved under the bench.
It was just so damn sad that a house like this would go empty while Jaime lived in that tiny cabin.
A spark of fear ignited in her core. Maybe Jaime wasn’t free, after all. If he were, wouldn’t he have moved into his dream house?
“I get it now.” For the first time, Ben’s voice held no defensiveness. “How I fucked up. I get it.”
“Then, why’d you do it?”
“Because she’s hot. Because I could never get a girl like that.”
