AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sunday morning, Gage gave Noah the option to ride along with a ranch hand on the UTV loaded with fencing supplies or use one of the Triple T’s horses and accompany Gage on horseback. Noah liked to ride, and he judged his leg was ready to handle it, so he accompanied the rancher. They spent two hours positioning supplies along the fence line, then headed for Gage’s fishing spot.
In a state filled with breathtaking vistas, this one had to rank among the top ten. A rainbow of spring wildflowers carpeted a meadow ringed by towering, snowcapped mountains. A frothy, bubbling creek wound its way through the center of the field. It was hands down one of the most beautiful spots Noah had ever seen.
“What a hidden gem,” he said.
“Isn’t it? Our family is blessed. Now, let’s get to work and catch us some lunch, shall we?”
The trout all but jumped onto Noah’s flies, and he caught his limit within the first hour: three brown trout and a rainbow. Gage struck out but didn’t seem to care, especially once Noah offered to share his catch for their lunch.
“Honestly, I like the casting as much as the catching,” Gage told him when he sat around the fire Noah had built. “There’s something so relaxing about getting a line wet, don’t you think?”
“I totally agree.” Noah handed over two of the trout he’d cooked in the foil pouches with seasonings Gage had brought along.
“Thanks. Doesn’t seem right that I let you catch, clean, and cook, and now I’m gonna eat half of what there is.”
“Hey, it’s your creek. Your slice of heaven. I’m thrilled you’ve shared it with me. This has to be one of the prettiest spots in the state.”
“It was my late wife’s favorite spot on the ranch. Emily and I talked about building a getaway up here. Came close to doing it a time or two, but when it came right down to it, we liked it unspoiled. Decided this little campsite would do us.”
They ate their fish in silence but for a couple of smacks and hums of pleasure. Seasoned simply with butter, onion, salt, and pepper and baked in foil pouches over the fire, the fish was five-star cuisine.
“Delicious,” Noah said, licking his fingers when he’d polished off the last bite.
“Very good. Excellent job, Chef Noah.” Gage balled up his foil, wiped his hands with a paper towel, then deposited his trash in a bag. He stretched out his legs and leaned back on his elbows. “I could almost take a nap.”
“Go for it. We’re not on a clock.”
“Yeah, but my bones are too old to get comfortable on this hard ground without an air mattress under me, at least. Last time Emily and I tent camped up here, we needed to airlift in all the gear we needed for the night.” He sighed and smiled bittersweetly. “This is the first time I’ve come here since she died.”
“I’d heard through the grapevine that you lost her to cancer.” Noah flicked his gaze toward the older man, uncertain what Gage needed from him now. “You doing okay?”
“Yes. Yes, I am. I’ll admit I had a few moments while in the water. Maybe that’s why I proved to be such a lousy angler today.”
“As good an excuse as any, I’d say.”
“I had a good marriage,” Gage observed, his gaze on the bubbling mountain stream. “Emily wouldn’t have liked that I’ve avoided this place. She wouldn’t approve of quite a bit of what’s gone down since her death. I had a falling out with my kids. Still paying the price for that with my daughter. Had a falling out with God. I was one unhappy SOB, I’ll tell you.”
Noah scooped a handful of pebbles off the ground and began tossing them toward the water. “Losing someone you love is damned hard.”
“Losing anyone is damned hard. It didn’t matter how much money I had or how much stroke my family has in the area. Hell, in the entire state. Didn’t matter how many prayers I said or what sorts of bargains I tried to make with the Almighty. I couldn’t save my Emily. I was powerless. Made me so damned angry. Made me mean. What good does any of it do if you can’t save the one person who means the most?”
Gage muttered a curse and rolled to a sitting position. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me to give me diarrhea of the mouth. That’s just wrong after a most delicious meal. Guess being up here is getting to me after all.”
“Shoot. Forget about it. I get it, Gage. I absolutely get it. Why do you think I’m hiding out at my grandfather’s cabin in Lake in the Clouds?”
“Hell, I knew there must be a reason I liked you so much. You ready to talk about that?”
Noah considered it. “No.”
Gage nodded. Both men rose and spent a few minutestending to the campsite and packed up their horses. They made the ride back to Noah’s place in companionable silence. As Noah unloaded his gear from the packhorse, Gage said, “I hope you’re ready to get back to work in the morning. I’d like to get this project finished by the end of the week.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.”
They discussed a few logistics for the coming days, and as Gage prepared to depart, he met Noah’s gaze and said, “Anytime you feel the need to talk, Tannehill, I’m your man.”
“I appreciate it.”
Noah wasn’t ready to talk today, but maybe soon. He had the feeling that sunshine and puppies and physical work might be pulling him out of the black hole where he’d existed for the past year.
