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I pass a few groups of people that are hiking the trail. After about twenty minutes, I start to wonder if I should start over in another spot. Then I see it.
The breeze picks up about a hundred yards away, sending endless strands of golden hair flying into the air. My feet slow down in awe, but my heart picks up speed. I pull at the collar of my shirt, re-tuck the back of it, and head toward her.
I almost walk face-first into a few tall prickly succulents as I watch her smiling while she snaps a few pictures. She looks more incredible than I have ever seen her. I didn’t even think that was possible, but she’s somehow more vibrant. Soft. Relaxed. Free.
That confuses me for a second because of how down she’d been just a few days ago.
I do nothing to hide the sound of my approach and it doesn’t take long for her to turn in my direction.
When our eyes meet, I stop in my tracks. Her lips part in a silent gasp and she holds a large breath in her chest. Then she just stands there staring at me.
Fuck.
Maybe I shouldn’t have shown up unannounced like a creepy stalker who can’t leave her alone any longer.
As the sun rises higher, its light catches on a single tear running down her cheek. The glisten of it guts me to my core and I start to go over the options in my head of how I can apologize to her for barging in on her morning hike like this. I can’t help but do that with her. Something has always drawn me to invade her space, from the very first time I stepped into that shower. I was a goner then and I’m a goner now.
I take my hat off and hold it over my stomach.
Not the time to be nervous, Gage.
It only takes a second for me to realize that she’s grinning from ear to ear while running toward me.
I don’t know why I start laughing. Nothing’s funny, really, but I can’t help it. It’s like a dam of emotion that I’ve been keeping blocked off inside of me is finally broken. She’s reallyrunning. Fast.
With a few feet to go, she leaps into the air and I catch her. The sheer force of her momentum knocks me back, and as hard as I try, I can’t stay upright. Halfway to the ground, her lips find mine. I squeeze her so tight and press my lips so hard against her, that I’m afraid she’ll burst out of her skin when we land on the ground.
But she doesn’t. And we don’t break contact as we crash into the brush. Dust flies up all around us and she bears her full weight on top of me. We narrowly avoided a cactus. If I rolled even a foot to the left, we’d have smashed into it.
Time stands still as I keep my hat from falling to the ground and hold her head under her hair at the same time. Every second that ticked by since the day she walked onto the soil of my ranch has been wasted not begging her to stay. I coax her mouth to open, and she lets me right in. My tongue dances with hers between moans and she arches into me enough to make me wish I could never leave this very spot ever again.
A minute goes by… or maybe twenty. But when we finally come up for air, she rests her forehead against mine. We pant in unison and search each other’s eyes. Waiting for the other to say something. Anything.
“Hi,” she whispers.
“Hi, baby.”
Chapter 41
Blythe
“For the last time, I don’t want your private plane to come pick us up. I was already planning on driving home this weekend. Before you showed up I might add,” I point my finger. “Although I’m glad I have an official ride in your truck now. I sold my car and was going to rent one,” I laugh.
“You sold your car?”
“Yep!” I smile even though I know he can’t see my face right now. It was a hunk of junk anyway. It made a nice hefty payment on my student loans. Although when I went to submit the payment, it kept saying there was an error and that there was no payment due. I need to look into that when we get back to Texas.
I was over the moon to see Gage.Obviously.
But I had already made the decision to come home permanently on my own terms. I changed my preference list before the deadline. My top choice is now the program nearest Westridge. It’s a little bit of a commute, but it’s worth it to be by my family and in the town that I love so much. I realized that no job, salary, or number in a bank account would ever be worth as much as those things are to me.
Mrs. Heron was a tremendous help and inspiration for me. After hours of dissecting, she helped me realize what was missing from my career and future. At first, I thought I didn’t want to be a doctor anymore. I knew for sure that working in a hospital for the rest of my life just wasn’t for me. It felt crowded and impersonal. And I never really wanted to teach or do anything at a prestigious university far from home either like Dr. Mullen had wanted me to do. She was happy that I’d found the path I was searching for when I called to give her the news.
What I realized is that I like the fact that I’m a talented physician with a bright future in medicine. I’ve just been in the wrong environment. I wanted to live in the country. At home. And I wanted to help families one-on-one in my community, have a bond and relationship with them. My first sign should have been how excited I was to dive deep into helping Sofia’s café. It exhilarated me. I knew I was making a difference in the lives of people close to me.
It’s why I decided to finish my residency closer to home and eventually open up my own practice. A small town family clinic. I’m business savvy, and I care so much about Westridge. It’s the perfect plan.
The thought of being with Gage might have had something to do with it too.
