Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
I stared at the contract Weston had left on the fridge. If Reed had given him the all-clear, then he was finally free.
My stomach sank. Weston hated it here. Hated how much it reminded him of his mom and the grief he still struggled with. Hated that he’d been obligated, yet again, to save his family. Hated that his dad was prying his way back into his life…and hated that he might actually have to let some of his anger go when it came to his father. He hated all of it.
“Maybe you should call down to the hangar. If it were Reed, I’d want to know for certain.”
“Reed loves you.” My eyes burned. “And we both know that Weston doesn’t love me. God, what is wrong with me, Ava? The first guy I fall for has the biggest heart but his body can’t survive, and the second guy has a body that won’t quit and a heart that refuses to actually live.”
“Mom! I can’t get this box taped!” Sutton shouted from upstairs. She’d been a buzz of energy for the last few days since I’d told her we were going.
“I’ll be there in a second!” I said up the stairs. “I have to help Sutton,” I told Ava. “We’ll chat later?”
“You bet,” she promised.
We hung up and I stared at my phone. There was no way he was really gone, right? I punched the number for the hangar.
It rang twice.
“Mountain Madigan Heli-skiing, this is Simon. Can I help you?” a guy answered.
The new hire.
“Hi. I was just looking for Weston.” My voice shook.
“Oh, he’s gone, but if you’re looking for a ski trip, I’m happy to book you.”
I swallowed. “No. But thank you.” I ended the call.
He was gone.
I headed upstairs to help Sutton finish the last of her boxes, her bright orange cast standing out in the strangely colorless room. We’d packed up her pretty curtains and taken down her artwork, boxing up the last eleven years of our lives and choosing only the most essential items for our packs.
We’d be nomads for the next year.
“You sure you want to do this, sugar?” I asked her. “We can still choose to stay.”
She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tight. “No way. We’re going. And don’t be sad, Mom. It’s just a year. Everything will be here when we get back.”
Everything but Weston.
“What do you think about leaving a little early?” I asked, resting my chin on the top of her head.
“Really?” She smiled up at me.
“Really.”
I made a call.
19
Weston
* * *
I walked into the hangar at two p.m. on Monday and found a twenty-year-old kid with his feet on my desk. “Who the hell are you?”
“Simon Matthews,” the kid sneered. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Weston-fucking-Madigan.” I cocked an eyebrow.
The kid’s eyes blew wide.
“Now get your feet off my damn desk.”
He moved so fast the chair came out from underneath him and he tumbled to the floor.
This was the expert backcountry guide Reed had hired to fill in while I’d been at the Army Aviation Association of America conference for the last four days. When they’d called, asking me to fill in for a speaker last minute, I’d almost said no, but the topic had been on transitioning from military to civilian aviation careers, and honestly, I’d just needed out of Penny Ridge for a couple of days.
Anything to keep me from throwing myself at Callie’s door and begging her to forgive me for lying, for not telling her exactly how much I cared about her, for letting her think I didn’t want her. It had been a little over a week since Sutton had been injured, since I’d told her to take the internship, and I was in hell.
But I never said I was in love with you, did I? Fuck. I was never going to get those words out of my head.
Simon scurried to stand. “Sorry, I didn’t know it was you.”
“Obviously.” I yanked my coat off and hung it on the rack. “How was today’s tour?”
“They were okay. A bunch of suits from Kansas who needed to spend a little more time on the groomed areas of the slope, if you know what I mean.” He rolled his eyes.
“Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean.” I moved around him and took my seat back, firing up the computer. “How old are you, anyway?”
“Twenty-one,” he replied. “Moved here about three years ago. You’re kind of a legend around here.”
“Thanks, but I think you’re talking about my brother, Crew.” Twenty-one? The kid looked like a baby. Man, I was getting old. I logged in and immediately checked our bookings. We were pretty solid until the third week in May. We’d only take reservations on an if-we’re-still-open basis after that. Typically, we were closed by Memorial Day, but the new area was at a slightly higher elevation, so there was a chance the season would be extended.