Rain Shadow(34)
“How high up is Angel’s Ridge?”
“Remember that hike over the granite slabs to the pond?”
“Uh, yeah. That was a hike I will never forget. Is that where we’re heading?”
“Angel’s Ridge is about two thousand feet above that. The climb gets steeper, and the air gets thinner. Think you’re up to it, Reno?”
“I think I can manage it.”
Chance and the chickens struck up a chorus the second they spotted us coming around the corner. “I have spoiled the hell out of my horse and chickens. They think I’m out here to give them a second breakfast.” I squeezed Luke’s hand tightly in mine. “Thanks for making this trek with me. It’s kind of a long, arduous hike alone.”
“Hey, I get to spend the morning with the only person who matters to me. Can’t imagine anything better. And I have to admit, getting out from behind those stark walls is a bonus.”
“You know it’s easier now,” I said.
Luke peered over at me.
“It’s easier to think of leaving here now that Gracie’s gone,” my voice wavered as it always did when I mentioned my aunt. “You always tell me that I’m a contradiction in this place, but Aunt Gracie was the true contradiction. She never saw the bad stuff, or if she did, she didn’t understand that it was bad. She never saw past the pyramid of sugar cubes she’d built in front of her coffee cup. Everything was sweet and crystal white in her world. And sometimes when I was near her, the bad stuff didn’t seem all that awful anymore. She was my buffer. Now I’ve lost that.”
“I’m glad you had her all this time then. She must be part of the reason you grew up to be so amazing, so grounded.”
“I used to feel grounded, but lately, I’m not too sure. Of course, the hot hunk walking next to me might have something to do with that.”
Luke looked the opposite direction as if he was looking for someone. Then he turned back to me and pointed at his chest. “Oh, you mean me?”
I laughed and grabbed his hand. “Hurry, let’s get out of this wretched place.”
We reached the wire fence and climbed through. We were out. We were on the other side. Luke seemed to feel the same surge of freedom. He picked up his pace and pulled me along.
“What’s on the other side of the mountains?” Luke asked.
It was early, and the sun wasn’t too brutal yet. “Some pretty rough terrain. I mean probably not rough for the likes of Daniel Boone or Lewis and Clarke, but for two twenty-first century marshmallows like ourselves, it’s bad.” We hit the first outcropping of granite slabs and started our climb. “Probably a strange reason for a hike, but I think it’s what Gracie would have wanted. She didn’t really understand the concept of death. In her mind, my mom just left and decided to never come back.” I didn’t need to dwell on sad things. The scenery was breathtaking and so was the man next to me. “Have you done much hiking?”
“I used to hike with my brothers sometimes. My late grandfather owned a ranch in Montana, and there were always plenty of places to hike. That’s where my brother, Gage, lives.”
“So he’s a rancher?”
He laughed. “He likes to think he is. He does break colts as a part time job. But I think that’s just because he loves participating in any activity where broken bones and concussions are a possible outcome. Ranch was really too grand of a word. I guess I always considered it one because as a kid the place looked massive, and my grandfather always had a few cows grazing in his fields. Right now Gage has a logging job to pay for things. My brother, Seth, came out of the navy and went into underwater welding. Another hazardous profession. My dad always used to shake his head and wonder why we all chose such dangerous jobs.”
“I didn’t know being a mechanic was so dangerous.”
“Uh, well, no, not really.” Luke stepped up onto a sharply tilted rock and lowered his hand for me to take. He seemed to be contemplating what to say next. I knew there was something big he kept from me, something that made this whole thing that much more impossible. And that was the reason I hadn’t prodded him more. I didn’t want impossible. I wanted happily ever after. “Angel—”
“Oh no. It’s never good when you start with that tone. Oh, why the hell did I start this conversation? Sometimes I don’t know when to shut up.”
He stopped and turned to me. His dark lashes curtained his eyes. “I need to tell you something.”
His expression was grave. My throat tightened. I was hiking up to a ridge to scatter the ashes of one of the few people in my life that I truly loved. I wasn’t ready for what he wanted to tell me. I pressed a finger against his mouth. “Please, no. Let me say good-bye to Gracie first.”