Sure enough, when they reached the plush horseshoe-shaped booth in the far corner, Shania gave a little laugh. “Oh, wow,” she said, kneeling on the cushion to inspect the yellowing photograph. “This must have been long before we were born.”
Alec nodded and joined her in scrutinizing the photo. Walter, Julianne, Charles, and Kim sat at the corner of the bar, holding up their beer mugs in a toast. It was definitely the seventies–both of their fathers were sporting shaggy haircuts and thick mustaches, and he was certain that if the shot was full-length, it would have revealed their mothers in bell-bottom jeans.
A sad smile played on Shania’s lips. “Life is strange, huh?”
“It is,” he agreed, wondering how old Walter was at the time. “Everyone tells me how much I look like him.”
Shania considered it for a moment. “You have his presence for sure.” She shifted her gaze from the photograph to Alec’s profile. “But I see a lot of your mother in you, too.”
He could feel her eyes inspecting his features as he turned to look at her. All of a sudden he was acutely aware of how close they were, kneeling side-by-side in the booth. If he leaned in just a couple of inches, he could kiss her. For half a second, he was almost tempted to.
Before he could summon the courage, though, Shania glanced over his shoulder. “Looks like our food’s here.”
Over a leisurely dinner at the bar, they discussed everything from college to horses to past relationships. Their conversation flowed naturally, like they’d just seen each other yesterday. As the night wore on, too, he realized that he wasn’t imagining the magnetic pull between them.
Shania’s stool inched progressively closer to his, and he wasn’t about to object. He liked the feel of her knee resting between his. He liked the way she’d touch his arm when she was saying something important. They still shared the same easy rapport they had when they were younger, but there was no denying their newfound attraction.
“You never finished telling me what happened with Mark,” Alec said as they shared a slice of pecan pie. “Why’d you split up?”
Shania glanced down at her spoon. “I really wanted it to work. But at the end of the day, we could never sit and have a conversation like this. I could never get him to open up to me. I guess it made me realize that’s what I value most in a relationship.” She met his gaze again. “Are you seeing anyone right now?”
“Nah. Not since Michelle.”
“That was a while ago, wasn’t it?”
“Last summer. No, wait…two summers ago.” He laughed. “I guess it has been a while.”
The lights brightened above their heads, temporarily blinding him. When he glanced out across the restaurant, he was startled to realize that they were the last two people there.
“Sorry, guys,” the bartender said. “It’s about that time.”
Alec grinned through the spots in his vision as he turned back to the bartender. “Last call?”
“Last call. And you know what that means.”
Shania frowned when the bartender produced a camera. “You’re going to take our picture?” she asked.
“That’s what they do here,” Alec explained. “If you’re still at the bar for last call, they take your picture and you have a chance of making it onto the wall.”
The bartender nodded and motioned for them to get closer. “You kids have been here for at least six hours now. Gimme something good to remember you by.”
Alec couldn’t help but notice the flush on Shania’s cheeks as he dropped his arm around her and smiled for the camera. The bartender snapped a quick shot before he lowered the camera and shook his head.
“Come on. I know you two can do better than that.”
Shania laughed and rose from her stool, wordlessly pulling Alec’s hat off his head and placing it on her own. Then she stepped up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against his.
“Much better,” the bartender said as he snapped a second shot. “That one’s definitely wall-worthy.”
He turned away to replace the camera in the cabinet, but Shania remained where she was. Alec’s grin widened when she gave him a little squeeze and then, quite unexpectedly, pressed her lips to his cheek.
“I’m glad I’m here,” she whispered.
Chapter 14
After Alec paid their tab, they exited the saloon into the crisp spring evening. Jackson was quiet this time of night; they were the only two souls in sight as they strolled past the darkened storefronts.
This time he wasn’t the slightest bit surprised when she looped her arm through his. “Will you take me camping tonight?”
Her question caught him off guard. “Camping?”
“Yeah. Down by the river. Like when we were kids.”
Somehow he had a feeling that it would be nothing like when they were kids. “Sure,” he replied softly. “If that’s what you want.”
Shania climbed into the passenger’s seat and scanned through the radio stations while Alec backed out of his parking space. The melodic chords of an old George Strait ballad played quietly in the background as he pointed his truck towards home. Once the lights of town faded behind them, Shania unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted across the cab of the truck. Alec lifted his arm and she settled against his side, giving a contented sigh as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
He had no idea that something so simple could feel so incredibly intimate.
“I’ll run inside and grab us some gear,” he said as he pulled into the driveway. “Zack’s the big gray in the first stall. Emma’s the Paint mare across from him. The tack room’s open if you want to start getting them ready.”
Even in the darkness, he could see the excited glow on her face. “I’ll see you down there.”
Alec finally caught a glimpse of the horse-crazed girl he remembered from the past as he watched her bound towards the barn. He slid his keys into his pocket and entered the farmhouse, moving silently so as not to wake his father. Then he gathered a warm blanket and two sleeping bags and set them by the door before he scribbled a brief note:
Took Shania camping. Be back early to help load the horses.
He arrived in the barn a few minutes later to find Shania hoisting a saddle onto Zack’s back. “He’s beautiful,” she said. “Is he full Thoroughbred?”
“No, he’s Appendix. You can ride him if you want.”
Shania gave a coy grin. “Do you think he can carry both of us?”
Soon they were riding through the aspen grove and the meadow beneath a canopy of white stars. Shania tightened her arms around his waist and rested her head on his back while Zack carried them down the moonlit path towards the river. Alec didn’t have to ask her where she wanted to go. He guided the horse into the shallow water and around the outcropping of rocks until they emerged onto their beach.
When he found a suitable spot, he pulled his horse to a stop and deftly swung to the ground. Shania didn’t need help dismounting, but he helped her anyway, grasping her waist as she eased off Zack’s back. He could feel the heat of her skin through her shirt, and when their eyes met, his heart nearly exploded in his chest.
“I’ll get a fire going,” he managed to say.
Shania walked to the water’s edge while he untacked Zack and spread their sleeping bags across the sand. It took him a few minutes to start the campfire, but soon it emitted a bright orange glow into the black night. Then he rose to his feet and studied Shania’s silhouette, watching the breeze flirt with her hair, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he was dreaming the whole scene.
“I forgot how much I love this place,” she said when he stepped up beside her. “I’ve missed it so much.”
The words tumbled out before he could stop them. “I’ve missed you.”
Her eyes glowed in the firelight as she turned to face him. He took a tentative step closer and paused to search her eyes, ensuring that she wanted this, too, because he knew that once they started he wouldn’t be able to stop.
She laid all his doubts to rest when she traced her fingers along his jaw and drew his mouth to hers. There was a shocking level of familiarity in their kiss, as if they’d done it a thousand times before. He could have sworn that he tasted vanilla on her tongue, or maybe it was just the scent lingering on her skin–he wasn’t quite sure.
The only thing he was certain of was that he never could have imagined that this was where tonight was going to lead.
After all, Alec did not consider himself to be a romantic. He didn’t believe in destiny. He scoffed at the idea of soul mates. And after seeing the hell his parents put each other through, he wasn’t even sure if he believed in love–not the way other people believed in it, anyway.
But when he drew back from their kiss and saw the look in Shania’s eyes, he had a very strong feeling that she was about to change all of that.
*
Hours later they were still awake, entwined in the folds of the soft woolen blanket. Alec lay on his back, staring up at the stars as he smoothed his fingertips through the velvety strands of Shania’s hair. A cold breeze whistled through the valley just then, rustling the budding branches above their heads.
“Are you warm enough?” he whispered.
She nodded against his chest. “Are you?”
He nodded, too, and tightened his arms around her. It could start snowing for all he cared, and he would be just fine. He’d never felt anything as deliciously warm as her body against his.
After a while, Shania propped herself up on her elbow. “So is this just something that happens when two people haven’t seen each other for a while? Or is it more?”
Alec grinned at her candor. “I’m hoping it’s more.”
He could tell she was pleased with his response. She leaned over and kissed his lips before she rested her head on his shoulder again.
“I say we stay out here forever. Build ourselves a little cabin on the river, hunt our own food, and never set foot in the real world again. What do you think?”
“I think it sounds perfect. Let’s stake out our plot in the morning.”
He felt her smile against his skin. “Actually, I have been thinking about taking some time off before I start grad school. Maybe a year or so, just to unwind. And Chicago is great, don’t get me wrong, but I’m ready for a change of scenery.”
Alec turned to face her. “What kind of change?”
“Well, I hear Laramie’s a pretty nice place to live.”
For the hundredth time that night, she’d managed to surprise him. “Laramie, huh?”
“It makes sense, Alec. Especially now that I know you’re moving there. My internship will be finishing about the time the fall semester starts. The university has one of the top-ranked programs in the country for my field of study. And I’ve always loved Wyoming, anyway.”
“You’re already light years ahead of me, don’t forget.”
“It doesn’t bother me. You’ll catch up soon enough.”
He studied her face. “You had this all planned out before you came here, didn’t you?”
“Well, I didn’t know if it would happen exactly like this,” she admitted, skimming a fingertip down his abdomen. “But either way, I was thinking it’d be kind of fun for us to be roommates.”
Alec raised a brow. “Kind of fun?”
A tiny giggle escaped her throat when he playfully pulled her on top of him. “I think you’re underestimating yourself,” he whispered. “Being your roommate would be very fun.”
They stayed awake for most of the night, alternately making love and watching for shooting stars. Eventually Shania drifted off to sleep, exhaling soft breaths across his chest. He must have dozed himself, because the next thing he knew, the sky was glowing with dawn.
“Hey,” he whispered, kissing the top of her head. “It’s morning.”
Groggily she yawned and lifted her face. Even with her make-up gone and her hair in shambles, Shania was breathtaking. “You need to get back?” she mumbled.
Alec gave a reluctant nod as he smoothed a stray lock off her forehead. “I wish I didn’t have to.”
He collected their gear and doused the embers of the fire while Shania saddled Zack. Then they rode out of the valley in companionable silence, emerging into the meadow just as the sun peeked over the horizon. He turned her suggestion over in his mind, trying to imagine the two of them living together in Laramie. Even before he saw her again, he would have agreed that it was a logical plan.
Now, though, after last night, he fell in love with the idea.
“When I get back, why don’t we take off for a couple days?” he said. “Maybe drive down to Laramie and check out some apartments near the campus?”
“You mean it?”
“I wouldn’t say so if I didn’t.”
She squeezed his ribs. “How long are you going to be gone?”
“Just two nights. We’ll be back Tuesday afternoon.” He paused. “You’re sure you don’t want to come? We have plenty of horses. It’d be no trouble at all.”
Shania nodded against his back. “You guys are working. I don’t want to distract you.”
He chuckled when she pressed her lips to the side of his neck. “That’s not distracting?”
He could hear the smile in her voice. “You’re not working yet.”
When the ranch came into view, Alec spotted his father in the center of the round pen, watching a palomino mare circle around him. “That’s Sundance, isn’t it?” Shania asked.
Alec nodded. “She’s turned into an incredible show horse. You can’t take your eyes off her when she’s performing.”
Walter saw them approaching and signaled the mare to halt. “Is that my Shania?” he called.
Alec hadn’t even pulled Zack to a stop when Shania hopped off his back and raced for the round pen. “Hi, Pop,” she greeted, ducking between the fence posts and straight into Walter’s arms.
“It’s so good to have you here,” he said, pulling back to study her face. “Just look at you. You’re the spitting image of your mother.”
Confident that Shania was in good hands, Alec dismounted and led Zack into the barn. Roger’s truck was backed up to the opposite end of the aisle, where he and Tommy were unloading gigantic bags of feed.
“That you, Walt?” came Roger’s voice.
“No, it’s me,” Alec replied.
Roger poked his silver head out of the feed room. “Jim just called. Said he and Darren are about forty-five minutes out.”
“Perfect. I’ll let him know.”
“You two need a hand getting ready?”
Alec shook his head. “We should be set. There is someone I want you to meet, though.”
“Ah.” Roger’s weathered face crinkled into a grin. “The friend from Chicago?”
“Yeah. I’m leaving her the keys to my truck, but do me a favor and check in with her later. Just to make sure she has everything she needs.”
“She knows horses?”
“She does. And she’ll probably be out here picking your brains, if you don’t mind.”
Tommy fairly sprinted down the ladder from the hayloft. “Who’s this we’re talking about?” he asked, taking the steps two at a time.
Alec grinned at his less than subtle enthusiasm. “My friend Shania,” he replied, leaving it at that for now. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
It was as if Shania had never missed a summer on the ranch. She looked right at home as she leaned back against the railing of the round pen and chatted with Walter. Alec introduced her to Roger and Tommy, and he wasn’t surprised when they were both instantly captivated by her.
He couldn’t imagine any man not being captivated by Shania.
Once Tommy and Roger headed back to the barn, Walter nodded towards the farmhouse. “Breakfast is on the stove if you kids are hungry.”
“Thanks, Pop,” Alec said, discreetly reaching for Shania’s hand. “I’ll be right back to get the trailer ready.”
She laced her f
ingers through his as he led her up the hill. “What am I going to do without you for three whole days?” she asked.
Alec chuckled. “You’ll have so much fun with the horses that you won’t even miss me.”
Shania pulled him to a stop and leaned in to kiss him. “Not a chance.”
Chapter 15
The original plot of land that Alec’s great-grandfather purchased in 1919 encompassed areas of western Wyoming, eastern Idaho, and what was now part of Grand Teton National Park.
Over the decades, piece by piece, the Westins had sold most of it off. All that remained now was six-thousand acres in Jackson, where the Flying W was located, and an additional thousand acres in Idaho. Its location made it an ideal winter pasture, so each autumn they’d move the majority of their herd across the border and then drive them back in the spring.
Unlike many of the other rigors of ranching, Alec genuinely looked forward to moving the cattle each year. He enjoyed the long days in the saddle, the serenity of the unspoiled landscape, and the well-earned meals around the campfire each night. He loved the opportunity to spend uninterrupted time with his father. The drovers they hired from Cody every year–Jim and Darren Walsh–were a blast to be around, too. The fraternal twins were a few years older than Alec and possessed enough energy to singlehandedly move the entire herd.
On the surface, this drive appeared to be like any other. But even as they loaded Zack and Sundance into the horse trailer and headed for Idaho, anxiety gnawed at Alec’s stomach. The fall semester started in less than four months, and his father didn’t even know he’d applied to school.
He knew he couldn’t put it off any longer. Somehow, he had to find a way to tell him everything…about college, about his goals, about Shania.
Shania.
Even now, the scent of vanilla lingered in his nostrils.
“Ready, son?”
The sound of his father’s voice brought Alec back to the present. He spun Zack around to find Walter, Jim, and Darren staring at him from the paddock gate.
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