Page 27 of A Taste of Whiskey
She was obviously tryingnotto look at Ezra, and that bugged the hell out of him. He already missed their shared glances over Gus’s cuteness. “It sure does. Good job, bud.”
Sully pressed the drawing to her chest. “I will treasure this forever. I’m going to take it inside right now and show it to Callahan.”
As Sully headed inside, Gus reached for Sasha’s hand. “Let’s go! Before Cowboy eats all the good stuff.”
“You’ll have to go without me, Gusto. I have plans tonight.”
“Okay!” Gus ran to the door and tugged it open. “Come on, Dad! I want to ask Sully and Cowboy about the marshmallows!”
“I’ll be right in.” He was grateful his son was oblivious to the stare down taking place between him and Sasha and to the heat and hurt thrumming between them.
“Okay!” Gus shouted, and ran inside.
“Are you planning on avoiding me forever?”
“I’m not avoiding you,” she said flatly. “I just said I have plans.”
“With Flame?” The question was out before he could stop it, and he knew it made him an asshole. He held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. Don’t answer that. It’s none of my business. I’m sorry I hurt you. I shouldn’t have let myself get carried away.”
“Let it go. I already have.” She turned and walked away.
He watched her climb into her truck and drive away. He’d fucked plenty of women and walked away without giving them a second thought. A few kisses with Sasha, and his heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest. If he was his own client, he’d dissect the hell out of that and make himself face every aspect of it and what it meant. But he shoved that pain down deep, burying it beneath his youthful rebellion, beneath his mother’s abandonment, and beneath his failed marriage. The marriage he’d chosen over his feelings for Sasha with the hopes of giving his son what he’d never had.
Thatwas the biggest mistake of his life.
He’d chosen the wrong woman six years ago, and he’d put all his energy into building an amazing life for Gus. A life that was now so connected with the ranch and Sasha’s family, he’d forever pay the price for his decisions.
He headed inside with a little better understanding of why his father avoided talking about his past like the plague.
Chapter Eight
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING Sasha threw on a hoodie—hers,notEzra’s—jeans, and sneakers and headed out on an ATV. She wound up the jagged trail toward her favorite thinking spot, high on the crest of a hill. Everyone in her family had their favorite spots, and she knew where most of them were. She’d been a crafty kid. When her brothers would take off on ATVs or dirt bikes, she’d saddle up a horse and follow their trail. She’d had to in order to find her own place to hide from the world, which she’d done at twelve years old. It had taken several weeks of scouting, getting up at dawn, and riding the trails on horseback, until she’d found the right spot.
The trees gave way to a dirt clearing, and she slowed down, driving across the dusty ground to the base ofherrocky ledge, and cut the engine. Filling her lungs with the crisp mountain air, she climbed the largest boulder to the highest point and sat down, drinking in the view of the ranch as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Ribbons of reds, oranges, and yellows decorated the bluing sky like disappearing ink fading at the edges as the morning sun bathed the ranch, and all of its magnificent glory, in its light.
The land was as much a part of her as each of the horses that came through it. She’d learned to walk on that dirt, to ride horses on those trails, and to see every living thing for who they were on the inside. She’d learned about love and loss, fortitude and friendship. She’d learnedallof the life lessons that mattered on that property and had even imagined getting married on it one day, like Dare and Billie were planning, and, she had a feeling, as Cowboy and Sully would do someday, too.
The trouble was, ever since Ezra had moved to the ranch, she’d held on to the hope that he would be hersomeday. She knew it might take years, but in her heart, it was always him. Now, for the first time in her life, part of her wished she didn’t live there, having to see him and Gus every day. She’d hated telling Gus she had plans for dinner, but it turned out two days was nowhere near enough time to get over what had happened with Ezra. Coming face-to-face with him had brought back all the excitement and passion of their kisses and an onslaught of frustration and heartbreak that had made it hard for her to breathe. She’dhadto get out of there, and while she’d been keeping busy at work and had met Bobbie for margaritas Wednesday night, she’d spent last night hanging out with Birdie at the chocolate shop to avoid being at the ranch, which was why not living there was starting to look more appealing.
The sound of an ATV in the distance broke her concentration.
She listened more intently as it neared, wondering who would be out riding this early. Dare was her guess, although he was not one to rush out of bed when Billie was beside him. She didn’t blame him. He was so in love with Billie, he reeked of it.
The sound of the ATV was growing closer. She didn’t think anyone knew where her thinking spot was. She’d always taken a roundabout way to get to it, so there would be no well-worn paths for her family to follow. She went up on her knees and looked back toward the clearing just as an ATV came off the trail, and her mother came into focus. Her mother cut the engine and climbed off the ATV wearing jeans and a T-shirt, with a sporty red flannel overtop.
“Mom? What are you doing here?” She went to the edge of the boulder to climb down.
“I came to see my daughter. Stay there, darlin’. I’m coming up.”
Her mother scaled the boulder as if she climbed for a living. Sasha shouldn’t be surprised. Her mother was fierce. She hadn’t grown up in a biker family, but growing up on the ranch had made her strong and unflappable. She’d learned to wrangle tough, unruly men early on and had since raised five strong children.
Her mother pushed to her feet and wiped her hands on her jeans.“Whew.”She looked out at the sun rising into the sky. “It sure is pretty this morning.”
“It is. How did you know where I was?”
Her mother arched a brow. “A mother always knows where her children are.”
“That’s a scary thought. Does anyone else know about this spot?”
