Page 121 of A Moment In Time

Remington nodded. “Yeah. I think that’s why it made such an impact on him. I think he somehow feels responsible. But he was seven. What could he have done?”

“Who else was there?”

“Corbyn. He was only thirteen, but he pulled Seth out of the water and tried to resuscitate him, while Gage ran to the road for help.”

“Oh, my gosh. It just gets worse and worse.”

“Yeah. Corbyn has his own guilt to deal with. But it wasn’t his fault, either. Seth slipped and fell in. Corbyn went in after him, but by the time he got to him, it was too late.”

Sydney put her hands over her face. “I can’t even imagine going through that.”

Remington nodded. “Gage puts it out of his mind the rest of the year. But on this day…you don’t want to be around him.”

“Dale and I got the paper out, and I’ll take care of things at the office until he comes back. At least the weekend is coming up.”

“Good. Like I said, don’t let anything he might have said to you this morning make you change your mind about him. He’s been pretty happy these last couple of weeks. He really cares for you, Sydney.”

“I know he does. And I care for him. We’ll be fine.”

“Good. I’m glad he finally came to his senses. I know you’ve been interested for a while.”

She smiled. “Apparently it was obvious to everyone but him.”

“Better late than never, I guess.”

She stood. “When I see him again, should I tell him I know? I’m not sure I want to pretend I don’t.”

“Go ahead. He won’t be mad at you. He’ll be mad at me for telling you. But I can handle it.”

“Okay. Thank you for telling me. The family secret is safe with me.”

“I wouldn’t have told you if I thought it wouldn’t be.”

Chapter thirty-four

"She is a bit like a wild mustang."

Gage stared into the fire he’d built. He’d found a grassy spot twenty feet from the creek to settle down on for the night. There was a chill in the air, but nothing the fire wouldn’t take care of. He’d sleep close to it and listen to the creek flowing by. The night was clear and there would be a blanket of stars over him.

He blew out a breath. He hated how he’d acted with Sydney this morning. He just couldn’t bring himself to talk about what this day did to him. She’d understand, of course. He just hoped he didn’t blow it. Was he destined to spend the rest of his life doing stupid stuff, then hoping she’d forgive him?

The rest of your life? “Whoa.” That was a thought for another day. Today was about his brother. He and Seth were identical twins and were never far from each other. They were incredibly close. And when Gage lost Seth, he lost part of himself. A part he’d never get back. The pain was as searing now as it had been that day thirteen years ago. Everyone felt Seth’s loss, of course. But he and Corbyn were there. He and Corbyn watched Seth go under and not come back up. Gage knew this day was just as hard on his oldest brother.

Gage was digging through his backpack for the bottle of bourbon when he heard something or someone approaching. When he heard voices, he knew it was someone. And as they got closer, he knew it was Cooper and Cabe. They came into the clearing a few moments later.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Cooper removed his pack and set it down. “We figured thirteen years was long enough to spend your birthday alone.”

Cabe also took off his pack and knelt next to the fire. “We’re not here to celebrate. We’re just here to spend a night out on the trail with our brother.”

Cooper nodded toward the bottle in Gage’s hand. “Are you going to share some of that? Or were you planning on drinking it all yourself?”

“Well, that was the plan.” Gage removed the lid and took a drink, then handed it to Cooper. Cooper took a drink and gave the bottle to Cabe. When Gage got the bottle back, he set it on the ground next to him. “I hope you brought some food. I only have enough for myself. And it isn’t much.”

Cooper smiled. “What did you bring?”

“A can of stew and a couple of rolls. Granola bars for breakfast.”

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