Page 117 of Shared By the Mountain Men

Noah: Unless, like, there was a medical emergency. That’s not a joke, I would legitimately have to take care of that before driving back.

Jack: You’re bad at jokes.

Noah: Not as bad as Ash.

Jack: True.

Ash: Man, fuck you guys.

Me: See you tomorrow <3

“What are you giggling about?” Brian asked from the other bed.

“A funny dog video.”

“Suuure,” he said skeptically.

The second day of travel was more interesting than the first. The flat plains of Western Nebraska seamlessly became the flat plains of Eastern Colorado. Then the Denver skyline appeared in the distance, with the snow-capped Rocky Mountains just beyond.

I shivered with excitement. I was finallyhere.

Except I wasn’t there yet, because Crested Butte was in the middle of the state and we still had four more hours of driving. Fortunately, the drive through the mountains was more scenic than any drive I could imagine. Tall, jagged peaks covered with pine forests except for the snow at the top. Steep valleys with winding rivers cutting through the rock. Even Brian put down his phone and admired the view.

“Okay,” he said. “This is pretty dope.”

“See?”

“California is still better.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”

The final hour driving into Crested Butte seemed to takeforever,but eventually the highway ended and became the main street that cut through town. I pointed out everything to Brian: my favorite little coffee place, the sandwich shop that made the best turkey club, andSecret Stash, which had the best pizza.

A few minutes later, we were pulling into Jack’s campsite. A place I had called home for only a week, but would now be my home for the foreseeable future.

And there, sitting on the porch of the Indigo Cabin, were the three real reasons I had chosen this town. Jack, Noah, and Ash all smiled as one as I hopped out of my SUV.

“We made it!”

Jack glanced at his watch. “You’re a little early.”

“We made good time.”

“She wouldn’t let us stop for food,” Brian complained while getting out of the passenger side.

“You make it sound like I starved you. We picked up food and ate it in the car.”

“Hey, check out those cats.” He wandered over to Jack’s porch, where two of the four cats were lazily licking themselves.

Jack was hurrying down the steps, and I rushed forward and threw myself in his arms. He lifted me up, spinning me around like it was something we had rehearsed before putting me back down on solid ground. Then it was Noah’s turn to wrap his arms tightly around me and sigh with satisfaction.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered, inhaling deeply. “I’ve missed how you smell.”

“That would sound creepy from anyone else.”

“I went to medical school,” he said with a big smile. “It’s mymedical opinionthat you smell nice.”

“Oh, well in that case.”

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