Page 40 of Shielded Hearts

He liked the travel concierge. He liked her brains, her wit and her outlook that when life handed her lemons, she made lemonade. She made him smile more than he had in years. Hell, maybe ever.

What would his family think?

He rolled off her and couldn’t resist delivering a pinch to her bottom.

“Hey!” She giggled.

“You’d better get a good night’s sleep. We head out first thing in the morning.”

She eyed him, suddenly serious. “You said you know a location in Wyoming? Why didn’t you just take me there in the first place?”

“I couldn’t have taken you there. You needed a place to stay overnight while your plane got fixed. And you were bent on visiting those dumps in Montana.”

She groaned and plastered a hand over her face. “Do we have to think about those places ever again?”

“Sometimes you have to look back to see how far you’ve come.”

Her beautiful eyes took on a glint of emotion. “That’s really beautiful, Colt. And deep.”

“I can do deep.”

She trapped her lip between her teeth. “Pretty sure you just did.”

They burst out laughing.

Chapter Nine

Whenever Colt left the Lake Tahoe house, he felt like he was saying goodbye to a close friend. Morning sun slanted through the trees, casting ripples of shadow on the ground. The cabin stood quiet and still. While the place didn’t look any different, Colt felt a change, as though the log walls had trapped the laughter and good times they’d shared.

Would he ever bring Aspen here again? Unlikely.

She stood at the railing, arms wrapped around her middle, gazing out at the water. “There aren’t many spots I don’t want to leave. But this is one.” Her voice echoed the melancholy he felt. She turned to look at him.

His chest tightened. If she asked if they’d ever come back, he didn’t know what to say.

In the end, she didn’t ask.

He reached out, and she slipped her hand into his. With both of their bags in his grip, he led her down the porch steps to the SUV that had been waiting for them at the airstrip. They’d return to Wyoming via his family’s private jet, and his old truck was parked at the ready for him to drive them to the next location.

Neither of them spoke as they got on the road. Aspen clasped her hands in her lap, her head twisted toward the side window.

He grabbed his phone and sent her a pinned location of their next destination.

Her phone chimed, and she glanced at it. “Oh. Thank you.”

“No problem. Have you checked in with the mechanics about your jet lately?”

She gave a small start as if her mind had been far, far away. “Actually, I texted my crew this morning. They’ve received the parts they need for the repair and planned to start work today.”

He dipped his head. “That’s good. Real good.”

She’d be on her way, back to her life of travel and billionaires who texted her at all hours of the day.

Colt would return to his lonely days and longer, lonelier nights at the ranch.

“I’ve enjoyed traveling with you, Colt.”

It was his turn to be startled. He directed his attention from the road to her pretty face.

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