Page 8 of Thirst in the Mountains

“The problem is we’re supposed to be team-building,” Ryland says with a sigh. “You’re ignoring us.”

“I’m not.”

Ryland scoffs. “What were we just talking about?”

Santino grins at Henry. “How Henry hasn’t lifted a weight in the past fifteen minutes.”

Henry throws his towel at him as we all laugh. Santino puts his headphones back on and continues his squats.

“I have a bad knee,” Henry mutters, rubbing it.

“Last week it was a bad elbow,” Cara says, smirking at him. “And the week before that it was a bad back.”

“When you get to my age,” Henry says, shaking his head. “Everything goes bad on you.”

“Oh, please,” she says. “The Sheriff is older than you, and look at him.”

I glance at Ryland as he works out his massive triceps. The guy is a beast. He’s definitely not your average fifty-two-year-old. Ryland is tall and jacked with tattoos running up his muscular arms. The women around town think he’s a total silver fox, although he doesn’t seem to have eyes for any of them.

“You can’t compare me tohim,” Henry says, waving his phone around. I can see Candy Crush open on his screen. “He’s a freak. An outlier. Men my age can’t live up to those kind of standards.”

“You have standards?” I say, chuckling.

“Shut up,” Henry says, sticking his tongue out at me. “You’ll see when you get to my age.”

Cara laughs and he turns his ire onto her. “What are you laughing about? You’re a traitor to the force.”

She shakes her head as she puts her dumbells onto the rack and grabs a heavier pair. “Oh please, explain that.”

“Consorting with the enemy,” Henry says, shaking his head. “You’re dating the fire chief of all people.”

Henry is a master at changing the subject and getting the heat off him. Ryland comes over as Cara and Henry start bickering. He stands behind me as I start another set.

“Any news?” he asks between my grunts. “Did you get an offer yet?”

“No,” I lie.

He looks relieved as he lets out his breath. “It will come.”

It has come. I’ve been offered a job with the FBI.

The sinking feeling returns in my stomach as I raise the bar with a grunt. I’m so conflicted. On paper, it’s everything I want. More action, more responsibility, bigger impact. But I don’t know… It just doesn’t feelright.

I’ll have to move—I don’t know to where—but there’s something deep in my gut that’s telling me I’m exactly where I need to be.

I’ve never been away from these mountains for long and I don’t know if I can live without them. The beauty feeds my soul. It’s a part of me. It’s hard to put into words, but any mountain man would understand. These mountains are like another limb. I don’t know if I can survive in a concrete jungle.

But I do needsomething… My life doesn’t feel complete. It doesn’t feel whole. I just don’t know what that something is.

“They’d be crazy not to take someone like you,” Ryland whispers.

My arms start trembling as I push those last few reps. I go until I can’t lift another inch, and then Ryland grabs the bar and pulls it up with me.

“How come you never left?” I ask as I sit up, wiping my face with my towel. “Did you ever dream of something bigger?”

He takes a deep breath as he thinks about it. “Maybe once or twice,” he says, nodding. “But these mountains have their hooks in me and this town is my home. I don’t think I could live anywhere else. It would be like taking a lion and dropping him into the Arctic. It wouldn’t fit.”

I know exactly what he means. I grew up in these mountains. I camped in the forests, swam in the rivers, and fished in the lakes. I have a million good memories. Memories filled with a feeling of peace and tranquility. It’s just lately, that feeling of peace has been replaced by a restlessness that I can’t quite shake.

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