Page 41 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

“Remi?”

“Shit,” I muttered. “Forget I said anything.”

Buck shook his head. “Out with it. What about Remi?”

“I think he’s Luna’s father.”

“Wow,” he said under his breath. “How do you feel about that?”

“He isn’t involved, if that’s what you meant.”

“It wasn’t.”

I considered the question for several seconds. “It doesn’t change my feelings for either of them. If anything, it makes me admire Keltie more, raising Luna on her own.” I paused, watching the snow swirl in our headlights. “You should’ve seen her face when she saw me talking to him. Pure panic. I think she’s afraid he’ll try to take Luna away.”

My brother’s eyes scrunched. “Would he?”

I shrugged. “It’s doubtful, but you never know.” I sighed. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you? Getting involved in all this?”

“Not crazy. But definitely setting yourself up for potential heartbreak. Question is, can you walk away?”

The answer came without hesitation. “No. I don’t think I could if I tried.”

“Then, you’ve got your answer.” Buck smiled. “The trust brought each of us exactly where we needed to be. Funny how that works.”

He grew serious, eyes on the road. “You know, I’ve been thinking, what if Mom’s behind all this? The trust, the codicils… It’s like she’s still watching over us.”

Before I could respond, a vision slammed into me—a sickly baby in a hospital crib, tubes attached to its tiny body. The scene shifted, and I saw my mother in a hospital chair, the same baby in her arms. The images were so vivid that my vision blurred.

“Holt?” Buck’s voice sounded distant. “You okay?”

I blinked, shaking myself out of it. “Yeah. Fine.” I didn’t share what I’d seen. It made no sense—my mother died years before Luna was born—yet somehow, it felt important.

“We should get this medicine back to the ranch,” Buck said, refocusing on the hazardous drive.

We reached the hospital without further incident. Buck stayed with the Expedition while I went inside, grateful for the blast of warm air that greeted me. The emergency desk directed me to a small waiting area where Dr. Patel soon appeared, medication in hand.

“Thank you for coming out in this weather,” he said, his expression kind but concerned. “How is Luna doing?”

“She’s good. No fever at the moment,” I assured him. “Just want to be prepared, with this storm.”

“Smart. I don’t think I’ll be venturing home tonight.”

“Where’s home?” I asked before it dawned on me that doctors might not like sharing that kind of information.

“Just this side of Crested Butte. On the outskirts.”

My mouth gaped. “The Roaring Fork’s my family’s place. Roads are fairly clear between here and there right now.”

“Had I known that, I could’ve made a house call.” We both chuckled. “Anyway, this should see you through. Theinstructions for the dosage are on the bottle, but Keltie knows the routine.”

I climbed into the SUV and told Buck the medicine was secured.

On the drive home, Buck asked the question I’d been avoiding. “What happens when they go home?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Holt. You’ve barely spent a moment away from them since they arrived. When life goes back to normal, what then?”

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