Page 62 of Tango
“I lost a close friend of mine back when Elliot and I were trying to find out who was after me.” Her smile is haunted when she turns toward me. “His name was Miles. He took a bullet that was meant for me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. And I’m sorry about your friends. But, Alice, you have to keep living. Even on the days when it gets hard—and there will be plenty of those to come—you can’t stop.”
I draw in a deep breath. “Everything is so messy right now. We have all these different pieces, and no way to put them together.”
“When I was working a typically difficult case, and nothing seemed to fit together, I’d force myself to take a step away. Sometimes, when you make your brain think about anything else, the glue comes to you.”
“It worked?” I ask her as I brush Ellie.
“Every time,” Nova replies. “Don’t you feel better after our ride? Even though we had to drag you out of the house?”
I laugh. “Yeah. I really do.”
“See?” Kennedy beams at me.
Both women are so incredibly kind. There’s not a shred of darkness in either of them. Even after everything they both dealt with. The stories that led them here to Hunt Ranch were heartbreaking, but look at all they’ve found since then.
Love.
Joy.
Happiness.
Faith.
It gives me hope that my tragedy might bloom similarly, even though it makes me feel incredibly guilty to think about that right now.
“Can I ask you both a more personal question?”
“Sure thing,” Nova replies.
“Open book over here,” Kennedy adds.
This could be a mistake. But, here goes. “How soon after you met them did you realize you had feelings for Bradyn and Elliot?”
Kennedy and Nova exchange glances then turn to me.
“I knew I loved Elliot before I even knew my own name,” Nova tells me then leads her horse back into his stall. “Honestly, probably the moment I opened my eyes and saw him.” Her expression takes on a lovestruck smile.
“Really?” I take Ellie’s lead rope and undo the quick knot Kennedy taught me to tie this morning, then guide her into her stall.
“Oh yeah. For Elliot, it took a bit longer. But I just knew.” She closes the stall door and turns to face me. “He was so kind, brave—and when I was barely clinging to life, unsure who I was or who to trust, I just knew he was there to protect me. That God sent him to me.”
“That’s so romantic.”
She grins at me. “It was. How about you, Kennedy?”
“Mine was a bit later.” Bradyn’s wife laughs. “Though that had a lot more to do with me terrified I would end up getting him killed if I let him too close. Bradyn is the one who convinced me that love is worth every risk.”
Lucky women. I hate that I’m a bit jealous of what they have. Not because of Elliot and Bradyn but because of the love they’ve found. And of them not being afraid to take that next step despite the world falling apart around them.
“Are you feeling anything for a certain computer genius?” Kennedy asks, wiggling her brows.
“What? Me? Oh no, I was just curious. You know. I’m a talker.”
Kennedy leads her mare, Midnight, into her stall and closes it.
