Page 66 of Beneath the Mountain Sky
Guilt slams into my chest.
I’ve been doing my best to make her comfortable, cooking her favorite meals, comfort foods that I know she’ll enjoy. But I spent so long in my head today that I lost track of time.
“I have no idea.” I run a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. “I’ll go to the diner, pick up something to bring home.”
He nods. “Good idea. We’ll join you.”
Before I can object, Liam steps from the office, turns to lock the door, and jogs toward us. “What’s going on?”
I finally arch my back, stretching out the aching muscles. The burn feels good. Somehow, it’s a relief from the other pain that’s been eating away at me.
Connor inclines his head toward me. “We’re headed to the diner to snag dinner.”
“Great.” He grins. “Meet you guys there.”
Fucking great.
I sigh.
There will be no getting rid of them now.
Even if I would have rather enjoyed a few more minutes alone to figure out what I’m going to do when I see her again and have to fight this urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless.
This morning, I got dangerously close to doing just that in her workshop.
Get your shit together.
It’s easier said than done.
And today’s little meltdown should have helped.
But it doesn’t feel that way as I wander toward my truck, my axe still clenched in my hand, and set it across the passenger seat as I start it up and let the engine rumble. Connor and Liam both pull away, but I pause for a second, letting my head drop to the steering wheel and tightening my hands around it, too.
Liam’s right.
I really am wrapped up in my head.
Messed the fuck up over this woman.
I want to give her everything, the life that we should have had, but I can’t, not even when she looks at me like she has every time I’ve gone into that room to comfort her.
Like I’m her white knight, her hero, not the one who destroyed her.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
I slam my hand against the steering wheel, and the horn blares, jerking my head back.
“Fuck.”
I throw it into drive and pull out of the yard, pressing the button to close the massive gate behind me.
Instead of turning right to head up the mountain toward home, I make a left to go down into town, hitting Main Street a few miles from the McBride Timber yard.
My carving work lines the road on either side.
Each piece handcrafted with care.
Statements about this town, this place, the people who live here, and the wildlife we have to protect, along with the mountain.
