Page 96 of Crossing Every Line

Kendall slid her hand into his, and they walked companionably into the waning sunshine. It might feel like it was a mild fall day, but in reality, November was creeping away, and the days were much shorter. She leaned into him, stopping to look out on the fields.

“I’m going to miss this place.”

Shane drew her in front of him. The air was crisp and fresh, and the sweet scent of hay and sawdust eased him. “I will too.” He rubbed his chin over the top of her head. “Got a view like this in New York?”

She sighed. “It’s not so gold. The Adirondacks are alive with all sorts of autumnal colors. Where I am tends to bring in the purples and deep reds to add to the cool colors of the evergreens. And the mountains are right in my backyard.”

He settled his hand on her shoulder and rubbed light circles along her nape. “Sounds beautiful.”

“It really is.”

Before he could question her more about Winchester Falls, she turned and grabbed his hand, drawing him forward. “I think we should find a shady spot a few miles away so I can get reacquainted with the truck.”

“The truck, huh?”

“Of course, the truck.” She grinned over her shoulder and took off in a loping sprint. He let her get ahead, enjoying her athletic grace before he jogged after her. The trill of her happy laugh filled the air as the sun set on the horizon.

* * *

Shane loaded the last of their bags in the truck bed and a box of sandwiches and drinks in the small compartment behind their seat. Kendall had stayed at the house more than he did, so her good-byes took longer as she enveloped half a dozen women into individual hugs.

Christ, she hadn’t hugged him as much as these near strangers were getting.

Actually, in a span of time, he was almost the same level of stranger as these people were. He and Kendall had been at the Doyle Ranch for five days.

Fuck.

He tightened his grip on the frame of the truck bed with impatience. He was too tired to be thinking about this shit. His muscles felt like overcooked spaghetti, and his head was in the clouds. If he were smart, he’d take Doyle up on the good night’s rest, but the thought of staying another night had him itchy. And he could tell Kendall wanted to get on the road just as much.

She finally backed up with a swipe at her cheeks. Now he felt like shit. She’d been a good sport about everything. Not complaining, being flexible to whatever they’d needed on the trip. He just wanted to move forward.

To get started on whatever waited for them in Winchester Falls.

Kendall looked up at him with starred eyelashes and a watery smile. He opened her door for her and tugged on the messy braid she perpetually wore. She patted his chest. “Ready to get on the road, Oscar?”

“Very.”

She stepped up on the running board and brushed her chest against his; then her mouth hovered near his for a moment before she climbed inside. He closed his eyes. He missed having her near him like that. Even if it had been a banishment of his own making.

He shut the door and waved to everyone, then climbed in himself. They were quiet on the rutted road that led to the smooth asphalt on the edge of the property. She had her phone out again, taking one last picture of the landscape before the main road.

She looked over her shoulder, eyes still a little watery, but excitement gleamed under the sad. “Where to next?”

“Looks like Colorado is in our future.”

She dug into her trusty knapsack and hauled out a huge notebook with tabs and thick pages.

“Do I want to know?”

“Well, since we’re now not able to make the stops we were before—thank you, muffler of destruction on the highway—I figured it would be a good idea to keep a notebook of what I want to see someday.” She smoothed out the pages as she turned them. She looked up at him. “What? I had a lot of time to myself at the main house and a ten-year-old to entertain.”

He frowned. “I didn’t know you were doing that.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal.” The Red Rock Canyon and a snow-filled scene with a luxurious lodge flashed by with each page she flipped.

He flexed his fingers on the steering wheel as he pictured her cutting and pasting a notebook of somedays. Why did that bug him? It wasn’t his job to give her all those someday trips.

But dammit, part of him wanted to do a leisurely trip to some mountain resort. He wanted to lay her out on an over-the-top expensive bed with the Colorado Rockies as a backdrop and watch her dark eyes go blind for him. He wanted to feel her clasping arms and legs and warmth surround him.

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