Page 12 of November is for Nate

A twig snapped, the sound piercing the silence around us. Nate glanced up, and his eyes widened. I followed his gaze to where a pair of caribou stood about a dozen yards away.

I was too afraid I’d scare them away to say anything. Nate’s eyes softened at the edges as he stared at the beautiful animals. The larger one’s ears perked, then the two of them darted away, heading into a thick part of the woods.

“Did you see that?”

Nodding, I tightened my grip on his shoulders. “Do you think you caught it on the trail cam?”

He let go of me to check. “You’re my lucky charm, Ains. My boss isn’t going to believe this. They probably wandered down from Canada.”

The excitement in his tone was contagious. I waited while he jotted down a few notes and took pictures of the tracks the caribou left behind.

“We need to celebrate. What would you think about heading back, getting cleaned up, and letting me treat you to dinner at the ski resort?”

Going out on a real date—the first date I’d been asked on since I left Nate for England—sounded amazing. But with time running out, I wanted to have him all to myself. “What if we celebrate with a warm bath and huckleberry pie instead?”

He shot me a lopsided grin. “I like your idea better than mine.”

“I thought you might.” Eager to get back to his cabin and back in his bed, I turned in the direction where we left the truck.

CHAPTER11

NATE

For the firsttime in eight years, I took a personal day off from work. There was still so much to show Ainsley around Mustang Mountain. I didn’t want to miss a minute with her. While she curled up in my bed, I finished filling out my report on the caribou sighting and sent it off to my boss. Then I looked into flights to London. She was leaving to head back to Bozeman tomorrow and would spend another day or two with her dad, but I had no intention of letting her leave the country without me.

“What are you doing?” She entered the spare bedroom I used as an office and came up behind me. The scent of sex drifted off her skin. I’d taken her multiple times last night and this morning, but I’d never get enough.

“Looking at flights.” I spun around in my chair and pulled her onto my lap. “I meant it when I told you I want to come with you.”

Her palm cupped my cheek. “You’re really willing to leave all of this behind? I’m not even there most of the time. We’re opening up locations in Panama after the first of the year, and I’ll probably be gone for at least a month.”

My stomach twinged with a pang of doubt, but I ignored it. “I told you, home is where you are. I’d rather be in London, surrounded by things that remind me of you than half a world away with nothing but memories.”

“Nate…” Her voice trailed off, but I could see the raw emotions playing through her eyes. “Are you sure? In two or three years, I’ll have put in enough time that I can probably pick where I want to work. I can come back then and work remotely. You’d have to remodel the office, though. I’m not sure my co-workers would understand the appeal of having wild animals hanging on the walls.”

I grinned as I glanced around the room. One of my co-workers had been training to open a taxidermy shop. Whenever he came across an animal that died of natural causes, he used it to practice his technique. Thanks to his efforts, I had a variety of critters sharing my office space.

“You can redecorate however you want,” I offered. “I’ll donate this stuff to the Mustang Mountain Riders' clubhouse. I’m sure some of the older guys would get a kick out of it.”

“Wouldn’t you be happier staying here? We can make the long distance thing work for a year or two. I’ve got enough miles to come back and forth at least every couple of months.” Her fingers skimmed the scruff on my cheek. I leaned into her touch.

“That’s not enough. I want to be there when you come home from work. Want to be the last face you see at night before you close your eyes and the first person you see when you wake up in the mornings. I’m willing to give up everything to try to make up for letting you go.” I touched my nose to hers. “Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll leave you alone.”

“You know I can’t do that.” She sighed. “But you’ve built a life here, a career. What would you do in London? There aren’t a whole lot of wide open spaces.”

“Hell, I don’t know. Pull pints at the local pub? Does it matter? I can close up the cabin and take a leave of absence from my job for a year or two. We can make this happen.” She looked doubtful, but I could feel her resistance slipping.

“What about your family?”

“What about yours?” I countered. “You get back to see your dad a few times a year, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“I’ll do the same.” The more I thought about it, there wasn’t anything holding me to Montana.

“Do you even have a passport?”

“Just renewed it last year. The guys like to go fishing at this remote lake up in Canada in the summers. Admit it, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t come with you.” The taste of victory was within reach.

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