Paradise Peak (New Americana 5)

Red sat up straighter, tipped his head back, and blew out a heavy breath. “I’ve been thinking about Ben a lot today. About how much he’ll miss out on with Liz and Zeke. And how much they’ll miss him.” He looked down, his hands gripping his knees. “And I’ve been thinking about Margaret, and how much time I’ve wasted standing on the sidelines. I figure it’s time to tell her how I feel. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” He shrugged and tried for a smile, but it fell flat. “She turns me down, and I move on, right?”

Hannah’s heart broke at the thought of Margaret rejecting Red. “She’d be a fool to turn you down.”

Red’s tone turned somber and concern filled his expression. “But you wouldn’t hold it against her if she did, would you?”

Hannah shook her head, the question alone making her love Red even more—if that was possible. “I love you both. And I want you both to be happy. In whatever form that takes.”

Red smiled, hugged her close, and kissed her forehead. “That’s my girl.” He kept one arm around her, and she settled against him as they looked up at the smoke and stars. Red spotted the brightest star still visible among the drifting smoke and pointed at it. “Make a wish, and maybe the ranch will still be standing when we get back. Maybe everything will turn out good for both of us.”

Hannah closed her eyes, hope stirring within her chest, and whispered, “Maybe it will.”

* * *

Five days later, on the third of March, Travis returned to Paradise Peak in Red’s truck, traveling the same road on which he’d first arrived. Only this time, Hannah drove the truck toward the steep mountain instead of Red, and she had formed a bad habit of taking her eyes off the road—and putting them on Travis.

Travis grinned. Not that he was complaining.

“. . . and he said he may make a move.” Hannah glanced at him again, her expression serious as her attention focused on his mouth. “What do you think?”

Travis frowned and reached for the steering wheel, straightening the truck’s direction. “Who?”

“Sorry.” Hannah, cheeks flushing, faced the road again, tightened her grip on the steering wheel, and narrowed her eyes as though to prove she was con

centrating.

Travis studied the smooth curve of her cheek and pink lips. “Who exactly is making a move?” Carl, maybe? “And who are they making this move on?”

Hannah, of course. Travis gritted his teeth and rubbed his hands over his jeans. He’d known from the moment he’d met the guy that Carl had a thing for Hannah.

And what guy wouldn’t? With her sharp mind, courage, and compassion for those around her, she’d win any man’s heart in record time.

“Red,” Hannah stressed. “He told me he’s thinking of telling Margaret how he feels about her. Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said?”

No. Face heating, Travis rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. He’d been too busy enjoying having her to himself for a change. He’d watched the way the auburn strands of her hair lifted on the wind blowing through the lowered window as she’d driven out of Crystal Rock’s city limits toward Paradise Peak, and had wondered for the thousandth time when he’d be able to run his hands through the silky strands again.

The bright afternoon sun pouring through the windshield, flooding the cab, and the warm March air had brought out a rosy bloom above her cheekbones. Her lips had parted and curved up as she’d spoken, making Travis itch to lean over and cover her mouth with his. To gather her taste on his tongue and see if she was as sweet as he remembered.

And it’d been so long since he’d kissed her. . . .

The first night he and Hannah had spent at the One Stop Motel had been full of worry, fear, and sadness over the devastation the wildfire had wrought. But there’d also been so much comfort in holding Hannah throughout the night. The remembered feel of her lips on his, her warm weight draped over his bigger frame, and the steady throb of her heart against his chest as they’d slept had been sheer heaven.

But the five nights that had followed had been completely different—not bad, per se—but different. The small motel room had been comfortable when he and Hannah had been the only occupants, but the limited space had quickly become inconvenient with the addition of five adults, one toddler, and a pup.

Each night Margaret, Liz, Zeke, and Blondie had taken up residence in the double bed. Vernon and Gloria slept in cots on either side of the bed and Hannah had offered to sleep on a stack of thick blankets on the floor.

Travis and Red had volunteered to sleep outside in Red’s truck. Only, on the first night, Travis had fallen asleep in a chair outside the motel room. He’d woken up with a crick in his neck and a wicked backache. The second night, he’d moved to the truck’s cab, leaned back on the bench seat as far as he could go and tried to stretch his legs out, but that hadn’t worked out much better. So by the third night, he’d tossed a blanket in the bed of the truck, stretched out on it, and spent the first hour or so of the evening staring up at the stars and watching the smoke clear.

Just as he had done each night during his hike to Paradise Peak. But instead of thinking of Margaret, his guilty past, and what steps to take to atone for the wrong he’d committed, his thoughts had been filled mostly with Hannah. He’d thought of a thousand different ways he’d like to make her feel safe and happy again. He’d dreamed of holding and kissing her every day from here on out. Imagined her looking up at him with something more than admiration and respect in her eyes. Something more like love.

But he’d also thought of Red and Paradise Peak. He’d wondered how Red’s ranch and the horses had fared during the wildfire and hoped there’d be at least something left of it all when they returned. He’d thought of the sad, fearful expressions on strangers’ faces as they’d sat in the One Stop Motel lobby and waited to see if they had a home left when they returned to the mountain. He thought of Gloria, Vernon, Liz, and Zeke, and wondered how difficult it would be for them to rebuild their homes and find their feet again.

And in the darkest hours before dawn, Travis’s thoughts had returned to Margaret and the pain he’d caused. The guilt had returned, too, and he’d wished and prayed for hours that he could change the past. That he could roll back the clock, erase his selfish actions, and start over. Put his history behind him and begin anew, as Hannah had asked him to.

But he couldn’t move forward with Hannah without telling her the truth. And how would she react when he did?

“You were jealous.” Hannah darted glances at him again, a pleased expression on her face.

“Jealous?” he asked.