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The speaker had warned them about his getting a cinder in his eye several years ago when he sat in the open railcar.
“I already bought the tickets for us, sweetheart. We’re all going,” Grandma May said.
“I can’t let you pay for us, Gram. That’s too much,” Cori protested.
Grandma May shook her head. “Nonsense. It’s my treat.”
The train ride, which was an all-day affair, had been scheduled for Saturday. That was three days away. The conference ended on Sunday with a business meeting and an excursion to Mesa Verde National Park. Cori and her family would be driving back to Gram’s house by then, and the conference—along with Gage Remington, given his apparent behavior—would be a fading memory.
All through dinner, Cori had tried to get his attention, but he’d seemed dead-set on avoiding her at all costs. It made Cori believe he took their grandparents’ warnings seriously. Although she admired his discipline in the matter, it didn’t bode well for them maintaining a friendship, even a clandestine one, which could have been fun.
After all the talks had ended and most of the attendees either went up to their rooms or headed over to the tavern, she walked the somewhat empty sidewalks of downtown Durango in the moonlight, alone. She thought about how nice it would have been to share this with Gage. Whatever was going on between their grandparents certainly shouldn’t impact their budding friendship. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, at least not with her life so unsettled, but a friendship with a man was something that she’d been missing for a very long time. And Gage Remington seemed like the man for the job. She liked that he seemed to really care about rekindling his relationship with his grandfather, and that he’d taken the time to escort him to Durango. Not very many men would want to do that.
Plus, he had a killer smile.
“Nice night,” a familiar voice echoed from behind her. She had heard the rustle of feet on pavement, but never assumed it would be Gage. She felt as if he’d been reading her thoughts, and a tinge of heat made her blush.
His distinctive voice echoed in her ears. “Mind if I join you?”
Cori spun around to see Gage standing close behind her, grinning. At once she noticed how good he looked, with scruffy facial hair, a gray button-down shirt open at the neck, revealing a dusting of dark chest hair, tight black jeans and those sexy black boots. His mere presence made her reconsider those silly friendship thoughts. This cowboy might have to be elevated to a friend with benefits. She’d never thought of that possibility with any other man she’d met, until now.
“Your timing is impeccable. I was just thinking about you.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, and quickly wet her lips.
“In a good way, I hope.” His grin grew wider, and his dark eyes sparkled under the glow of the streetlights. Her knees felt weak, and her pulse quickened.
“I thought you were ignoring me.”
“I was, and I’m sorry about that. My grandfather is a powerful force, but he finally went up to his room. The good news is I was able to get my own room, so we’re both much happier men this evening. And your grandmother?”
“She and Hailey called it a night.”
“What about you?”
“I’m in their room. We have a suite.”
“No, I mean why aren’t you up there with them?”
“I needed a walk. It’s too lovely to be inside. Don’t you agree?”
“Way too lovely,” he said, his gaze caressing her face, a shadow of a smile on his lips. She wanted to swoon, but controlled herself. “Much different from Manhattan.”
Cori didn’t remember telling him she lived in New York City.
“How’d you know?”
“Know what?”
“Where I’m from?”
“I didn’t. That’s where I’m from. Been living in New York for the past six years. And you?”
“Wow, it really is a small world... The past five.”
They continued up Main Avenue, past closed shops and bustling restaurants. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, and not a single car passed them on the street. The silence of the town wrapped them in its serenity, as if protecting them from the rest of the hurried world, reminding Cori of her visits to her gram’s house when she was a child.
Gage broke the silence as a horse-drawn wagon filled with several tourists went clacking by. “So this is a vacation?”
“Not exactly. More like a major change. I was an ER doctor, but I quit. I’d been working too many hours and not spending any time with Hailey. I needed to slow down and rethink my career path...what’s important to me. I don’t know exactly where Hailey and I will settle, but I won’t be going back to New York. And you? Is this a vacation with your grandfather?”
His soft deep chuckle erupted from the back of his throat, reminding her how much she’d missed the intimate company of a man.
“The words vacation and grandfather can’t be used in the same sentence, at least not where I’m concerned. It’s more of an attempt at rekindling some burning embers with my family. I thought I’d start with my grandfather and work forward.”
“Sounds as if you burned a lot of bridges.”
“More like I soaked them in gasoline and used a flamethrower.” His voice took on a serious tone, as if he hadn’t liked where his life was heading and now he was seriously trying to change.
“I’m getting a little worried.”
“About what?”
“About us.”
“Things are looking up. I didn’t know we were an us.”
She chuckled and slowed her pace, wanting to make her intentions clear.
“That all depends.”
“On what?”
“On if your arson days are over.” She didn’t want to begin anything with Gage if he was already focused on the endgame. What few men she had dated in the five years since her husband’s passing had only been interested in hookups or sex without any commitment. In the beginning that was fine, but after you’ve experienced real love, hooking up with men who don’t care about you gets old really fast. She wanted something more now, and until she found it, she was willing to stay celibate. At least, that was the plan.
“I’m more into building bridges now. Not that I’m a very good carpenter, but I’m learning.”
She nodded, wanting to know more, but willing to wait for the details when and if he was ready to share.
“One plank at a time.”
“That’s a tough concept for a New Yorker. Especially in my line of work.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a trader.”
“A Wall Street trader?”
“Yes, but I’m on an extended leave at the moment.”
When she glanced at him, she saw the anxiety on his face. She’d met several traders, both in her practice and socially. If they couldn’t be in the center of the action they had a difficult time functioning in general society. They needed that constant tension in order to remain somewhat calm.
“And I take it that’s not a state you’re comfortable with.”
“I’m trying to settle into it, but I have to admit it’s more difficult than I’d ever imagined.”
“I have a feeling you miss the high-speed pace of the trading floor.”
When they came to a corner, they each looked both ways on the deserted streets, and casually made their way across... A far cry from the streets of Manhattan where the traffic never stopped, 24/7.
“There’s more to it than the pace. I grew used to getting whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it. And I grew used to expecting it. More than I’d like to admit. Second row seats at a Knicks game, same-night reservations at any high-end restaurant in Manhattan, first-row theater tickets, whatever. It’s hard to explain. I felt as if I was someone important, and that I deserved all that stuff.”
“So you were addicted to the power that kind of position brings.”
“You sound like my shrink.”
“I treated a patient with wealth addiction in 2008 when the stock market crashed. He would have tried to hang himself, because he’d lost several million dollars in three days, but he couldn’t find the appropriate Armani belt. At least that’s what he told me. He was also a perfectionist, which ultimately saved his life.”
He snickered and shook his head. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“It wasn’t like that for me. Usually I was too drunk back then to really care.”
Cori abruptly stopped walking. Her heart raced and her stomach was clenched. His words were like a stinging slap. She turned to face him. “What do you mean?”
“Ironic that we should stop walking here in front of Wine and Fine Spirits, a store I would have immediately been drawn to if this were a few months ago.”
Cori took stock of her surroundings, and sure enough, just a couple steps up ahead, next to a real estate office, stood a softly lit shop with an inviting open doorway. She walked up to the window and peered inside. High-end wine and spirits crowded the shop. Some of which she would like to buy and bring back to Gram’s. Cori loved a smooth Pinot Noir and she spotted a great bottle for only sixty-five dollars.
A steal.
She was thinking how she’d buy a couple of bottles before they left town when Gage said, “I’m a recovering alcoholic. At least that’s the term I’m supposed to use. I crave a drink twenty-four-seven, but somehow I manage to control the craving by telling myself I’m better off without it.”
“And do you believe you are?”
He moved to get closer to her and stared into her eyes. She saw the vulnerability of a man in need of affection, in need of family, of friends, of a lover...of a drink.
“Moments like this, being this close to you, I would have to say yes. I believe I am.”
He gently ran his fingers down the side of her face, like feathers caressing her cheek. She’d so missed a man’s touch, his laughter, the intimacy of his affections.
Gage leaned in to kiss her, but at the very last moment she stepped away from him. Reality took hold, stark hurtful reality of a past event that had changed her life forever. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach. Only seconds ago, she’d been daydreaming of his kiss, and now his touch clenched her insides. The mere thought of her being intimate with a recovering alcoholic made her feel as if she was betraying her past and jeopardizing Hailey’s future. She envisioned herself running toward a cliff without the ability to stop.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t...I can’t do this. I need to get over to the hotel. My daughter won’t sleep without me tucking her in.”
His forehead furrowed, breaking the trance. “Sure. I understand. We can hustle back.”
She took a few steps backward, feeling as if being near him was wrong.
“No. That’s okay. You continue with your walk. I don’t want to force you to come back with me. It’s a nice night. You should enjoy it.”
He stepped toward her, just as she turned and headed up the sidewalk. She needed to get out of there. Needed to get away from him before she did something she’d regret.
“You’re not forcing me to do anything. I want to escort you back to the hotel,” he said from behind her.
He caught up to her and tried to take her hand. She snapped it away, as if he was a stranger.
“You’re not understanding. I don’t want you to come with me. Please. Just let me go. Our grandparents were right. We can’t talk to each other anymore.”
He stopped walking as she moved ahead of him, leaving him standing on the corner. She jogged across the deserted street, heading straight toward the hotel. She heard him call after her, but she kept moving forward, kept jogging until she stood in front of the hotel, struggling to catch her breath, thinking about what had nearly happened.
How could she have flirted with an alcoholic? Fallen for his charm? It wasn’t like her to be taken in so easily. She should have caught the warning signs from the start. His ordering a soda in the bar when they first met should have tipped her off.
As she ran up the three cement steps right outside the lobby, she decided she wanted nothing to do with Gage Remington, no matter what her libido told her. She could not and would not fall for an alcoholic, not when it was a drunk driver who had taken her husband’s life.
* * *
AFTER A RESTLESS night’s sleep, speculating on why Cori had left him standing on the street corner when they’d been having such a nice evening, he awoke thinking he should have simply listened to his gramps. She obviously wasn’t interested in any kind of relationship. Or perhaps her grandmother had gotten to her? Or she secretly never liked him and when he pushed it, her true feelings came out? But did she have to run away? He’d never experienced a woman actually running from one of his advances. What was that all about?
All he could conclude from her odd behavior was that she wanted no part of any kind of romantic interlude. That was now crystal clear. He’d just have to learn to suck it up, like his gramps had taught him when he was a kid.
He took in a deep breath and let it out. “I can handle this.”
Still, he was hopeful she’d come around.
And maybe it would happen as soon as today. He wasn’t exactly ready for a day of horseback riding. The working dude ranch was located just outside of town. Unfortunately, Gramps wouldn’t hear of him not participating. Grandpa Buck always loved to ride, no matter if it was on his own ranch wrangling steer or for fun with his friends and family. He’d taught Gage how to ride the summer he’d turned five. It took a while for Gage to get the hang of it, but once he did, his mother had a hard time getting him to do anything else during their visits.
Now, that seemed like light-years ago. He hadn’t been on a horse in more years than he cared to remember, and had probably lost his ability to ride. He’d forced himself to not care about ranch life and riding once he began making it on Wall Street. None of that mattered as long as he was moving up the ladder and making an insane amount of money. How could he possibly want to be a cowboy when all of Manhattan was laid out at his feet?
He snickered at the irony of it all.
It seemed this simple trip with his grandfather would be taking him back to something he’d shoved so far back in his mind that riding a horse now seemed foreign to him, almost as though that had been some other kid riding around his grandpa’s ranch.
Gramps used to tell him, “You’re a natural cowboy, son. And one day, this here ranch will be all yours.”
Gage wondered if his grandfather still felt that way, and if he did, what the heck would Gage do with an entire ranch?
Sell it, came rushing into his thoughts. Take the money and run.
He took a deep breath as he pulled his car onto the gravel road that led to S & J Ranch. He felt certain he was headed for a day of pure misery.
“We’re starting off with a mighty fine breakfast, served outdoors like it should be,” Gramps said as Gage drove their car into a spot. “Got my appetite all riled up for some flapjacks, eggs and biscuits this morning.”
“Should you be eating flapjacks with your sugar problem?”
Gramps glared at Gage. “What I eat ain’t none of your concern. I won’t be collapsing again anytime soon, so you don’t have to worry. Just stay out of my business and we’ll get along fine.”
Gage turned off the engine. “I was just trying to...”
