Page 45 of Hudson
“Is that what happened with your marriage?”
“Partly. He didn’t bargain on how much time school would take. Neither of us handled it well.” She shrugged. “Last I heard he’d remarried and has a family. I’m glad for him. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
“Relationships take work. Both people have to want to put it in.”
“Agreed.”
His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out. Gina. He hit ignore and tucked it away.
“You can take that.”
“I don’t need to.” He finished the last of his sandwich and looked out over the pond. “It’s quiet out here.”
“It’s beautiful.” Blair tilted her face up to the sky.
Hud removed his hat, stretched out on the blanket and laid it over his face. “Perfect napping weather.”
Blair laughed and lay back beside him. “The sky goes on forever out here.”
“They don’t call it Big Sky Country for nothing.”
“It’s a perfect name for it.” She sat up after a moment and looked out over the water.
Hud sat up beside her. “You alright?”
“Fine. I just can’t get over how quiet it is. How still everything is.”
“It’s not for everybody. The winters alone chase people off. Montana’s a big state but it can feel empty in ways that surprise you. I’ve seen people move out here chasing exactly this,” he nodded toward the water, the mountains, the open sky, “and barely last two years before they head back to wherever they came from. The solitude sounds good until you’re living inside it.”
“But not you.”
“Never. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
Blair looked at him and he looked back. His eyes dropped to her lips for just a moment, then came back up to meet hers.
“I want to kiss you,” he said quietly. “But if you’re not ready, just say so.”
“I’m not going to say no,” she whispered.
He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, and the softness of them drew a low sound from somewhere in his chest. He brought his hand up to her cheek as the kiss deepened. Her arms slid around his neck and her fingers found their way into his hair, and he slowly laid her back onto the blanket, staying beside her, taking his time with her the way he’d promised himself he would.
He lifted his lips from hers and looked at her.
“I knew it would be good.”
“That was better than good.” She smiled.
He laughed softly. “I agree.” He glanced toward the mountains and his expression shifted. “We should head back. See those clouds?”
Blair followed his gaze to where dark clouds were building over the peaks. “Yes. Let’s go.”
They got to their feet and Hud shook out the blanket, rolled it and tied it back behind the saddle. As he checked the cinch on Toffee, Blair touched the rifle sheath.
“I just noticed you have a rifle.”
“I always ride with one out here.”
“You shoot the wildlife?”
