Page 19 of The Mountain Man's Paradise
This mountain is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I thought it the moment I stepped off the truck and breathed air that smelled of pine trees and cold water. I thought it again while Barrett showed me every room of his cabin with unassuming pride, pointing out things he’d built with his own hands as if they weren’t extraordinary. I think it now as I follow him up a winding trail, my shoes crunching over pine needles while sunlight filters through the trees.
I understand now. I understand why he stayed. I understand why he never wanted another life. I understand why he looked so out of place in Hawaii.
Most of all, I understand that I made the right decision when I got on that plane.
The trail steepens, and I groan-laugh under my breath as I grab the walking stick Barrett cut for me.
“You doing okay?” he asks over his shoulder.
“I’m doing great.”
“You’d tell me if you weren’t?”
“No.”
He glances over his shoulder with one of those irresistible, hard-won smiles of his. “I figured.”
He slows until we’re walking side by side. He’s carrying a backpack with water, snacks, and a first-aid kit because, in Barrett’s words,you prepare for things before they become problems.I teased him about it. He responded by adding an extra jacket for me because the overlook sits higher than the cabin.
Being taken care of by him has become dangerously easy to accept.
“You’ve got a little climb left,” he says. “Then it levels out.”
“I can handle it.”
“I know you can.”
There’s no empty encouragement in his voice. He says it because he means it, and that makes me straighten my shoulders and tackle the next stretch with fresh determination.
When I finally reach the top, I stop walking.
“Oh.”
The word slips out without thought. The mountain rolls away in every direction, endless layers of green fading into distant blue. A river catches the sunlight far below. Snow still clings to the highest peaks even though the valley is warm, and the breeze carries the scent of trees through the open air.
“It’s...”
I don’t finish.
I don’t have the vocabulary for this.
Barrett stands beside me without saying anything. He doesn’t interrupt the silence or point out landmarks. He simply waits while I take it all in.
“I wish I could wake up to this every day.” The words leave my mouth before I realize I’ve spoken them.
The silence beside me changes.
I turn toward him. Barrett isn’t looking at the view anymore. He’s looking at me. Something in his expression makes my stomach tighten.
“What?” I ask.
He lets out a slow breath. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to say something.”
My heart starts beating faster.
“Rosalyn...I know you came here thinking this was a visit.”
I don’t answer.
