Page 16 of Mountain Dreams

“Are you okay?” he said in lieu of hello.

Her throat felt tight again, but she managed to say, “Yes. Why?”

“Your voice—it didn’t sound like you.”

“Oh. I’m in the car, so maybe that’s why.”

“If this is a bad time, I can call back—”

“No. It’s okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“We broke up,” she blurted out. With the words came the tears. She didn’t want to compromise her driving, so she pulled into a gas station that happened to be right at the intersection of the road to Sawyer’s Ridge.

“Damn. I’m so sorry.”

His sentiment made her cry even harder, but she muffled the sound in her coat sleeve.

“Where were you going?”

She tried to catch her breath. “I wasn’t sure.”

“Did he kick you out?”

“No. He wasn’t even home when I left.”

“Does he know you’re leaving?”

“Yes.” She opened her glove box and rifled around until she came up with a tissue.

“Were you just going to drive around?”

“I was thinking about going to one of my sister’s houses, but…”

“Come here.”

He said it so fast her head spun. “No, Cody. I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve already asked too much of you.”

“There might be a vacancy in one of our cabins.”

“It’s Valentine’s Day weekend,” she protested.

“Shit. I forgot about that.”

It struck her that this would be the first Valentine’s Day she’d spent alone in years. In the meantime, Cody seemed hell-bent on coming to her rescue again.

“I’ll check with Avery. There might have been a last-minute cancellation.”

She shook her head but smiled at his persistence. “I’ve already put you through enough trouble.”

“Stop saying that, Maddie. I want to help.”

“You already have.”