Page 86 of Keep On Loving You
The birds chirping and flitting through the treetops were the only answer she got. Not that she expected much more.
“It’s just a hike,” she said aloud, embracing the idea of talking to herself. “I like to hike. Maybe I would do more hikes if I wasn’t so busy with the shop.”
Not that she’d been very busy lately. Cutting back on her clients over the last few months had been a welcome break that she never would have expected.
Kat lifted her head from the trail and looked around at the forest and the mountains that peeked through the branches. She inhaled deeply and let the clean air fill her lungs.
“Maybe I should hike more often?” She laughed at herself and quickly added, “But maybe not alone.” She lifted her shoulders back. “Maybe Andy would like to—nope.” She cut herself off. “We’re not going to think about him today.”Or how I screwed everything up.The hurt look on his face before he turned and walked away from her was seared into her brain.
Kat shook her head to clear the image.
“Today I hike,” she affirmed aloud.
And with any luck, I’ll be too exhausted to think of anything else.
Like how she screwed up what could have been something real with the only man she’d ever had feelings for because she was too scared to choose him over her family.
She couldn’t let her thoughts go there.
Not yet. She owed it to her family to finish this once andfor all. It was up to her now. As soon as she finished up her list, it was over and they’d all be able to move on.
Finally.
Andy got lucky when he got to the big house and Annie answered the door instead of Chase. There was a time, less than twenty-four hours earlier, when he would have knocked on the door and walked in. But a lot had changed in a very short time, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t welcome there at all.
“Hey, Andy.” Annie stepped onto the porch and shut the door behind her as she did so. “I assume you’re looking for this?” She handed him his phone.
Andy glanced at the screen, but the battery was dead so he tucked it in his back pocket. “Thanks, Annie. I wasn’t sure what to expect over here this morning.”
She sucked in a breath and shrugged her shoulders to her ears. “It’s better than yesterday, but…” She glanced toward the closed door. “I think there are still some raw feelings.”
He didn’t expect much more. “Have you heard from Kat?” She was the only one who mattered. The rest of them could be as angry as they needed to be. It was Kat he was concerned about.
“Not since last night.” Annie shook her head. “She was pretty upset when she finally went home.” She bit her bottom lip and looked like she wanted to say more. Andyknew Kat and Annie were best friends, but Annie was also engaged to Chase. It put her in an awkward position.
“It’s okay, Annie. I know it’s not the easiest spot for you to be in with…well, all of this. I just want to make sure she’s okay.” It was a stupid thing to say because of course she wasn’t okay. He’d seen it on her face the night before. He’d seen the hurt and worry andpainall over her beautiful features because he’d asked her to do the impossible and choose between him and her family.
If he could take it back, he would. He would never put her in that situation. And not just because he knew he could never win, but because he’d do anything to never see that look on her face again.
He’d got what he came for, and with nothing more to say, he turned to leave.
By the time he returned to the plaza, there were plenty of people—a mixture of tourists and locals—wandering between the café, ice cream shop, and various other shops. He bypassed the Sugar Shack, moving quickly in case Craig happened to be inside and saw him walking past. The last thing Andy needed was another fight, and something told him Craig hadn’t calmed down enough to have an actual conversation with him.
He hesitated outside Alpenglow, Charli’s shop. There was no point in telling her yet that Kat was gone on an overnight hike. Not when he still didn’t have any moredetails. Besides, there was no reason to panic, and Kat had her reasons for not wanting her siblings to know about it.
He would honor her desire for discretion. At least for now.
The shop’s doors were open to the warm summer morning. A handful of customers browsed the sale rack outside, but not too many people inside that Andy could see.
Kane and his sister Krysta both stood at the front counter, heads bent over something they were discussing. Sensing his presence, they both looked up as he neared.
“Oh no.” Kane shook his head and held out his hand. “I told you last night, I do not want to get involved with?—”
“It’s not that.” Andy held up his hands in peace. “I swear I’m not looking for a fight, Kane, and I’m so sorry for everything last night. That wasn’t fair to you.”
“It sure as hell wasn’t.” He crossed his huge arms over his chest.
It wasn’t lost on Andy that if he had been looking for a fight with Kane, he would have lost. Badly. The man was massive, his muscles built from a life outside on the mountain.
