Take Only Pictures (27 page)

Gloria looked at her watch, knowing Kristine was likely to be arriving at the Aspens soon. She wanted to be there when they rode in. “I miss you,” Gloria said, her throat tightening. It always did when she had to say goodbye.

“Big kiss, sweet. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Mom.” Gloria clicked the phone shut and held it between her knees. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she knew her mother was right. She had always thought of her career, her happiness first. That had always held her first priority, yet now anticipating the professional recognition she had worked so long and hard for didn’t make her feel satisfied. Having Kristine did.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Kristine dismounted in the yard at the Aspens, a coating of dust on her skin and gritty between her teeth. Though exhausted, she now actually felt like the victor Gloria had insisted she was just for returning to The Lodge. The backcountry trip over, she could finally relax and think about the future. She hoped the immediate future included a lot more of Gloria. Just thinking about seeing her after two days away sent a thrill through her body. There was so much to fill her in on, but also so much to do. Her cheeks reddened at how many of the hours she’d had in the saddle that had been spent fantasizing about what she’d love to do with Gloria, most of which didn’t include any clothes.

Work first, she lined up her guests for a group shot on horseback. Once they dismounted, Ida asked her to take a picture of her with her mount, and each guest issued the same request, adding a challenge for Kristine to demonstrate the techniques they’d been practicing. Perched high on the tie rail, she snapped Gary and his horse smiling up at the camera, the horse smiling because of the carrot in Kristine’s hand that he reached for. While she worked, her gaze constantly drifted not up the mountain to where the pack mules would descend, but down to the road where she hoped to see Gloria. Nard soon arrived with the stock, so she had little opportunity to watch for Gloria in the chaos of unloading the animals and sorting out all of the gear.

For the first time in years, Kristine worked on the dock with Nard without distraction. During the last segment of the trip, she had not avoided him. She strode about camp with the knowledge that she had faced down a bear and the belief that she could now face Nard as well. With her attitude shift came the control she’d lost so many years before, and she kicked herself for taking so long to assert herself. She recalled the reprimand her father gave her when she refused to catch up a broodmare he wanted. Kristine had never liked the mare because she crowded Kristine and had stepped on her numerous times. Her admission had prompted half a day stuck in the round corral with her father showing her how to assert dominance over the horse. He explained how horses are constantly reestablishing the pecking order, and when she did not reprimand the horse for crowding her, she lost her dominance.

After hours of anticipating the animal’s movements and blocking her, the mare gave Kristine her space and accepted that, though the smaller of beasts, Kristine deserved her respect. This trip in the backcountry had been another round corral, and she had been forced to assert herself around Nard just as she had done with the broodmare all those years ago. In her stepping forward instead of back, he, too, had finally granted her space.

Gear finally sorted and loaded into the appropriate vehicles, the guests said their goodbyes, thanking Nard and Trish for the trip and Kristine for the photography skills they had acquired. She shook hands with Bill and the brothers, Gary and Rob. The two women hugged her and shared the difficulty of parting forever, wanting to exchange contact information with everyone in the group. In past years, she’d seen strangers connect in the backcountry, but this group, after the experience in the meadow with the bear, had bonded at a deeper level. She watched them go with a little sadness, her first group of students.

Absently, Kristine picked up some grooming brushes that had been left in the feeders and returned them to the tack shed. The anticipation of Gloria’s greeting distracted her. She was completely unprepared for the hand on her shoulder, spinning her around, the strong arms that pushed her up against the shed wall.

“My turn,” Nard growled, pressing himself up against her.

She screamed deep from her gut, the scream she should have let loose to call for help years before. “Get off me!”

Nard stroked her cheek. “Not this time.”

“Get it through your thick skull. This is not happening.”

“You’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

She pushed against him, and he retaliated, slamming her back up against the wall and putting his elbow to her throat. “I like the fight, too. It makes the ride all the more exciting.” She felt his rough hands on her throat, loosening the bandana she wore there. “No more talking,” he said, sliding it up into her mouth.

Fear washed over her, gripping her belly. It felt like a crushing weight against her chest. Nard smiled. She was helpless again, staring at the smile that had haunted her for six years. He had to release her to work her belt. She felt paralyzed. How many times had she found herself in the same position in her dreams, unable to scream, rigid with fear. She willed herself to move, even just a tiny bit. He was too strong to overpower, she knew that. But she couldn’t give up, not again. She opened her hand and placed it on the wall, inching it to where she and Gabe stored the hay hooks.

His eyes dropped to her hips, and she made her move, grabbing one of the hooks and digging it between his legs. He howled in surprise, and Kristine pushed harder, forcing him to take a step back. With her other hand, she pulled her bandana out of her mouth.

“You asshole,” she gasped. “Get the fuck off me.”

“What do you plan to do?” he challenged.

She tugged the hook, piercing his jeans and silencing him. “Oh, there’s a lot I can do.”

He laughed nervously. “You’d like to think you have the balls.”

“The way I see it, I’m about to get yours.” She pulled upward, slicing through the fabric. His gasp told her she’d nicked him.

“You’ll fucking pay for this, Teeny.”

She responded by ramming the point of the hook into his flesh. When he hollered with rage, a figure blocked out the light in the doorway, startling Kristine. “You need any help in here, Kristine?” Sol asked.

“I’m the one who needs help here,” Nard snapped. “She’s fucking crazy.”

“Shut up, Nard,” Sol said. “Pretty clear who the crazy fucker is.”

Kristine looked up to see Gabe, a look of pure shock on his face.

“Kristine?” He looked from her to Nard, understanding dawning in his eyes. “You never said…”

Nard screamed, “She’s fucking gelding me! Do something!”

Sol held up both palms and took a step back. “You put yourself there, boy. You ready to tell your daddy why she felt the need?”

Kristine dropped the hay hook, her muscles relaxing. He’d need some doctoring. That was enough. She could walk away knowing he’d have to explain his injury. She kept a piercing eye on Nard. “Get your stock loaded up and get the hell out of here. Don’t come near me again. Don’t even think about me,” she stated with finality.

Sol grabbed him by the collar and roughly pulled him out the door. “Let’s get the stock loaded and deliver you to Leo. You’re done here.”

Gabe stood there for a moment, an awkward silence growing. Kristine placed a trembling hand on his shoulder. She didn’t know what to say either.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding tight. “All those years ago…” He spoke into her crown, his breath warm but his voice cool.

Kristine closed her eyes, wishing she could go back six years and at least have the maturity to explain why she’d left. She took a step back, realizing he was probably thinking the worst. “It’s not as bad as you think,” she said. Though the dark of the saddle shed offered a place to hide, she had to get away. Standing there, she could still feel Nard’s hands on her. She stepped out into the light and walked to the pack dock and sat perched on the edge. She took a deep breath and told Gabe what she’d told Gloria. He stood in front of her, arms crossed, face growing angrier as she explained how Nard had caught her after she’d snuck off in the woods with someone.

Gabe dipped his chin to his chest, his breath labored as she explained the good timing of the bear that had saved her from a different fate. When she’d finished, he looked back up at her, processing what she’d said. Without a word, he stepped back into the saddle shed, emerging a minute later with a flask in his hand. He sat next to Kristine, his long legs extended in front of him, and took a deep swallow from it.

“What the hell’s that?”

“Sol’s emergency medicine for when his ‘old bones are fucking with him.’” He took another draw before handing it to Kristine. “I don’t understand. Why didn’t you tell me when you took off? Why invent that stupid story about Coppertop nailing you in the head? You made me cover up for that asshole.” He stood again and paced away from her. “Why would you do that to me?”

Kristine took a small swig from Sol’s flask, enjoying the burn at the back of her throat, struggling not to cry. “It would have been obvious who I’d been screwing around with,” she said quietly.

He stopped pacing but didn’t turn until he’d figured it out. The hurt in his eyes was exactly as she’d imagined it would be. The years she had avoided it by lying to him did nothing to dampen his wounded expression. “You slept with Nicole? My Nicole?” His voice cracked.

Kristine bowed her head. “Yeah, I didn’t know about that until after…when she said…” She did not want to share or even remember the post-sex revelation she experienced when Nicole compared her kissing to her brother’s.

Gabe strode back to the pack dock and snatched the flask from Kristine and took a deep swallow before he sat down next to her, shoulders hunched. “You slept with my first love and then the two of you talked about me? That’s even worse.” His voice rose.

“If I’d known, I never would have let it go so far. I…”

“How could you not know? I told you I was in love. I talked about her all the time.”

“You never said who. You flirted with everyone. I thought you were into one of the day-ride girls, someone your age.” She took a deep breath, realizing her defensive answer came from trying to hide the truth. She had to own up to everything. “I was too busy screwing around to notice. Dad told me to watch out for you, and I didn’t. I did what I always did when I got away from Quincy, and I felt like such a shit when she told me.” Kristine flushed. “My head was spinning on what I could do to make it right, and then Nard was there shoving it in my face, saying I couldn’t keep going around hurting people leading them on. I knew how angry and hurt you’d be and thought you’d feel like I deserved it.”

“You think I’m that low?” he demanded angrily.

“If I’d told you about Nard, you’d have found out about Nicole. Everyone would have found out, and I couldn’t live with that. You know the grief you would have gotten if they found out that your sister had slept with…” She couldn’t make herself say it even now. “I had to get away from you as much as anything. I didn’t want to see the look you’re giving me right now.”

Gabe turned away from her, rubbing the back of his close-cropped hair. “You let them think you were a flake instead.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t have to work with them anymore. You did.”

“So you were watching out for me.” He sounded doubtful.

“Trying to find a way to make it up to you. Why do you think I came back this summer? I still feel bad about it.”

“You should. I really liked her.”

“I know. We all knew. When I saw you at Christmas, you were still licking your wounds.”

“She said she’d write. I thought she liked me…I never knew why she cut me off like that.” His head hung low as he passed the flask from hand to hand.

“You can’t ever know what’s going to come from a summer fling,” Kristine said gently, remembering how hard she fought her feelings for Gloria because she fretted about the sting that would come at the end of the summer.

“So that’s what it was for you?”

Kristine put her hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I knew that for you it was serious. That’s why I had to go.”

“But you knew for her it was a fling,” he said pointedly.

“You didn’t need to hear that from your sister.”

“Now all I can think about is whether she was thinking about you when she was kissing me. Thanks,” he grumbled.

Kristine bit her lip. “She wasn’t the best kisser.”

“Enough!” Gabe tipped the flask back again, then offered it to his sister.

She declined, and they sat staring at the mules waiting to be put away for the night. Kristine shivered as the cool evening air settled around them. Her thoughts spun on the regret of lying to Gabe tangled with the fear and anger from Nard’s attack. It felt the same as it had the night she’d left six years ago. She wished she could change the course of events and make things right. She wanted to know what Gabe was thinking but at the same time wished there was a way they could just forget about it. A new reality hit her. “I have to tell Dad now, too.”

Gabe nodded beside her. “Better call him before Leo does.”

“On the ride back home that night, I had convinced myself that it would jeopardize Dad’s business with Leo.”

“You’re more important than that,” Gabe said frankly.

She rested her head against his shoulder. “I’ll call him tomorrow. I don’t feel up to it tonight.”

“You should have told us back then. Even though I would have hated you.”

“I never said I made the right choice,” Kristine said. “Do you hate me now?”

“Yes.”

Kristine’s head shot up.

“Because you still get the girl.” His eyes were on the road, on Gloria approaching with her knapsack slung over one shoulder. “I get dumped, and you get the girl. Go on,” he said with a resigned sigh. “It’ll take some time to sink in, but I don’t hate you.”

“Is everything okay?” Gloria’s voice was heavy with concern as she approached them.

“It is now,” Kristine said, standing to wrap her arms around Gloria. She felt something different in Gloria’s hug and stepped back to look in her eyes.