cousin’s insisting I help her pick out stuff for her wedding and try on possible bridesmaid dresses.”
“Mariah?”
“Yes. The whole Breton clan lives in Denver, but Mariah wants everyone to trek up to Steamboat Springs for her wedding. I mean, we have older aunts and uncles, and Mariah’s grandmother—my Aunt Marge—is over eighty. The whole thing is ridiculous, but what can I do?”
“Nothing. You two are like sisters.”
“The only good thing about it is, I get to see you on the way up and back down,” Nicole said.
“You know how long our talking fests last, so you’ll have to spend the night. It’ll be too dark for you to drive around those mountain roads, and I have plenty of room.”
“I was planning to. This is going to be so much fun.”
“I can’t wait to see you.” Slowing down, Ashley took a left onto a dirt road.
“Me too. I’m starting out early in the morning, so I should be there before noon. I’ll call when I get close.”
Ashley spotted a rough-hewn sign indicating the Visitor Center was straight ahead.
“I’ll text you the address to the house.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
Ending the call, she took in the mixture of pine and aspen trees bordering the road on both sides. The car bounced through ruts in the road for a half mile, kicking up dust behind her before a large parking lot appeared. A wooden sign, painted in white, hung across a two-story stone building, announcing her arrival to the Elk Fall Visitor Center, where several people were milling around in front of the large glass doors. She switched off the engine and jumped out of the car.
Forty-five minutes later, she turned down a road that wasn’t mentioned in the guidebook. Through a landscape of rocky canyons, aspen groves, and alpine meadows, one of the most breathtaking waterfalls she’d ever seen came into view. The segmented cascades spilled through cracks in the granite sides of the mountains, rushing down into a large lake. Ever since she could remember, she’d been crazy for the thunder and crash of wild water. An iridescent rainbow danced in the mist at the base of the splashing falls.
“So beautiful,” she said as she got off her bike.
Scanning the area, she found a large tree with low hanging branches that would provide adequate protection from the sun’s rays. She took out a thermo blanket from her backpack and spread it out over the fallen needles covering the ground under the branches.
The rush of water echoed in the canyon, along with birds chirping in the trees. The sounds were tranquil, and Ashley relaxed as she sat cross-legged, sipping on a bottle of green tea. For a long time, she stared at the bars of rainbows dancing in the mist, enjoying the natural beauty surrounding her.
A deep rumbling, like the roar of several boulders tumbling down the mountainside, ripped through the canyon.
“What the hell?” Jumping to her feet, she scanned the area, but nothing seemed amiss.
The noise grew louder as it got closer, echoing through the quiet, pounding against her eardrums. What the fuck’s going on?
Then she saw it. Several motorcycles appeared, kicking up dirt clouds behind them. Her pulse racing, she sprinted away, pressing herself against the trunk of one of the trees as she took in the bikers. All at once, the deafening noise stopped, and she could hear the rush of water again, but she continued to cling to the tree like it was a life preserver.
A man on one of the motorcycles noticed her. “Whatcha hidin’ for?”
One of the men snickered. “Maybe she thinks we’re gonna bite her.”
Cringing, she shifted her gaze away from them.
“What the fuck?” a familiar voice said. “Ashley?”
Whipping her head around, she gasped in shock as Smokey approached.
“You know this pretty little thing?” the first man who took notice of her asked.
“Yeah. And lay the fuck off—all of you.”
She loosened her death grip on the tree and sighed in relief.
“Hey,” she mumbled in greeting.
“Hey yourself. I never expected to bump into you here.” His gaze roamed over her face, stalling at her lips.
Her heart thudding in her chest, she looked down at the ground, fidgeting in place. “Ditto.”
“You want some time alone?” a voice from the group asked Smokey.
Looking over his shoulder at his friends, he turned back at Ashley. “Are you uncomfortable with them being here?”
She took a moment to observe the rough-looking men. “They are a bit intimidating, but seeing as you’re here, I guess not.”