breath of clean mountain air and stared at the blue sky. She realized then they were looking at what others had seen hundreds of years ago. Before them lay endless possibilities.
No one could have known how the progress of the previous two hundred years would change things and threaten the landscape. The land was beautiful, craggy and rustic, and expansive. It was cold and fresh and new.
“I loved growing up here,” she said, the breeze blowing her hair back. “So beautiful.”
Max looked directly at her when he repeated, “Yes, so beautiful.” He looked out over the landscape; the Rockies rose to the skies in front of them. “Not as beautiful as the smile of the woman I love.”
The words caused warmth to spread in her heart. To look at him on that horse, tall and assured, back straight and shoulders broad, she felt she was looking at a dream, a fantasy of the man she’d always loved. But he was no dream, Max was the man he appeared to be, and she had no lingering doubt of that.
He’d reminded her that there was still beauty on that mountain, at the lodge, and in her life.
She glanced his way. “You handle her pretty well.”
Max shrugged. “It’s just about getting along. I’ve always felt that in life, there’s a natural flow of energy. A person can either go with it or fight against it. My father never understood that.”
“Well,” she said with a sassy little smirk, “your father’s not here now.” She looked at him again, eyes scanning those long, powerful legs, splayed over the magnificent animal’s back. “Race?”
“Excuse me?”
“Scared to get beat by a girl?”
She didn’t give him a chance to answer and shook her reins; the mare jumped forward into a quick, spirited gait. The horse ran hard while Lauren’s heart beat faster in her chest. Her hair bounced behind her like flames chasing her.
Speckles ran with purpose, her muscles flexing and stretching with natural power and raw energy. She could feel her horse’s relief to be out running again, to be where nature intended her to be, and doing what she was made to do.
Lauren glanced over to see Max riding alongside her, the long brown mane of his horse flowing in the cool breeze. His handsome face wore an expression of calm, and the slight upward curve of his lips lifted his cheeks. He seemed less like a man and more like some great American legend with the soul of a poet and the body of a warrior.
They rode on, side by side, neither edging in front of the other. Mischief rose in her blood, and the desire to impress him grew even stronger than her desire to possess him. Lauren nudged the mare harder, and she responded, their combined efforts pulling her faster and farther, nudging her ahead of Max by a nose. The speed and momentum carried her down the mountain slope.
With Max beside her, Lauren was renewed and revived, stronger, and more capable than she’d ever felt before.
Despite the tenuous circumstances, the sun still rose, the moon still set, and life would go on.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Max
Max had enjoyed his time with Lauren, but it only gave him more opportunity to think about his father, about his own family and how important it was that he not abandon it. There were troubling developments, and he had to do whatever he could to protect his father from Jane. So, he left the lodge and went home.
“There’s an enemy in our midst.”
Pops shook his head, shrugging from behind the desk in his study. He seemed completely confused, but that only increased Max’s scrutiny. His father wasn’t a man who was easily charmed.
“Max, take it easy.”
“I’m trying, Pop, and I know you’re trying too. At least, I hope you are.”
“Max, really, just try to relax. You’re getting what you want—who you want.”
“I’m not worried about myself, or about Lauren. Well, I am worried about her, but we have to talk about Jane. I know what you’re up to, Pop.”
His father’s face took on a stern expression. “I’m not about to answer to anybody about that, least of all you.”
“True, I am only your son, but I’m also your business partner, or at least I was for many years during your affair with this woman. I don’t care about that, Pop, I never did. I always felt you could do better. She’s a gold digger, there’s no room for doubt.”
His father shook his head. “Don’t you think I know that? I’ve