Page 81 of Clumsy in Love

“Whoa, girl,” she said.

Holly slid off the horse and let the reins fall. Lady did a lap around the area, sniffing everything in sight. She returned and barked once to give the all-clear. Holly unpacked Lady’s bowls and dumped a water bottle in one and some kibble from a Ziploc bag in the other.

“Eat that up quick, so I can rinse the bowl,” she said to the dog. “I don’t want to deal with bears tonight.” While Lady ate,Holly took care of Buttercup, feeding and brushing her before tethering her halter to a rope strung between two trees.

She wasn’t worried about anyone stumbling onto her site. Tourists hiked from the park and stayed on the other side of the valley. And the locals hardly ever came up this way.

Dusk was falling, so she quickly set up her tent. Then gathered wood and started a fire, careful to ensure there was nothing flammable nearby. On a blanket next to the fire, Lady by her side, Holly watched the sky go from gray to black.

Being alone didn’t bother her. But being lonely was starting to.

The last Christmas holiday season had been the first time she’d really felt what lonely could be. It was right before she started dating Rick. Her dad was in jail, and her mom had moved on. The Reeds invited her to spend Christmas Day with them, which had been lovely, just not the same.

She longed for what Cole had. Parents who loved each other, siblings who teased, but would do anything for each other. A safe place where you were always welcome.

Perhaps that’s why she’d said yes to Rick. So eager to start her own family, she almost married a man unworthy of her. That was clear to her now. Sure, men were scarce around here, but that couldn’t—wouldn’t—happen again. Now that she had a taste of what love could be, she wouldn’t settle for anything less.

The fire’s flames hypnotized her long into the night. She stared, waiting for inspiration about what she should do. She loved her job but not necessarily where or who she worked with. She loved her friends, but they would be there for her no matter where she lived. And she loved her parents, but they would never return to Green Valley Falls.

Change. That’s what the flames finally messaged her. She needed a change. But of what? Her job, house, hair color? No, it had to be big. A fresh start. Away from a town that knew everything about her and her family. Away from an ex-fiancé she had to see at work every day.

The next morning, she woke feeling confident in her decision to leave Green Valley Falls. Destination unknown, but yeah, greener pastures were elsewhere. That felt right. She packed up camp, saddled Buttercup, and set off. With time to kill before she had to be back, she headed north on the trail, thinking she’d circle around the lake.

Two hours later, she’d lost sight of the lake but kept going, knowing it had to be on her right. Soon, though, she realized she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Looking up at the sun, she figured out where north was, pictured the map in her mind, and reoriented herself.

She wasn’t lost, but nor was she one hundred percent sure exactly where they were.

“Come on, Bennett,” she muttered to herself. “You’re better than this.”

An hour later, she gave up. “Forget it. Let’s just go back the way we came.” Buttercup whinnied in agreement.

Pointing the horse to what she would swear was south, they started moving again. Dusk snuck up on her, and she resigned herself to an unplanned night on the mountain. Which was fine. She had extra food for the animals and plenty of snacks for herself. Jen would worry, but with no cell signal, there wasn’t much she could do about that.

Tomorrow, they’d just head downhill. She’d have to reach the bottom eventually. And depending on where she popped out of the woods, she could get home from there. At least she hoped so.No, she had to. If she had to be rescued off this mountain, she would never live it down.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

It was Friday morning—two whole days since Holly had bailed without a word. Cole lay in bed, replaying their time together and trying to figure out where he’d gone wrong. Why she’d left so abruptly and hadn’t contacted him since.

They’d had so much fun. At least, he thought they had. Of course, Holly was so happy and easygoing she made it impossible not to. Fun was something he’d been missing in his life. So focused on the job, he’d let everything else fall by the wayside—his friends, his family, his love life.

He’d gotten used to Holly. Running into things, saying whatever came to mind, and inadvertently giving him hope that there was life besides the job. He didn’t want to say goodbye either, but he wouldn’t have just ditched her. Would he?

A ding on his phone indicated an incoming text. He rushed to it, hoping Holly was finally breaking radio silence. It was his sister, asking—more like telling—him to take her to breakfast. She worked a few blocks over, and he was hungry, so he agreed to meet her in ten at the diner on his block.

“Why are you so frickin’ grumpy?” Tracy asked once they were seated.

“I’m not,” he said defensively.

She raised an eyebrow and waited. There was no use arguing. “Fine. Maybe I am a little peckish. Doesn’t mean I want to talk about it.”

“Is it because Holly ditched you?”

“I shouldn’t have told you that. Can we just focus on food?” he said, burying his head in the menu.

“There’s nothing wrong with admitting you like her.” Tracy stirred her coffee and took a sip.

“Is this breakfast or an ambush?” He grunted. “And who said anything about liking her?”

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