Page 76 of The Lost Book of First Loves

The sun finally slipped behind the mountains, though bands of color still tinted the clouds gathered there.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” she said. “I can honestly say that was one of the most unforgettable sunsets I’ve ever experienced.”

Because of the beauty? Or because of their kiss? He would never ask.

“You’re welcome. We should probably start heading back while we still have some light.”

He took her water bottle and returned it to the side pocket of his day pack and made sure the headlamps were within easy reach, then the two of them took off back toward the trailhead with Hank in the lead.

They walked in silence, though Beck’s thoughts were anything but quiet. He could think of another powerful reasonwhy he shouldn’t have kissed her—the secret Ali insisted on still keeping from her.

He knew things about Juniper she didn’t about know herself and he suspected when she did find out, she wasn’t going to be happy that they had all kept her in the dark for so long.

She was the daughter of a man he had loved dearly, a connection she had no idea about.

If he had his choice, he would have told her the first day she showed up in Bridger Peak. He hated lying to her by omission. If their roles were reversed and she was withholding important information about him and his past, he would be seriously ticked off.

When June eventually found out, as she undoubtedly would, she was going to be both hurt and angry with all of them for not telling her the truth earlier.

For all the beauty of the day, the wind had picked up as soon as the sun started to go down and the temperature had dropped.

“Need your sweatshirt?” he asked, when he saw June wrap her hands around her arms.

“That would be great. I forgot I gave it to you.”

He stopped and set his pack on a rock. The light was dim, but still bright enough that he didn’t need the headlamp yet. He handed her the hoodie, which she pulled over her head.

“Thanks.”

“Are you doing okay? The way back should be easier. It’s all downhill from here.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for showing me the lake. I’ll be back. I expect it will become one of my favorite places while I’m here.”

“I’m glad.”

She returned his smile without any trace of lingering awkwardness, he was relieved to see.

At the truck, he opened the door for June then dried the mud and dirt off Hank’s paws before letting him in the back seat,grateful all over again for the protective seat cover he kept back there for the dog.

“It’s been a long day for you. You’ll probably head straight to bed as soon as I get you home,” he said as he pulled away from the trailhead and headed back down the dirt road, his headlights illuminating the way ahead.

“I expect I’ll be reading Carson’s journals for a few hours. I can’t seem to stay away from them.”

“I’m glad you are so interested in them.”

“The more I read, the more convinced I am that he wrote another book that he never published.”

“This is important to you, isn’t it?”

Her teeth flashed with her smile in the darkness. “Who wouldn’t want to discover an unpublished book by one of America’s greatest literary icons?”

“I expect if Carson left a manuscript unpublished, he had a good reason for doing so.”

“Aren’t you the least bit curious about it?”

“Yes. Of course. I would love to find it. But it might be terrible, considering he would have written it early in his career. The last thing I want to do is publish something that would tarnish his legacy. I’ve read about that happening before with other authors when their heirs rush to put out anything else they find posthumously and it doesn’t come close to comparing to their well-known work.”

“I wouldn’t want to do that, either. You and Alison would of course have the final say as his literary trust executors. But how can we know if it’s good or bad if we don’t make any effort to look for it?”

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