Page 39 of Love on the Run

It wasn’t long before she could lift her head and look around. The terrain was unreal. Mountains surrounded them on all sides topped with beautiful, white snow. A blanket of blue spread across the cloudless sky.

Now that she wasn’t breathing like a runner, the ride was actually nice. They weren’t going as fast as she initially thought.

They drove along trails through wooded areas and open spaces that were breathtakingly beautiful.

Beau tapped her hands linked around his chest and pointed toward the woods. A moose stood in the forest chewing on what looked like leaves, seeming unbothered that she and Beau were passing through.

Beau gradually increased their speed until Anna’s heart began to race for a new and exciting reason—freedom.

That’s what this was. It’s what she’d been missing all along. Now that she’d experienced it, would she ever be able to go back?

She didn’t want to, but life and all of its pressures would slowly creep back in once they returned to Blackwater. She’d always loved her home, but lately, it had all of the makings of a prison in disguise.

The sun burned a warm orange as it touched the mountain peaks to the west, and she rested the side of her helmet against Beau’s back. Everything about the day had been perfect.

Eventually, Beau turned to look over his shoulder. “You tired?”

She wasn’t finished with her newfound freedom, but the muscles in her arms and thighs were starting to ache. The adrenaline hadn’t allowed her to fully relax for hours. “Yeah.”

Beau drove them back to the rental headquarterswhere they returned their gear and walked out into the twilight. The smile on his face was brighter than she’d ever seen it.

“See? Maybe that should have been on your bucket list,” Beau said as he opened the passenger door for her.

“It definitely should have. I loved it!”

Beau rounded the car and settled behind the wheel. The casual air he carried with him was something she desperately wanted. He was so sure of himself and content in his own skin.

But there was something she wanted more than his confidence. She wanted her arms around him again. Pressed against him, she’d found comfort like she’d never known. That was the source of the freedom that she’d been reveling in all afternoon. He’d broken down walls and torn off locks she’d used to protect herself for years.

She didn’t want that cage anymore. This liberation was spreading within her, and it all started with Beau Lawrence.

He turned and looked over his shoulder to back out, but he paused when he caught her staring at him.

“What?” he asked softly.

“Nothing. Just… thanks for making me do that.”

It was more than the push. It was his solid belief that she would feel better if she broke free of some of the bonds that held her down.

“I didn’t make you do anything,” he corrected.

“I know. I guess I meant to say thanks for showing me something new.”

A slow smile bloomed on his lips as he backed the car out of the parking spot. “I knew you’d like it.”

Anna hummed low in her throat. “How did you know?”

“Because I suspect you need to get off the beaten path more often.”

A wild and unruly flock of butterflies swirled in her middle. His response sounded like a cop-out even to her.

Beau knew her. He watched and listened, and he knew things about her that she was afraid to admit. Maybe if she followed his lead, she’d figure out how to tap into that happiness he kept mentioning.

An hour later, Anna brushed a hand down the side of her jeans as she stepped out of the bathroom. Beau lay on his back, sprawled across the short couch. With one knee up and one arm draped over his eyes, he was the perfect illustration of relaxation.

“Are you ready to see some Christmas lights?” she asked.

Beau lifted the arm from over his eyes and looked her up and down. “If you are.”

---