Page 48 of Two Risks I'd Never Take Again

“Right. Yeah. It went really well. Dad was even more excited than I imagined.” Garrett draped an arm around me without breaking his stride. “And I might’ve let your name drop as part of the reason.”

“I found that out when your dad bought all the doughnuts I had left. I felt so bad because you were the one who made the decision. It wasn’t me.”

Garrett dropped his arm. “You were more of a help than you know. And the guys all loved the doughnuts. I might’ve stashed a couple extra aside to eat late tonight when I get a sugar craving.”

When we reached a narrow part of the trail, I stepped behind him and put a hand on his back. He reached behind him, and I shifted my hand into his. When the path widened and we were side by side again, I kept my hand where it was. Conversation quieted as we made our way up the hill. Halfway up, I stopped to pull off my hoodie.

“You okay? Need some water?” Garrett stepped closer to me.

I let go of his hand only long enough to take off my hoodie and tie it around my waist. “I’m good. It’s just too warm for that hoodie right now.”

He helped me over some rocks, and after thirty minutes of hiking, he squeezed my hand as we reached the top of the hill.

“This view is amazing!” I turned in a circle. “From up here, you can see for miles.”

“It’s pretty great. Dad’s house sits up high, but this spot has an even better view.” Garrett handed me a bottle of water. “I hiked up here the other day, and I couldn’t wait to show you.”

He yanked a bowl out of his backpack and poured water into it. Blue lapped it up.

“Can you imagine being out here at night? Instead of seeing city lights, you’d be wrapped in a blanket of stars.” I stepped closer to Garrett. “So those are the cabins we passed on the way up here, right?”

Standing with his shoulder touching mine, he pointed. “Yep. And if you look over there, that’s the goat farm. The main house is over there, and somewhere in that cluster of trees is my cabin.”

I walked to the other side of the plateau at the top of the hill. “This is amazing. I think I said that already.”

“One of the things Dad said when we talked was that he wants me to pick a place to build a house so that this ranch feels like home. And while I like my cabin, building a house has a sense of permanence to it.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I made another decision too.”

“What’s that?”

“The Henry family has owned Stargazer Springs Ranch for generations. And I think it’s onlyrightthat if I’m going to follow in my dad’s footsteps, I should be a Henry.”

“Changing your name is a big deal.” I stepped closer to him. “But if life hadn’t pulled you away from your dad, you’d have grown up as Garrett Henry.”

“True. I started the process last week. I’m hoping it will be completed by Christmas. Please don’t say anything.”

“Of course not.” I was fairly certain I wouldn’t have to dodge questions about Garrett changing his name. I rubbed his arm. “If you can figure out how to get a road to here, this would be the perfect spot for a house. You could have a rooftop patio.”

He stared at the horizon. “And a hot tub.”

Suddenly I was jealous of some unknown woman, the one who would enjoy forever with Garrett.

Crossing my arms, I tried to smile. “What about a hot tub on the rooftop patio?” I got the words out without choking up.

Blue nudged my leg, giving me the perfect excuse to bury my face in his fur. If a dog could tell that I was upset, it probably wasn’t a secret to Garrett either, but to his credit, he emptied the dog bowl and pretended I was just giving Blue attention.

“This will be a beautiful spot for a house.” I pulled my hoodie back on.

“We’ll see. I may end up building something closer to the main gate. Not sure yet.” He stuffed the bowl back into the backpack. “You ready to head back down?”

Acting like nothing was wrong when I was visibly upset was silly. Garrett and I were friends.

“I’m not upset with you, Garrett.”

He tugged me into a hug. “I know.” He held onto me and rested his chin on my head. “Have I mentioned that I don’t like Mosquito Boy?”

Laughing, I pulled away. “You’ve been talking to Eli.”

“How can you tell?” His blue eyes twinkled.

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