Page 30 of Unbroken

A couple of the guests patted Eli on the back while he shook his head. We both made sure everyone was able to get up in their saddles. He took one side while I took the other, and we rechecked to make sure everything was okay and the riders were comfortable.

Once Eli mounted Gatsby, who also seemed eager to get out on the trail, he went over all the pre-ride instructions. Rather than participate with my own inclusions to his boring speech, the way I usually did, I kept my mouth shut. Mostly because I knew my silence would bug him too. Sure enough, he kept shooting glances my way, waiting for me to chime in. Each time, I mimed that my lips were sealed, which only seemed to agitate him more. A win for me.

I rode Red today. The chestnut had been on restricted activity until his hoof healed, but he hadn’t limped since the morning after the incident, and we were both more than ready to get out in the wide open.

We headed out toward what I called “the bunny trail.” It was the easiest trail of all the rides we were currently offering and would take approximately two to three hours—long enough for us to get out to the lookout point and picnic area before turning around and returning around two pm. It was the perfect route for Red and our newbie riders. It also happened to be Zoe and Josh’s favorite trail to take together, which Ididn’t understand. Sure, the seasonal wildflowers were always spectacular to look at and enjoy. But there were more exciting trails and other trails that were far more picturesque. And yet, anytime there was reference to this particular one, they would both get all swoony-eyed.

Our riders were ecstatic on the ride, chatting and asking questions. One of them was wearing some sort of GoPro camera clipped to their backpack shoulder strap, though they didn’t seem very adept at using it. While I hoped the audio was good, I doubted they’d have much usable video given that they kept blocking the lens.

“Everything is just so beautiful and open out here,” one of the other women said.

I nodded my head. “Isn’t it, Cathy? It never gets old and I was raised here.”

“Doug and I spent our entire lives in and around Dallas. We had to come all the way to Colorado to enjoy the great outdoors,” Cathy said as Paula nodded her head.

“Us too, which is why Dave was insistent that we come out here at least once before we’re too old to ride a horse,” was Paula’s reply.

“Oh please, you two can’t be older than forty-five,” I told them and both women snorted in amusement.

“You’re twenty years off, my dear. I just turned sixty-five and Paula is?—”

“Perfectly happy pretending to be forty-five, so don’t you dare spoil it for me, Cathy.”

Everyone laughed except for Eli who kept staring at the sky and frowning. I could see the clouds coming in but they were moving slowly and they weren’t particularly dark. If the storm was headed our way, we still had time before we’d need to seek cover.

As we rode, we found out that the riders had all been friends since elementary school and were celebrating almost sixty years of friendship. Other than Eli, I didn’t think there was anyone from school that I wanted to keep in touch with even now, let alone for the next few decades.

Everything was peaceful and serene and perfect … right up until about thirty minutes before we would have reached the lookout point. That was when the sky darkened drastically and fat raindrops began to fall.

TWENTY

FIONA

“Can I say it now?” Eli asked me, taking off his hat to shake the water from it.

We were standing under the porch covering of the tiny hilltop cabin that had once served as Pop-pop’s hunting pad. Not that he ever did much hunting, at least not to my memory. I knew that both Josh and Shannon used it as a lowkey party spot when they were in high school, but our dad had figured it out before it was my turn, and he’d installed locks on the two windows and put a giant padlock on the door. When Josh and Eli decided to expand the number of rides and trails, the cabin had received a good scrubbing from top to bottom and any needed repairs were made. Now, it served as a stopping point halfway up the mountain and an unofficial pit stop when necessary. And today, it had become very, very necessary. The rain that had started off slow had quickly become a drenching downpour, leaving the retirement brigade regretting their decision to bet against Mother Nature. Currently, the group was hunkered down inside, enjoying some snacks and bottled water while Eli and I stood on the porch and kept an eye on the horses huddled together under the covered patio.

I sighed. “Fine. Say it. I deserve it.”

“Told you so.”

He wasn’t gloating, it was more that he was trying to prove that he knew what the hell he was doing, which I couldn’t deny. Eli Carter was better at this than I was and as much as I didn’t like that getting under my skin, I had to respect the fact that he knew more than me.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I said, feeling grumpy about the rain, which was another item to add to the list of times when I’d been wrong. That damn list just kept growing.

The sudden storm, plus the wet clothing, had me hugging myself for warmth. I tried to hide a shiver.

“You’re cold. Go inside with the group,” Eli said, leaning against the porch railing. “The horses are fine. I can watch them.”

“No, why should I be comfortable when I’m the reason we’re stuck out here?” I shook my head. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pushed it. But if you’re cold, you can go inside.”

“Please,” Eli said. “It wasn’t just you. Those boomers know a thing or two about getting what they want. Even if all of you hadn’t outvoted me, I’m pretty sure they’d have found another means to get their way.”

Eli was right. No matter what, we probably would have caved, but I still shouldn’t have pushed it. I watched the rain glumly. “How long is this supposed to last?”

“An hour or so, then it’s back to blue skies. We’ll be fine for the rest of the ride.”

I paced to the edge of the porch. “Ugh, that puts us behind for the rest of the day. I’msomad at myself for this!”

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