Page 9 of High Side
“Onward!” He pulled on a North Face jacket. “Hey, ladies. Looking good all cleaned up.”
“You too.” Brittany liked the guy. He wasn’t her thing, but he was nice, good with horses, and not a jerk.
“Thanks. Ah, it’s good to be free for a bit.”
“Shit, the season hasn’t even started,” Kylie said.
“For you. I’ve been doing trail rides with Evie since the spring thaw runoff started.”
“How’s that going?” Kylie swung up into the truck like a dream. Yummy.
“Really good. She’s got a lock on what the clients want, you know? Panoramic vistas, yummy snacks, alpine meadows.”
Brittany had to grin, because that was, like, the quintessential Colorado dream for most people who came to visit. And it was still a possibility in the high reaches of the mountains, but to package it was pretty smart.
“She’s not a bad trail guide. I’m glad she found a way to keep the ranch afloat,” Kylie said.
“Yeah.” Milo shook his head. “It’s tough these days.”
“So M&M is partnering with local places to do other experiences?” Brittany asked.
“Yeah. You’ll see as we get into the summer,” Kylie said. “Raft and ride. Raft and camp. It’s pretty cool.”
“Neat.” She had to admit, she just wanted to keep Kylie talking, since she was really into her subject, and it lit her up.
“Yeah. We also have the winter stuff, and we’re trying to do something with the ski mountain.”
“So you’re here year-round?” How many people could Summit Springs support all year?
“Oh yeah. I own my place, so I’d better be able to keep the bills up.”
Oh, yeah. The condo. Brittany wondered what that was like. She’d get there someday, right? She was young. Free.
They turned onto Main, heading through to the other end of town. She hadn’t managed to make it to Cherry’s yet, but everyone seemed excited, pleased to be going out and getting on it.
Brit would like to be getting on to something herself. Something hot and muscled and tanned.
She flushed when they came to a stop in the parking lot, and everyone piled out. Wow, had she been staring or drooling? She hoped not.
“Come on, Brit. I’ll introduce you around,” Kylie said.
“Thanks.” Score. She wasn’t on her own, and she could buy Kylie a beer.
“This place has been around forever. They have a great pizza, a chicken parm sandwich the size of your head, and cold pitchers.” The decor was early American pool hall, with thick columns and a shit ton of neon.
“Smells good even from out here.” They made their way inside, where there were wood floors, a huge bar up front with brass rails, and classic rock on the sound system.
“It’s a solid place. Not fancy. Perfect for a little bit of a good time.”
“Hey! Ky! Over here.” A group of guides and people she didn’t recognize called to Kylie as they walked past the bar, and Kylie pulled her along when she lagged, intimidated by the size of the group.
“Hey, guys. This is Brittany. Brittany, everyone. Who’s buying the first round?”
She slid into the big round booth next to Kylie, and she did notice that someone handed Kylie a Coke. She was taking the driver role seriously. It was probably pretty tough to get an Uber in Summit Springs.
Everyone knew Kylie, and before Brittany knew it, someone was massaging her head, somebody else was making her laugh, and someone was filling in her tattoos with markers.
“Come sit, honey.” A gorgeous Viking of a woman patted the seat next to her. “Tell us all about you.”
