Page 16 of Wrapped Up with the Mountain Man
"Take care of yourself, Tannon," she says softly.
"You too." I want to tell her I love her. Want to ask her to stay. Want to promise I'll find a way to follow her. Instead, I say, "Good luck in Tokyo."
She nods once, then gets into the car. I watch the convoy disappear down the mountain road, taking my heart with them.
Jake finds me standing in the empty parking lot.
"So that's it?" he says. "You're just going to let her go?"
"She's got a career, Jake. A life. Those kids need her."
"What about what you need? What she needs?"
"This is what's best for everyone."
"Bullshit." Jake's voice is sharp. "You're scared. You found something real and beautiful, and you're too chickenshit to fight for it."
"I'm being practical."
"You're being a coward." He shakes his head in disgust. "Danny would be ashamed of you." Jake walks away, leaving me alone with the truth I don't want to face.
Maybe he's right. Maybe I am a coward.
But maybe it's better this way. Maybe Dove deserves someone brave enough to follow her anywhere, and that's just not who I am.
8
Dove
Valentine's Day - Two months later
Isit in my rental car outside the Darkmore Lodge, engine running, hands shaking on the steering wheel. Through the windshield, I can see the same rustic timber and stone, the same snow-covered grounds. But everything else has changed.
Including me.
I stare at the lodge, thinking about the past two months. The miserable weeks in Tokyo, watching Mia and Bentley adapt to yet another new country while their parents worked eighteen-hour days. The sleepless nights in a sterile apartment, dreaming of snow-covered mountains and hazel eyes. The growing certainty that I was living someone else's life.
The breaking point came three weeks ago. Mrs. Ashford had casually mentioned extending their Tokyo stay indefinitely, maybe making it permanent. "The children are adapting well," she'd said, as if Mia and Bentley were just another business asset to relocate.
That's when I'd found my voice. That's when I'd finally said the words I should have said months ago: "The children need stability. They need to go home. And so do I."
It hadn't been easy. There had been arguments, negotiations, threats about references and future employment. But for the first time in my career, I'd put my own needs first. I'd resigned, helped the Ashfords find a replacement, and booked a flight back to the States.
The teaching job at Mountain View Elementary had been a long shot. I'd applied from Tokyo on a whim, never expecting them to call. But they had, apparently, my experience with high-needs children and international families made me an attractive candidate. The interview had gone well. They'd offered me the position starting after spring break.
I just had one more thing to do first.
The lodge looks busy, even on a Tuesday afternoon. Valentine's couples, probably. I take a deep breath, grab my overnight bag from the backseat, and head for the entrance.
Helen stands behind the reception desk, and her face lights up when she sees me.
"Dove! What a wonderful surprise!" Then her expression grows cautious. "Please tell me you're not here on business for the Ashfords."
"I'm not with the Ashfords anymore," I say, my voice stronger than I feel. "I'm here for me. Is Tannon... is he around?"
Helen's expression grows carefully neutral. "He's here. But honey, I should warn you, he's not been himself since you left. Won't talk about what happened, just throws himself into work like a man possessed."
My heart clenches. "Where would I find him?"
