Page 16 of Kissing My Mountain Man

“This secret was important to Clara and John.” I blurt out. “They hid it for a reason. And to go out and blast it for everybody to read it seems wrong.”

Landry frowns at me. “What’re you saying?”

“I’m saying, is it such a great idea to invade your ancestor’s privacy to write a book? Love is something they shared with each other, and it was a deep love. Why does it need to be exploited?”

“You think I’m trying to exploit her?” Landry shouts. “I’m trying to tell her story in an authentic way. I’ve spent years dedicating myself to researching her. People need to know how incredible she was and everything she went through. It’s not exploiting her. It’s celebrating her.”

She’s fuming, and her eyes narrow at me.

“By sharing her innermost thoughts, fears, and feelings with the world about the man she loved. That’s celebrating her?”

“You don’t understand. I’m preserving history.”

“No,” I say in frustration. “You aren’t preserving anything. You are putting a spotlight on the part of Clara’s life that she didn’t want to share with the world.”

I’m not sure how this conversation went so wildly off the rails, but from the expression on her face, I don’t think there is any way to save this. Everything we shared together is gone, and the ghosts of Clara and John seem to be standing between us.

“Landry, please. I don’t want—”

“I want to go back now,” she says, crossing her arms. “Can we please go?”

Her voice is monotone, and her whole body is tense and screaming for me to back the hell off. I don’t think there is anything I can say that will salvage this.

“Fine.” I turn around and start walking back to the site. She’s not the only one who is angry now.

I check to make sure the fire is out and no more embers still burn. We pack up our things. Each looking back one more time to the historic homestead where Clara and John spent their life together. A life I could’ve seen myself having with Landry, but not anymore.

I lead us down the mountain, neither one of us saying a word the whole way down.

When we get to the ranger station, Landry calls her friend Bellamy to pick her up. She’s waiting on the steps of the ranger station when her friend finally shows up. I watch from the window as Landry stomps over to the car and jumps in. She doesn’t look back at me, even though I want more than anything for her to show me some sign that what we shared isn’t over.

But when the car pulls away, anger and sadness twist in my gut. And there’s no denying the ache in my chest. I thought I knew love before Landry, but even in this short time we spent together, I now know that I never experienced a connection like this with anyone before. We shared something incredible on that mountain—a rare find that often only comes once in a lifetime.

I don’t want it to end, especially not like this.

ChapterEight

LANDRY

“What are you going to do?” Bellamy asks as we sit outside my professor’s office.

I gave Bellamy the full rundown of what happened when she picked me up a few days ago. As a fellow academic, I knew she’d understand the discovery that had been made and how I should share it with the world. But her reaction surprised me. She just sat there quietly, looking out at the road. It wasn’t until I finished telling her everything that she said that she could see why I wanted to share what I’d found. But on the other hand, she could also see Denny’s side too.

Since then, I’ve been fluttering back and forth with my emotions since I got home. One minute I’m mad because of the argument with Denny, then the next, I’m excited at the discovery we made, then I’m sad and want to cry because I miss Denny. I don’t know what to do. Devrie was no help because she’s on a work trip until next week. I couldn’t even use her as my spy to see how Denny was doing.

“I think this is a huge discovery,” I answer Bellamy. “An essential one that could lead to a lot of interest from publishers in my biography of Clara. How many graduate students can claim this type of discovery?”

“Not many.”

“Exactly.”

She nods while biting on her bottom lip. When she catches me looking at her, she sits up. “You’re right, Landry. This is big.”

My body deflates a little bit. Her words are saying one thing, but the expression on her face is saying another. She thinks this is a bad idea. This is everything I’ve worked for. To have this kind of discovery could change the trajectory of my career. So why does it feel like I’m about to sell out an old friend? Clara deserves better than someone like me to be her descendant.

“Ms. Bishop?”

I glance up and see Professor Emerson standing in the doorway before me, gesturing for me to come in.

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