Epilogue
With everythingthat’s been going on in Mustang Mountain, I had to get out of town for a while. So instead of meeting with a potential client over a video call, I decided to do it in person. No one would miss me for a few hours. As one of the younger guys in the club, I’m just a grunt.
The sun beat down on my shoulders. Even through my leather jacket, I could feel its warmth. I passed a sign for Silver Creek, and I didn’t even flinch. It had been a long time since I’d been out this way. Usually, I avoided it if I could.
Sammy was from Silver Creek, though she hated to admit it. Unlike a lot of other places that had been well preserved and had buildings listed on historic registries, the old mining town was barely hanging on. I’d been there once when we were in college together. She’d needed a ride home for the holidays and since I had no family to go home to, I volunteered to take her.
I could still remember the exact moment I fell for her. She’d been standing in front of the cafe her mom ran in the middle of what used to be a busy downtown. She was supposed to close the cafe, but thanks to a huge snowstorm, there hadn’t been a customer in hours. Snow fell all around us, and I’d been trying to dig my truck out of the parking lot for over an hour.
We ended up spending the night in the cafe and snuggling on the single mattress her mom kept in the back office. That was the night I finally admitted to myself that my dried up heart might actually be capable of loving someone.
A bike whizzed past me, pulling my attention back to the present. I squinted, trying to make out the logo on the back of the rider’s jacket, but the glare made it impossible. Probably just another local who loved getting out for a drive just as much as I did.
Dealing with the Savage Bones had made me jumpy. The farther away from Mustang Mountain I got, the less likely I was to come across any of the assholes who’d been terrorizing our town.
An hour later, I’d made my pitch, secured a deal that would make sure my boss earned his fat bonus check for the quarter, and was on my way back to Mustang Mountain. The sun that had been blazing high in the sky earlier now hid behind a dark wall of clouds. With luck, I’d make it home before I got caught in a summer downpour.
Then again, I’d never been very lucky.
The first drops splattered on my shoulders before I even pulled away from the curb. Weather up here in the mountains could be unpredictable and could also change with no notice. Hoping it would pass quickly, I pulled on my helmet and fired up my bike.
By the time I saw the sign for Silver Creek, I was ready to wait out the storm under a bridge or find a place to grab a quick cup of coffee. My clothes were soaked, and I could use something to warm myself up.
I slowed and exited the highway. No big deal. I’d just stop in at the cafe and her mom probably wouldn’t even recognize me. Even if she did, it was time to check in on Sammy. It had been five years since I’d dropped out of college and out of her life. Not a day passed that I didn’t wonder how she was doing. She’d had big dreams of getting out of Montana and making a difference in the world. As much as it hurt to let her go without exploring what could have been between us, I’d refused to hold her back.
The cafe looked smaller than I remembered. Streetlights flickered overhead, but it was the only building lit up from the inside. Looked like the past five years hadn’t been kind to downtown Silver Creek.
I turned into the parking lot and killed the engine. Did I really want to go inside? I’d made peace with the past, or at least as much peace as I could. I didn’t have a sentimental side and had been accused of not even having a heart. Sammy was the only one who’d seen me for who I was under all the attitude I hid behind.
Dammit. It was just a cup of coffee. If her mom was working, maybe I’d ask how her daughter was doing. That was all. I could handle this.
I sucked in a deep breath and stepped onto the sidewalk. A car drove by, close enough to the curb to send a spray of water over me. As if I wasn’t already soaked right through. Fuck it.
Looking like something from one of those old black and white horror movies that had come crawling up out of a swamp, I pulled the door open and stepped inside. The scent of coffee and something warm and sugary fresh from the oven greeted me.
An older man and woman sat in a booth by the front window. He lifted his hand in a slight wave. I nodded in return. Sammy’s mom must have been back in the kitchen. I headed toward the restroom to try to clean myself up a bit.
When I came out, the couple was gone. I sat down at a table in the back, the only customer in the whole damn place. Though it was clean enough inside to eat off the fucking floor, it lacked the warmth and homey feeling it once had.
I grabbed a menu and studied the special of the day. Homemade meatloaf with smashed red potatoes and green beans. My stomach growled. Sammy’s mom used to make all the pies from scratch. I could follow that up with a slice of banana cream, or better yet, homemade huckleberry.
I was so focused on choosing my lunch, I didn’t notice the server approach until she cleared her throat right next to me.
“What’ll it be? Can I start you off with something to drink?”
My chest squeezed so tight I struggled to take in a breath. Then I lifted my head and stared up into the most beautiful pair of green eyes I’d ever seen.
“Sammy? What are you doing here?” My voice came out half whisper, half growl.
Her eyes went wide and she blinked a few times like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Juice?”
It was her… the only woman I’d ever come close to loving…. the woman I’d abandoned… the woman I’d completely failed.