Chapter Twenty-Four
Blane leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the desk, turning his head to stare out the window at the mountains.
It’d been a crazy couple of days since he got back.
Mav had decided he wanted all the teams in ahead of time for the meetings he’d set up.
They had a lot of new contracts starting over the next few months, and it made sense, but Blane still wished Mav could have waited a little longer.
Cash stuck his head around the door of the meeting room where Blane was still sitting. The guys had all filed out ten minutes ago, and Blane should have followed them.
“There you are. What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
“Like you’re not doing a whole hell of a lot, which isn’t like you.” Cash came in. “Everything all right?”
“Yeah. Just taking a minute.”
“Everyone up for what you’ve assigned them to? Anyone need more training?”
Blane shook his head. “No. It all went fine. Everyone’s good with where they need to go, and I’m satisfied they’ll be able to do what’s needed when they get there.”
“So, what’s this, then?” Cash asked, perching on the edge of one of the desks.
“What’s what?”
“You sitting here doing nothing.”
Blane lifted a shoulder. “Think you just answered your own question.”
“All right. I almost forgot you don’t do subtle, so I’ll come right out and ask. Have you heard from Bea?”
Blane turned to stare out the window again. He’d loved these mountains his whole life, but right now he wished he was looking at a smaller range, or even a hill. More to the point, a hillside covered in olive groves.
“Not much.”
Cash didn’t say anything. He just kept looking at him.
“I told you. I let her know I made it back safe. She did the same.”
“Jesus, Blane. And you haven’t talked to her since?”
Blane pushed back from the desk and got to his feet. “Sent her a couple of texts.”
“And?”
“And nothing.”
“Why not?”
“Jesus, Cash, leave it, would you?”
“No. I hate seeing you like this.”
“I’m not like anything.” Blane reached for the papers he’d left on the desk. “You want to talk about something useful, or are we done?”
Cash came over and grasped his shoulder. “We are talking about something useful. I don’t like this, bud.”
Blane shrugged him off. “Yeah, well, I don’t either. But what am I supposed to do about it?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
“There’s nothing to figure out. My life’s here, hers is there. End of story.”
Cash chuckled. “The story ain’t over until the big guy smiles.”
Blane tried to force one, but it wouldn’t come.
Cash pointed at him. “I rest my case. But since trying to get a real smile out of you is like trying to get blood from a stone, let’s get out of here.”
“That’s the plan. I’m going home.”
“You don’t have one.”
Blane frowned at him.
“If you mean you’re going back to your room, I’m calling Brooke.”
“You never complained about me calling my room home when we were back in Colorado. It’s no different here. Sure, we’re on Mav’s ranch, but all the guys have a place to sleep. I’ve got a bigger room of my own. No difference.”
“The difference,” Cash said, “is that back in Colorado, you’d never tried having a home of your own. Seems to me you know what one feels like now, and you’re missing it.”
Blane blew out a sigh. “Yeah, well, missing it doesn’t change anything. But you’re right about one thing. I’ll head up and see Brooke.” He reached into his pocket for his keys, and his thumb traced the little Rosetta Stone keychain.
Once he was in his truck and on his way, he couldn’t help comparing Paradise Valley to Bea’s valley. He’d always loved this place. Still did. That was almost the problem. There was nothing wrong with being back here, except that some part of him had stayed behind in Crete.
He slowed when he spotted a herd of elk gathering near the highway ahead, then pulled onto the shoulder as the first few cleared the fence.
There had to be close to fifty of them. He took out his phone and started recording as one after another sailed over the fence, crossed the road in a loose stream, then cleared the fence on the far side and disappeared toward the trees.
He sat there until the last of them vanished into the tree line. It’d be the middle of the night for Bea, but he selected the video anyway and typed out a message.
Blane: Hey, darlin’. This is why I wasn’t worried about one goat in the middle of the road.
He stared at it for a few moments, then added:
How you doing?
And hit Send.
~ ~ ~
Bea watched the video over and over again.
She couldn’t believe there were so many enormous deer simply running around like that, and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking.
The mountains were huge, and some of them were still wearing snowy caps.
Something inside her had rather liked the symmetry of knowing that she and Blane both lived in valleys, even if those valleys were half a world apart.
Now that she’d seen his, though, she understood that the word meant something rather different in Montana than it did in Crete.
She really should get out of bed. She was going for her walk this morning, and she’d been keeping up with them every day since he left, even though they somehow managed to make her feel closer to him and made his absence sharper at the same time.
Everywhere she went, she found another little reminder of somewhere they’d walked together.
She looked back at his message.
Blane: Hey, darlin’. This is why I wasn’t worried about one goat in the middle of the road. How you doing?
Her heart gave the same little squeeze it did every time she saw that word.
She tapped Reply.
Bea: Hello, darling. I can’t believe there are so many deer running around like that, and they’re so big.
If I see Pericles on my walk this morning, I’ll just be grateful he doesn’t have a gang of his own.
Can you imagine a dozen Pericleses running around?
I shudder at the thought. I’m sure you’ll be asleep by now, but I hope tomorrow is a good day for you, out saving the world or whatever it is you’re doing.
I’m keeping myself busy. I have my first proper Greek lesson with Yiannis this afternoon, and Sabine called, so I’m going to the shelter tomorrow.
She stopped typing and gripped the phone a little tighter.
It was already far too long for a text, but she didn’t want to shorten it.
More than that, she didn’t want to say less.
Perhaps she shouldn’t ramble on. Perhaps she ought to keep things light and easy so neither of them started expecting too much from these messages.
The sensible voice in her head kept reminding her that this was what happened when people went back to lives on opposite sides of the world.
At first, they kept in touch. Then the messages became less frequent, until one day there was nothing left between them except the memory of the time they’d had.
She looked at everything she’d written again. These messages felt like the last thin thread still connecting her to Blane, and she wasn’t ready to be the one who loosened her grip on it. So she hit Send before the sensible voice could talk her out of it.
~ ~ ~
As Blane drove up Highway 89 the following weekend, the sight of a small herd of elk grazing down by the river made him smile.
Bea had thought the damn things were deer in that video he’d sent her.
His smile faded. There was no reason she should know the difference.
She’d never been to Montana. And no matter how often he turned it over in his head, it wouldn’t be right to ask her to come.
He wanted more than visits, but she was busy building the life she wanted in Crete.
From what she’d told him, the Greek lesson had gone well, and she’d driven her little car down to Plakias for more candles.
She still hadn’t made it back to the shelter because her lawyer had asked her to go in to talk about a boundary issue.
Blane wished she’d told him more about that, but she’d glossed over it.
She’d switched back to talking about the shelter and how she still was planning to go soon.
He dragged his attention back to the road. He was on his way to see Brooke. They were having dinner at the house, and he needed to be here, not six thousand miles away in another valley, thinking about everything Bea was doing without him.
Brooke greeted him with a big hug. “Hey. I’m so glad we could finally do this. When you first came home, I thought we’d get a lot more time together.”
“Yeah. Sorry, kiddo. Work’s been busier than I expected.”
“I know, and it’s not your fault. I’m as busy as you are.” She made a face. “That wasn’t really what I meant. Want a beer?”
He nodded and followed her into the kitchen, where she handed him a cold one from the fridge.
“Go on,” he said. “Say whatever’s on your mind.”
She leaned back against the counter. “I don’t suppose it really matters; you’ve been back a while now, and it’s all good, but I wanted to know… I thought you were going to move back in here. I thought we were finally going to…” She shrugged. “You know.”
“Come here.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you, too.”
“What?”
She looked up at him, and for one stupid second it wasn't her face he could see looking up at him from under his arm, but Bea's. He pushed the thought away. He’d text her later. Or email her. Their messages had already started getting too long to fit into texts anyway.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. Especially since Crete.”
Brooke’s expression changed. “Come sit down. Pizza’s in the oven.”
He followed her into the living room and sat down beside her on the sofa.
“What have you been thinking about?”
“That I never told you how sorry I am.”
Her brows drew together. “Sorry for what, Blane?”