Chapter 20
They rode down the back roads without stopping, save for fuel and when their bodies required it.
Bella barely spoke, though Veronica tried her best to keep the conversation going.
She had no idea how to help the girl process her grief and shock.
It was an incredibly motivating factor to get them back to their homestead as soon as possible.
With that knowledge weighing heavily on her mind, she pushed the bike to its limits with both speed and distance.
Just as dusk moved over the sky, they crossed into Colorado, and a new sensation started to move through Veronica.
It was the closest she had been to her family in months.
Now, they were just an hour’s ride away.
Veronica had to take into consideration the motorcycle, though, and the terrain they would be crossing.
If they had a four-wheel drive, or if they had been on horseback, it would be an easy trek up the mountain to the town and her homestead beyond.
As it was, the motorcycle wasn’t designed for the muddy, uphill battle.
She stopped at the bottom with twenty miles to go.
They needed to gas up one last time. It was going to be intense, trying to climb the mountain without stopping.
If they did stop, she couldn’t be sure they wouldn’t end up pushing the motorcycle the rest of the way to the plateau.
Thankfully, in the dim moonlight, she could see they hadn’t had rain in quite some time.
The dusty road was compacted well. Though they would both be hacking up dust by the end of the journey, it was still better than pushing the half-ton beast for miles on end.
She was happy to see that Bella’s spirits were continuing to improve.
The Colorado mountains had that effect on people, though, often wiping away all their past worries and fears.
“We’re just about there,” Veronica said. “Once we get to the top of the mountain, it won’t be much farther.”
“It’s far more beautiful than I could have imagined, even with the way you described it. I think I’m just in awe of everything I’m seeing right now. You know, since we’re talking now, I feel like I need to apologize for giving you the silent treatment for the last couple of hours.”
“You have absolutely nothing that you need to apologize for. I can’t begin to fathom what you must be going through and everything that you must be feeling after what happened. Sometimes, things just happen to you in your life, and the only thing you can do is try to work past it.”
“I know you’re right, but I still feel like I shouldn’t be doing that to you. I have never met anyone in my life who treats me the way you do.”
“You are a young woman in a big world. Everyone adjusts in their own way, and I would never fault you for the way you adjust. I’m only treating you the way you deserve to be treated, and I’m just sorry that I didn’t meet you sooner.”
“I feel like my life would have been completely different had we met before now. I never would have imagined I would find someone who cares about me as much as you do,” Bella said. “I’m glad you talked me into coming along and that we’ve gotten the chance to know each other.”
Veronica was touched by Bella’s words. Though she felt the same, she didn’t think the child could open her heart again to anyone so soon.
Throughout the course of her life, adults had done nothing but let Bella down.
Knowing that Bella trusted Veronica, she vowed never to break that bond again.
She never wanted that to change but knew she would push Bella away if she thought it was what was best for the girl.
Keeping her safe was the only thing that mattered, even if that came at a great emotional cost to Veronica.
The girl’s feelings might change after she arrived at the homestead and heard the stories of how Veronica was in her younger days.
It was one thing to believe that those influences wouldn’t alter Bella’s feelings, but Veronica knew how impressionable a young teenage girl could be as well.
She would do whatever was best for Bella, whether that meant staying at the homestead or going back out on the road.
It was hard to tell which was the lesser of the two evils.
“I’m happy we got to know each other as well. I think you should know I feel like you’re family now. I would do absolutely whatever it took to keep you safe from the rest of the world.”
“The more time we spend together, the more I’m starting to feel exactly the same way,” Bella said. “I could feel a connection starting as soon as we met each other.”
Veronica laughed. “I hope you remember that when you start hearing all about how rotten of a child I was when I was growing up.”
Bella smiled. “I could tell the moment I met you that you were going to be the black sheep of whatever family you came from. I’m pretty sure that’s why I grew so attached to you so quickly. I knew there was something I liked about you.”
“There’s no doubt about it. I was definitely the black sheep of the family, and I don’t think any time away has changed that. You’re going to hear all about me when my family meets you, and I just hope you feel the same way after you hear everything.”
“Trust me when I say that I have never met anyone like you in my life. I could never judge anyone for the things of their past, but I’ll gladly listen to all the stories your family has to tell.”
“Just keep in mind that I am still the black sheep.”
As she worked on securing things and refueling, Veronica thought about her family.
She couldn’t help but wonder if they would be happy to see her or consider her a burden like they had before.
Veronica knew she hadn’t made things easy on her parents or her brothers.
It didn’t matter. As long as they were accepting of Bella, that was all that mattered to Veronica.
She would endure their scowls and the rumors that always spread throughout Dodger Run if it meant that Bella was finally safe.
“What do you mean by that?” Bella asked.
“I think the best way to put it is that my parents and the community are fairly religious. They are devout to a certain lifestyle that I simply could never get behind. Though I can’t say that I ever really gave it a solid attempt.”
“I take it that when you left home, you weren’t on the greatest of terms?”
“Not even close. I left Colorado to move to California when I was eighteen. It was right after my mother tried to make me conform to everything they believed in.”
Bella scoffed. “I have always wondered about families that have a religious background and how I would have reacted in situations like that, but I have to tell you that I’m extremely happy you decided to rebel.”
Veronica laughed. “I guess that’s one way you could look at it. I just rebelled against the system.”
“No matter what happens when we get there, I’m going to have your back. You have done so much more for me than most people I have ever lived with.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m just telling you that no matter what happens when we get there, I’m going to be on your side. If that means we don’t get to stay in Colorado, then we’ll go wherever you want to go.”
Veronica was surprised by the young woman’s words.
She hadn’t thought about taking Bella with her if she left the homestead.
The young girl had no idea about the life she was committing to.
She was certain after the man on the road that Bella would never want to leave the homestead again.
Yet the young girl wasn’t fazed, even knowing the dangers that life on the road could present.
While Veronica had no intention of leaving the homestead once they reached it, the possibility was always there, depending on how well she was received by her mother and father.
In all likelihood, the matriarch of the family could cast her daughter aside without a single thought for her safety or regard for the world around them.
If that were the case, Veronica had no idea what she planned on doing.
Hopefully, time would have softened her mother’s dislike for her.
Veronica wasn’t going to hold her breath.
It was a question she wouldn’t have the answers to until her vintage bike made it up the mountain to the small town near the top.