Tetons. A lone eagle soared on thermal currents overhead. Her throat tightened, and she wondered how she had stayed away so long.
âItâs my favorite spot on the ranch.â For a moment she saw vulnerability in his face and she wondered if he ever regretted moving away.
Trent spread the quilt, and they sat in silence, enjoying the view. Bryn was extremely conscious of him at her side, so close she could feel his body heat. He had leaned back on his elbows, and his flat stomach drew her attention. He was lean and fit and utterly masculine.
She had loved him one way or another for most of her life. When her parents died, it was nineteen-year-old Trent, more than anyone else, who had been able to comfort her. She had cried on his shoulder for hours, and finally, she had believed him when he said the hurt would get better.
If Trent said it, it must be so.
She tried to bridge the gulf between them, wanting some kind of peace. âYou taught me to ride a horseâ¦to drive a car. I always wanted you to give me my first kiss. But instead, it was Jesse.â
Trentâs expression was bleak. âThat was a long time ago. Things change.â
She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She was not the same scared, devastated girl who left the ranch six years ago. She had borne a child, gone back to school, learned to deal with lifeâs disappointments.
But here on this mountaintop, she could feel the pull of emotion. And that was a recipe for disaster.
âWhat did the doctor say about Mac yesterday?â
Trent sat up, his shoulder momentarily brushing hers. âHe was pleased with his physical progress. But he pulled me aside and said heâs concerned about Macâs mental condition. Thereâs no real reason Mac needs you or anyone to babysit him anymore. Mac seems to think heâs more fragile than he really is. The doc says we need to coax him out of that damned bedroom and get him back to living.â
She flipped an adventurous ant from the edge of the quilt. âThey say that even for a normal heart-attack patient that can be hard. But on the heels of Jesseâs deathâ¦â She trailed off. They both knew that Mac hadnât dealt with either the reality or the circumstances of Jesseâs passing.
Finally, still without looking at her, Trent spoke. âIâm sorry I didnât take you to the prom.â
She was surprised that he would bring it up after all this time. âI was a silly girl. You were a grown man. That was bound to end badly.â
âStill,â he said doggedly, âI could have handled it better.â
What could she say to that?
At last he turned toward her. âI was attracted to you, Bryn. And that scared the hell out of me.â
âYouâre just saying that to make me feel better.â She couldnât meet his probing gaze. âI was so embarrassed. I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Literally.â Thinking about that long-ago afternoon made her cringe.
He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek. âIâm serious, Bryn. When you started dating Jesse, I hated it.â
At last she found the courage to look at him. His eyes were sober, his expression unguarded. His small grin was self-deprecating. âHe was my own baby brother, and I wanted to punch him in the face.â
Her breath hitched in her throat. âI didnât mean for it to happen that way. I never should have asked you to take me to the prom. But then Jesse found me crying behind the barn and he promised to take me to the dance. He made me feel better.â
âBecause I had made you feel like nothing.â
A jerky nod was all she could manage.
âIâve asked myself a million times if things could have turned out differently. If Iâd taken you to the damn dance instead of Jesse. We might have ended up together.â
She rested her forehead on her bent knees. â Iâve questioned