Snow Falls

chapter Thirty-Five



Ryan stood at the window, watching the day dawn over her little slice of heaven. Only it hadn’t exactly felt like heaven to her in months. She glanced down, seeing both dogs watching her.

“I miss her,” she said.

Sierra tilted her head, listening.

“You probably miss her too.” She was almost disappointed when she got no response.

She went to the kitchen, tossing out her cold coffee and refilling her cup—her third of the morning already. The silence in the cabin was deafening. Each day, it seemed to get louder and louder. So much so that she spent nearly every daylight hour outside, hiking, moving around, anything to keep from being alone in the cabin.

She rarely opened her laptop, rarely turned on the TV. She was in a funk and she knew it. She should go down the mountain, hang out with Morgan and Reese for a few days, hang out at Sloan’s Bar. Hell, drive to Gunnison or something. Anything to escape the silent hell she found herself in.

But she hadn’t spoken with Morgan or Reese since the day she fled. Morgan’s words still rang in her ears.

“She’s in love with you. She was already in love with you when she left here. Why do you think she was crying?”

Had Jen fallen in love with her? Was that possible? Did she dare believe that someone could love her? Love her, not love her name. If she was being completely honest with herself, she would admit that yes, Jen had taken her heart when she left here. And had locked it up even tighter after she’d visited her in Santa Fe.

Visited? No, they hadn’t visited. They’d made love. Over and over. They hadn’t talked. Not really.

We made love.

Ryan closed her eyes, remembering Jen’s touch, remembering it like it was yesterday. Yet it seemed so long ago since she’d seen her, touched her, felt her.

She ached for her still. Ached to hear her voice. Ached to touch her. Ached to have Jen touch her. Ached to make love with her again.

She put her cup down, walking purposefully to the door. She did what she did best.

She ran.

Ran from her thoughts. Ran from herself.

“Come on, girls.”

They burst out the door with her, out into the fresh air, away from the stifling silence of the cabin. She shut her thoughts off and headed down the mountain, hoping to find some peace.