Hold Me (Fool's Gold #16)(12)

He thought about what it had been like to fly down the snow. To go faster than anyone. He thought about the feel of the wind, the sounds, the fact that for those few seconds, it was only him and the impossible odds against winning.

“Sometimes,” he admitted.

“Giving up the dream?” she asked.

He nodded. “It was going to happen eventually, but I wanted it on my terms.”

“But what you did was dangerous. You could have hurt yourself.”

He looked into her green eyes. “I did hurt myself.”

“I mean it could have been worse. Was it worth it?”

He didn’t have to consider his answer. He knew what it was like to defy gravity. He’d been the best. “Absolutely.”

“I’ll never understand that. Why would you deliberately take that kind of risk?”

“For the reward.”

Her nose wrinkled. “A trophy and some arm candy?”

“The thrill of winning. Doing what hadn’t been done before.”

“So you break a record. Someone else will break yours. The glory is fleeting.”

“The mountain is forever and when I skied, I was part of it.”

* * *

AS KIPLING SPOKE, he seemed to be looking past her, to something she couldn’t see. Destiny couldn’t understand what he was talking about. Not the meaning behind the words, anyway. Why would someone willingly put themselves in harm’s way? Of course she’d often asked her parents why they were willing to risk their marriage and family for a few nights of passion, and they hadn’t been able to explain that, either.

She supposed her inability to understand was more about her than them. She wasn’t looking for the thrill in any form, while it seemed that nearly everyone else sought it no matter the cost. But although she could usually dismiss her parents’ choices with a shrug, she found herself wanting to know more about Kipling’s. To understand what had driven him to take the risks.

“So you’re part of the mountain?” she asked. “A part of something larger than yourself?”

He gave her one of his easy smiles. “Something like that.”

“That one I get,” she told him. “When I’m alone in nature, there’s a peace. A connection. But you can feel that sitting still.”

“You can,” he corrected. “I do it with speed.”

Her gaze locked with his. In that moment, the world seemed to shrink just a little bit. Or maybe go out of focus was more accurate. She could hear the beating of her heart and knew that she was breathing, but all that seemed separate from the act of looking into his dark blue eyes.

They were sitting closer than she’d realized. Close enough that she was both uncomfortable and a little bit jumpy. Leaning forward seemed the most logical thing to do, although she couldn’t for the life of her say why. Lean forward and then what?

Rather than give in, she drew back slightly and searched for a neutral topic. “I met your sister this morning.”

“You went with the breakfast of champions, then?”

“I bought Danish for my sister.”

One brow rose. “Now you’re lying.”

“Fine. I bought them for myself, but I left most of them with her.” She shuffled the papers in front of her. “It’s nice that Shelby could move to Fool’s Gold, too. Have you always been close?”

“Mostly. I traveled a lot, and that made it harder, but we’ve stayed in touch. You know how it goes.”

“Not really,” she said before she could stop herself. “My parents had me nine months after they got married. They split up when I was five. While they were apart, my dad married someone else and had a baby with her. My mom got pregnant by some other guy, then my parents got back together. It was confusing.”

There was so much more. Other marriages, separations and divorces. Lacey and Jimmy Don believed in living large. Destiny had been passed around to relatives and friends. She’d spent time on the road with her parents. Finally, Grandma Nell had stepped in, taking her away from all the craziness. From the first moment Destiny had set foot in the small house in the mountains, she knew she was where she belonged.

“I don’t really know Starr,” she admitted. “We have the same father, but until two weeks ago, I’d never met her.”

“That’s tough. How are things going?”

“Okay, I guess. I hope they are. She doesn’t talk much, and I’ve never been responsible for a teenager before. She seems excited about the summer camp Mayor Marsha told me about. I think it would help if she got out and could make some friends.” She hesitated. “I don’t know what she wants. From me or her life. When I was her age... Let’s just say it was different.”

“Different how?”

Before she could figure out how to answer, a familiar low rumble sounded overhead. It grew louder, then quieter.

“I can’t believe it,” she said with a grin. “What is it about your gender? Can’t you just walk into a room? Do you always have to make an entrance?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She pointed to the ceiling. “That noise you just heard? It’s Miles, buzzing the town on his way to the airport. Because he thinks it’s cool. My helicopter pilot is one of the best, but he has the emotional maturity of a toddler. Come on. You’ll want to meet him, and I have to warn him that he’s not to make trouble while he’s here.”