The Gamble (Colorado Mountain #1)(46)

“Yes,” I said, drawing out the word because I was confused.

“What’s the big deal?” Becca asked, getting close.

“The bluff is Max’s favorite place in the world,” Mindy answered.

“He seemed rather fond of it,” I remarked and Mindy giggled.

“Yeah, you could say he’s ‘rather fond of it’,” Mindy replied through her continuing giggles. “Brody told me he’s seriously rather fond of it. It’s his special place and he doesn’t share it with just anybody. He didn’t take Brody there for years. He didn’t take me there until my sixteenth birthday and he’s known me since I was born.”

I had the strange sensation of not getting a good feeling about this information at the same time I was getting a good feeling about it.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Mindy said through a smile.

“Wow,” Becca whispered.

Wow was right.

“I don’t know what to do with that information,” I told Mindy and Becca.

“I’ll ask Brody what you should do with that information,” Mindy offered helpfully and I felt my lungs seize.

“No, don’t do that.”

“Oh yeah, do that,” Becca encouraged. “I wanna know too.”

“No, don’t,” I repeated.

“You gotta,” Becca said. “This could be huge.”

“Yeah,” Mindy’s eyes were bright with excitement and happiness. “Lovin’ this, Brody’ll love it too.” Her bright, happy eyes came to me. “Maybe even enough to come home and check you out.”

This was a nightmare.

“Um… that kind of scares me,” I told her and she laughed, linked her arm with mine and put her forehead to my shoulder.

“My big bro is cool, you’ll adore him. He’s awesome,” she said when she lifted her head.

I looked into her carefree eyes and I didn’t have the heart to burst her bubble.

“Brilliant,” I muttered and she grinned.

“That’ll be a quarter,” the clerk said from behind us, waving the print.

“A quarter for a Jimmy Cotton print? Bargain!” Becca exclaimed, I thought mostly to annoy the clerk.

If this was her intention, she succeeded magnificently and the three of us walked out of the shop together under the weight of his irate scowl, Becca and Mindy gulping back giggles.

Me?

I found it funny, their giggles were infectious and I definitely laughed.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t quaking in my boots.

* * * * *

We were sitting at a red and white checked table clothed table in the center of which was an enormous pepperoni and mushroom pizza that a family of five could assist us with consuming and everyone would be sated when Mindy started the conversation.

“Okay, it’s none of my business, really, but it kind of is because I’ve known Max since I was born.”

I looked at her around my beer knowing I wasn’t going to like this.

I lowered my beer and asked, “What’s none of your business?”

Her head tipped to my hand. “That diamond on your finger.”

I was right, I didn’t like this.

“Mindy –” I started.

“I know you’ve known him, like, real brief, but sometimes shit happens fast when you know it’s right and you guys seem solid,” she said softly. “Still, it isn’t Max’s.”

Max and me seemed solid? Shit happens fast when you know it’s right?

I ignored both of those and said softly back, “No, it isn’t Max’s.”

“So, is it an heirloom or something?” she asked and I pulled in a deep breath.

“No,” I said on the exhale.

“So, whose is it?” she pressed.

I looked at Becca who had a slice of pizza in her hand, her hand to her mouth, her teeth in the slice but her eyeballs were wandering around the room looking at anything but Mindy and me and, if she didn’t have the pizza in her mouth, I knew she would have been whistling.

Then I looked at Mindy and made a decision. “His name is Niles.”

“Niles?” she asked and I could tell she didn’t much like his name.

Niles was a perfectly fine name, of course, however it didn’t ring American Mountain Man like “Max” or “Brody” or “Damon”.

“Niles,” I repeated.

“Okay, so,” Mindy went on and I could see she was pulling up the courage to do so and I wished she wouldn’t but I understood why she did, considering it was obvious she was close to Max and cared about him. “You’re wearin’ Niles’s ring, why are you up at the A-Frame with Max?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We got time.”

“Mins,” Becca whispered.

“No, it’s okay,” I said but I didn’t know why I said it since it wasn’t.

Then suddenly it was.

And over beer and pizza, I found myself telling two twenty-four year old girls (I’d found out their ages) everything about my life, Niles, Charlie, my timeout adventure in the mountains and my e-mail.

I did not, however, tell them about Max.

When I stopped speaking and grabbed another slice of pizza, Becca breathed, “Wow, you’re goin’ through a lot.”