Falling Embers by Catherine Cowles

Author:Catherine Cowles [Cowles, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub

The wind whipped against my face as we rode down the trail. The path along Cleary Creek was well-worn and easy to navigate. There weren’t any stray roots or rocks that would send someone flying. It was perfect for a relaxed bike ride, with just enough peaks and valleys to keep things interesting.

“Dad, watch this,” Birdie cried in front of me. My youngest daughter by five minutes pedaled harder and then raced down a dip in the trail. The hill was steeper than I remembered, and I held my breath as Birdie flew down it.

She whooped and hollered as she reached the bottom, but I couldn’t hear what words she yelled over the roaring of the blood in my ears. Hadley came to a stop next to me on the trail, Sage behind us. She rested a hand on my forearm. “You okay?”

I tore my focus away from Birdie and took in Hadley’s expression. Wariness filled it as if she were bracing for me to lose it. She had reason to. I let out a shaky breath. “I’m fine.”

“I want to do the hill,” Sage piped up from behind us.

“You sure, Buttercup?” I asked.

She nodded. “I’m gonna fly.”

The corner of Hadley’s mouth kicked up as a wistfulness took over her expression. “Flying was always my favorite.”

I guided my bike to the side of the path. “Go for it, kiddo.”

Sage grinned and pushed off. She didn’t go as fast as her sister, but her dark hair flew behind her in waves. I didn’t let out my breath until she reached the bottom. I turned to Hadley. “You next?”

“I never pass up a chance to fly.” She sailed over the edge of the hill, putting Birdie’s speed to shame. Her head tipped back as she went, and she let loose one of those uninhibited laughs.

I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face as I watched her, completely free and alive. Without giving myself a chance to think about it, I took off after her, pumping my pedals to get even more speed. Instead of staying on the trail, I went to the side of it, aiming for a gulley. I hit it with just the right speed and at just the right angle. The air I caught was nothing short of sheer beauty.

It had been so long since I’d felt this. The hitch in my breathing. The dump of adrenaline. The moment of feeling nothing but the wind around you. I couldn’t believe I’d ever given it up.

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