One Colorado Night by Joanne Rock

Author:Joanne Rock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-03-26T16:17:47+00:00

Eight

Twisted in his sheets six hours later, Ryder woke from uneasy dreams.

Spearing a hand through his hair, he winced at a muscle strain in his shoulder. He must have pulled it during the rescue when he’d leaned deep into a crevice to haul one of the panicked climbers to safety. There’d been concern among the SAR team that the guy had seriously injured his legs given his lack of movement and his symptoms of shock. He’d been pale and clammy, anxious in the extreme. He was only twenty-three, and he’d fallen in an ascent with his brother. The two of them had been trying to outdo one another on the trail, racing where they should have been spotting each other. The brother’s blatant disregard for his younger sibling had reminded Ryder too much of the way Jessamyn’s father had behaved during a long-ago climb, bringing back too many bad memories.

Shoving out of his bed, Ryder padded barefoot toward the en suite bathroom, then flipped on the dual-head shower. While steam rose off the Calacatta marble salvaged from a home demolition, he tried to gather his bearings and shake off the nightmares. In his sleep, his brain had confused the recent rescue with his first winter mission involving Mateo Barclay on one of Colorado’s most dangerous peaks. The episode where Mateo’s bravado had almost cost his then-girlfriend her life.

Ryder stepped under the powerful stream of water, hoping to wash away thoughts of the incident he’d put out of his mind until Jessamyn returned to Catamount. Yet from that day forward, it had circled his head daily since Mateo’s confessions on Longs Peak might be enough evidence for the Barclay sisters to win their case. With each passing hour, keeping quiet about what he knew weighed heavier on him. Especially now that they were spending time together again. He wasn’t sure what the future held for them when her life was still about the real estate business based in New York. But he felt certain the connection they shared didn’t come around often. He’d let her go ten years ago to pursue her dreams, only to discover he wanted her even more now than he had back then.

Still, Jessamyn deserved to know the truth about her dad, although it would hurt her deeply.

Enough to make her cut ties with Mateo and New York?

Certainly, that wasn’t any part of Ryder’s motive in wanting her to know about her father, but it was a real possibility. Shutting down the shower nozzles, Ryder stepped out of the tile shower surround to towel off, contemplating his options for giving her the information she needed. It wouldn’t violate any standard of ethics if she learned the truth from Mateo’s ex-girlfriend. Or better yet, straight from Mateo himself.

Tossing his towel aside, Ryder strode into the closet where built-in mahogany shelves and racks organized business and black-tie attire on one side, while deep drawers on the other side contained rescue gear and work clothes. He pulled on jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt before returning to the bedroom to retrieve his phone.

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