Winters' Solace by Heather Anne Demars

Author:Heather Anne Demars [Demars, Heather Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Scarred Hero/Heroine, Best Friends
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

“He can have all the space he wants,” she growled at a fallen pine cone before she kicked it skittering into the underbrush lining the forest trail. Her tears had subsided as she started the switchbacks, and now, as she neared the bridge crossing the waterfall, she felt the final waves of humiliation and hurt burn off in the heat of the indignation simmering in her gut. She had been so busy taking her frustration out on the trail as she ascended the mountain she had hardly noticed the climb. Reaching the bridge, she shrugged her camera pack from her shoulders and reached for the water bottle in the side pocket.

The bottle was only half full, and Brianne cursed Ryan again under her breath as she unscrewed the lid and forced herself to drink only a little. After her confrontation with him in the restaurant, she had forgotten to stop for water or food as she had originally planned, and she hadn’t realized her mistake until she was halfway up the mountain. At least she still had the water from her hike with Ryan the week before; it would have to be enough until she got back to her car. A glance at the sky told her that lack of food and water was not her only reason to make this excursion a short one. Rather than burning off as the day progressed, the clouds overhead had darkened, along with her mood.

Shouldering her pack once more, she continued up the trail, determined to leave any thoughts of her ill-tempered brother-in-law behind her on the bridge. As she moved farther away from the roar of the waterfall, she focused on the birds calling to one another as the wind whispered through the canopy of trees above her head. Moving quickly forced her to concentrate on her footfalls to avoid the various rocks, ruts, and exposed roots that threatened. The slightest misstep could leave her with a twisted ankle. Between watching the trail and listening to the sounds of the forest around her, she was almost able to forget the acid in his tone, the hostile mockery so evident in his eyes.

Almost.

Rounding a bend in the trail, she came to the clearing where she had sat to eat with Ryan the week before. Memory of his lighthearted teasing and impish grin stopped her as effectively as a downed tree in her path would have…and the thought of a downed tree brought another set of unwanted memories. Standing with Ryan on top of the fallen tree trunk, his thumbs blazing trails of fire along her ribcage…

Stop! She shook her head in a lame attempt to dislodge the memory. Her heart raced, and she knew the hike was not solely to blame. Tearing her eyes from the clearing, she quickened her pace and moved farther up the trail, assaulting more pine cones along the way.

Anger was likely the safest of the emotions battling within her, and definitely the most logical. After all, the man had given her ample fodder for that fire.

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