were awesome and he’d always loved them – they were one of the main reasons he’d moved to Denver from his home state of Georgia – but beyond staring at the damn things between staring at Maria, what else could he do all day?
To his utter shock, Open Skies was fun. The staff were great people and they obviously loved Maria like a family member. The fact that Dillon was there to keep her safe meant that he was accepted too, and without question. Everyone was respectful, friendly, warm. Manny made a point to ask him about his favorite dishes and had his kitchen staff make a few of them; Julie had the cleaning staff run in to town to get some toiletries for him when he ran short; Jake gave him a key to the staff gym so Dillon could go and work out late at night when Maria was sleeping and Jake or Phil were in the guard booth, watching the camera feeds.
Within a week of being there, Dillon loved it and wondered how he’d be able to settle back in to the city again. He loved the laid-back calm of the ranch, loved the amazing food, loved the vibrantly-colorful wildflowers bursting in to bloom in the mountains. He loved the fresh air and the surrounding open fields and the campfires they had some nights.
Most of all, though, he loved being with Maria all the time. Every morning, he got up first, made the coffee and went out on the patio to drink his first cup. He stood there, watching the sunrise over the mountains, listening to the silence. Never in his life had he enjoyed getting up early as much as he did at Open Skies. When he heard her moving around in her bedroom, he’d pour her coffee and then they’d go to the patio together.
Seeing her sitting there in a long t-shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair loose and tousled, her bare toes curled on the chilly ground, made his heart clench. She didn’t say much in the mornings, didn’t chatter on about nothing, and he liked that. Often, they’d just sit together and drink their coffees, watch the birds flying by, make the occasional comment. The silence between them was comfortable and neither felt any pressure to fill it up.
His days were spent following Maria around and even that was fine by him. She spent most of her time at Reception, so he watched the door and he watched the road leading up to the main building. After she finished work, they were free to do whatever they wanted – and this was the part of the day that Dillon looked forward to, more than anything else.
Sometimes, they walked around the ranch or in the mountains. They went for horse rides together, which they both adored. They went in to Clarity to shop, or eat, or to drop by Maria’s place to grab some clothes or just check in and pick up her mail. They ran errands, went to the movies, bought Dillon some clothes since what he’d brought for what he’d assumed was a day trip to the ranch was woefully inadequate. She met friends for coffee or dinner and he sat one table over and watched them. And Maria and Dillon talked. God, how they talked… it was easy to laugh and joke with her and he loved to make her smile.
So somehow – without him even noticing – Dillon began to feel at home at Open Skies. And when he realized that, he began to wonder just how he could be expected to leave it.
To leave her.
Chapter Four
Annabeth stared at herself in the mirror, breathless and nervous. Eric had just called her from a gas station ten minutes away to say that he was almost there. She was going to see him again, after almost a year apart.
She winced when she remembered the last time they’d actually been physically in the same room together. It had been right here, in this cabin, and it had been when Eric finally told her that Annabeth’s husband’s heart was beating in Eric’s chest. He’d received Cam’s heart – and he’d come to Open Skies to meet Annabeth, to lay eyes on the woman whose husband had saved his life. What neither one of them had expected was to fall in love… and
To his utter shock, Open Skies was fun. The staff were great people and they obviously loved Maria like a family member. The fact that Dillon was there to keep her safe meant that he was accepted too, and without question. Everyone was respectful, friendly, warm. Manny made a point to ask him about his favorite dishes and had his kitchen staff make a few of them; Julie had the cleaning staff run in to town to get some toiletries for him when he ran short; Jake gave him a key to the staff gym so Dillon could go and work out late at night when Maria was sleeping and Jake or Phil were in the guard booth, watching the camera feeds.
Within a week of being there, Dillon loved it and wondered how he’d be able to settle back in to the city again. He loved the laid-back calm of the ranch, loved the amazing food, loved the vibrantly-colorful wildflowers bursting in to bloom in the mountains. He loved the fresh air and the surrounding open fields and the campfires they had some nights.
Most of all, though, he loved being with Maria all the time. Every morning, he got up first, made the coffee and went out on the patio to drink his first cup. He stood there, watching the sunrise over the mountains, listening to the silence. Never in his life had he enjoyed getting up early as much as he did at Open Skies. When he heard her moving around in her bedroom, he’d pour her coffee and then they’d go to the patio together.
Seeing her sitting there in a long t-shirt and a pair of shorts, her hair loose and tousled, her bare toes curled on the chilly ground, made his heart clench. She didn’t say much in the mornings, didn’t chatter on about nothing, and he liked that. Often, they’d just sit together and drink their coffees, watch the birds flying by, make the occasional comment. The silence between them was comfortable and neither felt any pressure to fill it up.
His days were spent following Maria around and even that was fine by him. She spent most of her time at Reception, so he watched the door and he watched the road leading up to the main building. After she finished work, they were free to do whatever they wanted – and this was the part of the day that Dillon looked forward to, more than anything else.
Sometimes, they walked around the ranch or in the mountains. They went for horse rides together, which they both adored. They went in to Clarity to shop, or eat, or to drop by Maria’s place to grab some clothes or just check in and pick up her mail. They ran errands, went to the movies, bought Dillon some clothes since what he’d brought for what he’d assumed was a day trip to the ranch was woefully inadequate. She met friends for coffee or dinner and he sat one table over and watched them. And Maria and Dillon talked. God, how they talked… it was easy to laugh and joke with her and he loved to make her smile.
So somehow – without him even noticing – Dillon began to feel at home at Open Skies. And when he realized that, he began to wonder just how he could be expected to leave it.
To leave her.
Chapter Four
Annabeth stared at herself in the mirror, breathless and nervous. Eric had just called her from a gas station ten minutes away to say that he was almost there. She was going to see him again, after almost a year apart.
She winced when she remembered the last time they’d actually been physically in the same room together. It had been right here, in this cabin, and it had been when Eric finally told her that Annabeth’s husband’s heart was beating in Eric’s chest. He’d received Cam’s heart – and he’d come to Open Skies to meet Annabeth, to lay eyes on the woman whose husband had saved his life. What neither one of them had expected was to fall in love… and
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