Warrior at Willow Lake by Mary Manners Page B

his head, grimacing. “Despite our efforts, he never regained consciousness. Josh died that night.”
    “It’s not your fault, Hunter.”
    “I should have held onto him.”
    “You tried.”
    “I shouldn’t have been jumping. If I wasn’t up there, he might have waited for Ryder, or Ali. He wouldn’t have suffered an asthma attack. If I hadn’t have tried to catch him, maybe he would have landed just fine on his own. Like I said, he’d jumped before—lots of times. He never really had any trouble.”
    “It was an accident.”
    “A preventable accident.”
    “You didn’t mean to hurt him, Hunter. You were trying to do the opposite—trying to help him.”
    “Ali was devastated. Losing Josh nearly killed her, too. Every day I watched her sink deeper into depression—watched her cry as she and Ryder drifted further and further apart. I couldn’t stay…couldn’t watch them suffer because of what I’d done—or failed to do. Losing my scholarship, my future, was the least of my pain. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were before…before Josh died.”
    “Things will never go back to exactly what they were before.”
    “I know that now.”
    “But they can be good again…happy.” Maci leaned in and pressed her lips to his forehead. “Hunter, no one blames you—most of all not Ali. She has always told me that you tried to save Josh. Her perspective, well, it’s completely different from yours.”
    Hunter knew what Maci said was true. Ryder and Ali had welcomed him back with open arms following Rory’s birth. Even now, the thought of it warmed him. Elevated to hero status after helping Ali and Rory survive their harrowing experience, the pendulum seemed to swing back to even things out. He was no longer the guy who’d failed to rescue Josh—at least not to them.
    But in his heart, the scenario would always play out with him failing. He couldn’t change it, no matter how hard he tried.
    “Ali’s always been a forgiving soul.” Hunter shook his head, grinning through the pain. “And Ryder…he’s different, but in a good way. I’ve wasted so much time in the darkness. I don’t want to waste another minute. I just want to…move on. That’s why I came back. And now, I’ve found the most amazing gift of all—I’ve found you, Maci. I never could have imagined…”
    “We’ve found each other.” Maci’s pulse skittered as Hunter drew her in and claimed her lips with a gentle brush of his. She tasted the salt of tears on his lips and knew the depth of the pain he held closest to his heart. Yet, he’d shared it with her. “I can’t help myself…I’m falling in love with you, too, Hunter.”
     
     
     
     

7
     
    Music drifted from the upper landing when Hunter entered the inn a few days later. Furnishings in oak and cedar, warm and cozy, soothed as he climbed polished stairs to the second floor. The scent of pine was a heady undertone, drawing everything together. Since he’d bared his soul with Maci, everything seemed to meld. He felt comfortable at the inn again, and was looking forward to seeing Ali and Ryder…along with little Rory, at home there in a few hours.
    He strode the length of the hallway and paused outside the last doorway, where he found Maci perched on a tarp, wielding a long-handled roller and splattered in paint.
    For a few moments, he leaned in the doorway watching, appreciating the long-limbed beauty and graceful manner. Maci was a concert violinist—the most gifted musician in the region—but she could easily be mistaken for a ballerina, as well. She turned and saw him there and a smile curved along her lips.
    “You’ve been busy.” Hunter entered the room and crossed to where she worked. He brushed a hint of mint-green from her cheek and then followed the gesture with a kiss. “You got a head start. It’s almost finished.
    “My last client cancelled so I thought I’d come over and get a jump on things.”
    “The walls are dry already.”