Something Like Love

by Sara Richardson

  “Yeah. That blew me away,” she admitted. “But I can’t do it, Ruby. I couldn’t love both sides of him.” The Ben she’d spent the night with, yes. She could fall in love with him. But not the Ben who’d stood in front of the cameras. “It’s easier to cut it off now. Before things go further.” Before she gave him her heart and he broke it. She couldn’t do that again. There’d be nothing left.

  “You slept with him,” her friend reminded her. “How much further—?”

  A siren whined behind them and cut her off. Red and blue lights flashed across the car’s interior.

  Ruby’s hands froze on the steering wheel as she looked in her rearview mirror. “Oh, no. Paige. There’s a cop,” she whispered, like they sitting there smoking crack instead of having a normal conversation.

  “Relax.” Paige looked around and spotted the NO PARKING sign they tended to post in tricky spots all over Aspen. The city had to pay the bills somehow. “We weren’t supposed to park here, that’s all. No biggie.”

  But Ruby’s face had paled. “This is not good. This is really not good.”

  Good god, hadn’t the girl ever gotten a speeding ticket? A warning? She hadn’t pegged Ruby for the goody-goody type. “It’ll be fine.” She waved her off. A parking ticket was nothing to panic about, and this definitely wasn’t her first rodeo with the law. “The cops here get bored.” She grinned to put Ruby at ease. “But you’re gorgeous, so we’ll probably get off with a warning.”

  Ruby didn’t look amused. “No, you don’t understand,” she whimpered. “I can’t get a ticket.”

  “Why—?”

  “Mornin’.” Sawyer ducked his head toward Ruby’s window.

  Paige let out a breath. She had no idea why Ruby was so panicked, but at least it was only Sawyer. He was harmless.

  “How’s it goin’, ladies?” he asked, like he’d fully expected Paige and Ruby to be sitting there.

  Ruby sat statuesque, hands still positioned firmly at ten o’clock and two o’clock.

  “Hi, Sawyer,” Paige said quickly, to compensate for her friend’s obvious fear. “What’s up?”

  “Ben was looking for you at the ranch,” he said, even though his eyes kept drifting back to Ruby, but the woman stared straight ahead as though watching a horror movie.

  Paige’s heart did a flip at the thought of Ben looking for her. That would have to stop. “Is that why you pulled us over?” she asked hoping to move this along for Ruby’s sake.

  “This isn’t a legal parking spot.” Sawyer pointed to the NO PARKING sign a few feet in front of the car.

  “Yeah. Sorry about that. Ruby was giving me a ride back to my car.” After a serious walk of shame…

  Ignoring her, Sawyer leaned down, resting his bulging forearms on the edge of the window. “Hey, Ruby. I’ve been meaning to tell you…you make the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted. Don’t tell Aunt Elsie I said that.”

  Paige fought a smile. Sawyer obviously had a thing for Ruby. He knew exactly who he was pulling over.

  Except the feeling didn’t seem to be mutual. Ruby’s face went from white to pink. Her head turned slowly to face Sawyer, like it was on a crank. “Mmmm hmmm,” she murmured, staring at him like he was a big, ugly black widow.

  “So, Sawyer,” Paige said, stealing the spotlight before he figured out something was up. “You’re not going to give us a ticket or anything, are you?”

  “Of course not.” He studied Ruby’s face carefully. “But is everything okay? Anything I can help with?”

  Her friend looked like she was two seconds away from bursting into tears. Or throwing up? The poor woman. Paige suddenly had an overwhelming urge to rescue her. “Everything’s great. Ruby was giving me some relationship advice.” She clamped a hand on her friend’s shoulder until the woman smiled and nodded.

  “Does it have anything to do with Noble?” Sawyer asked innocently.

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she said as nicely as possible.

  Sawyer only grinned. “I’ll let you two ladies get back to it, then.” He straightened. “Oh, wait.” Leaning in, he looked Ruby over again, his gaze trailing down her body and back up. “Noticed you have North Carolina plates.”

  Paige actually heard her friend swallow.

  “How long have you been in town?” he asked in that official police officer tenor.

  “A couple of months,” she choked out.

  His smile brought out the left dimple that had women all over town fanning themselves. “You’ll get that taken care of soon, right?”

  “Mmmm hmmm.” She cranked her head away from him, staring out the windshield again.

  “I’ll help her,” Paige promised.

  “All right, then. See you ladies around.” Gravel crunched under his boots as he walked away.

  As soon as he was gone, Ruby closed her eyes, shoulders rising and falling with frantic breaths.

  “What the hell was that about?” Paige asked, then reined in her tone so she didn’t sound so brash. “I mean, what are you so afraid of?”

  Ruby peered into the rearview mirror and smoothed her red hair back into place. “I’m not scared,” she insisted, her voice full of steel. “I’m focused right now, Paige. On rebuilding my life. I don’t want any distractions.” Her head tipped back against the headrest. “And someone like Sawyer could be a serious distraction.”

  “That makes sense.” She got it. Some things weren’t worth giving up for a man.

  Ruby’s gaze drifted back to the rearview mirror like she was looking behind her, watching for a disaster. “Anyway. You should get home so you can get ready for the trip. Bryce’ll kill you if you’re late.”

  “I guess so.” She glanced at her watch. Only had a half hour until she had to load the boats. “But let’s go out Friday,” she said to Ruby. Because the woman obviously needed friends as much as she did. “I’ll invite Avery and we can make it a girls’ night.” She might never know what had happened to Ruby, she might not be able to help her, but she could be a friend.

  “I’d love that.” Her smile erased the fear that hid in her eyes.

  After saying good-bye and getting out of the car, Paige turned to watch Ruby drive away. She was rebuilding her life. And in some ways, Paige was building hers for the first time. Everything she had—every ounce of energy and hope and strength and time she possessed had gone toward building the therapy program. Ruby was right. Building something took focus. She didn’t need any distractions, either. Especially a distraction she couldn’t have a future with.

  Paige walked to her car and slid into the driver’s seat, then rolled down the windows. She inhaled deeply, feeling the sun on her face, the chill of the high-altitude air. Since he’d arrived in Aspen, Ben had been one big interruption.

  But she couldn’t let one mistake with him steer her away from her goal.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  After searching the whole damn property, Ben sprinted to the boat sheds, but, unfortunately, everyone else had already made it there. Bryce, Gracie, Julia, Kev, and yes, the one who mattered most.

  Paige bent over the trailer, hands working on some kind of complicated knot that cinched the rafts down.

  Whoa. Bryce was right. She’d gone home to change. The red swimsuit top that looked like a sports bra and black board shorts stopped him dead in his tracks. Son of a pistol, look at those abs. Dented and carved. Not skinny. Curvy. And hot damn, those weren’t her only curves; he knew that for a fact.

  Steering clear of the others, he approached her and whistled. “Just when I think you couldn’t possibly get any hotter…”

  Her head stayed low, hands working furiously to tighten the knot.

  “Uh…” He leaned closer. “Is everything okay?”

  She straightened and looked at him with cool eyes, like he was a complete stranger. “Fine. Excuse me.” She slipped past him and hurried to the open van door.

  He followed. “Can I help with anything?”

  �
�Nope.” Her eyes continued to avoid him.

  “Did I do something to piss you off?” Only she didn’t seem mad. She seemed…indifferent?

  “Nope,” she said like a damn parrot.

  “What the hell happened?” he demanded. “What about last night? I thought…” they had some kind of connection. “Is this about the press conference?” Was she mad about what he’d said?

  She finally stopped working. A sigh huffed out. “I can’t talk about this right now. Okay? I have a lot of work to do.”

  “But—”

  “I can’t have any distractions. We’ll talk later. Did you bring your bags down?” Seemingly intent on avoiding any meaningful conversation, Paige bounded away and loaded a duffel into the back of the van.

  “Not yet.” What did that have to do with anything? He assessed her with a long stare, taking in her rigid movements, her tight lips. Lips that had clung to his earlier that morning, thank you very much.

  “I need your bags,” she intoned. “I have to finish packing.”

  Like a chump, he hiked back up to the cabin, snatched his dry sack off his dresser, and hiked back. By the time he got to the van, Paige had everyone gathered around her.

  “Benjamin!” Gracie stretched out her arms to greet him. He looked her over. “I see someone went shopping,” he said, taking in her attire—blue dry pants and long-sleeved swim shirt, with the latest in high-end river shoes on her feet.

  “I had to prepare for the trip.” Gracie smoothed down her shirt. “I was hoping for something in purple. Blue simply isn’t my color.”

  “First-world problems,” he muttered, Paige’s apathy still gnawing at him. Like they couldn’t afford to have a five-minute conversation.

  “If everyone will give me your attention,” Paige called. “We have to get through the safety talk before we can leave.” Her face had turned to stone.

  This ought to be fun.

  In a professional monotone, she launched into the safety speech. What to do if the boat flips or wraps. The proper river swimming position. Paddle commands. All stuff he’d heard before. Nothing he’d ever had to use on any rafting trip he’d ever been on. Might as well take some time to investigate how he’d managed to screw things up with her. Only one person could help him with that.

  He shuffled until he stood close to Julia, then lowered next to her. “Hey. Any idea what’s up with Paige?” he whispered.

  “No,” she whispered back like they were in class and she was afraid they’d get caught talking. “But Gracie dragged her off to watch your performance this morning. I tried to run interference, but she had Kevin keep me away.”

  Of course it had something to do with Gracie. Of course.

  “Pretty sure our fabulous mother took her down the stairs so I couldn’t follow. I have no idea what she said to her.”

  He was almost afraid to ask… “How long did they talk?”

  “Only a few minutes,” J whispered with a sympathetic look. “Then Paige left. She looked upset, Ben. Really upset.”

  Oh, boy. That didn’t bode well for him at all. He stood upright and shook his head. All that work to get her to give him a chance. Five minutes with Gracie and now he’d have to start all over.

  “Okay!” Paige clapped her hands. “Looks like we’re all loaded up. You can go ahead and climb into the van.” She smiled at Gracie, then Kev, then Julia, but when he scooted past her to help J get into the van, she crossed her arms and looked away.

  That was just dandy.

  Kev and his mother climbed into the back row. Ben lifted J and settled her into the middle seat. Then he grabbed her chair, purposely brushing Paige’s shoulder.

  She jolted away like he’d shocked her.

  Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. And if he had anything to say about it, it wouldn’t be the last, either. Though next time he’d prefer it to be in a more intimate setting.

  When he got back into the van, he could’ve sat by J. Easily. But where was the fun in that? Instead, he squished into the first row next to Paige.

  She rolled her eyes and turned her head, chin tipped up.

  Bryce started the van. Country music twanged. Gracie started some boring conversation with Kev about the latest polls.

  Perfect opportunity for him to get some answers. He pressed his lips close to Paige’s ear. “What did I do?”

  She stared straight ahead. “It’s not what you did, Ben. It’s who you are,” she whispered back.

  “What’s that supposed to—”

  “Once we get on the river…” Instead of giving him a chance to finish, she shifted to face the others, her ponytail flipping across his face. “…Shooter and I will unload the boats,” she called in that formal voice. “You all should take time to put on your sunscreen.”

  “Really?” he growled. “You’re not even gonna give me a chance to talk?”

  “Hush, Benjamin.” Gracie shushed him. “Paige is giving us important information. Go on.” She practically scooted to the edge of her seat like the suspense was killing her.

  Yeah, right. She just didn’t want him to find out what she’d said to set Paige off. Again.

  “You’ll also want to make sure your river shoes are strapped on tight.” Paige talked over his head. “And that sunglasses are secured or put away.”

  Fine. Ben folded his hands. He’d have to be patient, wait for a lull so he could take another shot at dragging it out of her. She had to shut up, eventually.

  Except she didn’t. She went on and on. And on. And on. All about the history of the Roaring Fork River. The history of rafting the river. Blah. Blah. Blah. She talked until Bryce pulled into a small dirt parking lot right on the riverbank.

  The van stopped and before he could even blink, Paige threw open the door and took off like a shot, leaving him in a confused wake. What the hell had happened? What did she mean, it’s who he was?

  And, more importantly, what could he do to fix it?

  * * *

  This. This is where she belonged. Setting up the boats on the riverbank, the rocky sand exfoliating the rough skin of her heels, the sun beating down on her shoulders and her cheeks, heating her to the point of perspiration.

  Stein Park was the put-in for all of their Upper Roaring Fork trips, and it never failed to deliver that sense of anticipation that simmered now, a low rumbling in Paige’s belly. The park itself wasn’t much to look at, only one-and-a-half acres of open space managed by the city. A small dirt parking lot, an emerald green meadow that stretched and rolled down to the riverbank. Pretty standard for Aspen. But to Paige, what set the place apart was the way the Roaring Fork River flowed beneath the bridge and wound around the bend, the opening to the mystery of what lay ahead. To her, the river was a lullaby. Soft, white noise flowing into her eardrums, a satisfying swoosh that welcomed her into this world. The real world.

  But she knew from experience it wasn’t a safe world.

  She’d rafted this stretch of river maybe five hundred times, and no two trips ended up exactly the same. As beautiful as it was, the river was also a fickle schizophrenic. Depending on the rain and the snowpack and the general aligning of the planets, the boulders that made up the rapids could shift and alter the currents so that, half the time, you didn’t know what the hell you were up against. Sometimes there’d be a new strainer, a jumble of logs, clogging one route so you’d have to find another. Sometimes a new sleeper—rock under the surface—would snag the floor of the boat. Seriously. There were days the river was a minefield.

  Of course, every run down the river also depended heavily on the paddle crew. Paige sized up hers for about the hundredth time. Gracie Noble stood by the van, crouched in front of a side-view mirror, teasing her hair with a pick. Seriously? It already reached the clouds so it wasn’t like she could get it much higher. The woman looked like some kind of geriatric actress preparing to shoot a Viagra commercial.

  Then there was the campaign director, Kevin, who, judging from his pale skin, hadn’t seen the
sun since…well, ever. Upper-body strength didn’t exactly seem to be his virtue. He, of course, stood with Ben, tweeting yet another ridiculous selfie for their phony campaign.

  And Julia, who had perched her chair at the very edge of the river and was staring at it like it held the key to all of her dreams.

  She had half a mind to only take Ben’s sister and leave the rest of them behind. They’d have a great time, she and Julia, and she wouldn’t have to listen to Gracie’s blathering or Kevin’s tweeting or Ben’s phony speeches.

  But she wouldn’t let any of them ruin this trip.

  Lucky for her, today happened to be a river day, and the river, with its soft swoosh and flowing grace, always revived her. Mustering a smile, she jogged down to where Ben had parked his sister’s chair, right at the edge of the river so the water could lap over her bare toes.

  “Hey, Julia. You ready for this?”

  “Paige! Thanks so much for letting me come!” She leaned over and reached out to the water with her fingertips. “I can’t believe I get to go whitewater rafting. I can’t believe it!” Her dark eyes sparkled even more than normal, walnut-shaped globes of pure anticipation.

  Paige leaned close to her. “You’re actually the only one I want to bring,” she whispered. “Don’t tell anyone that.”

  Julia laughed, a twinkling sound that ratcheted up Paige’s smile.

  This was what the trip was about. That was what she was about. She had to keep reminding herself that, especially when Ben shot her those tempting glances only he could pull off, a mixture of predatory and wounded and completely irresistible, of course. She’d done her best to steer clear of him, but the truth was, she couldn’t avoid him forever.

  Now that they were about to push off, she needed his help to get Julia situated.

  “The river’s so beautiful.” Julia gripped the wheels of her chair, pushing and pulling until she faced her.