Amber shrugged. It really wasn’t important. Her only regret was that she hadn’t been honest with Chris.
“I didn’t talk to him at all after we broke up.” She laughed softly. “Actually, I’m the one who broke it off. To this day, I’m surprised he didn’t break up with me first. I was horrible to him.”
She cleared her throat, which had developed a painful lump, making talking difficult. She swallowed before she continued. “When I told him I didn’t want to be together anymore, I asked him to come and pick me up from a party later that day. On the way there, he was in an accident. His friend, who was driving, got killed.”
A soft gasp came from the speaker. Amber didn’t wait for a comment from Ashley.
“Chris pretty much fell off everyone’s radar after that. He was in the hospital for a while, then in rehab, and he refused to see anyone, especially me. Then he showed up out of the blue a couple of weeks ago, saying he forgave me for everything, and to have a good life. He disappeared after that.”
“And now you’re trying to find him? Why would you do that unless you think you want to get back together with him?” The hopeful tone in Ashley’s voice was unmistakable.
Amber laughed. “No. You’re the one who brought him up, remember?” She ran her hand through her hair, pushing the strands out of her face. She’d recently gone from having black hair to dying it a coppery color, and she’d cut half the length off. No use having all that hair, anyway.
“I want to disappear, like Chris. He sounded weird, like he knew he’d never be coming back. He was happy and upbeat, not like the angry guy he was weeks after the accident.”
Amber heaved a sigh, then stared up at the ceiling again.
“How’s your friend, Morgan? She had a baby a few years ago, didn’t she?”
There was a silent pause on the other end. Amber held her breath. Would Ashley go along with her and change the subject, or would she insist on talking her out of her plans?
“Morgan is doing great. Her son, Logan, is almost three years old now. She’s happily married and living on a horse ranch in Montana. Can you believe it?”
Amber sighed. “Chris is originally from Montana, too.”
Ashley giggled, which sounded more like a cover-up for thinking she’d said the wrong thing. Ashley was clearly under the impression that she hadn’t gotten over the break-up. While Chris had been a great guy, and she’d messed up big-time, it was better that they’d gone their separate ways.
It wouldn’t have been fair to him if they had stayed together. She should have never gotten involved with him in the first place. There was only one thing she regretted where he was concerned.
“Those Montana cowboys sure are the best.” Ashley’s cheerful voice blared through the phone. “One of these days, I’m going to find myself one like that.” She laughed. “Although, Gabe was a bit strange at first. He kept joking with Morgan that he was from the nineteenth century.” She giggled. “More than likely his brain cooked a little too long in the desert heat.”
Amber’s eyes opened. Her forehead scrunched. “The nineteenth century? Sure does sound crazy. Does he think he time traveled?”
She frowned. Chris had said something rather odd to her the day he’d told her he’d forgiven her.
“Chris said something weird to me, too, that he was going to a different time and place. It must be a Montana thing to say when they want to be left alone.”
Ashley sighed dramatically. “Gabe was the real deal. A genuine cowboy in every way… well, except that he was nuts and talked about time travel.”
“And Morgan trusted him?” Maybe he’d seemed safer than her previous relationships. Ashley had told her years ago that Morgan had been in an abusive relationship with her son’s father.
“She trusted him enough to marry him. She really likes that he’s old-fashioned in the way he acts and thinks. Truthfully, it’s really very appealing. Not like some of the guys I’ve gone out with over the years. It turned out that he owns a huge ranch in Montana. They’re both madly in love with each other.”
“Well, I guess fairy tales are real, then,” Amber mumbled. “As long as he doesn’t decide to time travel again and go back to where he came from.”
Ashley laughed, obviously recognizing the sarcasm. “If he does, I’ve already told him and Morgan that he needs to send one of his friends my way.”
There was a long pause, then she said, “Amber, I’m going to book a flight out to Texas. We need to talk face-to-face. I don’t like talking on the phone like this. You’re really scaring me with what you said earlier. Promise me you won’t do anything impulsive.”
Amber scrunched her face. Why had she even opened her big mouth at all? She should have simply carried out her plans quietly, without dragging anyone with her.
“I’d like to see you, too, Ashley. Then I can explain everything better, and I hope you’ll be my friend and support me. In the meantime, I’m going to see if I can find out where Chris went. I think it’s important for him to know the truth.”
“Okay.” Ashley sounded hesitant. “I’m running late for work, but I will call you later when my shift ends, all right?”
Amber nodded.
“All right?” Ashley repeated, a bit more forcefully.
“Yes, all right.”
“Hang in there. It’s going to all work out, you’ll see.”
Amber ended the call. She fell back against the couch and raised her eyes to the ceiling, staring into nothing. She ran her hand under her eyes and blinked away the new threat of tears. She couldn’t go on like this. Each day was worse than the one before.
“I just came from a little town in the middle of nowhere called Heartsbridge. I need to get back there, but first, I wanted to tell you I’ve moved on. No hard feelings. We all make mistakes, but it’s time to forget about the past and move forward. I’ve made a choice for a positive change in my life, and I hope you will, too.”
Chris’s words echoed in her mind.
“If only you knew, Chris. I can’t move forward. I’m glad you did, though, and found happiness.”
Amber clutched her phone in her hand, then raised it to look at the screen. She wasn’t going to wait for Ashley. It would be several days at the earliest before her cousin would even get here. Besides, she’d only try to talk her out of her plans. She’d already made up her mind, and no one and nothing was going to change it.
It was time to carry out her plans, no matter how scary it sounded. She wasn’t going to waste away in this college town with nothing to do while she waited. In the end, it really wouldn’t matter, but there was some unfinished business to take care of first.
Amber tapped the button on her GPS app, and typed in the word Heartsbridge.
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Also By Anna Rose Leigh
Timeless Outlaw ~ Now Available
Timeless Vows ~ Releasing June 10, 2017
Timeless Memories ~ Release date to be announced
About the Author
An emerging western romance, historical romance and historical time travel author who enjoys writing stories with happy endings. Anna has been a story teller since she was a kid although, as one would imagine, the stories told back then were quite different.
She spends a great deal of time is put into developing her stories and characters, including the ones who seem to go in their own
direction.
Although her works are fiction, some of her stories may be based on actual events. Her stories will do more than entertain you, they’ll leave you wanting more.
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Copyright © 2016 by Anna Rose Leigh for InPrint Publishing
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever, including, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblances to real individuals are not intended by the author.
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Editor: Meg Amor
Cover Designer: Erin Dameron-Hill
Timeless Honor (Timeless Hearts #7) Page 10