A Bridge Between Us

by K. K. Allen

  “What are you doing here?”

  Apparently, the ten years Camila spent away from this place resulted in some memory loss. She must have forgotten that I love to pick up extra work during the winter. While my time at the farm is now busier than ever, no matter the season, I still love to be where the action is in the cold months. If jail time taught me anything, it’s the importance of making every moment count. But the purpose isn’t to relieve boredom or to earn some extra money anymore. If anything, I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend out in the community.

  After Harold passed away, I made a commitment to do more with my life than just tend to corn stalks six months out of the year. Whether that be by picking up tour guide jobs in Mountain Village, hand-making furniture in my garage, or hiking one of the winter trails, not a day goes by when I’m not doing something.

  My father was undoubtedly a hard, dedicated worker who loved his land, but it is clear to me now that his relationship skills were lacking. If he had spent any time at all getting to know his buyers, then Patrick Bell and Thomas Bradshaw could never have hurt his business. I’ve spent the last five years rebuilding my reputation after the fire as well as Harold’s old business relationships. I’ve hired a few local residents, who have been helping me on the farm to give me the time I need to work on a new venture—an idea that sparked thanks to Camila, of all people. I can’t wait to unleash the news to the town.

  Camila has missed so much. Thanks to the so-called truce between Harold Cross and Patrick Bell ten years ago, life has actually been quite peaceful. The city opened its arms up to my father’s business, accepting deals that had been pending for decades. Cross Farms finally got a permanent spot at the farmer’s market, and we were no longer dependent on someone canceling their appearance. We started sponsoring events and truly became a part of the town my father had tried to produce in for decades. Nothing makes me happier than knowing he left this world after finally getting his shot. At the time of his death, he was finally a respected man in the community.

  The gondola cabin enters the Telluride station, and I jump out, nodding my thanks to the attendant standing by. Shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans, I stride forward to where I parked the truck. I trudge through a blocked-off Main Street, keeping my eyes pointed forward. The crowds are out tonight after a long day of skiing and shopping, and they drink merrily while live music plays from a side stage.

  I’m nearing the street where I parked earlier today when the rich Italian scent of stone-oven pizza turns my head. My eyes catch on Josie, who’s sitting at a high-top table inside of High Pie. The windows are open, as they usually are to let the cool breeze through.

  My natural reaction is to pull up a stool and join her for some drinks, but after my run-in with Camila earlier today, I debate it. Josie and I have always gotten along, especially more so lately. While she used to be a strong advocate for Camila and me to push through all the external struggles to be together, her opinion has drastically changed. The moment Camila’s life got put at risk and I broke her heart, yet again, she promised never to forgive me for all the hurt I caused her best friend. Eventually, we became civil again, but I’m not so sure she feels the same way now that Camila is back.

  After a moment of hesitation, I veer left to enter the pizza place then walk toward Josie to join her.

  Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees me. “Hey, Ridge.” Then she squints, like she can read exactly what’s on my mind. “Um.” She seems jittery as she looks around us.

  “What’s your problem? Afraid to be seen with me?”

  She tilts her head, her eyes softening. “No, of course not. But you should know I’m not alone.”

  I make a face. Why is she acting all weird? “Yeah, I’ve met your husband. Don’t worry. He’s not going to think I’m hitting on you.” I chuckle, amused by her reaction. “I’m going to go grab a beer.”

  “Wait.” She jumps, her eyes opening wide. “Take this one. I didn’t like it, so Abner’s getting me a new one.” She slides a full beer over to me.

  I slide the beer back to her. “You don’t need to give me yours, Josie. I’ll get my own.”

  Then I notice a few empty glasses on the table along with a few half-eaten pizzas. I stop in my tracks and turn back to her. “You and Abner eat all that?”

  A look of concern flashes across her face “Camila’s with him now. They’re grabbing another pitcher at the bar.”

  I blow out a breath and roll my eyes to the sky. “Ah, shit, Josie. I should go.”

  “I agree, but let’s be real. You two are going to be seeing a lot of each other. Might as well get the reunion over with now, don’t you think? In public.”

  Her intentions are clear. Josie has always been a good friend to Camila, so I know she’s keeping her friend’s best interests in mind.

  “She didn’t tell you? We ran into each other in Mountain Village at the gondola station. She lost her boot when she was getting into a cabin, and I retrieved it for her.”

  Josie shakes her head, appearing annoyed. “She didn’t tell me.” Then she rolls her eyes and smiles. “Only you two would have a reunion that resembles a fucking fairy tale. Did you place the boot on her foot too?” Josie bats her eyelashes sarcastically at me. “Did it fit?”

  I chuckle, though the Cinderella reference bothers me more than I let on. Camila has never been the rags-to-riches sort of girl. The opposite was true, in the sense that she has never been afraid to get her hands dirty, and that was what had intrigued me from the beginning. “Not quite. But we didn’t exactly become best friends either.” I take a step back from the table. “I changed my mind on that beer. I should be getting back to the ranch, anyway. I’ve got an early morning.”

  Josie eyes me with a challenge. “Sure ya do.” She relaxes. “But all right, I’ll let you off the hook. Go on. Run off before she sees you. That’s probably for the best, anyway.”

  I don’t like the sound of that, but I agree that it probably is for the best. After I wink at Josie, I turn away, only to stop in my tracks when I come face-to-face with Trip and Raven.

  Raven looks just as pissed at me as she did the night before, and Trip eyes me with the same disdain he’s carried for me for nearly two decades. He was and always will be a bully. And I’ve always found pleasure in the fact that he can’t get under my skin the way he wants to. But then I think of what Raven told me last night, and my blood immediately begins to boil all over again.

  “Things aren’t the way they were ten years ago. A lot has changed, and something tells me that when Camila figures it out, she won’t stick around for long.”

  Clearly, Raven doesn’t know Camila very well. Camila would never allow anything to come between her and that vineyard. But just the tease that she could leave again drives me insane. Trip never shied away from his affection toward her, even when he was busy bossing her around. He was the guy at school who threatened anyone who even considered asking Camila Bell out, and he was also the guy who ratted her out after she left him before prom that night.

  If Trip doesn’t feel at least a twinge of guilt for what happened to her that night, then he is even worse of a human than I thought. The guilt I still carry for not being at the bridge when Dave hunted her as if she were a deer is something I know I will never live down.

  “Running off somewhere?” Trip asks with a quirked eyebrow.

  I stifle the flames of hate. He’s about to hang out with Camila, when I could be doing the same.

  “Nah.” I shake my head and spin back around to rejoin Josie. “Think I’ll have that beer after all.”

  I try not to look at Josie, but I see her worried expression in my peripheral vision. She seems just as surprised by Trip and Raven’s arrival as I am. And I swear I hear a mumbled curse. She’s worried, and maybe she has every reason to be. But perhaps I’m not the villain this time.

  Chapter 48

  Camila

  Abner and I wait for the bartender to acknowledge us for ten minutes
before he finally strolls over and does a double take when he sees me. “Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” The man leans on the counter and flicks his eyes up and down in a quick perusal. “Camila Bell. It really is you, ain’t it?”

  I smile uneasily then tilt my head and squint to get a better look at the stout man in a beanie cap. He doesn’t appear to be much older than me, but I can’t seem to place him right away.

  He narrows his eyes in response and tosses the rag he was holding onto the counter. “You don’t remember me, do you?

  I smile at the man, guilt radiating through me. “I’m sorry. No.”

  He shrugs. “That’s all right. Must not’ve given you much to remember.” He grabs hold of his long beard and tugs. “Besides, I look a little different now.”

  “Don’t we all?” I laugh, hoping to ease the tension floating between us. “I’m so sorry for my bad memory.”

  “Name’s Brody,” he says gruffly. “Brody McAllistor. My dad worked with your dad at the vineyard. We used to go mountain biking together in the summer.”

  That’s all it takes for my memory of him to return. Gus McAllistor was the groundskeeper at the vineyard for nearly three decades. Brody and I were in the same grade. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him sooner. “Oh, I do remember you now. I just couldn’t see you behind all that beard.” I smile fondly at my old friend. “I’m sorry. I’ve been away for so long.”

  He waves a hand to tell me my apology isn’t necessary. “Heard you moved back. Hope it works out for you this time.”

  As genuine as Brody sounds, a pang hits my gut when I think about his father. “I’m sorry about Gus. I heard that he got fired all those years ago for what happened to me. I tried to fight for him. It wasn’t his fault, but my papa could sure be stubborn.”

  Papa was furious with Gus after finding out that Dave Lachey had cut the fences for his hunting missions. Dave let the wildlife in and illegally hunted on our grounds, and when Dave spotted me in the dark, he thought I was a deer. When I tried to tell the cops what I believed really happened that night—that Dave Lachey knew exactly who he was hunting down—they searched the surrounding land. They looked for any evidence to account for my story, but they came up empty in that regard and ultimately ruled what happened to me a hunting accident.

  “It’s old news now.” Brody waves a hand, but I can’t shake the annoyance still buried in his expression. “We’re all just glad you’re okay, Camila.” He gestures with an uptick of his chin. “What can I get ya to drink?”

  I order a glass of pinot grigio, and Abner orders a pitcher of beer. When Brody walks away, I cringe, and Abner laughs.

  “I wish I could have helped you out there. But I’m not from here. I don’t know many people.”

  I grin. “You don’t know how lucky you are.”

  Brody isn’t the first person in town to recognize me. It seems I have the worst memory of all time, because I don’t remember many faces in return. I blame it on my obsession with a certain neighbor boy who stole all my time and attention back then—and most of my good memories too.

  After Brody hands us our drinks, we back away from the bar and start off toward the direction where we left Josie. I’m nearly there when the crowd parts, and I see that she is no longer alone.

  Over the past couple of hours, Josie, Abner, and I have been catching up on everything we’ve missed since we last saw each other, all while drinking slowly, devouring the best pizza in the world, and sharing a few laughs. It’s been cathartic. But when I see Ridge standing at the table with Josie, the night almost begins to feel like a cruel joke.

  I freeze so fast that wine sloshes onto my hand, and I genuinely debate whether to walk away or continue forward. One run-in with Ridge today is enough. I don’t need another awkward encounter.

  Then as if things couldn’t get more awkward, I spot Trip and Raven at the table too. What the—?

  Before I can make any decisions on what to do next, Ridge’s gaze finds mine, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my heart. Abner rushes off toward Josie, surely oblivious to what is happening inside my head.

  Then Trip’s voice booms over the noise of the crowd. “Well, holy shit, there she is.”

  I’m not looking at Trip when he says it, but I could never mistake his intonation for anyone else’s. His voice sounds so much like his father’s—loud, arrogant, and annoying.

  Before I can blink, Trip is in front of me and scooping me up in his arms, and he doesn’t seem to care about the wine that’s spilling down his slick black jacket. He’s taller than I remember, and he lifts my feet off the ground as he squeezes me tight.

  Josie, Abner, and Raven laugh at Trip’s greeting, and I can’t help but laugh too. Ridge, on the other hand, looks shifty as he stares off to his left, like he’s trying to find the fastest escape route.

  Trip finally lets me down, but he doesn’t let go of my waist. He grins, his broad smile even bigger and brighter than I remember. “God, it’s good to have you back for good, Camila. Telluride has not been the same.”

  “It’s nice to see you again, too, Trip.” I smile up at my friend, putting Ridge out of my mind for a second. “It’s a bit strange to be home, but it’ll grow on me again.”

  Trip squeezes my waist, and I try to hide my wince. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I’m here.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  He removes his hands, slips an arm around my neck and leads me to our table, where the others are waiting.

  My encounter with Ridge at the top of the mountain was awkward, but it doesn’t compare to this scenario. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that Ridge and Trip would be standing at the same table. It’s actually confusing me so much that I laugh.

  “Okay, I have to ask. Is this a thing now? Do you guys hang out like this often? Because it’s kind of weird.”

  Complete silence follows as they all exchange glances. Something about the look Raven gives Ridge in particular heats my chest for a reason I don’t quite understand. But it eerily resembles the time we all went on that hiking trip in Ouray. Then they laugh starting with Josie, then Trip joins in, and Raven is next. Ridge still doesn’t smile.

  “I told you things were different now,” Josie says with a wink. “We’re all one big happy family. Right, guys?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Trip says, flipping a glance at Ridge. “But things aren’t like they were when we were teens, Camila. The Bell-Cross truce shifted dynamics for the entire town.”

  The Bell-Cross truce. Ending the feud after over a century of conflict should make me happy. In a way, of course I am. To know Ridge and Harold struggled less because my papa stopped putting roadblocks up to hinder their success is a great thing. Unfortunately, Ridge and I suffered the consequences.

  “Well, okay then,” I say, sinking onto my stool.

  Trip takes the stool beside me. Ridge hesitates for a second before sitting down next to Raven.

  Then Josie does what Josie does best and starts talking to distract everyone from their discomfort.

  “Sorry I missed the big party last night,” Trip says, leaning closer to me. “I had a client dinner, and it ran too late, but I’d love to make it up to you sometime. I’ll take you out for dinner this week, and we can catch up.”

  High Pie is bustling, so even at our small table, the odds of any of our friends hearing us is slim. But the fact that Trip is dipped down to my ear to ask me on what sounds like a date has me squirming under my skin for all the wrong reasons. I find Ridge’s dark eyes, and I swear he can hear every word that rolls off Trip’s smooth tongue. Ridge always had some sort of superpower when it came to his senses—and me.

  I look away and reach for my drink, suddenly feeling parched. When I notice it’s practically empty already, I set it back down and answer Trip. “We’ll see,” I say. “I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me at the vineyard.” Since your daddy is trying to steal it away from me.

  At my mention the
vineyard, Trip’s eyes light up. Then he launches into a brag fest about all of the great work he’s done over the years. I listen, pretending to be impressed while I bite my tongue. I wouldn’t be surprised if Thomas has been keeping all of his slimy business dealings to himself and using his kids as his pawns without them even knowing it.

  “My papa appreciated all the work you put in. And so do I. I can’t wait to see everyone in action. Working in Napa was a definite eye opener. I have some ideas I can’t wait to implement here.”

  “Like?”

  I’m almost surprised to hear Raven speak up. For a second, I feel like her question is an attempt to challenge my intentions, but I shake the feeling away. She’s curious, and she has every right to be.

  “Well, for one, I hear you’ve been running operations at the winery. I can’t wait to talk with you more about how we can improve our hospitality efforts.” I look at Trip, excitement bubbling deep in my chest. “And I know you’re heading up the business-development front. What are our clients saying? Are they happy? Are they looking for something different? More variety, maybe? I want to take a hard look at the diversity in our grape varietals. It’s been a long time since we produced a vintage like our 1998 Bell Red.”

  Raven snorts. “C’mon, Camila. You know we have no control over which varietals we use, considering we live in Colorado.”

  I raise an eyebrow, meeting her challenge head-on. “There are plenty of opportunities, if we work with the soils and elevations. You’ll see.”

  When Raven doesn’t say anything in return, I smile and look at Josie. “Then there’s blending or cofermentation to bring out unbelievable flavors that wouldn’t otherwise exist. I learned all about the techniques in Napa, and the options are endless. I thought maybe you could help me taste test those.” I wink.

  Josie grins. “Now that’s a job I’ll volunteer for.”

  My eyes dart to Ridge, who looks uncomfortable and stands, leaving his full beer on the table. He whispers something to Josie before walking off. The fact that I’m not instantly ecstatic at his exit tells me I’m in a world of trouble from here on out.