Ridge searched his brother for any sign of weakness, but other than the fatigue etched into his face, he saw no attempt to hide pain.
They had ridden all night, setting as quick a pace as their horses allowed. Thanks to the late-night patrons at the tavern at the inn, Ridge knew India’s approximate departure time, and to his relief, she had only gained a two hour head start.
“We’ll rest the horses and water them here. Then we’ll set off again,” Ridge said.
As Robby dismounted, Ridge stared ahead to the snow-capped mountain peaks to the north. Everything about the terrain was familiar, as if he had indeed traveled this path before.
He didn’t give a whole lot of credence to India’s reincarnation beliefs, but he had to admit, he couldn’t come up with a better, more logical, conclusion.
He shook his head, despair settling over him like a heavy winter cloak. He missed her already, and she had only been gone a few short hours.
But had he ever known her at all? Did the woman he had fallen in love with even exist? How could she have faked everything? No one was that good of an actress. Which begged the question. Just which parts had she faked?
She was attracted to him. There was no mistaking her passionate reaction to his love making. But he wanted her to love him. And if she truly loved him, could she have so easily betrayed him?
He patted the horse as it drank, giving it a few more minutes to linger at the stream. He gazed northward one more time. What he would do when he found her, he wasn’t sure.
And he wasn’t sure he wanted the answers to all his questions anyway.
“Are you ready?” he called out to Robby.
At Robby’s answering call, he led the horses back to where his brother sat in the grass. He extended a hand to help Robby up.
“Any idea when we’ll catch up to them?” Robby asked as they set out again.
Ridge shook his head. “I don’t think they’ve stopped otherwise we would have caught them by now. Our best bet is to continue on and hope they stop soon.”
They rode in silence as the sun rose higher above them. It beat down on them, and Ridge pulled his hat lower over his eyes. In other circumstances, he would enjoy the picture he presented, trekking across the landscape on a grand adventure.
It was what he had longed for since he was a child.
The clean open air, the rugged land, the raw beauty of nature was a huge change from the stifling, overly populated city he made his home in.
“It’s beautiful,” Robby said as if reading Ridge’s mind.
“Yes, it is,” Ridge agreed.
“Ridge?”
Ridge turned to look at his brother. “Yes?”
Robby looked ahead, not meeting Ridge’s gaze.
“Do you think...do you think you can ever forgive me?”
Ridge smiled. “I’ve already forgiven you, Robby.”
“It’s just that I couldn’t...well, you know,dieuntil I knew things were well between us.”
Ridge’s chest tightened, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. “You’re my brother, Robby. That bond goes beyond any silly misunderstanding.”
Ridge could hear Robby’s sigh of relief. How long had his brother carried such a burden? He should have talked to him long ago, but his stubborn pride had prevented him from doing so.
“I want you to promise me something, Ridge.”
Ridge looked at Robby and lifted a brow in question.
Robby fixed his eyes on Ridge. “Promise me that you’ll talk to Father. Make things right. He will only have you when I go.”
