Her frustration with her brothers, especially Tyler, was growing unbearable, so much so that she’d slept restlessly last night. She understood that they still viewed her as their little sister and someone they needed to protect. But their attitude toward Max was unacceptable, especially since he’d done nothing for which they could fault him. He’d been above reproach in every way.
She glared back at Tyler. “Stop bossing me around.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t need to if you were thinking rationally about things.”
“I am thinking rationally.”
Tyler released an exasperated sigh before turning to face Max. “If you want to prove yourself to us, then cancel the hike and do something here at the ranch, where Emberly can be supervised better.”
“I don’t need your constant supervision,” she cut in. Ryan had complained a lot about her brothers, especially how they didn’t seem to like him or trust him. She knew they’d beenoverbearing, but had they been this bad? And was that why Ryan had grown tired of being with her?
Maybe she should have stood up to her brothers more often. Maybe she shouldn’t have defended them as much as she had. Maybe she should have broken free of their meddling ways much sooner. If she had, maybe she and Ryan would’ve had more of a chance.
Whatever the case, she couldn’t let Tyler drive Max away, and a mounting desperation inside told her that if she didn’t do something, that was exactly what would happen again.
“What do you say, Max?” Tyler persisted.
Max had been quietly taking in the whole argument. What did he think? That he wanted to escape from the sibling problems? That her family was too much of a hassle?
As his eyes met hers, he seemed to be conveying that everything was all right. “Listen, Tyler,” he started. He had a haughtiness about him, even a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I do not need to prove myself to you or anyone. Emberly and I are adults, and we will make our own choices. If she decides to stay at the ranch today, I shall enjoy her company here. But if she would still like to take the hike, then I shall relish every moment of that as well.”
Emberly’s heart melted at his every word. She loved that he was taking her side and letting her choose what she wanted to do. And the choice was easy. This time, she wouldn’t let her brothers scare away someone she cared about.
“Everything is ready.” She cocked her head to the back door and the truck waiting on the driveway.
“Fabulous.” Max started toward her. “I am ready too.”
As they approached the door, Tyler didn’t move.
For a long second, Max locked eyes with him.
Would the two actually have a fistfight?
Tyler finally took a step back so they could pass by. She didn’t waste any more time. She grabbed Max’s hand and practically dragged him from the house.
Braun and Winzig were already waiting in the cab of the truck when she and Max stepped outside. The food for their picnic lunch was packed, as well as a few supplies that the cabin might need.
During the drive to Cowboy Peak, Emberly kept their conversations light to ease the tension that had built during the interaction with Tyler. She wanted to make the most of every moment they had left. Thankfully, Max seemed to have the same attitude.
As they reached the trailhead, Braun and Winzig loaded up the snowmobiles with their lunch and supplies and led the way slowly while she and Max plodded along behind. With the sun shining, the snow in the lower elevations had turned slushy and made the hiking more strenuous. It wasn’t until they started up a gradual incline in a ravine that the snow became more powdery and easier to cross.
All the while they hiked, they talked like they usually did. This time she needed to vent about her brothers. Although she loved her family and knew they loved her, she was becoming more convinced that she needed to find a way to show them she was an adult and could make her own decisions.
She and Max rested at several spots along the way, the last one being a lake that was frozen over but still picturesque with the snow covering it. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds, but the misty sky made the mountainside even prettier.
The cabin was only a short hike after that. When she and Max broke into the clearing, she paused to admire the cozy one-story log home with its wide front porch, set against the mountainside. Winzig and Braun had already arrived and shoveled a path to the door, uncovered the wood pile underthe overhang, and started a fire in the stove. Braun was busy sweeping out the cabin, and Winzig was hauling in a large pot of snow to melt for water for their coffee.
She had fun showing the cabin to Max and explaining that it had been constructed to resemble the one the original Wyatt McQuaid had built on his homestead in the 1860s. It had an open front room with one half containing a couch and love seat, big soft rugs, and a small bookshelf filled with old books and a few games. The other side of the room held a trestle-style table with benches. A simple hutch stood near the stove and was filled with utensils and staple food items. Pots and pans hung above the old-fashioned wood-burning stove, which held a pour-over coffee maker.
Another room at the back of the cabin had a double bed and a bunk bed. Though her parents carried in their bedding whenever they hiked up to the cabin, a trunk against one wall held an assortment of blankets, sheets, and pillows.
The windows were dusty but solid and had been updated over recent years. The shingle roof had also been replaced to make the cabin a place guests could stay in in any weather, although without electricity, running water, internet, or reliable cell phone service, most people kept their visits short.
A light snow had begun to fall by the time they sat down to enjoy the delicious meal Chef Vivalda had prepared for them. Afterward, with their socks, shoes, and mittens still drying from the wet trek through slush, she and Max sat together on the couch and talked more about what life must have been like so long ago without all the modern conveniences they took for granted.
The interior had grown warm, and when Max stepped away for a few minutes to speak with Braun at the table, her restless night caught up with her, and she dozed off.
The banging of the door woke her, and she bolted upright to find that someone had covered her with a blanket and positioned her head on a couch pillow. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she never napped long, never had the time for it.
