Stewart and Paula Joy walked through the entrance, outfitted in cold weather clothing that had them looking prepared for a day on the slopes.
“They’re not…” Holden started.
“They are. Requested you specifically.”
Acid crept up Holden’s throat. As if it wasn’t hard enough being without Rachel, now he had to paste on a grin and spend the afternoon with her parents? How could he go on pretending he wasn’t absolutely in pieces over losing their daughter a second time?
He could be sick. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea. If he feigned illness, would it get him out of his expedition duties?
Too late for that. They spied him instantly and waved in unison.
“Holden.” Stewart came up for a handshake. “Good to see you.”
“Likewise.” Holden grasped firmly. “I didn’t realize I had you two on the calendar today.”
“It was a last-minute decision,” Stewart said. “Can you believe we’ve lived here all these years and the two of us have never done this?”
He knew their schedules were busy with the market. He also didn’t think this sort of activity was up their alley. But if he’d learned anything, it was that the Joys were constantly surprising him.
He gave them the rundown and passed off their helmets. They decided to each take a snowmobile, another surprising decision. Holden figured they would want to share, and that thought had his memory hanging on the time he and Rachel rode together just a week earlier.
The expedition was nothing short of epic. Stewart’s words, actually. They raced up and down the mountain, hooting and hollering louder than customers half their age. When they took a break at one of the lookout points, Holden saw Stewart sneakily pack a handful of snow into a ball and tuck it behind his back.
He’d lifted his finger to his mouth, instructing Holden to keep quiet while he lobbed the snowball at his unsuspecting wife.
That started an all out war, one Holden tried not to get in the middle of, but couldn’t resist when Paula Joy smacked him between the shoulder blades. Bits of snow splattered everywhere. It was more fun than he’d had during a snowmobile tour in a long time. And exactly what his heart needed.
As they were about to pack up their snacks and get back on their snowmobiles, Stewart came over to Holden.
“Thank you.” He clamped a gloved hand on Holden’s shoulder.
“Of course. This was a lot of fun.”
“I mean, for what you did for Rachel all of those years ago. She mentioned you finally told her last night.”
Holden’s lungs burned with a large breath. “It was nothing.”
“Maybe to you. But to her, it was everything.” He lifted his hand. “You’re a good man, Holden Hart.”
It took the entire ride back up the hill before the compliment fully settled. Stewart Joy’s approval meant so much to him, but he didn’t know what to do with it. He didn’t know what to do with anything—his emotions, his time, himself in general—which was likely why he found himself at his parent’s door later that evening.
“You have room for one more?”
“Always.” Jill Hart backed up and welcomed her son into the cabin.
“You’re seriously already here?” Holden peered around his mother to see Lance giving Laney a shoulder ride. The baby squealed and cooed from her high perch.
“He’s been here all evening,” his mother whispered.
Sarah came up and tickled Lance’s side, which made both Lance and Laney erupt into a fit of giggles.
“Did Rachel head back to San Francisco?” Jill asked her son.
Holden scratched the back of his neck. “This morning.”
“And how are you holding up?”
He tried to take a full breath, but it caught in his chest. “Not so great.”
