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.After years of dating, Sierra was beginning to think she was impervious to love.Would she even recognize the feeling when it came along? “Does this change your plans to move to New York?” she asked.“Change my plans?” Kelly’s eyes widened.“I’ve wanted to move to New York for years.Why would I change my mind now?”“I thought you might have decided to stay here with Keith.”Kelly shook her head, her hair swinging from side to side with the force of the movement.“He would never ask me to do that.I can’t give up my dream for a man.You wouldn’t do something like that, would you?”“Of course not.” No man was worth changing her whole life for.But what did she really know? She’d never been in the position to have to choose.“Keith understands why I need to leave,” Kelly said.“He’d never try to hold me back.” Her expression grew dreamy once more.“Yet he loves me anyway, even though he knows I’m leaving.Isn’t that the most romantic thing you ever heard of?”Romantic—or foolish? Sierra doubted the strength of Keith’s love if he was so willing to let Kelly abandon him for the sake of untested ambition.Then again, maybe the answer wasn’t that Keith’s love wasn’t strong enough, but that Kelly’s dreams were stronger.That kind of drive had taken Sierra’s father away from his family, but it had also taken Sierra to New York and the top of her profession.“I’m sure I’ll miss him when I leave,” Kelly said.“But he can come visit me.Maybe we’ll have a long-distance romance.That could be exciting.”More frustrating than exciting, Sierra thought.“Do you think you’ll miss Ouray?” she asked.Kelly shrugged.“Do you miss where you grew up?”“No.Manhattan is my home now.” She had a job she loved, a nice apartment and good friends.Maybe that wasn’t enough for some people—for them, home meant family, but Sierra told herself she couldn’t miss what she didn’t really have.Her father had cut his ties with his family.Had he done so to free himself to conquer whichever mountain next claimed his attention, without having to consider the feelings of those left behind?Did Paul feel that way? He didn’t have a girlfriend, and her research had turned up no hint that he’d ever come close to marrying or even living with someone.Did he avoid such entanglements in order to remain free to pursue the kind of fame her father had achieved?In the end, fame hadn’t saved her father from dying alone, and had only added to Sierra and her mother’s suffering.Maybe Paul was smart to avoid dragging other people along with him on his journey.Maybe he was, as he’d said, “content in his own skin.”But it sounded terribly lonely to Sierra.As lonely as her own life was beginning to feel.“I’m telling myself to just enjoy the moment and not worry too much about the future,” Kelly said.“I’m going to move to New York to be an actress and Keith knows and accepts that.We’ll enjoy each other while we can and not think about the rest.”“I guess that’s a good way to handle it,” Sierra said.Her father had once sworn in an interview that the best way to survive a grueling high-altitude climb was to avoid thinking past the next step.Maybe the same approach applied to relationships.“Speaking of romance, you and Paul looked pretty cozy on the dance floor,” Kelly said.Cozy was a good word for it.Safe in his arms.Not that she needed to be protected from anything, but the idea of having someone there for her if she needed him was comforting.“He’s a good dancer.”“He is that.” Kelly stashed her makeup bag in her purse.“Come on.They’re going to think we fell in.”They returned to their table, and Sierra studied Keith.He didn’t look like her idea of a sugar daddy.And he was obviously besotted with Kelly.Besotted enough to let her leave? Or did he think that if he let her go, she’d come back? It was a nice sentiment, but Sierra doubted it worked in real life.Her mother had let her father go and he stayed gone.Then she left him and he never tried to get her back.In spite of all this, Sierra was sure her parents had loved each other.Love was supposed to be such a positive emotion, but it also had the power to make people so sad.As difficult as it was to be alone sometimes, Sierra thought loneliness was preferable to heartbreak.She’d avoided that hazard so far by always choosing men she could be friends with, like Mark.No fiery breakups for her, no agonizing heartaches.She glanced at Paul, who was laughing at something Kelly had said.Their eyes met, and she felt a sharp pull deep in her chest.It wasn’t a painful feeling exactly, but she sensed it had the potential to hurt, if she let him get any closer.CHAPTER SEVENPAUL MOVED HIS CHAIR closer to Sierra.He’d noticed that she’d been staring at him.At first, he’d thought he had something in his hair, or that she wanted to ask him something.But this look had been different, almost…tender.The same way he often felt about her—he wanted to make up for the hurt she’d suffered and to protect her from further injury.And if he couldn’t stand between her and all the injuries the world could wreak, he at least wanted to stand beside her.It was a crazy idea, considering how hard he’d worked to remain independent, but the more time he spent with Sierra, the more he liked the thought of the two of them as a couple.The band began a lively number and Kelly jumped up and tugged at Keith’s hand.“I love this song,” she said.“We have to dance.”“Do you want to dance?” Paul asked Sierra.She shook her head.“Let’s just talk.”“All right.What would you like to talk about?”“You said you’d climbed mountains near here—some of the ones we saw the other day.”“Yeah.I’ve climbed most of them a few times.”“Do you think I could climb any of them?”“There are a few pretty easy ones.Sure.”“Will you climb one of them with me? This week?”He couldn’t hold back a grin at this surprising turn of events.“We could do that.But why the change of heart? I had to practically beg to get you to go above tree line in a Jeep.”“I’ve changed my mind.It will be good research for my article.”Was that the only reason she wanted to do this? Research? “That’s what I call dedication.But you know, even an easy climb isn’t like a walk across town.”“I want to know what it’s like.” She spread one hand flat on the tabletop, fingers splayed.She had long, delicate fingers, the nails polished a pearly pink—not the hands of a climber.“Maybe if I make it to the top, I’ll understand what the attraction is for you—what it was for my dad,” she said.That old hurt was in her voice, the one he wanted to take away.He smoothed his hand down her arm.“I’d be honored to take you.” He’d never climbed with a woman before, not even one of the nontechnical fourteeners nearby.It seemed appropriate that Sierra would be the first, and not only because she was Victor Winston’s daughter.He felt close to Sierra, even though he’d known her only a few days.He’d shared his past with her, and now he wanted to share this experience, too.“We can do Uncompahgre Peak.You won’t need any special equipment for that one.You can walk right up to the top.”“When?”“How about Friday?”“All right.Thanks.” Her smile was faint.“I’m a little nervous.”“Don’t be.You’ll have a great time.And I won’t let anything happen to you.” He took her hand and squeezed it, then kept holding it.He didn’t want to let Sierra go [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]