34. Chapter 34

Chapter thirty-four

"She is a bit like a wild mustang."

G age stared into the fire he'd built. He'd found a grassy spot twenty feet from the creek to settle down on for the night. There was a chill in the air, but nothing the fire wouldn't take care of. He'd sleep close to it and listen to the creek flowing by. The night was clear and there would be a blanket of stars over him.

He blew out a breath. He hated how he'd acted with Sydney this morning. He just couldn't bring himself to talk about what this day did to him. She'd understand, of course. He just hoped he didn't blow it. Was he destined to spend the rest of his life doing stupid stuff, then hoping she'd forgive him?

The rest of your life? "Whoa." That was a thought for another day. Today was about his brother. He and Seth were identical twins and were never far from each other. They were incredibly close. And when Gage lost Seth, he lost part of himself. A part he'd never get back. The pain was as searing now as it had been that day thirteen years ago. Everyone felt Seth's loss, of course. But he and Corbyn were there. He and Corbyn watched Seth go under and not come back up. Gage knew this day was just as hard on his oldest brother.

Gage was digging through his backpack for the bottle of bourbon when he heard something or someone approaching. When he heard voices, he knew it was someone. And as they got closer, he knew it was Cooper and Cabe. They came into the clearing a few moments later.

"What are you guys doing here?"

Cooper removed his pack and set it down. "We figured thirteen years was long enough to spend your birthday alone."

Cabe also took off his pack and knelt next to the fire. "We're not here to celebrate. We're just here to spend a night out on the trail with our brother."

Cooper nodded toward the bottle in Gage's hand. "Are you going to share some of that? Or were you planning on drinking it all yourself?"

"Well, that was the plan." Gage removed the lid and took a drink, then handed it to Cooper. Cooper took a drink and gave the bottle to Cabe. When Gage got the bottle back, he set it on the ground next to him. "I hope you brought some food. I only have enough for myself. And it isn't much."

Cooper smiled. "What did you bring?"

"A can of stew and a couple of rolls. Granola bars for breakfast."

Cabe opened his pack and took out a plastic container. "We just happen to have three beautiful ham and cheese sandwiches."

Gage shook his head. "Fine. You can stay."

Cabe handed both Gage and Cooper a sandwich.

Gage unwrapped his sandwich. "How'd you find me?"

Cooper laughed. "We just followed the creek. You always camp by the creek."

They ate for a few moments in silence. "Did Sydney call one of you guys?"

Cabe shook his head. "No. Why? Did you bite her head off this morning?"

"A little bit, yeah."

"I'm sure she'll understand."

"I haven't told her about all this."

Cooper nudged Gage's leg with the toe of his boot. "Why the hell not? I thought you two were pretty cozy these days."

"We are. But I haven't told her everything there is to tell her."

"Right. It's time, dude."

Gage sighed. "I know. Assuming she's still talking to me."

Cabe looked at him. "If she likes you as much as it seems she likes you. She'll understand."

"I don't deserve her."

Cooper laughed. "None of us deserve the women we got. Except for Jovie. She's the one who lucked out."

Cabe scowled. "Hey."

"Seriously, man. I don't know of any other man in the valley who would've attempted to tame her."

Cabe's scowl turned into a grin. "She is a bit like a wild mustang."

Gage nodded. "That's probably how Lyric feels about Cooper."

Cooper nudged him again. "I'm fine with that. She can tame me all she wants."

Cabe and Cooper kept the conversation going, which stopped Gage from going into the depression he usually fell into. Maybe Cooper was right. Maybe he'd spent enough April fifteenths by himself.

It wasn't until they'd all settled down in their sleeping bags for the night that Gage's mind went to that day thirteen years ago. He wasn't sure if the excessive amount of bourbon he'd drank before they went to bed made it better or worse. The vision of his brother in the water seemed far away and blurry, like he himself was under water. Perhaps he was seeing himself through his brother's eyes.

Gage rubbed his face. You're drunk, man. He tried to turn his thoughts to the time spent with Seth before that day. They loved hanging out in the goat shed while the goats were out roaming around. They liked the chicken coop, too. Before the outhouse incident, Gage didn't mind small spaces. But maybe that was because his brother was with him.

Gage finally drifted off to sleep and slept soundly until he heard Cooper building up the fire. The sun was up and Cooper was quietly cursing the early morning chill. Cabe was still tucked away in his sleeping bag.

Cooper glanced at Gage when he turned to watch him. "Damn cold this morning."

"As soon as the sun hits us, it'll warm up."

Cooper looked at the tree line. "The sun isn't going to hit this spot until noon. Are we still going to be here at noon?"

Gage stretched. "I did bring a fishing pole. But I'm kind of anxious to get back and talk to Sydney."

"When is your mayor thingy?"

"You mean my swearing in?"

"Yeah."

"On Wednesday night at the town meeting."

"Are we all invited?"

"It's a town meeting. The whole town is invited. But you don't need to come."

Cooper looked at him. "Of course we're coming. It's not every day our brother is sworn in as mayor."

"It's no big deal."

"Of course it's a big deal. Shit, man. You're the damn mayor."

Cabe grumbled. "He'll still be the mayor in thirty minutes. Can you discuss it then?"

Cooper glanced at Gage and grinned, then pulled an emergency whistle out of his backpack. He carried it in case they came upon a mountain lion or a bear. They'd never had a chance to see if it would actually scare the animals away. And they all had their doubts. But right now, it appeared Cooper was glad he had it on him. He put a finger to his lips, then waited five minutes for Cabe to fall back asleep. When it appeared he had, Cooper moved closer to him and blew the whistle. Cabe jumped out of his sleeping bag with a string of curse words, then lunged at Cooper. They both went down to the ground and wrestled around for a moment. Cooper quickly overpowered Cabe and pushed him away.

Gage had remained in his bag, watching the display. "Wow guys. Real mature."

Cooper got to his feet laughing, then held a hand out to Cabe. Cabe slapped it away and stood up without help.

"Bastard."

Cooper continued to laugh. "Man. That was great."

"Yeah. You just wait. I'll get you back when you least expect it."

"Bring it on, brother."

Gage sat up and got out of his sleeping bag. "Did you guys bring breakfast?"

Cooper shook his head. "Not much." He dug through his pack. "Just some banana nut muffins." He grinned as he held them up. "You enjoy your granola bar, though."

Gage scowled at him. "Toss me one of those."

"Say please."

"Screw you."

Cooper laughed again, then tossed a muffin to Gage. "Fine. But only because it's the day after your birthday. Welcome to thirty."

Gage shrugged. "Feels a whole lot like twenty-nine."

They spent another two hours at the camp, then packed up and headed back. They took their time and got back to Gage's house two hours later. He looked at his brothers.

"Thank you for crashing my solo camping trip."

Cooper nodded. "Anytime."

Cabe patted Gage's shoulder. "We'll always have your back, brother."

They continued on to Cooper's, and Gage went inside his house. He dropped his pack by the door and headed for the bedroom. He needed a shower. Then maybe he'd go talk to Sydney. She deserved some answers.

Halfway through his shower, he remembered where the thing he was looking for yesterday morning was. He finished his shower, then wrapped a towel around his waist and went into the bedroom. After opening the top drawer of his dresser, he dug under a stack of neatly rolled socks in pairs with one black and one gray. He found what he was looking for and took it out. He looked at the baseball card. It was from some obscure player who never amounted to anything. But he and Seth had thought the guy was cool because he came from Oregon. Gage had given it to Seth the morning of the accident for a birthday present.

Gage looked at the card, then tucked it into his wallet. "I won't misplace you again." He got dressed, then went to the kitchen and took a beer from the refrigerator. A little bit of hair of the dog would counteract the slight hangover he still had. He sat on the couch to drink it. He was stalling.

Maybe I should call her first. He took out his phone and looked at it. No cell service. "Not a cloud in the sky and I still can't make a damn call."

He finished his beer, then slipped on a jacket and left the house. As he got into the Mustang, he remembered he owed Lily an apology. He'd go to the library and talk to her. But first, he needed to go see Corbyn. They avoided each other on the fifteenth. But they always got together the following day. When he finished with Corbyn he'd track down Sydney. God willing she'd hear him out.