Page 72 of Set It Right
“I twisted my ankle in a prairie dog hole. You left me crying in pain on the ground.”
I laughed. “First, you weren’t crying. Whimpering, maybe, but not crying.” I bumped his arm with mine. “Second, I came back for you.”
“After you declared victory.”
“It was my only chance of ever beating you. I couldn’t let it pass me by.”
We settled into a steady pace, the rhythm of our footfalls syncing without us trying. That had always been our thing: we found each other’s cadence without effort.
“I forgot how pretty it is this time of day,” I said, softer now.
Cormac’s gaze found mine. “Most people don’t see it. They’re still asleep.”
“Or working.”
He huffed a quiet laugh. “Or avoiding runs any way they can.”
“Rude.”
He bumped his arm lightly into mine, and the bare brush sent a spark through me. The tension I’d woken up with had begun to unwind. He wasn’t distant. He wasn’t being overly careful. He wasn’t pretending it hadn’t happened.
He was just…Cormac.
Talking about the new guests arriving this week. Teasing me about the time Hannah had convinced me to try barrel racingand I nearly took out three fences. Asking about a trail I’d hiked last week and whether the wildflowers were in full bloom.
At one point, he surged ahead a few strides then turned to jog backward in front of me. “Still with me?”
“Barely,” I shot back, though I was fine. Mostly.
His eyes dragged along my face, checking me over for himself. Then he faced forward again and slowed without comment.
We rounded the far pasture, where the land opened wide and rolling, the mountains rising blue and hazy in the distance. A cloud of dirt drifted up every time our shoes scuffed the edge of the road. A hawk circled overhead.
I realized I was smiling.
And a big part of me suddenly felt like it had been righted.
This was why I’d come here. Not only to start over, but to return to the beginning, where everything had been fresh and easy. Where I’d felt most like myself, with all good things in front of me, and people who loved me beside me. Where summers lasted forever and friendships never died.
And Cormac was central to all of it.
“I’m glad I came back. Glad we found each other again.”
He turned, his eyes bouncing over my face. Something was there, words unsaid, but he kept them to himself and just nodded, the corners of his mouth curving into the barest smile.
“I’m glad you came back too, Zara.”
He took it easy on me, leading us on a route I was certain was much shorter than he usually ran. When the guesthouse came into view, I slowed to a walk, my hands on my hips as I sucked in air. Cormac slowed beside me, breathing as easy as always.
The jerk.
We slowed even more when we neared my door, but my heart was a speedy rabbit in my throat. I never got nervous around Cormac, but suddenly, I wasn’t sure how to act or what I shouldsay. I knew I wanted to kiss him again, but I wasn’t sure if I should, or if he’d want that.
We spoke at the same time.
“What are you—?”
“I should probably—”
