I think he liked it.
The farther into the mountains we drove, the more breathtaking it became.
I mean, I’d always seen photos of the mountains and thought “wow.”
But nothing prepared you for actually seeing them in person.
Nothing could describe the beauty.
Everything was green and lush. Wildflowers grew on the side of the mountain.
Snow capped the mountain tops in a blanket of white.
There were animals…everywhere.
I’d seen wild bison in Wyoming. Bears—grizzly and black—on the border of Wyoming and Montana. I’d seen mule deer, and prong horned deer. I’d also seen my first moose.
It was better than visiting a zoo.
As it always did, my mind drifted off to Gentry.
Always Gentry.
He’d been on my mind for seven years and likely never would stray far from it.
I felt pity for any future husbands.
Despite only knowing the man for ten minutes, he was still the person that I measured all other men against.
I’d learned all about his life as he went through the farce that was the murder trial of Mario O’Neal.
I learned that he was poor growing up.
I learned that he’d been in the military.
I’d learned that he was a Ranger—though the lawyers had used that as a selling point to how he was a “trained weapon” that “knew what he was doing” by killing Mario.
I learned that his parents loved him.
I learned that he couldn’t afford anything, because he’d been fighting for rights to his child, Dean, for six months and had blown through his entire life savings.
I’d learned that he had a brother that was named Van that was a warrant officer.
I learned that he liked dogs—he’d tried to hide, but I’d seen that he was the one that had dropped Neo off to me the day before he was sentenced to a decade or more in prison.
I learned, also, what it looked like to see a grown man cry when the mention of his son’s murder was brought up by his lawyer. A murder he hadn’t realized had happened until then.
A retaliation against Gentry for when he did the right thing by saving me and had killed Mario.
The murder of Dean Kelly was still, to this day, unsolved.
Though everyone knew that Dario was responsible.
Neo barked, and I slowed down, having not realized that I was now flying down a mountain pass.
My speed slowed, and I forced myself to pay attention to what I was doing.
And the land surrounding me.