“It’s nice he thought of that. It sounds like he really cares about you.” She looked up at the mountains on the other side of the creek. “It’s pretty here. Is this what Hope Valley looks like?”

“Some parts of it.” They went to a boulder by the creek and sat down.

She put her hand over his. “You know everything about me, and you gave me the best day today because you knew it would make me happy. I want to know more about you, so maybe one day I can do something special for you.”

“I don’t need anything special. My past isn’t full of flowers or meaningful moments worth recreating.”

She curled her fingers around his. “My past is pretty ugly, and I trusted you with it.”

He turned his hand over and squeezed hers, wishing he could erase those parts of her past. “There’s not much to tell, babe.”

“What was your childhood like? Did you play sports? What do they do in Colorado? Ride horses? Rope cows?”

He shook his head. “I went to school, hung out with friends. I’ve never been big on sports or roping cows, but I can ride horses.”

“So you had a good childhood?”

“Some parts of it.”

She leaned against his side. “Like…?”

“I don’t know. Times with my mom before she got sick. We took walks in the woods like this, caught minnows in the creek.” His throat thickened with longing for those times. He only let himself think of her when he came to the cabin.

“What was she like?”

He didn’t share details of his mother’s life with anyone, and he was surprised to realize he wanted to share them with Tracey. “She was all heart—spontaneous, happy. She saw the best in everyone, and she played the guitar. She liked playing it outside, like you wanted to.”

“You remembered?”

“I don’t forget much.” It was a blessing and a curse. “My mother had shitty parents. They never let her forget that she was an imposition they hadn’t asked for. A mistake.”

“That sucks. That’s so hurtful.”

“Yeah, but she was tough. She left home after graduating high school, traveled around. She was artistic, and she loved The Hobbit, elves, that kind of thing. She used to take me to a hobbit shop that sold all sorts of Hobbit paraphernalia.”

“She’s the reason you gave Adrian those books, isn’t she?”