“It was only a quick glimpse, and I don’t think he even knew I was there. He was in the kitchen. I saw him stand and walk, and I couldn’t help notice . . .”

“That there might be something wrong?”

“Tell me if it’s none of my business. I don’t want to pry.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“So, is he all right? Was he in some kind of accident?”

Ryan brought the truck to a stop at a quiet T-junction, leaving the engine to idle. The indicator ticked back and forth, hypnotizing him for a moment. “You’re close. An accident was how it was first described to me by the doctors—a ‘cerebrovascular accident’ were the exact words, as I recall—which is really just a fancy way of saying he had a stroke.”

She looked at him with astonishment. “When was this?”

“Four years ago. He was forty-seven.”

“I’m sorry—that’s terrible.”

He nodded, still staring ahead. “Scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“You were there when it happened?”

“I was.” As Ryan recalled the moment, his grip on the wheel tightened and his knuckles turned bone white. “We were out on the trails at the time, near where we were today. We hadn’t been riding long when all of a sudden he just tipped sideways out of his saddle and fell to the ground. No warning, nothing. A helicopter had to come and airlift him to the nearest hospital. I’ll never forget what that felt like, that hollow sensation in the pit of my gut as I watched him fly away.”

“You couldn’t go with him?”

He shook his head, sensing Amy’s gaze heavy on him. “There wasn’t any room. I had to make my own way there. It was awful. I had no idea what condition he’d be in, or if he was even still alive. For all I knew, he was already in a body bag. I swear, I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened.”

Unbidden, the emotion of Amy’s own experience came rushing back to her, the moment her dad told her about the death of her mother. Sharing the weight of his sadness, she reached across and put her hand on the side of Ryan’s arm; without explaining why, she wanted to let him know that she knew precisely how he felt.

“What happened when you got to the hospital? Were you able to see him straight away?”

“No, he was in surgery . . .” The words were sticking in his throat. “I didn’t see him for a few hours. And before I could, the doctor had to prepare me.”

“Prepare you?”