Free Rocky Mountain Wedding by Sara Richardson

to let me be there.”
    “Maybe that’s what he needs to hear.” Paige nudged her back toward the park.
    Her shoulders slumped. Her friends were right. Sawyer had shown her nothing but patience, especially when she hadn’t been willing to let him in all those months ago. He deserved that same patience from her.
    She glanced at the crowd milling around the park. “I should find him.” They had to start over, align themselves on the same side.
    Leaving her friends on the sidewalk, she rushed back to the bandstand, pushing her way through the crowd, searching the blurred faces for him.
    “Ruby.” Thomas snagged her sleeve. “How’re you holding up?” He gave her a hug, and she let herself steal an extra few seconds in his comforting, fatherly arms.
    “Okay,” she whispered. But she wasn’t. She was aching for Sawyer, aching for Brookie, aching for their little family. “Have you seen Sawyer?” she asked Thomas, forcing herself upright. “He was just here…”
    “He went off with Bryce, Isaac, and Ben. They’re headed up the mountain.”
    A crushing disappointment bore down on her.
    “Anything I can do for you?” Thomas asked.
    “No. Thank you.” No one but Sawyer could soothe that pain inside of her. He was the only one who could reassure her that they would be all right. That no matter what else happened, their love for each other would sustain them and bring them through. No one but Sawyer could steady her.
    And he was already gone.

Chapter Seven
    S awyer gunned the ATV up an embankment and jerked on the brakes. Standing, he tried to get a look at the trail above. Nothing but the massive trees and boulders, the endless wilderness stretching out in all directions. No sign of Brooklyn. Not a trace. She could be anywhere in the hundreds of thousands of acres surrounding them.
    A cold fury boiled inside of him, fueling him to crank the throttle.
    The machine tore up the trail, jostling his body, charging him with a surge of adrenaline, but he couldn’t move fast enough. Couldn’t change anything. Couldn’t rewind the day back into the night.
    How had he slept through the sound of the front door unlocking and opening? Why hadn’t he woken up? Why hadn’t he made absolutely sure Brookie was okay after the shock of hearing about the baby?
    He could’ve been more aware. Picked up on the fact that she wasn’t happy. He should’ve. This was on him. Ruby had been right to be concerned about her, yet he’d brushed it aside.
    A tree appeared in front of him. He jerked the handlebars and squeezed the brakes again, jolting the thing to a stop. Heavy breaths pressed into his ribs, echoing in his helmet.
    A cold wind boiled the murky clouds above him, blowing against him or maybe through him. Though sweat glazed his skin beneath his helmet and fleece, he shivered. God, where was Brookie?
    Shadows passed in front of his vision—the what-ifs building into a nightmare that threatened to take over.
    “Hawkins!”
    Bryce’s shout shattered the images.
    His cousin eased his ATV up next to him. “Damn. Slow down. You’re gonna kill yourself.”
    “I can’t slow down.” It felt like he was already dying. Like some unbearable weight was slowly crushing his heart. “I can’t stop. Not until I find her.” Because if he did—if he stopped and sat still, he wouldn’t be able to climb out of the darkness.
    “Hey.” Bryce reached over and planted a hearty grip on his shoulder. “ We’ll find her. It’s not up to you. You don’t have to do it alone.”
    The reminder grated against the years of training and experience on the job. He always fixed things on his own. That was part of the job description. He solved problems, brought justice to hopeless situations. He should be enough. He should be able to do it for his own family.
    With a jerk of his hand, he gunned the ATV’s engine, ready to put it in drive. But before he could release the brakes, Bryce steered in front of him.
    “Quit being such an