Above the Bridge Read Online Free PDF Page A

still.
    Somewhere within these moments of silence, Paige realized she had stumbled into an adventure far beyond the scope of her assignment.  Many miles from home, in a land of exquisite beauty, she had found a place to soak in a renewal of sorts.  She’d discovered an environment that was conducive to examining her own life.   A new purpose for her trip began to form in her mind and heart, one that had the potential to carry her far beyond her writing assignment.  She had a sudden feeling that her visit to Jackson Hole was going to be a journey of self-discovery.
    In time, the moose moved away, slowly making its way up an embankment thick with foliage, until finally it disappeared over a ridge.  Paige returned to her car and drove on another half mile, where she was able to turn around in a small pullout that served as a parking lot for a canyon trailhead.  She started back towards Jackson, passing first the old Manning ranch and then the log cabin that would soon be her temporary home.  Seeing the sharp angle of the shadow falling from Dan’s barn, she glanced across the valley at the Tetons and realized the sun was rapidly growing lower on the horizon. It was time to return to town before it settled behind the mountains for the night.
    Small candles lit up the front windows of the Sweet Mountain Inn as she pulled into the driveway and parked her car.  It had been comforting, having the inn as a landing zone for her visit.  The innkeepers had been warm and accommodating.  Their hospitality had allowed her to feel welcome and their directions around Jackson had allowed her to easily familiarize herself with the town.  She would make a point of thanking them when she checked out the next day.
    At the small writing desk in her room, Paige pulled out her journal and prepared to jot down some notes.  It had been a full day and one filled with intrigue.  The land and the people of Jackson Hole were so different from those she was used to back home.  The quiet in the air alone was almost a shock.  The landscape, the scenery, the culture and the history; all these things were new.  Instinctively, Paige knew there was much more waiting to be discovered.
    Her thoughts kept returning to the old Manning ranch. An historic ranch could make for interesting reading, especially on the east coast where ranching would be less familiar to readers.  But a ranch would have to be unique to the Jackson Hole area in order to be the right subject matter.  Some aspect of its history or a tie to a local human interest angle would be needed. 
    Intuition had often led her to a good story in the past, but she didn’t have anything solid to go on this time, at least not yet.  Admittedly, a touch of her curiosity was caused by Jake himself.  That was something she would have to watch.  It wouldn’t be the first time a good-looking guy had thrown her off track.  Still, she couldn’t help but wonder.  He seemed amicable enough with people in town, yet he kept to himself.  He’d moved into the area recently, buying up a large property that had been on the market for awhile. What was his purpose in moving to Jackson and purchasing that particular property? 
    Paige sat back in her chair and mulled this over.  She needed a reasonable basis for thinking he might be tied into a local story or else she had to focus on the basic article she had originally come to write.  So far she had nothing.  It would be wiser to start again in the morning and search out other topics of interest in the area. 
    She lifted her overnight bag from the room’s metal luggage rack and placed it on the bed.  Grabbing the few articles of clothing that were hanging in the closet, she folded them into a small stack and slid them inside the bag.  She left out one pair of faded jeans, a rose-colored T-shirt and a cable-knit burgundy pullover sweater.  These would work for quick dressing in the morning.  She could already feel a buzz of excitement when