Arizona Cowboy Read Online Free PDF

her jaw with his thumb “—but I never want to see another sunset without you.”
    Ava opened her eyes and gazed at the pale blue ceiling. She’d dreamed about Holden. Again. She rolled to her side and curled her legs around a pillow. Eight years had passed since the young cowboy had made that statement. Eight years of her attending and graduating from college then physical therapy school, working with rehabilitation patients, reestablishing a relationship with God, and... Ava didn’t want to think of the and . The memory gouged and ripped at her heart, leaving her wounded and scarred in ways she’d never imagined possible. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. How could a heart feel such pain and yet still beat?
    She shifted her head to see the alarm clock. Just past seven, but Ava knew she wouldn’t sleep another moment. So much for sleeping in on my day off. Slipping out from under the covers, she got dressed, then grabbed a granola bar and a few bottles of water. She scratched out a note for Aunt Irene, then headed toward the mountains.
    Walking her favorite dirt-and-rock-covered trail, Ava sucked in a deep breath. She still loved this place. Arizona had been blessed with a rainy winter, and now in March, the regional park was especially beautiful. Cacti reached stoically toward the cloud-dotted blue sky, while yellow brittlebush, red coachwhip, blue dicks, and desert lavender dotted the ground. She plucked a brittlebush flower, examining its bright petals.
    She plucked a petal. “He loved me.” She plucked another. “He loved me not.” She continued until the final petal, which she caressed with her finger. Pulling it free, she whispered, “He loved me.”
    Twirling the stem, she allowed her gaze to wander across the majesty of the mountains. She looked up at the clouds. “God, I believe he did love me.”
    With a sigh, she tossed the stem to the ground. In a matter of weeks, the temperatures would rise and the rains would cease, and much of the colorful foliage would die. “They can only last a season,” Ava muttered to herself.
    But they return when the time is right.
    A slow smile curled her lips at the thought. She’d left her beloved Holden Whitaker, as well as Surprise, Arizona, eight years ago. She’d believed she’d be gone forever, that in time the memories would dissipate. But she was back. Given how much she enjoyed her new position at Miller Physical Therapy Clinic, she might be here for good. And Holden wanted to get back together. She saw the forgiveness in his eyes.
    She glanced at the fallen petals and stem beside her feet. Summer would return to Surprise, but this flower wouldn’t. It had been plucked from its base and would never bloom again. She swallowed back the truth of the analogy that had drifted into her mind. Returning to Surprise to live didn’t mean she could have Holden’s heart again. One day soon she would tell him the truth.
    And she knew he’d never forgive her.
    * * *
    Holden guided the ten boys from his church group along the trail. Once a month he took any who could attend on some kind of field trip. March proved to be a great time to take them to the White Tans Mountains to hike, eat a picnic lunch and play games.
    “You don’t think we’ll see any snakes, do you, Holden?” asked six-year-old John.
    Holden glanced down and saw the boy’s eyes were nearly as large as the soccer balls they’d brought with them.
    “Duh, we’ll see snakes,” Zack chided. “We’re outside. In the mountains.”
    John reached over and grabbed Holden’s fingers. “We will?”
    Holden squeezed the boy’s hand. “We might, but we’ll be careful. No snake’s going to ruin our fun.”
    “Phew.” Zack jumped up and down with his fists raised, his red curls bouncing around his face. “If a snake comes up to us, I’ll punch it right in the nose.”
    Holden patted his shoulder. “All right, Muhammed Ali. Let’s keep walking.”
    Zack pulled away. “My name