Jericho's Fall Read Online Free PDF

months when she had not had to worry about getting Nina ready for school or rushing to the office or visiting a store, and a part of her wanted to snuggle into the thick down comforter in the back guest room, and shut her eyes for hours. But her mother had trained her otherwise, and by half past six, as the rest of the household slumbered, she was in her running shoes, striding across the sprawling grounds, letting the chill wake her. She was no runner, but she was an enthusiastic walker. During her time up here with Jericho, she had come to love the unsettling clarity of the brisk mountain air. In those days, Rebecca would spend hours rambling alone through the woods, planning escape strategies she would never implement, for Jericho always seemed to anticipate her: the instant she crossed the threshold, prepped to explain why she had to go, he would be ready with flowers or some more expensive gift. Sometimes, in bed, she would ask Jericho what drew him to her—not merely why he had chased her in the first place—goodness knows, Beck had been chased before—but also why he insisted on staying with her, and keeping her with him, and why they spent almost all of their time on his mountaintop, mostly alone. He would never answer, but now and then, when she pressed too hard, he would vanish into his study, only to pop out an hour later witheverything arranged: a private jet to a private villa, on Tenerife, say, or in New Zealand—someplace where they could travel, and yet be alone. Best of all, he would have a driver take her into Aspen or Vail, where she would spend the Ainsley money at the finest boutiques, acquiring a wardrobe suitable to her station as what Jericho merrily labeled his accompaniment, and what her mother called his concubine.
    She had loved him. There was no question in her mind. She had been only nineteen, and had loved him with a passion she had not lavished on a man since. He had been dashing. She had heard the word but never understood before how a man, in his maturity, could combine a smooth affection with a gentle villainy. Jericho had been smart, and funny, and in most ways kind. He had a temper, true, but it flashed rarely, at least at her. He had introduced her to a world of such privilege she still could not fathom it. And he had given up his career for her.
    That was the other reason Rebecca had finally returned to Stone Heights after avoiding it for so many years. Because she owed him. Jericho Ainsley had sacrificed his remarkable career in order to be with her, and although a part of her was grateful, in her introspective moments she admitted that another part of her felt guilty.
    Even the vast property itself symbolized the scandal of their involvement. Jericho had purchased it fifteen years ago, when at last forced to acknowledge that their relationship made normal life impossible for either. Bought us a place in Colorado, Becky-Bear. Lots of privacy. Just for the two of us. You’ll love it .
    She had expressed her doubts.
    Eight hundred acres , Jericho told her. Great views, the middle of nowhere. Nearest town is thirty miles away .
    At the time, Rebecca had been thrilled to think that he would create a secret world for the two of them. The house was halfway up the mountain, and Jericho owned land most of the way to the top. Sometimes the two of them would climb the rocky path and stand at the summit, gazing down on a view that went on for miles, first crisp, then vague, then vanishing amidst higher peaks.
    Which was, in a sense, the arc of Jericho’s career.
    This morning Beck headed down toward the gate, not up towardthe peak. She wandered the woods, staying near the gravel road so as not to lose her way, wondering why Jericho had asked for her, or if he even remembered. The sun was just clearing the peak. In the valley to the east of Jericho’s mountain, the high trees cast sharply etched shadows toward her like daggers. She heard animals snuffling by, spotted their tracks in the wet