Disclaimer: I don't own High Mountain Rangers.

Reborn

Prologue – If These Walls Could Speak

Robin Kelly bit her bottom lip as she inserted the key into the lock of the deserted ranger station. Her heart thudded in her chest as memories flooded over her. In the two years since budget cuts and loss of funding led to the demise of the High Mountain Rangers, the building had sat empty and neglected. Many of the windows were boarded up, and the ones that weren't sported several broken panes.

Robin's heart ached at the condition of the place where she'd spent some of the best years of her life. The lock finally clicked and the door knob turned. She hesitantly pushed the door open, wincing as the hinges protested with a loud groan. Glass littered the floor from the door's busted panes and cobwebs hung forlornly in the corners of the entryway.

Afternoon sunlight filtered through the open door and dust mites floated in the air. Robin placed one boot-clad foot inside and heard glass crunch beneath her shoe. She took another tentative step and then another until she reached the French doors that led to the main room of the station.

Sucking in a deep breath, she pushed it open and entered the place where some of her best memories had been made. The rock fireplace still dominated one end of the room, but all of the familiar furniture was gone. It had been sold at auction the week after she, Frank, and Izzy had closed the station and gone their separate ways. Trash littered the floor where vagrants had broken in at some point, probably to stay warm during Tahoe's frigid winters.

Robin's throat suddenly felt tight as she imagined Jim Cutler sitting at the main desk, feet propped up, and reading a romance novel. She blinked and the image was gone, replaced by an empty, echoing room.

"Hey, Birdie!"

Robin jumped as her brother Bryce entered the room behind her, his jeans faded and well-worn, his blonde hair windblown.

"This place is a dump!" he announced just before he sneezed.

She didn't respond; instead, she made her way to the large dining room. In her mind's eye she could still see Matt sitting at the head of the table as they sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Now the room was empty, the table gone. Memories hung heavy in the air.

Robin felt tears burn in her eyes, but she blinked them back. She could cry later. Now she had work to do if she and Bryce were going to figure out how to turn this dilapidated building and the barn behind it into a riding therapy camp for disabled children.

"Come on, Birdie," Bryce called, using his childhood nickname he had for her. "Dumpster's here. Time to get started on demo."

Squaring her shoulders, Robin returned to the main room, determined to make new, happy memories here to replace the painful ones.

To Be Continued…