“Really?”
“Yeah. They didn’t think girls were strong enough.”
“Is that the reason Brittany starts her morning with push-ups?”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Maybe she feels like she has something to prove, too. I don’t take it nearly as seriously as everyone else does.”
Brittany came out of the bathroom. Her long, dark hair was pulled back severely into a tight braid. She was wearing cargo shorts, boots, and a red tank. She looked at her watch. “You know we have to report in about ten minutes.”
“Oh my God.” I rushed into the bathroom.
I wanted to take my time with the shower, keeping the water as hot as I could stand it, because I knew it would be my last one for many days. But I was pressed for time. No makeup would be needed on the trail, although I did use sunscreen—to try to keep my freckles at a minimum—and mascara. My eyelashes are a faint red, and without a touch of mascara they are barely visible. I slipped on my cargo pants, boots, and a thin tank top. Over the tank, I zipped a snug hoodie. I tied a bandana over my wild red hair.
I finished up my morning ritual by touching the pewter necklace I always wore. It was a circle of knots and twisted strands. Someone had once told me that it was a Celtic symbol for guardian. It seemed appropriate. It had belonged to my mother, and sometimes it made me feel as though she was watching over me.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Brittany was gone and Lindsey was dressed in cargo shorts and a spaghetti-strap tank. She’d pulled her blond hair back into a ponytail. She helped me adjust my pack onto my back and shoulders.
“If it gets too heavy, say something to Lucas,” she told me. “He can shift some of the supplies to the other guys.”
“I’m not a weakling. I can carry my own stuff.” I was a little insulted that she thought I’d need help.
“I’m just saying. Sherpas carried a lot of your stuff last summer, so you might not be used to all the weight.”
“But this year, I’m a sherpa.”
“Looks like you’ll be a stubborn one, too,” she mumbled.
I wasn’t stubborn, but I was determined to pull my weight. And not to miss my adoptive parents. It was hard, though. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my natural parents, but they’d been gone a long time. My adoptive parents had always treated me like I was their birth kid. I loved them with a fierceness that surprised me sometimes. But it was my nature to have strong emotions about things, at least according to my shrink. It was the reason that I was still coping with the senseless death of my parents.
I shivered as I stepped out of the cabin into the cool dawn air. The campers and guides were gathered in the center of the small village. The village was nestled just inside the national park. It housed the ranger station, a small first aid station, a gift shop, a camping supply store, and a tiny café. It was the last chance to stock up before heading out.
Excitement—and a little bit of nervousness—thrummed through my veins. After all, I’d be responsible for the welfare of these campers.
Lindsey shut the cabin door behind me and knocked her shoulder against mine. “This is it, girlfriend. You ready?”
I took a deep breath. “I think so.”
“You’re going to have way more fun this summer than you did last year.”
I adjusted my pack, took a deep breath, and strode toward the group that had gathered. Dr. Keane, his son, and several grad students would be hiking into the wilderness. Six sherpas would be traveling with them. That was a lot for such a small group, but Dr. Keane had special equipment that he needed for whatever it was he was trying to teach his students, so he’d hired more of us. Which was fine with me, since I was still learning. Having someone to cover my back sounded like a great idea. I didn’t want to be the one responsible for making a decision that would put us all on the nightly news.
One guy stepped away from the group. “Hey, Kayla,” he called out with a bright smile as he approached me.
Lindsey just gave me a questioning raise of her eyebrow and continued on while I stopped to talk with Mason. He was not only one of Dr. Keane’s students, but also his son. I’d met him the day before. He was really cute. His dark-brown hair fell over his brow and covered his left eye.
“Hey, yourself,” I said.
“I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”
He had so much energy that it bolstered my own excitement about the coming adventure. “No, just off to a late start.”
“This trip is going to be so awesome,” he said.
“Have you done much backcountry hiking?”
“Oh yeah. Not here, of course. But Dad and I have gone through other national forests. We’ve also done a lot of hiking in Europe.”
“So you and your dad are close?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes. I mean he’s still a parent, you know? And my grad school advisor. Plus he treats me like I’m a kid.”
I smiled in commiseration. “Tell me about it.”
“Maybe I will. Later tonight.” He looked down as though suddenly uncomfortable. His stance reminded me of Rick—the guy who’d taken me to the junior prom—right before he’d asked me to go with him. As though he was gathering his courage, afraid he’d get rejected.
“We’re going to have a blast,” I assured Mason, not sure why I was encouraging him when I’d only be with him for a few days. Except that he was cute and seemed friendly. And there weren’t any rules against getting involved with the campers. When you’re out in the woods together for several days or weeks, things were certain to develop.
Lifting his eyes to mine, he gave me a big smile. He had eyes the color of clover. With his tawny skin and dark hair, they really stood out.
“Maybe we could walk together.” He said it like he wasn’t sure if he should make it a real suggestion, a statement, or simply an inquiry.
“I’d like—”
“City Girl, you’re with me.”
Okay, I didn’t know why I knew that order was directed at me. No one had ever called me City Girl. Maybe it was because I recognized the voice. Or maybe it was simply the nearness of it. To be singled out irritated but thrilled me at the same time. I worked to get all my emotions under control while I slowly turned to face Lucas. “Excuse me? ‘City Girl’?”
“You’re from the city, right?”
“Yeah, I suppose Dallas could be called a city. And why do I have to hike with you?”
He shifted the weight of his pack on his shoulders. It was twice the size of mine. I would have been bent over, but he stood straight as though it was nothing. “Because you’re new and I need to check your skills. We’ll take the lead.”
He was dressed in cargo shorts and a black T-shirt. His hair was straight and lanky, but the variety of colors made it look anything except boring. His silver eyes held a challenge. Yeah, I was new, but I wasn’t stupid enough to argue against an order before we’d even gotten started. He could easily declare me too much trouble and leave me here. I resented that he had so much power and wasn’t afraid to wield it. I had a problem with authority, obviously.
I gave him a sarcastic salute. To my stunned surprise, his lips twitched as though he were fighting back a smile. Wasn’t that fascinating?
“Interesting necklace. It’s a Celtic symbol for guardian,” he said quietly.
I couldn’t have been more surprised if he’d suddenly started talking about designer clothes. He didn’t strike me as someone who’d care about Celtic anything. I touched it. “Yeah, that’s what I heard. It belonged to my mom.”
“Makes it special.”
His eyes held mine, and it was as though we were the only two people around. For a moment, he wasn’t my boss. He was just the guy I’d met last summer, the guy I’d dreamed about way too many times to count. I didn’t know why he haunted my dreams, my thoughts. I didn’t know why I wanted to confess about the wish I’d made the night before. Didn’t know why I wanted to kiss him so badly. His gaze dropped to my lips as though maybe
he was thinking the same thing I was.
Suddenly he seemed irritated with himself, maybe because Mason wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that he was studying us with curiosity.
“Meet me at the front in five,” Lucas suddenly barked. Then he gave Mason an unfriendly once-over. “Be sure you stay close to a guide, Mason. Wouldn’t want you to get lost.”
Mason’s green eyes narrowed as he watched Lucas until he disappeared. The dislike was shimmering off him in waves. I wasn’t usually so attuned to people, but something about being in the woods brought out my primal instincts, I guessed. Maybe it was the whole getting-back-to-nature thing. But there was definitely some tension between these two.
“Who put him in charge?” Mason groused.
“The park rangers, I think. He’s supposed to be really good. I heard he found a family that got lost last summer when no one else could.”
“Really? How’d he manage that?”
“Followed their tracks or something. You’ll have to ask him.”
“Yeah, like he’d tell me anything.”
“Did you get into it with him or something?”
“Not yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we do. Something about the guy seems off.”
Mason didn’t strike me as a fighter. Lucas would obviously kick his ass, but I didn’t think Mason would appreciate my assessment of his fighting skills. Apparently I wasn’t the only one feeling animalistic today.
“He’s not really worth the bother,” I said.
Mason snapped his head around and gave me a strange smile. “You don’t think I can beat him.”
“He’s got the whole working-out thing going.”
“Don’t let my love of academics fool you. I can hold my own in a fight.”
“I’ve no doubt.” It was the only thing I could say. I didn’t think a fight was in the best interest of our goal. “Anyway, I’d better go.”
He touched my hand just for a second. “Uh, I’ve got something for you.” He reached into his pocket, brought out a small package, and extended it toward me. “Happy birthday.”
I looked at him with surprise. “How did you know?”
His cheeks turned red. “Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I was out walking. Saw the party.”
Had he been following us? Was he what I’d heard? “Why didn’t you say something, join us?”
“I’m not a party crasher. Open it.”
I did. Inside was a braided leather bracelet. “Oh, thanks. I like it.” I beamed at him.
He appeared even more embarrassed. “There’s not much to choose from in the stores around here. Most of it is camping stuff and cheap souvenirs.”
“It’s awesome,” I reassured him, just before I slipped it onto my wrist.
“So maybe we can get together later,” he said.
It wasn’t like we’d get together later and go on a date. We were pretty much limited to group outings, but still we could have some fun. “Yeah, definitely.”
Then I went to catch up with Lucas. Day one and I was already confused about a lot of things: my attraction to Lucas and my interest in Mason. Mason was definitely the safer of the two. The question was: Did I want safe?
THREE
I caught up with Lucas a couple of minutes later. I didn’t show him the gift from Mason, and part of me hoped he wouldn’t notice it. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t think he’d approve.
“Mason was out in the woods last night,” I told him. “I think he’s who I heard.”
“I know he was in the woods. I smelled him.”
“Excuse me?”
“That soap he uses—strong stuff. Anyway, I don’t think he’s who I felt watching us.”
“But he told me that he watched.”
“Maybe it was him, then.”
I knew a brush-off when I heard it. “You don’t sound convinced.”
“I just think we need to stay alert.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s go!” he called out to our group.
When Lucas said that we’d take the lead, apparently he’d meant he would take the lead and I would follow closely behind. I told myself that we had no choice except to go single file because the trail was narrow. Today we were following a path that others had taken enough times so it was clearly marked and the brush didn’t encroach, but I knew at some point we’d diverge into an area no one else had explored. That was my favorite part of backwoods hiking—going where no one had gone before. It was always an adventure, with a surprise around every corner. And right now, the biggest surprise was Lucas and how much I enjoyed watching his movements. He was confident and sure-footed.
I knew he was attending a university somewhere and had just returned to work for the summer, but that was about it. What I knew about him wasn’t enough to cover the needle of my compass.
I did know he was in amazing shape. He was barely breathing, while my breaths—to my complete mortification—were taking on a labored quality. The path was at an incline and the rugged forest terrain was mountainous. Traveling over it was a workout. I’d thought I was in shape. Ha!
“Just a little farther,” Lucas finally said.
I was mortified that he not only heard me gasping, but felt obligated to let me know that he noticed me struggling. While no one had made me feel like I was an outsider, I knew the truth: I was. “I’m fine.”
He glanced back without altering his stride. “But the prof and his students are suffering.”
I thought of his apparent dislike for Mason—or Mason’s for him. “Are you trying to prove something to them?”
“If I were, I wouldn’t stop at all.”
Yeah, he could probably go all day without taking a break. I felt a strange mixture of admiration and jealousy. I had no idea why I cared, but I wanted to be his equal, wanted him to be impressed with my stamina. Wanted him to be impressed with me.
The path widened just a bit. He slowed his stride until we were walking side by side.
“So how long have you been a sherpa?” I asked.
He shifted his silver gaze over to me. “Four years.”
“Is that the reason they put me on your team? Because you’re so experienced?”
He seemed to study me in that still way he had, before he said, “I requested you.”
My jaw dropped, but I didn’t think he had time to notice, because at the same time I tripped over my own feet. Lucas moved with a swiftness that astounded me, catching me and steadying me before I fell beneath the weight of my pack. His large, warm hands gripped my arms.
I should have been mortified by my clumsiness, but I wasn’t really thinking about it. I was intrigued by what he’d said.
“Why?” I asked. “Why request me?”
“Because I didn’t think anyone else could protect you as well as I could.”
“So you’re what? Supersherpa? And you think I’m not capable of taking care of myself?”
“I’m not the one who just tripped.”
I decided it would sound stupid to argue that I’d tripped because of his words, that my clumsiness was somehow his fault.
“Are we stopping here?” Lindsey asked, as she approached and gave me an odd look.
“Yeah,” Lucas said. He released his hold on me, stepped away, and shucked off his backpack with the ease of someone removing a jacket. He leaned it up against a tree. I worked my way out of mine and did the same.
“We’ll take fifteen. Be sure to hydrate,” Lucas said when everyone else had caught up with us. “I’m going to scout the area ahead.”
Before anyone could respond, he disappeared between two trees.
Okay, Mr. I-can-leave-you-all-in-the-dust, I thought. Be that way. Prove you’re not human, that you don’t need to rest.
“Doesn’t that guy ever get tired?” Mason asked grumpily as he dropped to the ground after removing his backpack.
“They say he’s the best,” Dr. Keane said. His hair was dark, peppered with white. Even in his hiking clothe
s he looked distinguished, as though at any moment he’d break into a lecture. He didn’t seem the type to have an Indiana Jones mode. He strolled over to two of his students—Tyler and Ethan—who were carrying a large wooden crate on a litter, huffing heavily and sweating profusely. He helped them get the crate safely to the ground.
“What is that stuff, Professor?” Connor asked.
“Just some equipment we’ll use to collect samples once we get farther into the wilderness.”
“You must be planning to collect a lot of samples.”
Dr. Keane smiled in a way that reminded me of my therapist when he was letting me know that he knew things my feeble mind would never dream of. “I intend to get my money’s worth out of this trip. And I only brought students with avid curiosities, so I’m sure there is much out here that they’ll want to examine closely.”
So Mason wasn’t the only one with resentment issues. I had no idea what the park charged for the use of sherpas. I only knew that I was paid minimum wage. The thought was that our real reward was being able to spend our summer in the wilds. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love what we were doing.
The other grad students—David, Jon, and Monique—sat together in a cluster, while the sherpas mingled together. David and Jon seemed a little old to be grad students. I wondered if they’d decided later in life what they wanted to do. I thought they were probably close to thirty. Monique was supermodel-lithe and lovely. She was tall with milk-chocolate skin and a flawless complexion.
Considering Dr. Keane’s attitude about getting his money’s worth, I didn’t think it was a good idea for us to separate ourselves into separate camps: sherpas versus grad students. I dug a water bottle out of my backpack and sat beside Mason. He was picking at his thumbnail.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Oh, chipped it when we were packing supplies this morning. It keeps catching on things.”
“I have a nail file you can use.” I unzipped the pocket on my backpack.
“You brought a file?” He was truly astounded.
“Sure. No girl with any respect for her manicure travels in the wilds without a nail file.”