“How long have you been out of the military?”
“I’ll be out three years next month, and Mav and Blake got discharged a couple of months after I did.”
“I’m sure you saw a lot overseas.” She glances up at me, her eyes looking even bluer with the backdrop of the forests and the light coming in through the canopy of trees.
“We did,” I agree but don’t say more, and I’m thankful when she doesn’t ask more questions. My time in the military isn’t something I like to talk about, especially given some of the things I witnessed and experienced while overseas.
“So then you guys decided to move to Montana? Are you from here?”
“No, I grew up in Kentucky. Blake grew up here. His family lives in the valley, and his parents owned the land the lodge is on now. When we came to them with our business plan, they sold us ten acres of their property.”
“That’s cool. Where is Maverick from?”
“New Mexico.”
“You and he are a long way from home. That must be hard for the two of you.”
“Not as hard as you think,” I say, and she looks up at me again, and I know she sees more than she should when her expression softens, making her even more beautiful. “What about you? Have you always lived in Oregon?”
“My whole life.” She stumbles, but I catch her around her upper arm before she can fall. “Thanks,” she breathes.
“Anytime.” I let her go as we continue uphill, then realize where we are. “Jacob,” I call out, and he stops to look at me as everyone else does the same. “We’ll stop at the clearing about twenty minutes ahead and have lunch.”
“Got it.” He continues walking, and everyone follows suit.
When we reach the clearing, I use the sat phone to check in with Maverick, then go in search of Cybil when I don’t see her with everyone else. Spotting her sitting on a log with a book in one hand and her sandwich in the other, I drop my pack and take my lunch with me to join her.
“What are you reading, sunshine?” I ask as I straddle the log, and she looks up at me midchew, then flips the cover closed so I can see for myself. I raise a brow when I see a medieval-looking couple kissing and the title The King’s Prize. “Is it any good?”
Setting the book down, she picks up her water and takes a sip before answering. “I just started, but the author is one of my favorites, so I hope so.”
“Hm.” I pull out my sandwich and take a bite while she opens her book back up.
“You’re staring at me,” she says after a few minutes, and I chuckle, because there are not many women who say whatever it is they are thinking—at least not many that I’ve met.
“I like looking at you,” I tell her honestly, watching her cheeks flush a pretty shade of pink.
“Well, stop,” she mumbles without taking her eyes off her book. “It’s making me feel weird.”
“Weird,” I repeat, and she turns toward me.
“Yes, weird, and shouldn’t you be eating with everyone else?”
“Nope, mealtime is my time.” I finish off the rest of my sandwich in one bite, and she sighs as she goes back to her book. “Why aren’t you eating with everyone?”
“I’m used to being alone, so being around people for long periods of time drains my energy.” Her eyes meet mine, and her nose scrunches. “Don’t get me wrong—I like people; I just need quiet, if that makes sense.”
“I’m the same way.”
“Really?” She lifts a brow, and I smile.
“After a week out here with guests, I have to spend a couple of days alone. It drives Mav and Blake nuts when I go off the grid and they can’t get ahold of me,” I admit, wondering what else we might have in common because I haven’t met many people who like to be alone.
“It makes my best friend, Jade, nuts too.” She laughs, and fuck if the sound doesn’t make my stomach muscles bunch. “Then again, she thinks I spend enough time alone, since I’m in my shop working on my own every day unless it’s time to ship stuff out. Then I have my neighbor Earl there with me, helping box stuff up to be mailed out.”
“What kind of shop do you have?”
“It’s not a real shop. It’s more like where I keep my materials and sewing machine. I design and sell vegan leather handbags at a few local stores and online through my website and social media.”
“Really? How did you get into that?”
“My mom was a seamstress. She taught me how to sew, and when I became a vegetarian, I didn’t feel good carrying a real leather bag. So I decided to make my own out of natural materials. The first time I wore one of my designs in town, a friend of mine saw it and wanted one, so I made her one. Then I started getting calls, and the next thing I knew, my business was born.” She shrugs.
“That’s impressive—not many people have it in them to go after what they want or to build a business from the ground up.”
“You did it,” she says easily, and my chest feels funny. “It also doesn’t hurt that it makes me happy and keeps a roof over my head.” She stiffens ever so slightly when Lauren breaks away from everyone else and starts toward us.
“You okay?” I ask when she gets up and shoves her garbage into the reusable sack her lunch came in before tucking it and her book back into her pack.
“Yep, just gonna go take a few pictures.” She pulls out her camera that is a lot more fancy than the ones people normally bring along on one of these trips and lifts the thick strap over her head so that it’s hanging on her chest.
As I watch her go, I realize that even though she acted like what Lauren asked earlier didn’t bother her, it obviously did, and I can’t even blame her.
“Hey, Tanner.” Lauren grabs my attention, and I lift my chin. “I was wondering about how far away the campsite is from here?”
“Without stopping, it’s about a two-hour hike up the mountain, but I’d guess we’ll make it there in three. Is everything okay?”
“Oh yeah.” She takes a seat on the log, and I scoot back, uncomfortable about having her practically sitting on my lap. “Oliver needs to call his wife and kids to check in. Maverick told him that he could use the satellite phone when we get to camp.”
“I’ll make sure that he’s able to make a call if he needs to.”
“Thank you, Tanner.” She leans toward me and lowers her voice. “He and his wife are going through a really ugly divorce, and I don’t want her to have more to use against him when they go to court.” She rests her hand on my biceps, and I somehow manage to keep my expression neutral.
“No problem.” I stand as sourness fills the back of my throat: one thing I don’t believe in is cheating, and I really hope that’s not how their relationship started. “You should pack up. We’re going to leave in a couple of minutes.”
“Oh.” She rubs her hands down the tops of her thighs, glancing to where Oliver is as she stands, her expression falling.
Not sure what that’s about, I grab my pack and zip it up, then scan the area for Cybil, spotting her up the trail with her camera out, snapping photos of a squirrel that’s sitting on a rock just off the path. “Let’s load up and head out,” I call to the rest of the group, who are standing around under a tree off the trail, and they all turn in my direction before grabbing their packs off the ground and moving toward Cybil.