“To what?” She stepped out of her room to join him, pulling the door closed behind her.
“To me saying you’re pretty…or cute…or whatever you look like to me.”
“I’m not going to be here long enough to get used to it.”
“How about you try to get used to it tonight?”
“What’s the point?” She gestured to his backpack which had a plaid blanket rolled up on the side. “Is that a picnic backpack? I’ve only seen those in catalogs.”
“It is.” He reached for her hand, and laced his fingers through hers. “I thought we’d walk.”
“All the way to the park?”
“It’s not far. And the company’s good.”
“Not far?” she grumbled. “Down the street, over the bridge, then some…”
“I’ve been walking all day,” he said, as they walked out of the hotel parking lot, onto the Main Street sidewalk. “And I learned some interesting things.”
“Like what?”
“I found a new route that a mama grizzly and her cubs are taking.”
“New route?”
“Bears stake out their own territories. I’ve been noticing this one female, who used to hang out in a meadow between Dunraven Pass and Mount Washburn, but she’s been gradually moving south to Hayden Valley, closer to the road. Well, I couldn’t figure out why until today.”
“Why?”
“There’s a wolf pack settling in not far from the road. And the wolves, well, they are great hunters. So they take down an elk or a moose working as a team, and then the bears come along and finish off the kill. Big rivalry between the bears and wolves in the park. Typically, bears overpower better hunters, like wolves, and take their kill, because they’ve got size and strength over a wolf. Even a pack won’t mess with a full-grown grizzly. Only time she’d retreat is if they threatened her cub, but she might even get them to back off in spite of the cub if he was a yearling. Anyhow, it’s just easier for her if she hangs out near a wolf pack. She’ll eventually benefit from their kill.”
“I love it when you talk about the park.”
“Yeah?” He licked his lips. Her words were practically foreplay as far as Lars’s body was concerned.
“Yeah. You know so much. And it’s a little dangerous. It’s—I don’t know—sort of a…” She shrugged, smiling up at him.
“Turn-on?” he asked.
She took a deep breath and sort of half exhaled, half chuckled as she nodded. “I guess.”
He squeezed her hand as a tingly shiver went down his back. Damn, he liked this woman.
“So, by tracking the bear, you actually found a wolf pack?”
“Um, yeah, I guess. I wanted to figure out why she was moving south, closer to the road, and it’s because of a pack. Makes sense. Now I’ll know where to spot her.”
“Will you take me?”
I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Jane.
He looked down at her, smiling. “Sure. If you’re here long enough,” he said, teasing her with her own words.
“I’ll be here long enough for that. I’d love to get some pictures of her.”
“That was some camera you were using yesterday, Minx. Nikon 3DX is just about the best one out there for wildlife captures.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “More than a hobby, I’m guessing.”
She shrugged. “Sadly, no. Should have been, but…”
“But what?”
“Got sidetracked. Put that dream on hold.”
“To work for your cousin.”
“Mm-hm. Still don’t know if I made the right decision.”
“Working for family’s not for everyone.”
“Certainly seems like it’s working out for you,” she said.
“Things aren’t always what they seem.”
He adjusted and readjusted his fingers through hers, loving the feeling of holding her hand as they walked along together. “Sort of sick of being the low man on the totem pole.”
“Are you the low man? I’ve only seen you. You almost seem like a one-man operation to me!”
“Ha. My father and my brother handle the business end of things. My father signed over a big chunk of the business to Nils on his twenty-second birthday, but I was three years younger and my share was smaller. Then Erik’s share reverted back to my pop and Nils when he moved away. Oh, I don’t know. I think things need to change. Sort of feels like I’m not going anywhere some days.”
“I can relate to that.”
“Can you? Because it seems like you’re always going somewhere.”
“There’s a lot of travel involved with my job, sure. But I don’t choose the places. I don’t choose where we stay or for how long. I certainly don’t have much leisure time. I travel, yes, but I haven’t had a proper vacation in…geez, four or five years, I guess.”
“Whew!”
“No rest for the weary, but complaining won’t change it.” She sort of chuckled low, ruefully. “I’m lucky, really. I make good money, and the people are, for the most part, really great.
“Anyway…my day was nowhere near as interesting as yours. I got an early morning call from Sara.” She dropped his hand, lowering her sunglasses as they changed direction, walking into the low, setting sun. “Then handled a bunch of emails, confirmed the team’s travel, made sure Sara was all set to go tomorrow morning. She liked the locations you chose, Lars.”
Whether it was a coincidence or not, he noticed that Jane let go of his hand as soon as she said her cousin’s name, crossing her arms over her chest in a move that looked defensive as she walked beside him.
“Who’s on the team?”
“Oh, um…Ray. Ray Cartier.” She chuckled again, but it was a warm, affectionate sound this time. “He’s fabulous. Does makeup. Sebastian. He’s Sara’s agent. He’s a pretty good guy. Sort of a worrywart, but I guess that’s what she pays him for. Shanelle does hair. Margot handles wardrobe. And on this trip? I think Franco is coming too. He’s her trainer-slash-nutritionist.”
“Five people to tend to one person?”
“Six. Don’t forget Jane.”
“Aw, Minx…I could never forget Jane.”
Lars reached for her hand again and felt his heart lift when she didn’t pull away.
***
They made their way into the town park, where a small bandstand was roped with red, white and blue bunting and a band played jazzy Americana tunes as families and older couples sat on blankets and in lawn chairs waiting for the sun to disappear so that the fireworks could begin. Children ran around with glow necklaces and little American flags, visiting the ice cream truck or the hot dog stand. Jane loved it that small towns in America still had old-timey celebrations on national holidays; she just didn’t have much of a chance to take part in them anymore.
The sun was already starting to set as Lars spread out a blanket toward the back of the crowd and invited her to sit down. He took two wine glasses out of the backpack and poured some wine, handing Jane a glass.