But, sitting in the driver’s seat, she squared her shoulders one more time and faced dead ahead. She was going to get this done, even if it was going to be the death of her.
It was too important to chicken out now.
CHAPTER TWO
Lorna shaded her eyes against the late August sun, looking out over the view from the ridge. Out across the horizon rose wind turbines, white and soaring over green fields, outcrops of shrubs, sunken dips, and water reflecting blue sky. Soon, all of the greenery would start to turn orange or brown, but for now it was still bright and full of life. A palette of greens and blues and whites. Perfect for a day’s hike.
Lorna turned and looked back the way she had come, at the buildings of the town behind her. She was close enough still that from this distance she could recognize some of them: a church, a community center, the library beside an open strip of land that was one of the parks. Her home. She had lived in this small Nebraska town her whole life, but with plenty of hiking trails around and all the amenities one could want, she had never thought of going elsewhere.
She turned her eyes back to the trail ahead and began to walk again. Mentally, she was plotting her course for the rest of the day: down across this ridge and over the next, past the base of the first turbine—always comically larger than she expected—and on. She would stop when she reached a favorite spot of hers, a lake that, if you squinted, was almost shaped like a heart. Rest there a while, then turn on a circular route back toward town and her car before heading home in time for dinner.
She wondered about stopping by the store on the way home, getting something pre-made so she wouldn’t have to cook. It might be nice. A reward for the day’s exertion.
There was a spring in her step as she trod along the well-loved trail, following in the footsteps of so many others as well as her own ghost, leading the way before her on the hundreds of trips she must have taken out here. She was lucky, living so close to a set of trails that offered beauty and variety. She didn’t have to drive out to the middle of nowhere like they did in other places. The safety of home was always just at her back.
Lorna took a deep breath of the fresh air as she crested another ridge, flexing her shoulders and feeling the heat of the sun on them. With her baseball cap shading her head and face, she enjoyed the heat. Her bare arms, lathered with sunscreen before she had set off, were free to catch the breeze, keeping her body temperature comfortable. It was almost the perfect day for it. In her mind’s eye she sketched the view, a familiar sight on all sides that she could draw from memory.
She looked down and nearly stumbled, catching herself before she walked right into another traveler sitting down on the rocky trail just below the summit of the ridge. It was a man, nursing his ankle with a discarded hiking boot by his hand.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, finding her feet again. “God, I didn’t see you. Sorry—I nearly fell right over you!”
He gave a short laugh, tilting his head back to look at her from under the brim of his own cap. “Oh, wow, no, I’m sorry—that’s my fault. I should know better than to sit right in a blind spot.”
“Are you all right?” Lorna asked. Now that he had his head back, she could see he was quite attractive. Classical looks—a strong nose, defined cheekbones, a masculine jaw almost like three straight lines on a page. He was young, too, probably in his early thirties. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest. Almost without knowing she was doing it, she straightened her back, pushing her chest out, internally wishing she had worn more than the barest touch of makeup.
“Oh, yeah,” he said, dismissively, waving a hand as he looked down at his ankle again. “Stupid, really. Just a little sprain, I think.”
“What happened?” Lorna asked. Her hands flexed on the straps of her backpack, and she dropped them down by her sides.
He pointed to a rock, not far from the summit of the ridge. “Turned my ankle coming down off the ridge on that rock, there. I was looking at the view instead of where I was walking. Rookie mistake, right?”
Lorna smiled. “Right. Stop and watch the view, then watch the ground when you’re walking.”
“I know, I know,” he said, shrugging helplessly. “I guess that teaches me to try hiking somewhere new.”
“Do you need me to call someone?” Lorna asked. Her hands flew to her pocket, where her cell phone waited in case of emergency. “Or help you up?”
“I’ll be all right,” he said, reaching for his boot and starting to put it back on. “Got to get back on the horse. It’ll feel better once I walk it off, I think.”
“Are you sure?” Lorna hesitated, worriedly watching him. Her friends said she had a tendency to be a mother hen. She couldn’t help it. Seeing someone in need, and not helping, made her feel anxious.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, tying up his laces. “Honestly. I feel so stupid. Just my luck that it would be a pretty woman who finds me regretting a stupid mistake, huh?”
Lorna’s cheeks heated a little at his words. He had called her pretty, but thrown it in as if it were nothing, not even looking at her as he used his own steam to get tentatively to his feet. Like it was a clear fact that needed no further discussion or an exchange of looks, because it was obvious to both of them.
She stepped back a little to give him room, one hand flying unconsciously out to hover near him in case he needed support. He hopped and shuffled a little as he stood, testing his weight on the ankle, before he eased into a more or less even distribution on both feet. An easy stance, comfortable and practiced, despite the pain.
“Are you sure you’re good?” Lorna asked. She watched him with doubt, half-expecting him to stumble and drop to the floor again.
He tested the foot some more, gradually shifting until most of his weight was on it. “Seems like it,” he said, flashing her a grin. “I’m not going to risk it, though. I’ll just head back to my car and get on home.”
“Let me walk with you,” Lorna offered immediately, both because it was the right thing to do and because, secretly, she wanted to spend some more time with this handsome stranger. Maybe, if he was local, they could end up exchanging numbers and plan to go hiking together someday soon.
“I don’t want to put you out,” he said, just as quickly. “I’m sure you had your own plans, and I’m just getting in the way. You’re only just starting your hike, right?”
Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. “How did you know that?”
He gestured out the way she had come. “You came from the direction of the parking lot at the foot of the trail. Same as me.”
She nodded, smiling at her own paranoia. “Of course,” she said. “Well, I don’t mind. I wouldn’t feel right, leaving you to walk back on your own. If I came across you sitting on the ground on the way back because you didn’t make it, I’d feel pretty bad.”
His lips, which were bow-shaped with a fullness that made them entirely kissable, curved into a smile. “All right,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to make you feel bad. I guess, let’s go.”
They turned together and began to walk back in the direction of their cars. Overhead, a single white cloud scudded across the blue sky, driven by the gentle breeze. “It’s a nice day for it,” Lorna said.