Brooke agreed wholeheartedly. Crazy to think this place had been nearby all this time and she’d never known. She could have gone her whole life without seeing it, without feeling the beauty of this place in her heart, filling it so full she wanted to sing and cry and dance.
This. This was what she wanted for herself. A lifetime of discovery and wonder.
“Some of the cleanest water in New Zealand.”
She tilted her face up to Jack’s, and found him frowning down at her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked. “You’re not gonna flake out on me, are you?”
She touched the corner of her eye and felt the wetness there. “No,” she told him. “I’m wonderful. Truly. Thanks so much for bringing us here.”
Jack didn’t know what to make of Brooke. Not only had she been open with him about how she was doing, but now she looked like she might cry and he had no idea why. Surely if exhaustion was going to overwhelm her, it would have happened halfway up the side of the hill.
Even more disconcerting than her tears was her expression as she stared into the water, as though she’d never seen anything so beautiful. Of course, it could have just been that she had dust in her eye, but he didn’t think so. In this, at least, she differed to Claudia, who’d have had her phone out, snapping photos within seconds—or demanding someone else take them so she could be front and center of every shot.
“You’re welcome,” he said, realizing she expected a response. “Another five minutes, then we’ll head back. Can you manage that?”
She nodded. As he turned away, she snagged his arm. “Hey, Jack?”
Her hand was small on his bare elbow and his skin seemed extra-sensitized to her touch. His throat went dry and he swallowed with difficulty. “What?”
Her big blue eyes blinked at him, and he realized he’d been too abrupt. What was wrong with him, reacting to her this way? It wasn’t her fault he was inconveniently attracted to her, and that his hormones weren’t getting his cease-and-desist messages.
He softened his tone. “What is it?”
“Is anybody allowed up here?” she asked. “I mean, could I come back here without you, or do you have a special permit that gives you permission to come here?”
She wanted to come back? To huff and puff her way to the top of the ridge again? He was tempted to lie. He didn’t want her putting herself at risk, but she could find the information with a simple Google search.
“It’s open to the public,” he told her. “Most people don’t know it’s here, that’s all.”
She beamed. “Awesome. Thank you.”
He was starting to get sick of her thanking him. Especially when he’d devised a list of exercises intended to knock some sense into her about her physical capability—or lack thereof.
Turning away, he called out, “Another two minutes everyone. Take your photos, have a drink, and we’ll head back down.”
He waited at the head of the trail while the small group assembled. Brian began descending first, since he’d come equipped with hiking poles to help him find the most stable places to put his feet. Once again, Jack took up the rear. As Brooke passed him on her way down, he noticed some of the color had leached from her face, and he kept close to her, but once they reached the flat, she started chatting with Tina and seemed to regain her energy. He was glad. He didn’t like the thought of her wearing herself out.
When they emerged from the forest into the sun-soaked garden, he farewelled the others in the group, but asked Brooke to stay behind as he returned her backpack. They sat cross-legged on the lawn and she plucked daisies, twining them together, even though her eyes were visibly watering and her nose was sniffly.
“I’ve been thinking about your situation,” he told her.
“Yeah?” She sounded cautious, and he couldn’t blame her.
He cleared his throat to dislodge a lump. “Actually, I came up with some challenges for you, if you’re serious about making it to Base Camp.”
She dropped the daisy chain and gave him her full attention. “I’m perfectly serious.”
God, those eyes. Bright and intense. If she ever wanted to manipulate a man, all she’d need to do was widen them and pout. He shook himself.
“Good.” He took the list from his pocket and scanned it. “Number one: complete half an hour on a stair climber wearing a thirty-pound pack. Number two: walk seven miles with a ten-pound weight vest. Number three: jog four miles without stopping.” He raised his eyes. “It’s important that you have good endurance.” She nodded, but the rosy hue had vanished from her cheeks. “Number four: swim half-a-mile without stopping. You need to work on regulating your breathing, and swimming is one of the best ways to do that. Number five—”
“How many things are on this list?” she interrupted, fiddling with the daisy chain again, and avoiding eye contact. Her earlier blind optimism was gone, and he felt like an asshole.
“Ten,” he said. “But it’s just a starting point.”
She nodded and held out her hand. “May I read it?”
He handed the paper over and watched as she grew more and more pale, but then her chin jutted out and her shoulders squared, that stubborn streak rearing its head.
“Where would you recommend I start?”
“Uh…” The question was so unexpected he didn’t have an answer. The way she’d been crumpling in on herself, he’d expected her to tell him his list was crazy. “If I were you, I’d start with a short hike.”
That was the easiest item on his list, and something he didn’t expect her to particularly struggle with.
“Okay.” Her tone was decisive. “What should I do to prepare?”
He wracked his brain. “You’ll want a new pair of boots, but before you invest in those, I’d suggest you make an appointment with Bex at The Hideaway and get her to write an exercise plan for you. She can help you build up muscle in your legs and shoulders.”
“True. I’ll do that tomorrow.”
Shit, this conversation was not going as he’d intended. He’d expected her to be daunted. Had prepared himself for a heart to heart about starting with small goals before leaping to the big ones.
“That’s a great idea,” he said. She smiled, and he found himself adding, “Maybe we can do a few private trips together when I don’t have anything else booked.”
“Really?” She lit up like someone had turned on a lamp inside her soul. She was radiant, and he felt it like a kick in the solar plexus. “You’d do that for me?”
He wanted to bury his face in his hands. Why had he opened his big stupid mouth and made an offer like that? He could hardly take it back. Not when she was looking at him like she was a five-year-old and he’d promised her a new kitten.
“Yeah, I guess so.” He didn’t like the way her smile made him feel. Getting up, he brushed himself off. “I’d better get going. Bye, Brooke.”
Without a backward glance, he left, wondering why it was that he couldn’t behave like a normal person around this woman.
7