“Are you okay?” he finally asked when they neared the top of the saddle.
She mopped a hand over her forehead and grinned. “Couldn’t be better.”
“Good. I was concerned, you haven’t said much.”
“I’m trying to take everything in. I’m not here for the sound of my own voice.” She scrunched her nose. “I can hear that anywhere.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. “Wow,” he said, as though to himself. “Is this what love feels like?”
She laughed but her expression shuttered, and disappointment settled like a weight in his gut. Of course she wouldn’t want him joking about something like that. Not when she was pretty, perky, and beloved by many, and he was a cranky old man by comparison.
She slid her backpack off and sipped from her water bottle. Her throat rippled and he swallowed, trying to ignore the untimely tightening in his pants. A flash of color darted across his vision and then a fantail, or piwakawaka, as the Maori called them, landed near her feet.
Her entire body stiffened and her eyes locked on it, twice their usual size. “Oh. My. God,” she breathed. “What do I do?”
“Don’t move,” he murmured, “or you’ll scare it away. Just stay very still.”
Contrary to his advice, she edged toward her backpack.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I want my camera.”
He rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself for being surprised. She was a blogger, after all, and apparently the need to document everything was something bloggers and Instagrammers had in common. “Stop.”
“But—”
“My phone is in my pocket. You can use that.”
“Oh.” She smiled, and slowly extended her hand. The fantail hopped from one spot to another but didn’t fly away. He inched his hand into his pocket and retrieved his phone, offering it to her. She bent in a smooth motion and aimed the camera. Just as she snapped, the fantail cocked its head and took flight, landing on a branch above them. She took another photo, her cheeks glowing, an enormous grin stretching from ear to ear. She went onto her tiptoes, watching the little bird flit along the branch.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “It’s so cute. I’ve never seen one so close.”
The bird flew off, and she whirled around. The excitement in her expression took his breath away. Okay, so maybe he’d misjudged her. She’d appreciated the magic of that fantail as much as he did, and the whole trip was worth it to see her delicate features flushed with happiness, and to know that in an indirect way, he was the cause of it. She handed the phone back, passing by him so closely that he could have bent and kissed her. He wanted so badly to know whether her lips tasted like the peaches they reminded him of. For a moment, their gazes locked and he could have sworn she wanted the kiss just as much as he did, but then she blinked, and the spell was broken.
10
Privileged. That’s what she was. So insanely privileged to be here, surrounded by the wonder of nature and the breathtaking scenery. Nothing could bring her down. Not the burn in her thighs or the sting of blisters on her heels or the tightness in her chest. The forest was lush, green, and so very alive. She could sense the forest animals around her. Once, she thought she caught sight of a deer in the distance, but it could have been a trick of the light.
Jack’s footfalls behind her were light, and at times she forgot he was even there. She shook her head. So much for worrying she’d be too self-conscious to enjoy herself. Except for when the fantail landed, they hadn’t exchanged a word, but she felt oddly connected to him.
Up ahead, light shone brighter through the trees. The track steepened and Brooke paused to rest before starting up the slope. A park sign declared they were ten minutes from Amber Saddle. Those ten minutes were by far the most difficult, but finally the ground flattened to a low point between two hills, with a brilliant view over Haven Bay and to the ocean beyond.
“Oh my God,” she breathed.
“Stunning, isn’t it?”
She crossed to where the land began to dip on the other side of the saddle and shielded her eyes while she scanned the horizon, tracing the contours of the land, down to the edge of town. She noted cars, like ants, winding their way along roads, and a scattering of dots on the beach that might be people. The expanse of the Tasman Sea glittered in the high noon sunlight.
“It’s beautiful.” She couldn’t tear her eyes away. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
She’d seen views during her lifetime that left her awestruck, but none had affected her as greatly as this, and she wondered if that was because she’d worked so hard to get to this point. It was totally worth the raw patches on her feet.
Dropping her bag, she opened pockets until she found her camera, then snapped a photo. It could never capture everything she felt in that moment, but at least it would be something to share with her readers. Then she backed up and gestured for Jack to stand in front of her.
He shook his head. “Nah, photos aren’t really my thing.”
“Pretty please,” she cajoled. “Just one.”
He didn’t move. “I can’t compare to all that. I’d be getting in the way.”
She laugh-snorted. “Oh, please. A handsome man and a gorgeous backdrop. You’re a perfect combo.”
One side of his mouth hitched up. “You think I’m handsome?”
Her heart pitter-pattered erratically. That cocky half-grin was way too potent for her peace of mind. “You’re all right.”
The grin widened. “That’s not what you were saying a moment ago.”
She rolled her eyes. “Just get in the picture, Farrelly.”
“On two conditions. You’re in it too, and it doesn’t go on your blog.”
“Okay, a private selfie it is.”
He joined her, their heads ducked so close to each other that she could feel a charge zapping between them, and when he shifted, the air moved around her, too. With clumsy fingers, she took a photo, then made a show of hurrying to her bag for her drink, to put space between them. She sank onto the ground, readjusting her position when a twig jabbed her in the ass, and gazed over the forest and the bay that sprawled out before them. The summer sun beat down on her back and everything was shades of blue and green and yellow. She could happily stay there forever.
“Ready to head back?” Jack asked, standing over her.
She turned to face him, squinting into the sun. She should probably invest in some sunglasses. “Can we just stay a few more minutes?”
He smiled, and for once, the expression looked natural on him. Not like it had fought its way to the surface, which seemed to be his default. Come to think of it, basking in the sun and surrounded by trees for miles, he was the most relaxed she’d ever seen him.
“Sure,” he agreed. “Let me know when you’re ready to go. I’m in no hurry.”
The hike back to the parking lot passed in much the same fashion as the walk to Amber Saddle, with Brooke taking the lead, stopping when she wanted to look at something or simply rest her legs. Jack followed behind, admiring her more with each step. She was filled with the same wide-eyed fascination she had been all day. It hadn’t faded an ounce. Nothing had gone like he’d expected it to, and to his absolute astonishment, it had turned into the best day he’d had in ages.