Chapter 10
Kaylee
Whew! Luke was right when he said this is a challenging hike. Once we get above the tree line, I’m huffing and puffing like an old lady. Thankfully I left Liz behind at the campsite. Right now, she’s probably snoozing in her doggie kennel inside the tent.
“You doing okay back there?” Luke asks over his shoulder.
“Can we stop for a minute?” I ask in a breathless voice, then run smack dab into his backpack, getting a face full of straps, buckles, and nylon fabric. Oomph! Grabbing his trim waist, I steady myself. Otherwise I was headed back down the mountain.
He gently removes my hands and turns around, concern written on his handsome face. “Let’s take a break,” he says.
I nod, unable to speak due to both the altitude and the hunky mountain man. We perch side by side on a boulder—not exactly comfortable—as Luke removes his pack and hands me a flask of water. No plastic water bottles for this guy.
As I chug the water, my eyes scan our surroundings. Who would want to poach plants from this rocky, rugged, spartan landscape? “How much further?” I rasp. My throat is still dry as dust, despite the water I just drank.
He points further up the mountain. “See that craggy rock? It’s a landmark I wrote down so I could locate the plants again.”
All the rocks look craggy to me, but I’m too winded to press the issue, so I nod and keep sipping my water. Mentally reviewing the list of suspects, several fall off my list now that I’ve experienced this climb. I’ll update the document accordingly when we get back to camp.
“After someone cuts the plants, do they need to keep them fresh?” I ask.
“Great question. As far as I know, the plants need to be delivered within twenty-four hours so they don’t dry out. The pharmaceutical company presses the leaves to extract the oil that goes into the cancer drug.”
Ding! Ding! Ding! Grabbing Luke’s hand, I say, “That’s it! We just watch the comings and goings at camp. We need to monitor for people who return from a hike and then go someplace immediately afterwards.” Excitement laces my voice. “If they do that, we’ve caught them.”
“Not so fast, Benji,” he says, referring to Ethan Hunt’s sidekick again. “What if they’re just going into town to eat?”
“We follow them,” I whisper.
Slowly taking a sip of water, he blinks at me and swallows. “That could work. Although we can’t let them know we’re following them.”
I smack his arm, and my hand stings like it just connected with steel. Ouch! The guy is solid from head to toe. “You’re the surveillance expert! Don’t you know how to tail someone without being detected?”
He frowns. “We won’t be driving your VW bug, that’s for sure. My Jeep will blend in nicely. ”
“This could work, Luke!”
Nodding, he says, “I’m a tad jealous I didn’t think of this plan myself.”
Wow! I’ve become a valuable member of the team in less than a few hours. My chest swells at his compliment. Energized by this new plan, I leap to my feet. “Let’s go check the patch and see whether it’s been disturbed. Then we need to get back to camp and set up our stakeout.”
My heart does a summersault in my chest when he throws me his knee-weakening smile. Unfortunately, at the same time, my foot slips from my overeager jump. His eyes widen, and he grabs my arm as I do another ungraceful face plant into him, proving that Klutzy Kaylee should be my nickname.
Not deterred by my lack of grace, he steadies me with both arms, and our gazes collide. He swallows, then inches forward, dipping his head slowly. With his eyes locked on mine, I know he’s silently asking permission, and I also know there’s no way I’ll refuse .
The scent of him wraps around me, all spices and earth and pine, and a delightful tingle travels up my spine. When I feel the warmth of his exhale along my cheek, I can’t help breathing in the intoxicating scent, a mixture of coffee and minty toothpaste. He grazes one corner of my mouth with his lips, his scruffy beard tickling my chin, then he sweeps to the other corner. I’ve never been kissed by a guy with a beard before, so it’s a new sensation.
We kiss for several long moments, time stands still, and I forget all about the alpine-parsley gang. A gust of wind nearly topples us off our feet as it whips around the mountain. The hood to my nylon jacket flies up and flaps around my head, causing Luke to pull out of the kiss. I’d have toppled over except for his strong, steady presence.
He rubs my cheeks with his thumbs, as if reluctant to break this romantic bubble. “Guess we better go check on those plants,” he whispers.
I nod, unable to form words. My heart beats double time, and the elevation isn’t the only thing robbing me of breath .
Turning, he starts the climb up the mountain, and I follow, wondering how I’m going to say goodbye to him after we catch the poachers. He’ll be going back to his life in California, right? The thought puts a damper on the warmth of the kiss and I find myself following him in contemplative silence. Am I just asking for trouble?