Wildly, Boldly (Return to Culloden Moor #4)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

#AlaskaLife #GhostHunting #AuroraMagic #RescuedByRanger

S ophie couldn’t stop grinning as she followed Wyatt up the trail. After last night’s spectacular aurora display, she’d barely slept, too excited about what else Alaska might have in store. When Wyatt had suggested a morning hike to a different viewpoint, she’d jumped at the chance.

“You’re awfully cheerful for someone who got about three hours of sleep,” Wyatt commented as they climbed.

“Worth it.” She adjusted her camera bag. “Did you see my aurora shots? Even my mom was impressed, and she thinks everything needs a filter.”

The morning air was crisp, and patches of early fog still clung to the mountainsides. Sophie had to admit, that even beyond the ghost stories and northern lights, Alaska was turning out to be more magical than she’d imagined.

“Watch your step through here,” Wyatt called back. “The trail gets a bit rough.”

‘Rough’ was an understatement. What had started as a well-maintained path had become more of a suggestion between rocks and tree roots. Sophie picked her way carefully, but her urban hiking experience wasn’t quite matching up to Alaskan terrain.

“So,” she said, partly to distract herself from a particularly tricky section, “about last night’s aurora—you have to admit there was something otherworldly about it. The way the colors moved, like they were alive...”

“Solar particles interacting with the atmosphere.”

“You are determined to take the magic out of everything, aren’t you?”

He glanced back at her, and she caught that almost-smile she was starting to look forward to. “Just because something has a scientific explanation doesn’t make it less impressive.”

“Ha! So you admit it’s impressive?”

“I admit that—watch out!”

Sophie’s foot caught on a root and she stumbled forward. Wyatt reached for her, but momentum and the weight of her camera bag sent them both off-balance. They ended up in an ungraceful heap at the edge of the trail, Sophie sprawled across Wyatt’s chest.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Sophie was acutely aware of every point of contact between them—his broad chest under her palms, his strong hands spanning her waist, the solid warmth of him beneath her. Her heart thundered, and she knew it wasn’t just from the fall. This close, she could see the flecks of green in his blue eyes, count each of his impossibly long lashes. His woodsy scent surrounded her, making her head spin.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice rough and low. The sound vibrated through his chest, making her breath catch.

“Fine,” she managed, though ‘fine’ was probably the last word to describe how she felt with his hands on her waist, his breath mingling with hers. Her gaze dropped to his lips, and for one wild moment, she wondered what would happen if she just?—

A metallic clatter snapped her back to reality. “My camera bag...”

They both turned to see her bag teetering on the edge of a small ravine. Before either could move, it slipped over the edge with a sickening crunch of equipment hitting rocks.

“No, no, no!” Sophie scrambled up, nearly falling again in her haste, her body immediately missing his warmth.

Wyatt was faster, catching her arm with those strong, capable hands that had just been holding her so securely. “Hold on. Let me check it out.”

She watched, heart still racing—though whether from the accident or their closeness, she couldn’t say—as he peered over the edge, then started picking his way down the steep slope. The morning sun caught his shoulders, highlighting the powerful lines of his back as he navigated the loose rocks. How did he make even this look effortless?

When he finally reached her equipment, she could have kissed him. The thought sent a fresh wave of heat through her body. She couldn’t seem to stop noticing things about him—the strength in his hands as he secured her bag, the graceful way he moved despite his size, the intense focus in his eyes.

He brushed some dirt off his sleeve, but she caught that ghost of a smile again. “Come on. The viewpoint’s not far, and it’ll be worth the climb. Just...” He offered his hand, and her pulse jumped at the thought of touching him again. “Maybe hold onto something stable this time?”

Sophie slipped her hand into his, trying to ignore how perfectly her smaller one fit into his calloused palm, how the simple contact sent tingles up her arm. “My hero,” she teased, hoping he couldn’t hear the slight breathlessness in her voice. “Saving paranormal investigators and their equipment from certain doom.”

“All part of the service.”

But he didn’t let go of her hand as they continued up the trail, and Sophie found she didn’t mind at all. After last night’s incredible aurora display, she felt more certain than ever that she was exactly where she needed to be. Something was waiting to be discovered here in Alaska—she could feel it in her bones.

She just wasn’t sure what was calling to her more strongly—the mysteries hidden in the northern lights, the untold stories of this wild place, or this frustratingly attractive ranger whose touch seemed to send electricity through her entire body.