12. Chapter 12
Chapter twelve
Jonathan
J onathan wasn’t terribly surprised that Lucy struggled through that first significant hill on the trail. She had tried desperately to convince him she was an experienced hiker, but it didn’t take much to see she was stretching the truth—or flat-out lying. Back in the lobby at Off the Beaten, she’d been twitchy, her eyes shifting everywhere when she talked about how she hiked all the time and was an unofficial Eagle Scout as a kid. The other big tell was the state of her gear. Sure, she could have bought new gear because she wanted to upgrade some old pieces, but everything? She wore new stuff from head to toe. He half expected a sales tag to pop out of her jacket sleeve at any moment. Jonathan smiled softly in spite of himself. That adorable rosy flush would creep up her cheeks as she’d try to snatch the tag off and cram it in her pocket.
No, it wasn’t adorable.
She’d lied to him. Didn’t she realize how dangerous that could be? His lips pulled down into a frown. Some of the excursions OTB offered were challenging, even for experienced outdoor enthusiasts. The slightest misstep could mean disaster for the entire group. Sure, the hike to Mount Stuart wasn’t one of those “extreme” hikes, but it wasn’t a tiptoe through the tulips either. Accidents and injuries were bad for business. His frustration grew, prickling down his spine.
Still, he agreed to take her on this trip, and being surly the whole way wouldn’t be good for business either .
Get it together, man.
Everything is going to be okay.
The morning wore on, and they continued along the trail, slowly climbing up another hill. Behind him, Jonathan could hear the steady breath of his companion become labored. He slowed his pace a bit to accommodate for the incline.
Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how he looked at it—the sprinkle of rain that had threatened to end the trip had stopped altogether. Part of him had hoped a downpour would convince Lucy to call it quits, but the other part recognized and respected her determination. It felt kindred. He had also been accused of being a stubborn ass on more than one occasion. He just hoped she was grown up enough to acknowledge her limits and not push too hard purely for the sake of being obstinate. Otherwise, this would be a long few days.
It was time to lighten the mood and distract Lucy from her struggle up the hill.
“How familiar are you with the local flora and fauna?”
“You don’t have to do that,” Lucy breathed out.
“What?”
“You don’t have to be all professional with how you talk to me.” She panted raggedly, expression pinched and cheeks red. “It’s just the two of us. While I appreciate you trying to distract me, you don’t have to go into a whole scripted performance like I assume you do with a bigger group.”
Jonathan stopped and turned. “What makes you think it’s scripted?”
“Please.” Lucy tilted her head to the side and cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t strike me as the kinda guy who ad-libs. You seem more like a mental checklist guy. I already know you’re a laminated checklist guy,” she teased as she pulled the bite valve off her shoulder to take a drink. “Either way, we can talk casually. No need for you to entertain me.”
Jonathan opened his mouth to respond but wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t very well refute her accusations about the checklists because he really did appreciate them. They helped him keep his business organized. And while yes, that also extended to his life outside of work, he didn’t think it was out of the norm to value order. Without a list, things get skipped—like safety checks, for instance—and bad things can happen. People get injured.
Or worse.
Even with diligent organization, there were so many variables that he didn’t want to tempt fate by playing things fast and loose. Plans—and, more importantly, sticking to those plans—were necessary. Still, there didn’t seem to be any harm in dropping the orchestrated production where the conversation was concerned.
Jonathan shrugged, conceding to the suggestion. “Suit yourself.”
“Besides,” Lucy said, letting out a sigh and gesturing around her. “Look at where we are. It’s breathtaking. Being out here . . . This is what I came for.”
He also looked around as they continued to climb, completely understanding what she meant. While his dad’s diminishing health had brought him back early all those years ago, it was the region that kept him there. He loved the mountains, the diverse plant life, and the little town of Leavenworth nestled in the middle of it. There were distinct seasons that could satisfy adventurers who enjoyed the whole gamut of outdoor activities. Generally speaking, this part of Washington was where he belonged, but he felt most at home out on the trails. Even though he’d hiked them hundreds of times with his father and then later in life with customers, each trip felt new in some way or another. When he brought newcomers on a hike, he felt a unique sense of happiness, witnessing unfettered awe as it took their breath away. Jonathan could live vicariously through their exposure—finding yet another new wonder to notice—which gave him a warmth that spread from his heart to his whole body.
Jonathan felt that heat intensely this go-around. He had a suspicion it was because of Lucy. She gasped at the views, breathed out sounds of reverence, and reached out to touch everything. Her joy and fulfillment were palpable. And she made no attempt to hide her wonderment. It made his skin vibrate.
She made his skin vibrate.
He hazarded a glance over his shoulder. Lucy appeared to be settling into the rhythm of the trek. She was beaming, and not just from the sweat that glistened on her forehead or the rosy glow of her cheeks. A picture of unrestrained joy. She paused to sniff a cluster of lupines. Her eyes closed, and a soft moan hummed through her closed-lipped smile. The look of falling in love swept across her face. She reached a hand toward a stalk of the delicate purple flower.
“Don’t pick that—oohff—” Jonathan’s warning broke off as he caught a toe under a popped-up root. He stumbled and landed squarely on his left hip and elbow.
“Shit! Are you ok?” Lucy scrambled over and knelt at his side then reached out to unclip the straps at his waist and chest. Sliding a hand along each shoulder, she helped him remove his backpack.
“I’m fine,” he ground out through clenched teeth. He took stock of his body from head to toe, especially aware of the areas where she’d touched him. One of her hands still rested on his arm, and the heat that passed through his sleeve sizzled.
Focus, man.
No breaks, no sprains. His finicky lower back twinged slightly, and he made a mental note to keep an eye on it. He’d most likely develop a bruise on his hip to match the one on his ego. “Tripped on a damn root.”
“You sure you’re fine?” Lucy unclipped her pack and sat down next to him.
“Positive.” Dusting himself off, Jonathan prepared to stand, but Lucy tightened her grip slightly on his arm. He paused.
“I could use a rest if that’s all right. Can we sit here a bit?” She smiled gently and wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.
Whether the rest was for her sake or his, Jonathan didn’t know. But he supposed it couldn’t hurt to take a quick breather. “Yeah, sure.” He opened his pack and pulled out a sizeable bag of trail mix. After scooping some for himself, he passed it over, offering to share. With a grateful grin, she dug in and pulled out an impressively large fistful despite the small size of her hand.
Popping a few bites in her mouth, Lucy asked, “What were you telling me a minute ago? When you tripped.”
“Oh, yeah. I was going to tell you not to pick that flower.”
“I wasn’t going to pick it; I just wanted to touch it.”
“That wouldn’t be smart either. Lupines are poisonous.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to eat it.” She snorted, shaking her head. Having finished her snack, she pulled off that blindingly bright purple coat and stuffed it into her bag.
“I should hope not.”
“Maybe lick it a little, but I definitely wouldn’t eat it.”
Jonathan narrowed his eyes and gave his best admonishing scowl.
“I’m kidding. Jeez, lighten up.” Lucy lifted her eyebrows and drew an X over her chest with her finger. “Cross my heart. I promise I won’t lick anything on the trail.”
He was acting uptight and needed to relax. She may be out of practice with hiking, but he could tell she wasn’t an idiot. Most adults had enough common sense not to do something too reckless. Clearly, she was trying to be playful and lighten the mood to take his mind off the tumble. Delayed embarrassment singed his neck.
Way to be steady on your feet, you klutz.
“See that you don’t.” He relaxed the glower a little.
She smiled at him and rose to her feet. After dusting herself off, she reached out to help him up. While he could manage himself, he felt compelled to reach out anyway and enveloped her small hand in his. A fleeting fantasy of pulling her down onto his lap crossed his mind, which he promptly shook away as he stood. Dropping her hand, Jonathan reminded himself that he needed to keep things professional. Being friendly was one thing, but having sexy thoughts—or worse, acting on sexy thoughts—was something else entirely.