Chapter 3
Eva
“Are you sure this is okay?” Julia’s voice hesitates, her peachy skin flushed, as we hunt for an orange trail marker through the thicket. She ducks under low cedar branches to catch up.
I didn’t text Aiden ahead of time because studies show it’s much harder to say no to a request in person. He wasn’t exactly friendly when I wandered onto his property earlier this week.
“It’s fine,” I lie. I don’t know if it’s fine.
Aiden Blackshear could kick us out as soon as we step foot onto his property.
But I look her in the eye because I do believe this will work out.
He has something I want, and I have knowledge he doesn’t.
Plus, I’m prepared to pay him for his time.
We’ll just have to figure out how to accommodate his schedule.
We both know showing up at Aiden’s house without calling is a gamble. For all we know, he could be outside chopping wood with nothing but athletic shorts on. His muscles would be flexed, his abs washboard firm. Yum.
Stop it, Eva. This is just your libido talking. You are not actually interested in the mountain man.
“I hope you’re right. We won’t get arrested for trespassing, will we?” Julia’s just twenty, and although she’s an incredible student, her lack of life experience is showing right now. Sometimes you have to take risks to get what you want.
That’s my dad talking. He owns a machine shop in Houston, where I grew up, and manages a staff of forty. He’s one of the toughest people I know. He could tell early on that I was a little different from most people, so he taught my brothers to look out for me but not to coddle me.
I don’t know how long a walk it is from the main trail until his property, but I see the private land sign that I missed the last time I was out here, its faded lettering half-hidden by climbing vines. Aidan had said the trail marker knots faced in toward his house, so that’s the direction we go.
We both want Aiden to guide us in searching for the Golden Warbler. My dissertation is about how to protect the warbler’s habitat in light of increased area development. Julia agreed to be my research assistant, which will look great on her grad school application.
With Aiden’s firefighter expertise and his clear knowledge of the the mountain, he’s our best option for a guide. We just have to convince Aiden that this is something he wants to do.
We hike for about fifteen minutes, threading between twisted juniper and prickly pear, stopping occasionally to mark bird trills and movements on our list. Calves burning on the incline, I’m glad when the scraggly mesquite thin into a large clearing.
Aiden’s large two-story cabin sits right in the center, ringed by native grasses gone golden in the heat, the sunlight shining overhead.
A mix of log beams and limestone bricks, it looks older than my parents. If I had to guess, it was built in the 1950s, the weathered wood darkened by time. At some point, an owner added a closed-in porch to the existing two-story structure, making it a little less rural-looking, but not by much.
I wonder how Aiden found this place since we’re in the middle of nowhere.
He clearly has access to the highway, but it’s pretty far back here, no power lines visible, nothing but forest sounds.
I suspect his driveway is actually a road given the pollen-coated F-250 parked in the driveway.
Still, he had to want something isolated because you don’t just happen upon it while driving around.
My stomach sinks. The fact that he avoids people doesn’t bode well for us.
Hopefully, he’ll accept my proposal because I am finding the golden-cheeked warbler with or without him.
One of my goals in becoming a conservation biologist is to help protect the species and move off the endangered list. I want to study the warbler in its natural habitat and get to know it intimately.
I can’t do that by only observing them during the university’s scheduled research walks.
“Come on.” I lead Julia through the sun-bleached grass then along the stone pathway that leads to the cabin, butterflies filling my stomach at the thought of seeing this man again.
As I raise my hand to knock on the door, it swings open, the inside surprisingly bright.
Two dark gray eyes stare at me from behind a mask of indifference, Aiden’s massive forearms crossed over his firm chest. Jaw set, he quirks an eyebrow at me and says nothing.
Julia stares open-mouthed at the pure size of him.
Aiden’s eyes dart back and forth between me and Julia as we wait for him to ask what we’re doing here, welcome us…
something. Does the man even blink? He’s a muscular statue.
He doesn’t even move when his white German shepherd, a girl from the look of the pink collar, sticks its head through the doorway then sits down right at his feet, tail thumping.
I clear my throat, forcing myself not to fidget. “I’m here to take you up on your offer as a trail guide.”
He stares at me like he just stepped in gum, his lips parted. I know he’s giving right back to me what I gave him in the woods. And seeing as how I’ve shown up at his property without an invitation, I can’t really hold this against him. So I proceed. “You did say that you would help me.”
“Did I now?” His jaw ticks and his biceps flex almost of their own accord.
“Yes. I’m Eva Mendoza.” The girl who is suddenly estimating the circumference of his arms. “You gave me your number the other day. This is Julia, my assistant”
“And did you use it?” The slight growl in his voice travels straight through me.
“Use what?” I try the innocent route, which I’ve never been good at. Social cues aren’t my strong suit.
Julia backs up a couple of inches, her eyes blinking rapidly as she takes in Aiden’s grumpy countenance. When she glances at his prosthesis, she warms visibly and claps her hands.
Motioning to his leg, she talks a mile a minute.
“I see that you’re a below-the-knee.” Cocking her head to the side, she looks at Aiden like he’s a long, lost friend.
“My grandpa’s amputation is below the knee, too.
He was in a bad car accident before I was born.
He’s retired now, but Gramps was a cruise ship doctor. He plays pickleball and golfs.”
Aiden nods, his arms still crossed over his chest. “So you both want me to take you on a hike?” The look on his face could shatter glass, causing Julia to flush an even darker shade of pink. She’s going to be of no help at all.
I’ve never let the mean looks of jocks get to me. I’ve been a science girl my whole life, and the only times that guys who look like him ever spoke to me was when they needed help with schoolwork. There were so many requests, I learned to say no for my own sanity.
I square my shoulders and look right into Aiden’s gaze. “I’d like to hire you.”
His expression changes to a smirk, a warm breeze billowing past. “To do what exactly?” The innuendo flips my stomach over.
Julia, who can’t help herself, butts in.
“To help us find the golden-cheeked warbler.” Her words trip over themselves.
“Eva’s doing her dissertation on how environmental changes impact its migratory pattern.
We already know it’s in the area because I saw one, and you can help us find them quicker than anybody. ”
“No.” Aiden’s voice is low, firm, direct. His sweet dog places her snout on her paws at the word.
“No?” I question, this time mimicking his stance.
Julia picks at her nail polish, the sweet dog watching her intently. “We’re sorry to bother you, sir.” And she turns to leave.
“Mr. Blackshear. I will pay you $30 an hour cash for each research trip.”
“Do you have any boundaries, Ms. Mendoza? Any at all?” He counts on his fingers. “First, you got lost on my property. Today, you’re at my house unannounced. Now, you ignore me.” Here comes the growl again. “What part of no do you not understand?”
“The part where I go ahead and do it without you all by myself.”
“Julia’s with you.”
I’m not so sure about that. She’s looking kind of green.
This is my last shot, so I take a deep breath, ignoring the sound of grandpa rock playing from inside the home. “Did you know that Wild Country EcoTravel is scouting the area to offer guided hikes?”
He sighs deeply, closing his eyes for a full three seconds before opening them to study me. “Much of the mountain is national park land. They’re free to hike away.”
“They want to build their headquarters here, on property adjacent to the university. My research could get parts of the warbler’s habitat designated as a sensitive study zone, protecting it from development.”
Julia’s gaze darts between Aiden and me, her voice high-pitched. “It’s for a really good cause.”
Aiden pinches the bridge of his nose. “So you’re going to do this regardless of whether I say yes or not?”
I am wearing him down and practically jump with glee. “Absolutely. I can go by myself, but I’d rather have someone local take me deep into the warbler’s habitat. I’ve already talked with one of the park rangers, Asher Stone.” This is the truth, but Asher’s schedule might interfere.
“I know Asher. He’s an upstanding guy. Why not him?“ His eyes darken, and his voice rumbles like he doesn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.
“Having access to your property will expand our search route. Professor Davis suggested I contact you.”
“Fine. But we do it on my terms.”
“What are the terms?”
“One, I do this for free. Two, you have to schedule excursions in advance. None of that showing up without notice crap. Three, weather cancellations are final. If I say the conditions are too dangerous, that’s it. Four, no personal questions.”
That’s it? Seems easy to me.
And just like that, I’m going to be spending lots of time with Aiden Blackshear.