Chapter 4
Bo
“For what it’s worth—”
“That sounds like something serious, Bo. I’m gonna stop you right there.”
“I’m trying to say—”
“Please.” She points down to the snowshoes strapped to her feet. “We’re about to do a three-part race to compete for a bat we both want. But that I need more, so I need to concentrate.”
Percival already gave us the instructions and he’s clearly set up for this contest with signage everywhere behind his house.
He’s got one guy—Ted—on a snowmobile going from station to station to check our progress.
This is quite the elaborate scheme. Have to say, I really didn’t see this coming when I packed up for a short road trip, money transfer, bat-retrieval day.
But more than anything, due to guilt, my heart is gnawing off one of its own ventricles. I have to say something before this whole contest starts between us.
“Maisy, please listen.” I reach for her arm and she rears back, almost falling flat on her ass. The jerk back hurts almost as much as the bitter look on her face.
It never used to be like this between us.
And then I ruined it all.
My shoulders drop, but I try again. “Maisy, for what it’s worth. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not worth much at this point, Bo. It’s been a year, and you haven’t said anything this whole time. I don’t even know you anymore. Now let’s get this day over with so I can go home happy.”
“I need this bat just as much as you do.”
She scoffs at me. “Maybe your apology should include giving me the bat.”
And I know she’s only saying that because it would give her what she wants.
Not because she would really accept it as an apology.
If I even thought for one second she’d accept that gesture sincerely, I’d do it.
But I know her. She doesn’t want anyone’s pity.
She doesn’t want anyone giving her an easy way out.
If anything, she’ll work harder to prove to everyone around her that she can do it. Whatever it is.
Despite the dejection I feel, I ask her, “You ready to go?”
“Let’s go.” And then the first thing she does is shove me in the shoulder, causing me to lose my balance, before she takes off following the signs to the first station.
I was so not ready for that. Also, I haven’t been snowshoeing since I was kid and they took us out on a field trip. Just a couple decades of snowshoeing dormancy basically.
Not gonna lie though, as peeved as I am that she cheated just now, the look of mischief in her beautiful eyes made the fall worth it.
I’m not sure which fall yet, but I can’t ponder that now. I’ve got a race to win.
I’m plodding only a few meters behind her when I see something move in the trees. Fuck.
“Maisy!”
She doesn’t answer. Probably thinks I’m going to ream her out for her cheap shot.
“Maisy! Stop. There’s something—” Shit. I pick up the pace and gain on her. Yanking on her arm, I growl, “Get behind me right now.”
“What?” Her voice shrieks out of her. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Bo? I gave you a little push—”
“Shh. There’s something in the trees.”
I can practically see her rolling her lips into her mouth in silence. Her hand tugs on my jacket and I reach back with a gloved hand to cage her in on one side.
“Don’t move,” I grit out. “If I tell you to run, just run. It’s a moose.”
“You’re scaring me, Bo.”
“It’s fine. He’s almost sixty feet away. Let’s just back away and hope he takes a different path.”
She takes a smaller step closer to my back, and I feel her forehead press against my parka. I hate that she’s scared, but my heart squeezes within my chest, knowing that in a crisis she’d still trust me.
My shoulders are tense as I watch the large animal, looking for any signs that he might charge. I’m just about ready to back us away slowly when his ears perk up. My breath catches in my throat, but then he turns and lopes off in the opposite direction.
I turn around. “New plan. This may be a race. But we’re doing it together.”
I’m not really expecting an argument, given the circumstances, but I’m fucking shocked when she looks up at me with her sky blue eyes and whispers some familiar words that just about break my heart, “Okay, Bo.”