Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Hunter stowed the sandwiches, water, and Gatorade into his backpack and flung it over his shoulders.
“Ready?”
Hannah and Alyssa nodded. Then, he shot a glance at Bianca, who stood in the small sandy beach area facing the water.
She hadn’t moved at all since Hannah had walked away from her a couple of minutes ago.
Not an inch. He understood she was a drama queen; even so, she’d tolerated this trip thus far and now she acted as if she couldn’t tolerate another second of it.
“Last chance!” he called out to her.
No reaction from Bianca.
Hannah and Alyssa shrugged.
Whatever. He convinced himself she’d be fine.
Wouldn’t get eaten by a bear or something while they were gone.
Yet, he felt an obligation to watch over her.
After all, that is what they paid him to do.
He was stuck. Either cancel the hike and stay at camp, depriving the other two of the adventure they paid for, or leave her behind and make the other two happy.
Two out of three being happy wasn’t bad. He’d go with that.
He led Hannah and Alyssa down the trail toward Lover’s Leap Falls.
It was an easy and quiet walk for the first mile. He liked the quiet. It gave him time with his thoughts. As he walked, he mentally prepared for his upcoming job interviews. With as much as he wanted to land one of those jobs, he wanted to stay here even more. But it was time to move on.
He paused and looked around. A serene forest surrounded them.
Inhaling, he expanded his lungs as much as possible.
The earthy scent unleashed so many wonderful memories.
As a kid, he hiked this trail with his dad, uncle, brother, and sister more times than he could count.
They loved nature as much as he did. Uncle Lee had proposed to his wife atop Lover’s Leap Falls.
Why couldn’t he? It was the most beautiful spot on his property.
Hunter glanced over his shoulder. Hannah’s sexy as sin, kissable mouth turned up into a soft smile.
His heartbeat stuttered. That’s it. He planned to kiss her atop Lover’s Leap Falls.
He didn’t care if Alyssa saw or not. The gold flecks in her emerald irises sparked.
Had she read his last thought? He hoped so, and he wished for her to be agreeable.
His gaze floated down to her toned shoulders.
Today she wore a sky-blue tank top under a lightweight, long-sleeved tan shirt.
It had been cool out earlier when they’d left last night’s campsite, but she removed the long-sleeved shirt during the canoe ride, exposing those milky white shoulders of hers.
His fingers itched to touch her soft-looking skin and that tank top hugged her in all the right places.
Admittedly, he was a breast guy, and it looked as though she had the perfect pair.
Everything about her was perfect. Beautiful emerald eyes, milky white skin, long brown hair, toned muscles, yet shapely—curvy.
Best of all, outdoorsy and nice. She was perfect.
“Here we go, ladies. Our gradual climb up.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Hannah said.
“Me, too,” Alyssa added.
“You’re in for a real treat. The falls are about a forty-foot drop from the very top.
It’s only about ten feet wide but has a profound gully allowing for some major water to flow into a deep pond.
I would have shown it to you from the bottom first, but the forest is thick around the bottom with a lot of thorny vegetation.
We can view it from that angle later if you want. ”
“I’d like to,” Hannah said.
Of course, she would, and he’d be happy to show her.
The trail transitioned from mostly soil and tree roots to rock. It wouldn’t be long before they’d reach the top.
He paused and looked back at the ladies. “Careful, the rocks are loose and they’ll get larger as we near the top. Just make sure you have good footing before taking your next step.”
“Okay,” they responded in unison.
The scraping of rocks behind him caused him to halt on a dime and twist at the trunk to see what happened.
Hannah and Alyssa looked back, too. So, it wasn’t one of them who’d lost their footing.
For another few seconds, they all just stood there staring in the direction from which they’d come.
Then, both ladies turned their heads and fixed their gazes on him.
“Neither of you slipped?” he asked.
They both shook their heads.
“I suppose one of us could have loosened a stone or two on our way through. No biggy. This is why we have to be careful with our footing, not to slide down the hill with the rocks,” he said.
He spun and resumed climbing.
His mind wandered back to the sunglasses incident and the feeling of being watched.
Over the past couple of days, there’d been some strange noises he couldn’t identify, and he’d been in these woods enough to know the sounds that animals make.
These sounds were different—off—likely human.
Was someone spying on them? He didn’t like that thought at all.
Why would someone be following them? It certainly wouldn’t be any of their hikers and campers because the guides wouldn’t allow it.
They’d stick to the plans in place and not deviate from them for both the enjoyment and safety of the clients.
State land surrounded his uncle’s property, so he supposed hikers other than those signed up at Yooper Adventures could be milling around.
Every now and then, he’d come across a lost hiker and help them back to civilization.
Hunter stepped up onto the bald top of the waterfall. Water flowed full force from the deep gully in the rocks, over the edge, and into the pool below. From this vantage point, he could see miles and miles of the lush green forest.
Hannah stepped next to him. She lifted her hand to further shield her eyes from the bright sun, even though she wore sunglasses. The sunglasses that had mysteriously disappeared and reappeared. Her long brown ponytail flung around in the shifting wind. It was always windy on top of the falls.
“This is lovely,” she said.
“You should see it in the fall when the colors are at peak.”
“I bet it’s gorgeous.”
“If you come back, I’ll show you.”
She fixed her gaze on him. “Maybe I will.”
“What about me?” Alyssa asked in a playful tone.
“You are more than welcome, too,” Hunter replied.
Alyssa swung her gaze between him and Hannah. “And be the third wheel. No, thank you,” she replied with a wink.
His gaze quickly landed on Hannah, whose flush floated up from her neck to her cheeks.
“Let me get a photo of you two to capture this moment,” Alyssa ordered as she pulled her camera from her backpack.
Hannah’s cheeks flamed red. Why was she so embarrassed that Alyssa figured them out?
Hunter slung his arm over Hannah’s shoulders and snuggled her close to his side. She didn’t resist.
Alyssa snapped several photos.
“Why don’t you move closer to the water’s edge and I’ll take a couple more with a bit of a different background. God, this place is gorgeous. A photographer’s dream.”
“So, Lover’s Leap. What’s the scoop? Who leaped?” Hannah asked as they moved to a new spot.
“The legend is like many others. A Native American woman, daughter of a chief, fell in love with a trapper, a white man. The chief would not allow his daughter to marry a white man, so she jumped off the ledge, and her lover did the same, so they would be joined in the afterlife.”
“How awful,” Alyssa replied.
“That’s not the worst part.”
“How could it get worse?” Hannah asked.
“She died and he survived.”
Hannah flung her hand over her mouth.
“Once the chief figured out what had happened, he hunted down the trapper and sent him to the afterlife. So, I guess in the end, the young lovers got what they’d wanted.
They say when the wind blows right, you can hear the two profess their love for one another, then silence, then the distinct splash of the two hitting the water, then the normal flow of the waterfall again. ”
“What were their names?” Hannah asked.
“Binishii and Luke.”
Hannah lowered her hand. “Have you heard it?”
“No. But Uncle Lee and Aunt Heidi say they heard it the day Uncle Lee proposed to her up here. I believe them. They are the most honest and down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet.”
They edged closer to the gulley of fast-flowing water and posed.
Alyssa lifted her camera to her eye.
He snuggled Hannah closer to his side and posed for the photo.
The wind shifted. “Binishii, I love you. Now and forever,” a man’s voice sounded in the breeze.
Hunter’s heart slammed in his chest. He turned his head and looked at Hannah.
The shock in her gaze let him know she’d heard it, too.
“I love you, too, Luke. It’s time.” The woman’s tone was filled with sadness.
He glanced at Alyssa, who still held her camera to her eye. No look of surprise on her face. Had she not heard the profession of love from the two souls in the afterlife?
The wind stilled. The atmosphere went dead silent. Hunter’s heart raced. Good God, he was about to hear the splash he’d learned about from the folktale.
BANG!
Shock shook his extremities as Alyssa fell forward, landing hard on the solid rock formation they stood on. Blood stained her shirt. There was no cry of agony. She didn’t move.
There was no shelter on this massive bald rock.
Instinctively, he flung himself in front of Hannah.
“Hold on,” he ordered as he wrapped her in his arms the best he could.