Page 15 of Lost in the Wild

Evie hums, reaching over to smooth my shirt collar down where it keeps flipping up with the breeze. As if that’s gonna make me fit for public consumption. “Did you ever go abroad?”

“Yes.”

“Work or vacation?”

“Both.”

“And out of all the mountains in the world, these are the ones you picked.”

I shrug, squinting into the wind. “Guess so.”

“Why?”

My beard itches as I scratch my jaw. Maybe it is time for a shave. “You’re relentless, do you know that?”

Evie dodges around a rock jutting from the path. “Just trying to research my article.”

“Well, I’ll tell you, but you can’t write about it.”

The offer is out before my common sense can kick in. Because why the hell would I want to confess my private life to a stranger? A writer, no less? But a night spent twined together on that damn pelt means that Evie doesn’t feel like a stranger to me—not anymore.

If I’m honest, I’m not sure she ever did.

“Deal.” She grabs my hand, swinging our arms between us. “Oh my god, deal. This is off the record, I swear.”

And I should let go of her hand, not knit our fingers together.

Should hurry her along, not stroll like there’s nowhere we need to be.

Should do a lot of things.

“My sister,” I say finally, frowning down at the town of Starlight Ridge where it nestles below us in the valley. “My little sister Tess lives in town. We both grew up here. I like staying close in case she needs me.”

Not that I’m much help only checking in every few months. All at once, my many failures weigh so heavily on my shoulders, they might crush me. Every step is leaden, and it’s hard to draw air into my lungs. Feel so fucking old and tired.

Tess deserves a big brother who’s around—one who’s not broken beyond repair. And Evie deserves… more than this. More than me.

“Come on,” I say gruffly, tugging on our joined hands. “We should pick up the pace. The day’s wasting.”

Not long now, then I’ll be alone again.

As I should be.

Seven

Evie

In the end, I stretch a three hour hike into nearly five hours. Shame swirls in my belly for wasting Rowan’s time like this on purpose, but I can’t bring myself to move any faster. Not when it means saying goodbye and never seeing him again. That thought weighs my stiff boots down until they’re practically glued to the path.

Because last night in the cave… it changed me. Shook up my view of the world, and I don’t mean the sexy snuggles to get me warm again, though those were great—I mean the stuff before that.

Sharing food together; chatting until late. Feeling the simple luxury of a hot bath on a cold evening. Feeling calm for the first time in my life.

Now when I think about going home to my cluttered apartment, to living packed like sardines with millions of people in the loud, hectic city, my pulse races—and not in a good way.

Do I even want to go home at all? What do I have waiting for me there, except a job I don’t even like and bills I struggle to pay?

“You good?” Rowan asks, taking my elbow to guide me around an ant hill. We’re near the base of the mountain now, where rocky ground turns to grassy slopes, and the town of Starlight Ridge is spread out right in front of us, with only a bridge over the river to cross.

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