Page 25 of Love By a Landslide

Lucy reminded herself that no guide would take hikers out on this trail if there were any real risk of tumbling off the side. Mustering all her courage, she shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

Jonathan scanned her face and must have found what he was looking for because he nodded and let out a clipped, “Ok.”

Steadily, they made their way across, neither breaking the silence that hung between them. Lucy walked as close to the interior face as possible, hugging the wall and dragging her right hand against the stone as she went. Being on the south side of the mountain and encased on either end by towering trees, no direct sunlight hit them as they traversed the cliff. Periodic wafts of gentle summer warmth felt startling in its contrast to the cold, hard rock beneath her fingers.

A few times, Lucy dared to glance out at the view but never once looked over the edge. Jonathan’s assessment had been correct; the width of the cut trail seemed much narrower that high up, and she was confident that looking down would freeze her to the spot.

Hard pass.

They made it safely to the other side, and only then did Lucy let out a relieved breath. Jonathan turned back, appearing visibly relaxed as well. The lines on his forehead receded and his scowl drifted away.

He held up a fist. “Well done, Lucy.”

She bumped his knuckles with hers, beaming with satisfaction and enjoying the familiarity in his tone. They stood and surveyed the view for another moment before continuing their way up Mount Stuart.

Jonathan

“How much further? I’m starving,” Lucy said, huffing and puffing as they crested the intense stretch of switchbacks that immediately followed Skydiver’s Bluff.

The familiar pangs of hunger were starting to sneak up on Jonathan too, but he hoped to make it to camp before they took a long break.

“We have a little less than a mile to go, and it’s pretty level the rest of the way. We can probably manage it in fifteen to twenty minutes. Can you hold out?” Jonathan was willing to stop but would really prefer not to stand in the middle of the trail while they ate.

Lucy was flushed and sweaty, but she also seemed quite lively, considering. She’d been handling things like a trouper. Despite Jonathan’s near certainty that she was new to hiking or severely out of practice at the very least, she still managed to keep a respectable pace. He could relate to her stubbornness to continue onward rather than stopping every two minutes to catch her breath. Sometimes pushing physical, as well as mental, limits was necessary to appreciate the most beautiful things in life. And she’d done that when they’d passed through Skydiver’s Bluff. Her fear had been palpable, but she didn’t let out a single complaint. After mustering up her courage, she marched along and made it to the other side without incident. But not before gawking at the expanse of raw wilderness from the lookout.

He felt that same sense of awe every time he gazed out from the boulder-encased viewpoint at the Bluff too. A sort of spirituality trickled over him like he was standing at the altar of something greater than himself.

On the rare day off that Janet would make him take, his mind regularly drifted to unanswerable questions. The kinds of questions that could drive a person insane.Why couldn’t I have died instead of Cynthia? Why didn’t I listen to her on the river? Why did I childishly let my anger and resentment cloud my judgment that day?In those moments, the only thing that would clear his mind and provide a few moments ofpeace was losing himself on a trail. It didn’t matter which one—The Enchantments, Lake Ingalls, Lake Valhalla—they all provided enough comfort to quell the onslaught of the same self-flagellating loop. He’d honed his focus and learned to be fully present to absorb the beauty of nature, thus quieting the nag of what ifs and whys.

This one-on-one trip with Lucy was the first time he’d gone out solo with anyone else since the rafting accident. Hiking and climbing weren’t the same as taking a group into white water, but Jonathan attempted to mitigate risk in every possible way he could control. So, when he’d been capable of resuming his guiding duties, he elected to lead the more casual group outings while also making it crystal clear to his customers that they were responsible for looking out for each other. His conscience wouldn’t survive if anyone else’s blood ended up on his hands, so he put the ultimate responsibility back on them.

So then, how had he found himself in his current situation? One-on-one with a rusty-at-best hiker.

Fortunately, they were nearing the end of the more challenging part of the journey. After reaching camp and having lunch, they could make their way up to the summit for a quick look around. But not before caching their packs to conserve energy. The two miles up would be a delightful jaunt without the extra weight.

An audible rumble sounded from Lucy’s belly. Her eyes and mouth went wide. Shock gave way to laughter as she wrapped her arms around her middle. “Maybe I need a little bite to tide me over.”

Trying to stifle his own chuckles, Jonathan couldn’t keep the grin from his lips. “Clearly.” He reached into a side pouch and pulled out a granola bar, one of many he kept tucked away for such an occasion. Handing it to her, he said, “Here. This shouldhelp.” Better to get a few more calories in her before the adrenaline wore off. Otherwise, she could end up with a headache, stomach cramps, or worse, pass out from exhaustion and lack of food.

“Thanks.” She took the snack from him and barely pulled the wrapper back before shoving half of it in her mouth. The other half followed as she finished the bar with gusto. After a long drink of water, she let out a contented sigh.

“Better?” Jonathan asked.

“Yes, that should hold me for a few minutes.” Lucy patted her belly. “Thanks.”

A tiny smudge of peanut butter remained just below her bottom lip, and Jonathan imagined using his tongue to clear it away. Before he could think, he raised a hand to touch her face but stopped a few inches short as her eyes widened.

“Uh. You have some left on your lip.” He tried and failed to keep the husky drag out of his voice.

Lucy flung the back of her fingers to her face and hastily wiped away the remnants of the bar. “That’s embarrassing. I barely chewed my food, eating like a starving seagull and still ended up with half of it on my face.” Her laugh was self-deprecating and stiff.

“Nah,” Jonathan dismissed her comment. “Wait ’til you see me handle my lunch. It will make you feel like you’re the queen of etiquette.”

“Speaking of lunch . . .”

“Enough said. Let’s get moving. We’ll be there soon.”

Chapter fourteen

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