Page 28 of Love By a Landslide

She didn’t want the contact to end, which is why she was severely disappointed when the goats disappeared over the ledge and Jonathan stepped away, leaving her back cold despite the warmth of the early afternoon sun.

“Sorry.” His silky voice drifted on an increasing breeze. “I don’t usually grab on to customers during a hike, but I didn’t want you to miss seeing them.”

Customers, of course.

Lucy almost forgot she was paying Jonathan for his time and expertise. While his hands felt divine on her—something Lucywould have liked to have explored further—she had to remember that this tall, sexy mountain man was doing his job. And she was certain that a little tumble among the trees wasn’t listed in the services he agreed to provide.

“No, it’s totally fine. I totally wanted to see them. It was—” She cut herself off, realizing she sounded like a rambling fourteen-year-old.

Jonathan displayed a sexy grin and chuckled. “It’s ok. You can say ‘totally’ again.”

“Good, because it wastotallyfucking awesome!” Lucy’s hands went to the top of her head, eyes wide with excitement. “I mean, they wereright there. I’ve never been that close to a mountain goat before, let alone one with babies.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool when it accidentally happens that way.” Jonathan nodded. “But it’s also important to remember that this is their home, and we’re just visiting. I wouldn’t have let you get that close if I had noticed them sooner. We need to give the wildlife space.”

“Roger that.” Lucy continued, “My dad always tells me, ‘We’re guests in the woods, kiddo, and we have to respect the animals’ home.'”

“Again, your dad’s a smart man.”

“I agree. But don’t tell him that, or he’d brag for weeks.” Lucy laughed, feeling a charge in the air, likely a result of the events that occurred over the last ten minutes. Turning in a slow circle, she scanned the horizon. “What mountains are those?”

Jonathan stepped up next to her, obviously ensuring there was a good eighteen inches of space between them. Despite the distance, she could still feel the hairs on her arms and scalp prickle like touching a staticky balloon. He looked southwest where she pointed. “The bigger of the two snow-capped mountains is Mount Rainier, and the smaller one is Mount Adams.”

“So cool.” She turned toward the north, disappointed that the view was obstructed. “Too bad we can’t see all the way around us, pesky clouds.” She turned back to peer out at the peaks she could see. Though they were some distance away, the sight was breathtaking.

“Yeah, that’s my bad. I forgot to put in a weather request for ‘perfect blue skies.’” He smacked a hand against his forehead. “Some guide I turned out to be. I’ll talk to the owner on your behalf about issuing a refund.”

“Rookie mistake.” Lucy deadpanned, tossing the joke back to him. When he didn’t immediately volley a return, she glanced over her shoulder and found him looking intently toward the thick, dark mass of gloom northeast of where they stood. Her skin buzzed as the gentle breeze graduated up to a steady wind. “Everything all right?” she asked.

“Hmm. I’m not sure. Those clouds are coming our way, and they’re most certainly bringing rain along with them.”

“Not like I’m thrilled about camping in the rain or anything, but it doesn’t really seem like something to worry about.”

“Maybe not.”

In the distance, a flash of lightning illuminated the haze of gray.

“Woah! That was cool.” Lucy couldn’t contain her excitement. She had never seen lightning from such a high vantage point. It almost felt ethereal, like Zeus himself was making his presence known.

“—one-thousand-three, one-thousand-four, one-thousand-five—” Jonathan mumbled to himself.

Before Lucy could ask what he was doing, a teeth-rattling rumble shook the ground with savage force. The steady wind increased, bordering on gusty.

“It’s about six miles away.” He turned to her with a lookof disappointment tinted with something else. Something he was trying to mask. “I’m sorry, Lucy, but we can’t stay up here tonight. A little rain is one thing, but lightning is something else entirely. Especially since the storm is headed our direction.”

He was worried; that was the other emotion he was working to hide from her. While she initially thought getting stuck in a rainstorm with Jonathan might be fun, his concern dampened the hope of enjoyment. If he was even the slightest bit scared, she should be too.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Chapter sixteen

Jonathan

Stay calm. Stay calm. There is no reason to panic. It’s just a little storm, and you’ll have her out of here before it becomes a real threat. She needs you to keep it together.

“Jon . . . athan.” The sound of Lucy trying to speak between ragged inhales dislodged Jonathan from his internal rant. “Can you please . . . just slow down . . . a tiny bit.”

He turned and saw she was lagging behind and struggling to keep up. Since spotting the first few shocks of lightning, they retreated briskly down from the summit without stopping or saying a word to one another. He was thinking, planning for worst-case scenario events that may or may not happen, all the while trying to maintain a solid poker face. In his rush to get back to camp and collect their things, he hadn’t considered how his attempted stoicism might affect her. He should be reassuring her; instead, he was too busy mollifying his internal fatalist, and she was starting to take notice.

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