Page 50 of Love By a Landslide

“How long is a while?”

Jonathan took an excessively deep breath in, held it, and then slowly blew it out. “If I rest today, I’ll be good to go tomorrow morning,” he said, irritated at himself. He was aware of his own limitations, regularly heeding the expressed warning from the ER doctor that fighting through the pain would only exacerbate it. Rest was the only way.

“Tomorrow morning?!” Lucy’s jade eyes widened with shock. “But we’re so close. You said we could make it out by this evening.”

“That was before I ate shit on your water bottle.” There was an unintentional sneer in his voice, and he immediately felt like an ass when she recoiled slightly. Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. That’s not fair. My back is throbbing, and I get angry when this happens.”

She shrugged one shoulder. “I get it. It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not. And unfortunately, there is no way around it. I need to rest, or it will only get worse.” He sheepishly looked back at the water bottle with the aggressively cheery sunshine sticker on it. “And we’re almost out of water. Can I count on you to handle that?”

Lucy looked around the campsite, wringing her hands together. She was probably working up the nerve to accept the mission.

“Hey.” Jonathan gently pulled her back to the present and caught her eyes with his. “You got this.” He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She nodded, though her expression was evidence that she hadn’t fully banished her apprehension. “Ok. We should probably get you comfortable first.”

With great effort, they managed to make their way back to the hammock, Jonathan’s angry back screaming in protest the whole way. Once he was in, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.From the backpack, Lucy retrieved the emergency muscle relaxer prescription Jonathan kept on hand just in case. He swallowed one with a splash of water and handed the bottle back.

“Snag the map, will ya.” He wiped his mouth and pointed to where it lay crumpled in the dirt. She trotted over and snatched it up. He took it from her and spread it open on his lap. “Getting water is really the only critical thing right now. We need all of our bottles and the hydration pack topped off.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “This is where we are. And these”—he pointed to identical blue blobs about equal distance away from camp—“are two alpine lakes. Both are a few miles away. But I think this one will be more of a straight shot.” Tapping on the lake directly west of them. “Can you manage?”

“Yes, I can. Eagle Scout or no, I’ve used a map and compass before.” She smirked at him. “Plus, someone has to keep us hydrated since you’re on a break.”

Jonathan, not entirely appreciating the joke, wanted to chuckle and scowl in equal measure. He could take a ribbing but felt awful that his finicky back was going to delay them an extra day. Lucy must have read his thoughts.

“Jonathan, this isn’t your fault. I’ll be fine getting the water. You take it easy and rest. Ok?” The calm, reassurance of her eyes displayed her honesty. She gave a little smile and squeezed his forearm. “Want me to leave you with a snack? Not sure how long I’ll be.” She dug into the bag again.

“Yeah, maybe some trail mix. But be sure to take something with you too.”

“Way ahead of you.” She pulled everything out of the pack except for the water bottles, hydration pack, filtration pump, jerky, compass, and bottle of biodegradable soap. “Need anything before I go?” she asked as she piled her hair on top of her head and securedit with a tie.

Jonathan folded up the map and handed it over to her. “No, I’ll just be hanging around.” He drawled, gesturing to his prone position. “But really, thank you, Lucy.”

“No problem.” With a resolute nod, she smiled. “I’m off.”

She turned, and Jonathan watched her stride purposefully from the campsite. The slight bounce in her step gave him a little reassurance that she wasn’t terrified of venturing off alone. He reminded himself of her pluck and determination. He’d never met a more resilient woman in his life. She would be fine.

Frustrated with his momentary debilitation, Jonathan settled in for a long day of waiting.

Chapter twenty-six

Lucy

Lucy aimed the compass at a small peak directly west of camp and faithfully followed. Aside from scurrying down a few rock ledges and weaving to avoid one particularly aggressive sticker bush, she stayed the course. Jonathan had been right; it was a straight shot.

Nerves and excitement—Lucy’s only travel companions—followed along beside her, though the former gradually lagged with each step. She fostered a deeply held desire to hike solo, but never quite managed to convince herself to do it. Doubt always seemed to stand in the way of venturing off alone. But armed with a compass and a mission, she clomped through the woods, basking in solitude and newfound bravery as she searched for fresh water to bring back to her injured guide.

Poor guy. Jonathan must be going stir-crazy. In their short acquaintance, she’d quickly learned that he was the get-it-done type who didn’t sit still. Being laid up in a hammock with nothing but his thoughts must be torture.

Subtract the injury and add a book and an ice-cold IPA and the scenario sounded like a dream to Lucy. Gently swaying in the breeze, enjoying isolation with no one imposing their will or expectations on her. Sign her up for that excursion. She’d happily trade being lost in the woods for a bit of rest and relaxation right about now.

Though if she had to be lost with anyone, Jonathan wasn’ta bad companion despite his moments of grouchiness. He sure added to the view.

Lucy wiped the bead of sweat running down her chin—sweat . . . not drool.

The memory of their kiss flooded in and warmed Lucy’s cheeks. She wanted another one, wanted more than that. He did too. The way he looked at her, oh wow. Even in her sweaty, dirty, stinky state with a rat’s nest on her head, there were moments when his eyes dragged over her like a lover’s caress. Jonathan was a dish that Lucy would love to sink her teeth into before returning to Seattle. However, the challenge was knowing whether a brief fling with Jonathan would be a wise choice or if the recent trauma and forced proximity were a little too good at fanning the flames that crackled between them. Frankly, the only thing she should be focused on was getting safely back to town. Anything detracting from that goal was liable to get someone hurt or killed. Jeez, barely two days with the guy and she was already starting to think like him.

Glancing at her compass and the peak ahead of her ensured Lucy was still on the right path, though she was unsure how long she’d been hiking. The lake had to be close. From the position of the sun, the best she could surmise was that it was late morning and she’d been at it for two-ish hours.

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