Page 42 of Ten Mountain Men

She has a point.

“How about this,” I say, pleased that she wants to get to know me, and wanting to get to know her too. “For every question you ask and I answer, I get to ask you one you have to answer.”

“Okay,” she agrees readily. “I think I owe you two.”

I think about it for a minute. And I can only think of one question. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“What makes you think I don’t?” she asks.

“Well, I’m just assuming, because if you were my girl, I wouldn’t let you come camping in the mountains all by yourself.”

“One, I think you need to keep your eye on your pole there, mister. And two, most women don’t like it when their significant others try to boss them around. If I were your girl, and I wanted to come camping by myself, you wouldn’t be able to stop me. It certainly wouldn’t be a matter of whether or not youletme.”

Oh shit. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant, you know, I would go with you. I would want to be with you. Camping or wherever you went.”

There’s a moment of silence.

“Oh,” she says. Then, “My turn. Why didn’t you become a doctor? Hunter said you wanted to.”

“Wait a minute. You didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, no boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not your turn. Why didn’t you become a doctor?”

I sigh, from deep within me. I shrug.

“A shrug is not an answer, Lynx Björnsson.”

“Well, they don’t let you into med school if you don’t finish your first week of college,” I say, wishing to God a fish would choose this moment to decide it wanted catching.

I’ve never talked to anyone about this. Ever.

“You went to college?”

“It’s not your turn,” I tell her. “But we’re not uneducated. Ma homeschooled us. I got really good grades. I got into my top-choice school.”

“Then what happened?”

“It’s still not your turn.”

“Then ask me something so it can be my turn again!”

“Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” she counters, and there isn’t an ounce of mocking in those gorgeous eyes.

“You can’t answer my question with a question.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend because…relationships are messy. Love is messy,” she says finally.

“I suppose it can be that.”

“Have you been in love?”

I don’t even hesitate. “Thought I was. Once.”

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