Page 109 of Tangled up in You

“Do you camp a lot?”

“Me?” He snorted. “No. Only when I need to be out in the field overnight. Mark spends a lot of time patrolling the backcountry during season. He’s frequently out for days at a time.”

The coffee was hot and delicious. “That sounds rough.”

“He loves it. Lives for it.”

“Why’s he touchy about being called a cop?” she asked.

Christopher winced but offered her a smile. “Let’s just say shitty family dynamics. Yes, he’s a law enforcement officer, but he prefers to think of himself as a park ranger instead of a cop.”

“I notice you’re not wearing a gun,” she said. “I thought you said you’d carry one?”

“I will. I prefer to carry a rifle when I can. I’ll holster it on one of the mules. Carrying a sidearm when wearing a hiking pack annoys me. Mark’s used to it.”

She wrapped her hands around the warm mug of steaming, delicious jitter juice. “Any tips to stay on his good side?”

He laughed as he plated her eggs and added two pieces of toast and handed it to her. “If I figure that out, I’ll let you know. Now that he knows you’re neurospicy, he’ll remember to take a breath before responding. Usually. Try to keep your patience with him.” He grinned. “Lord knows we’ll need our patience with the poor neurotypical bastard.”

She laughed.

The faintest tendrilsof dawn were barely creeping into eastern sky when they drove to the stable. One of the men there would ride in the truck with them and drive Mark’s truck back to the barn, unhook the trailer, and then park it at the men’s cabin.

The four mules were already haltered, groomed, and ready to tack. Jesse watched as the men took care of that, amazed how quickly the process went. She had another waterproof case that went on one of the mules and held her tablet for calibrating thesensors, extra power banks, and a crank charger, along with her extra food and supplies.

Once the mules were ready, Mark and Christopher hooked up the stock trailer and collected the mules to load them.

“Still sure we can’t ride horses?” Mark asked.

She reached out and petted one of the mules. “Sorry. I really wish I could.”

“At least we don’t have to carry as much feed,” Chris pointed out. “Fewer animals.”

“True,” Mark agreed.

She climbed into the truck and made room on the backseat for Chris while the other man, Sam, sat up front with Mark for the ride to the trailhead.

Chris flashed her a smile. “Excited?”

“Yeah.” She was nervous as hell, but she wasn’t about to admit that to these men, not even to Christopher. She felt so nervous she couldn’t even focus on the gorgeous landscape outside her window.

Less than an hour later, she watched the guy drive away with the trailer while Mark and Christopher double-checked the mules’ tack and that everything was secure on their packs.

For their part, the mules placidly stood, tails swishing occasionally.

When she donned her pack the men helped her with adjustments and reconfiguring the position of her bear spray to make it easier to reach. Then they stood back.

“Okay?” Mark asked her.

“I think so.”

“When we start walking,” Chris said, “you’ll soon know if you need to adjust anything.”

“Let’s go,” Mark said. “We’re wasting daylight.”

Mark started toward the trail and Christopher indicated for her to go ahead of him.

It didn’t take her long to adjust her pack again. She followed Mark, who led two of the mules, the second with its lead tied to the pack harness of the first. Christopher brought up the rear leading the third. The day felt crisp and would be sunny, a perfect day for hiking. The only thing that bothered her was the thin air, and she felt grateful to Christopher when after two hours he called to Mark for a break.

---