Page 18 of Me and Mr. Just Right

His words were weighted with meaning she didn’t understand, but she nodded. “That’s pretty special.”

“I’m the glue,” he said firmly. He peered over his shoulder to where the rain had let up just enough to see the wind whipping the trees around like wild horses trying to shake off their riders. “How would you like to explore an abandoned cabin?”

Chapter 8

Haydnhadn’tbeenableto convince anyone to go exploring with him until the lashing rain let up a bit. Now it drizzled like mist, perfect for an atmospheric hike to the old, dilapidated hunting cabin on the other side of the island. And double perfect as a way to avoid his brothers’ questions aboutNature Adventure Magazine. Andtripleperfect as a much-needed way to distract himself from how much he’d wanted to tug Lia into his arms when she’d looked up at him with a kind of longing that he knew had absolutely nothing to do with him.

She was clearly so alone, and so very lonely.

But his plate was full. He had nothing more to give anyone. He was tapped out on people to care about.

And yet …

Haydn moved his belongings into Bennett’s room and put on hiking pants. His legs had been cut apart by the spines of one too many devil’s club leaves to want to mess with shorts.

He snagged his camera and his boots and headed out to the front to meet everyone. Bennett had already been dressed to hike, but now he also wore a lime-green waterproof bucket hat that he cinched under his chin. The logo for his tourist fishing company, “Forrester Expeditions,” was stitched in red across the front.

“That’s the ugliest hat yet.” Haydn pulled on his hiking boots.

“Thank you.” Bennett tugged on the ties dangling in front of his neck. “It’s my bestseller.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Jules drawled as he met them by the door.

“The uglier it is, the more my customers like it.” He struck a vogue pose. “Don’t hate the model; hate the fashion.”

“There is no world in which this is the latest fashion.” Haydn flicked the brim of Bennett’s cap. It was good to see his brother smiling again. Just being at the cabin seemed to have that uplifting effect on him. On all of them. Even Lia had smiled at lunch, and it had made him want to see her smile even more.

“Well, I had an extra one I was going to give to you, but you can forget that.” He pulled one from his back pocket. “Would you like it, Lia?”

Haydn turned to see Lia standing in the hallway a few feet from him. She’d changed into a blue soft-cotton T-shirt with a long black windbreaker loosely zipped to just above her naval, and cutoff denim shorts that sucked all the oxygen from the room. He couldn’t breathe. Could. Not.

He forced himself to look back up at her face.Don’t be a creep, Haydn.Why did he have to keep saying that to himself?

“Like what?” she asked Bennett, stepping closer to them.

“One of my fashion-forward hats.”

Haydn groaned and attempted to steal the hat from Bennett’s outstretched hand, but he dodged out of the way. “Don’t torture her like this, Ben.”

“Have some dignity, man.” Jules folded his arms in a way that showcased his muscles for Lia, and it took everything in Haydn not to roll his eyes. Or take him out at the knees.

Apparently, Haydn wasn’t the only one feeling a spark of attraction for Lia. A spark? More like a roaring fire, but it wasn’t out of control. Not yet.

“I love it.” Lia put the hat on without hesitation. And it spoke to her solid beauty that the garishly colored bucket hat didn’t diminish it one bit. In fact, the neon green added a healthy glow to her face.

Bennett lit up when she pulled the tie tight under her chin, and Haydn could have pulled Lia into a huge hug when he saw his brother’s pleased expression. A hug of gratitude—and nothing else—of course. But he didn’t want Jules to takehimout at the knee, either.

Jules’s scowl was back as he stepped in front of Lia before she could go outside. “Do you have any hiking boots?”

“No.” She glanced down at her tennis shoes. “I hadn’t really planned on hiking.”

“You came to Alaska and didn’t plan to hike?”

“Not everyone likes the outdoors,” Haydn reminded Jules.

“I love the outdoors,” Lia said defensively. “I packed in a hurry and didn’t think about what I’d do once I got here.”

“You’ll be fine,” Jules said, though his tone was doubtful enough to not inspire any confidence. “Should we go before that rain comes back?”

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