Page 18 of Protecting Her Secrets

He places a perfectly toasted sandwich in front of me then braces himself on the kitchen island across from me. “I needed a change. I wanted every single aspect of my life to be different so nothing would remind me of you.”

“Ouch.” His words feel like a punch to the gut, hitting me out of nowhere. He opens his mouth, probably to remind me it was all my fault, but I stop him by covering his hand with my own. “I get it, but it still hurts.”

His gaze locks on our hands. “I didn’t think I’d survive if I stayed.”

“I’m sorry, Walker,” I whisper.

Pulling his hand from under mine, he turns to ladle soup into a bowl. “It was a long time ago.”

We don’t speak as he makes himself a sandwich and serves me the soup. Without asking, he pulls two cans of flavored sparkling water out and sets one in front of me. Mine’s lime, my favorite, and I wonder if it’s a coincidence or if he hangs onto pieces of me like I do with him.

Would he think it’s creepy or weird that I keep a box of Slim Jims, his favorite snack, in my pantry? I think they’re disgusting, but whenever I’m missing him and wish things had gone downdifferently, I hide under the covers and eat one. Somehow, it makes me feel better.

“You make enough as a trail guide to buy this house?” Realizing how rude that was, I backpedal. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean, I had no idea it was that lucrative of a profession. Wait. That’s not any better. Ignore me.”

“No, it’s a fair question. The man I told you about, his name was Simon?—”

“Was?”

“Yeah, he passed three years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. He was a mean son of a bitch.” Walker chuckles. “But he was a good man. He taught me everything he knew about hiking, rappelling, plant recognition, animal recognition, and so much more. After two years of working with him during the fall, spring, and summer and then getting snowed in with him each winter, he let me take over all the hikes and just did the business side of things. I was actually shocked when he died and left everything to me. His house, the business, even his piece of shit truck.”

“He didn’t have any family?” I ask.

“Oh, he had family. His four kids all still live in town and hate me.”

“Did they contest the will?”

“Oh yeah. But Simon made sure they couldn’t take it away from me. His kids had no interest in the business, and they rarely came by to see him. It was still a shock, though. I honestly thought he didn’t like me and just tolerated me because he didn’t want to give up his business.”

“That’s crazy.” I spoon some soup into my mouth.

“It was, and I didn’t want to waste the amazing gift he gave me. I sold his house because it just didn’t feel like home, and I bought this place. But I still own the business and his truck thatbreaks down on me all the time.” He grins, telling me he doesn’t mind.

“And what exactly does a trail guide do?”

“I take people on excursions. It’s kind of like choose your own adventure type stuff. We offer a basic hike, and then guests can add on from there. They can choose to camp for up to three nights or add rappelling, more advanced hikes, mountain bike rides, or a whole host of other things. After we go over their medical and lifestyle information and deem them fit for what they signed up for, we take them on their excursion and provide all the gear.”

“That sounds like a fun job.”

“It is. I mean, there’s a lot that goes into it, and I have to keep up with a lot of different certifications every year, and not just to be a guide. There’s also food permits, since we provide meals, first aid classes so we can handle medical emergencies, things like that.”

“I didn’t even think about all those details. Do you have employees?”

“Yeah. I hired Corbin and Laken right after the business was handed down to me. It was getting to be too much for just me, and if I got sick or hurt, I had to cancel trips and lose out on money. With the three of us, there’s always backup, and we can take on more guests.”

“Smart, especially since we’re not getting any younger.”

He lifts his shirt to show me his eight-pack. “Speak for yourself. I’m fit as a fiddle.”

I nearly come undone right then and there. He has always been sexy to me, but I won’t deny this muscular mountain man version of him has ratcheted up that attraction.

“Don’t rub it in. Because while you were pumping iron, I was eating In-N-Out Double Doubles.”

“Fuck, I miss fast food. It’s been years since I’ve even had a hamburger from McDonalds, let alone In-N-Out.”

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