Page 1 of Burly and Rugged

CHAPTER 1

LINDY

Lindy, you’re going to have fun, I promise. I think you’re really going to like David!” my best friend Rebecca promised when we got to Uncle Joe’s Bar half an hour ago.

Boy, was she wrong. Our food hasn’t even arrived yet, but I’m already certain I’d rather be home with some beer and Netflix. I’d rather watch a documentary on the history of grass growing than talk to this guy.

Rebecca’s new boyfriend, Mike, is currently too busy scrolling on his phone to notice us talking. Rebecca says they’re happy, but it doesn’t look like it. Next to me is David—my blind date—who might actually be the least interesting man I’ve ever met. I’m pretty sure he’s equally disinterested in me.

I resist the urge to sigh into my cocktail. “Tell me about the competition at the Sweetheart County Fair.”

“Oh, right!” Rebecca’s eyes light up. “My cousin Grady invited me to compete with them in the chili contest! We’re going to make our grandfather’schili recipe. We’ve been fiddling withthe recipe a little, though I’m not sure if we’ll compete with any changes. I don’t think it’s likely we’ll win, but it’ll be fun.”

“That’s really cool, Rebecca! I bet you’ll both win something—your chili is ah-mazing. Your grandfather made the best chili I’ve ever had.” I remember when we were little, sometimes we’d go over to her grandparent’s house in the summer, and so often her grandfather was cooking a batch of his chili. He always entered local and state competitions, too, and Rebecca has kept his tradition alive since he passed away.

“Thanks,” Rebecca beams, glancing at Mike, who’s still ignoring us. The light dims in her eyes. I hope she’s as happy as she claims. They haven’t been dating very long, but Rebecca always falls head over heels when she meets someone she likes. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know, but she’s had the hardest time finding someone who deserves her heart. “You need to get out more. You spend too much time in your studio.” She looks at me hopefully and whispers, “David’s nice. Right?”

I look at Rebecca and shrug, hoping she’ll change the subject. David is…fine, I suppose…for a woman who isn’t me. He’s more interested in the basketball game on the bar’s TV than he is in me. I don’t know how Rebecca could think he and I are a match. He hasn’t asked me a single question since we sat down—unless I count,So, what do you do again?which he asked with all the enthusiasm of a man who felt obliged to, not out of genuine interest. That was followed by the predictably offensive,But what do you really do? Painting is just a hobby,when I said I was an artist, andYou actually make money at that?when I said that itwasmy job.

Rebecca, determined to fill the silence, pulls out her phone and waves it in my direction. “Oh! I meant to ask you. I saw thisad for a survival course up in the mountains. You ever heard of Silver Pine Ridge?”

“Isn’t that over on King Mountain?” I ask, my curiosity piqued. “My dad used to take me camping when I was a kid. Maybe I could learn how to fight off bears with my bare hands. That’d be a useful skill.” I laugh and take a long drink of my beer. I can already feel tipsy-ness setting in, but I’m not feeling like I need to be on my best behavior with David, so…why not get tipsy?

Rebecca grins. “Well, I think the goal is avoiding the bears, but yeah. It sounds pretty intense. No phones, no Wi-Fi, just learning how to survive in the wilderness.”

I’m not really outdoorsy. It’s not that I have anything against it, but I spend more time in my studio or the art store than anywhere else. There’s definitely something appealing about the idea of being cut off from everything, forced to rely on nothing but yourself. I’m already independent, but this sounds like an interesting challenge. Not something I’d ever sign up for, but interesting.

I finish my beer and put it on the table. “Huh. That actually sounds kind of cool.”

That’s when David finally gives me his full attention, and not in a kind way. “Hiking?You?” The way he says it—so casually dismissive—makes me see red.

I blink and try to count to ten before responding, but I don’t make it that far. “Excuse you?” If I stay on this stupid blind date much longer, I won’t be responsible for what happens to David…but I might need bail money.

David laughs, not hiding how he looks me up and down, his eyes lingering on my stomach. “No offense,” he says in a way that canonly be taken as derisive. “But you don’t exactly strike me as the outdoorsy type.”

I motion for the server to bring me a fresh drink and take another deep breath. “And what exactly does the outdoorsy type look like?” I challenge David.

He shrugs, and it’s almost worse than him sayingbecause you’re a fatty fatso. “I don’t know. Someone…toned and athletic?”

There it is. The assumption that I can’t do something because I’m fat. The generic, lazy put-down I’ve heard more times than I can count. That I’m not the kind of woman capable of doing hard things. That I must be a stranger to exercise.

Sensing the shift in my mood, Rebecca gives me a wary look. But it’s too late. My blood is already boiling.

“Let me see that,” I say, reaching for her phone.

Rebecca hesitates but hands me her phone. “Lindy…”

I don’t wait. I grab the phone, click through to the registration website, and fill in my information.

David laughs and his eyes go wide. “Wait, you’re serious?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I verify all my information is correct, and before I can second-guess myself, I tap Submit. I don’t know what I’m doing signing up for this course, but I’m not letting a jerkface tell me what I can and can’t do. So yes, maybe I’m signing up out of spite, but nowIwant to know if I can conquer this challenge.

My phone dings a second later, and I hold it up to show the confirmation email notification on the home screen.

I thank the server as she hands me a fresh pint of beer. Turning, I glare at David, who’s staring at me with a stunned expression, and give him my best smile. “It’s dangerous to underestimate me.”

Two weeksafter the disastrous double date, I park in front of The Lodge at Silver Pine Ridge. It’s beautiful up here. I may not really be one for long hikes in the woods, but it’s easy to see why people are enthusiastic about hiking and camping.Maybe I’ll be a convert, I think to myself and chuckle.

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