Page 19 of Control Line

Not giving it any more thought, she pulled open the drawer beside her bed and dropped it in. That way, anytime she reached for her vibrator, which would remind her of Barney and his glorious, pierced cock, she would also remind herself to keep her heart and soul out of the equation.

Spinning on her heels, she went to the front of the cabin, which was separate to act as an office, and unlocked the door. The couple scheduled to hike were already there, waiting.

“Hey, come on in and we’ll get you geared up, educated, and ready to go. Not that you two don’t already know the area, but it’s required by my insurance.”

Emerson and Grant were such an ideal couple. It looked to her like they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They were always stealing small touches and caresses. It made the void inside of her pulse, drawing attention to itself.

Her spiel about what plants to avoid and what wildlife they might encounter only took about fifteen minutes when she had thirty scheduled because they didn’t ask too many questions.

When she started in on the required section about fire safety and the do’s and don’ts out on the trail, the front door opened.

Barney stepped in and hugged Emerson and shook Grant’s hand. “I can help with this part. It’s kinda my job here, after all. Fire safety of day users extends to Ruck Up.”

Normally, she would lose her shit when a man came in to take over, which happened a lot in the military, but this was different. Barney wasn’t doing it to mansplain fire, it was literally his job. She yielded the floor to him.

Grant seemed annoyed, but a touch from his wife and he sat through the ten-minute fire safety speech.

Barney’s passion enamored Zee. He was one of those men who was a firefighter because he wanted to make his town a safer place, not just to get laid.

She knew he used it to its fullest extent in that arena, but he was adamant about fire safety. That just added another layer to his sexy factor.

Once the education was complete, they signed their waivers and started gearing up. “Hey, Zee, do you mind if I tag along? I’ve got my own gear and could do a check of the area.” He gave her a smile that appealed to the woman in her while his words appealed to the soldier and business owner in her. “Safety first, right? Besides, knowing the trails you take will help if an issue arises later.”

Damn it, it would be huge to have that extra security. Not like she didn’t have her trails lettered on maps along with campsites and laminated in a binder for emergency services if, God forbid, something happened. But having a firefighter familiar with them because he hiked them was even better.

Besides, she loved spending time with him. Zee just needed to protect her heart. “That’s a great idea, as long as Grant and Emerson don’t mind?” She turned to the couple in question. They of course didn’t mind, but Emerson and Grant both shot a look Barney’s way she made a mental note to ask about later.

It was as if the couple and Barney had an inside thing she wasn’t privy to, and being left out never felt great.

“Okay then. We’ll be taking Charlie trail. Sorry, habit. C trail. It’s marked in the binder over there and also in the copy I dropped off with the police and fire and rescue, so you may have seen it.”

“I have a copy next door. Cap thought it a good idea for Yogi to become familiar with it.”

Zee beamed. She felt a little OCD dropping off laminated binders with the services since she’d already filed all the paperwork when she applied for a business license. She assumed they handled that, but she’d never owned a business before, so she wasn’t sure. Since she was almost anal about safety, she’d gone above and beyond.

“Let’s Ruck Up then.” Zee stepped through the front door and as each person passed through the threshold, she stopped them momentarily. Taking note they had water, charged walkies, and the rest of the gear operational and in place, she slapped their backpack, motioning them forward.

Once all were gee to gee, she locked the door. “Okay folks, follow me. Watch your step and never lose awareness of your surroundings. We’ll stop for some great photo ops along the way. However, if something catches your eye in between, call me to a halt so we don’t face possible separation. I don’t want anyone having to stretch to catch up. That’s when preventable accidents happen.”

Within twenty minutes they were deep into the trail, and it was a little more exerting of a hike. Zee continued with her spiel of pointing out various trees, bushes, and wildlife while mixing in tidbits about Sunnyville’s history.

“I feel kind of stupid pointing out trees and telling locals about their own town. Thanks for letting me practice on you and boring you to tears.”

“Not stupid at all, sister. Shit, I didn’t know half of what you pointed out. I think it’s great. The tourists and locals alike are going to love it. We’re having a blast.” Emerson gave her a slight side hug before dropping back to walk with Grant and Barney, leaving her to lead the way.

“Okay then, I’ll give you my amazing closing.”

“Woohoo,” Emerson clapped.

“Go for it,” Barney added.

“Okay folks, that concludes our one point seven mile simple walk through the woods. Our pace was about,” Zee checked her smart watch. “Forty-five minutes a mile. But that doesn’t consider the elevation, incline, photo ops, or the snack stop. This trail is about a five percent incline, just under four hundred feet. A one-hundred-and-forty-pound person with a twenty-pound pack burned just shy of seven hundred calories average. If you’d like a more personalized breakdown, I can figure that out for you back at the Ruck Up office once we get this gear off. If you’re looking for a more challenging adventure, we offer hikes up to ten miles and overnight excursions. I have an adventure menu available. Are there questions about our hike today?”

All three shook their heads when she looked over her shoulder. “Alright then, thanks again for hiking with Ruck Up and we look forward to seeing you again. And don’t forget, if you post a picture of your adventure on social media, tag us, and use the hashtag #IRuckedItUp, you get ten percent off your next adventure.”

Charlie trail was a horseshoe shaped shorter hike for those not wanting to spend their entire day hiking. They were about ten minutes from emerging back at the picnic area beside their cabins and Zee felt invigorated.

Hiking was something she absolutely loved, Billy not so much. As hard as she tried to convince herself it was their dream, it had never been. It was hers. The only connection to Billy was the location. This was his hometown, after all. At first, she was shocked no one knew of her or asked about him, not that she volunteered information or asked about him. However, Zamantha wasn’t a common name, so she’d expected someone to recognize it, maybe. That’s when she accepted she was his secret as much as he was hers. He’d told none of his friends back home about her.

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