Page 79 of Redemption

She had absolutely no reason not to follow him. “I have no idea.”

“Sustenance…”

Victoria gave her a side-eye and a quick lift of her latte to say goodbye then walked straight to the man with the Perky Cup bag waiting by the door to do who knew what for the rest of the day under the sun.With sustenance.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

They followed the scenic highway, and what had been flat roads and open skies shifted. Lush trees, the slope of hills, and peaks of mountains appeared in the distance. The sign for the national forest directed them to turn off the main road. Ryder slowed as they hit the asphalt driveway and followed another sign at a fork in the road that led them down a more secluded gravel drive. Large boulders lined the way, and they wound through the landscape, past some markers that explained the significance of the area, and came to a deserted parking lot. He parked and drained the last bit of his coffee.

“I didn’t realize we were going for a walk today,” Victoria said.

“We’re not.” He smiled, enjoying that she had no idea what they were about to do. “Finish your coffee, and then I will show you.”

She took a long sip of her coffee and held it between her hands in her lap. “How are you going to show me something when you didn’t know this place was here?”

“The location doesn’t matter. Are you ready?” The truth was, he was really excited. He’d never actually done this as a date before and didn’t know how it would go.

But he thought she would be into it, though the surprise was about to be up in about three seconds. It wasn’t as if he could hide a rifle under his shirt.

Victoria took one more long sip of her coffee and held up the bag of muffins. “Should I bring these?”

“You bring that…” He unfastened his seatbelt and jumped out, walked to the back of the SUV, and opened the hatchback. “And I’ll bring this.”

She turned in her seat, taking off her seatbelt, but couldn’t tell what he had.

“Come on, love. Get out.”

Her car door slammed shut, and a moment later, she was by his side, eyes wide open and the bag of muffins dangling loosely in her hand. “Holy shit…”

“Is that a Sweet Hills thing? Or do I just make everybody in this town say holy shit?” He joked.

She tore her gaze from his rifle case and playfully jabbed him with the bag from the Perky Cup. “You’re going to let me shoot your long gun?”

“I am.” He ran his hands over the case and turned it sideways, popping the latches on either side and opening it for her. “My most prized possession. My livelihood.” He ran his finger along the inside of the case. “No one’s touched this before. I don’t like to share my toys.”

“Ryder,” she breathed out his name quietly. “This is so far advanced for me. I can do handguns. Pistols. I mean, I’ve shot a rifle. But it was my dad’s hunting rifle, and it’s been a long time. I don’t know what I’m doing with something as souped up as this.”

“You don’t need to. That’s why I’m here.” He winked. “You’ll blow off some steam, get rid of some of your stress. Want to?”

“Do I want to? Hell to the yes. Yes, please. I want to.”

He tossed his head back and laughed then straightened, taking his hand away from what was his most prized possession and wrapping his arms around her. He pulled Victoria into a hug, holding her against his chest and letting his lips rest against her forehead. Her tension relaxed and melted against him as they stood alone in the middle of nowhere.

A breeze picked up, and the quiet sound of the grass and leaves in the distances waved around them. They were in a private cocoon, locked away from the world, even if they were about to interrupt the quiet with a few loud blasts. All he wanted to think about was the light wind and how it smelled sweet, how she smelled summery and sweet. It reminded him of how she tasted. He closed his eye under the bright sun, and the midmorning glow was perfect. Ryder had never thought about what peacefulness might feel like, but now that it was in his head, it felt like this moment.

He’d brought her out there to relieve her stress and tension, but he hadn’t realized that maybe he needed to find something too.

Chastely, he kissed her forehead then pulled back. “Ready?”

“Absolutely.” He closed the rifle case and secured it, then grabbed his gear bag with what they might need: targets, ear and eye guards if they didn’t want to use the silencer or if they wanted to use his other weapons. With all of that in tow, he slung it over his back and lifted the case, shut the trunk, and scanned the perimeter for where they might go.

After a few minutes of walking across an open field, he picked the flattest section, surrounded by brush on either side, then set up targets. All the while, Victoria sat in the grass and watched.

“So far,” she said with a grin, “I’m enjoying the scenery.”

He dropped down next to her, surveying the surrounding area. “Yeah, love. It’s gorgeous out here.”

She pressed her lips together, blushing and smiling simultaneously. “I’m positive that the scenery would be nice anywhere where you run around.”

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