Page 24 of The Maverick of the Mountain
I want to laugh. Really, I do. But instead, I just gape.
“Luckily, these trees are old growth.” He glances up at the trees next to us, but I don’t follow his gaze. I can’t keep my eyes off him. Those damn muscles. I’d say I can’t believe they’re so powerful, but given their size… his size, it’s not that unbelievable. Seeing them in action is certainly doing things to me right now.
“Lost a few branches, but it would take much more than a little wind and rain to take one of them down.”
“Uh-huh,” I mutter because I’m still in shock.
“I’ll let you get your things. Going to take a quick walk up the trail up there and make sure it’s clear.”
“Uh-huh.”
Maverick smiles at me, and I stand there, watching that gorgeous behemoth wander away, completely oblivious to the storm he just stirred up inside me.
I never thought I’d feel…thisway about a feat of strength, but then I’d never seen a man deadlift my car out of the mud like it was a toddler’s toy. After catching my breath, I unlock my car and retrieve Candy.
“Candy,” I whisper, “You have no idea what I got us into. But you’ll see soon enough.” I pull Candy out of her case, zooming in on Maverick as he continues walking down the path. I swear she snaps the photo, not me. Same with the next half dozen.
I should be focused on the wedding tomorrow.
…not on Maverick’s ass.
Chapter 7
Maverick
Can’t rememberthe last time I had this much fun. I love everything about these mountains, but right now, the thing I love most about them is sharing them with Corinne.
I’ve been taking her to my favorite spots. Lion’s Peak. Windrunner Gorge. The wildflower meadow I came upon a few years back. And then Pirate’s Cove—the small cave behind a waterfall that my brother and I discovered when we were kids. Used to be our secret hideout. Kept all of our treasures in there, most of which were just cool rocks or sticks or toys. We had a couple of hammocks in there, too. Hadn’t been back there in years, but as soon as we entered it, I swear I was transported back in time. Still had my little cave painting of two swashbuckling pirates going at it.
Corinne seems to be enjoying herself. All smiles, even though we’ve been at it for hours, and she’s likely tired. Lost track of time. Hard not to when I’m with Corinne.
I pause at a large boulder, tying the laces as I glance back at her. She’s huffing, leaning on the walking stick Marge gave her. We came across her and Jade on the trail a few hours back. Apparently, Corinne gave her a shock of a phone call yesterday, and when she found out she never checked into the Inn, shewent looking for her. She left us with quite the care package, too. We’ll dig into it once we make it to the lookout.
“We’re almost there.”
“Yeah?” Corinne pauses next to me. “I could go on all—hyackspuhyack!”
Corinne drops her walking stick and swipes at her face, coughing and hacking and spitting.
“You okay?”
“Fine,” she stammers after another coughing and spitting fit. “Bug flew into my throat.”
I snort. “I know the feeling. Surprised, it hasn’t happened—hyackackksonofa!”
Spoke too soon.
Both of us take long swigs of water, and I try my best not to stare. It’s been brutal keeping my eyes to myself. Leading the way has forced me to keep my eyes on the path and not Corinne, but I can’t say it’s stayed that way all day. When she was in her element, setting up her camera, looking for the right angles, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her.
And even now, when she’s hacked up half her lung, I can’t help but stare. The way her lips wrap around the bottle. The gentle movement of her throat as she swallows. The beads of sweat glistening on her chest, her?—
“Where are we headed, anyway?”
I clear my throat. “Going to see Wolfe.”
Her eyes bulge. “You’re joking, right. I can kind of understand a raccoon. Kind of. But a wolf as a pet?”
I shake my head, smiling. “Not a wolf. We’re going to see Wolfe. He’s the fire watcher in Whispering Winds. He’s got this massive lookout on the top of the mountain. Best views anywhere on the mountain.”
