Page 30 of Wild Child
I tried to find the sarcasm in his tone, but there was none. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it when another pair of headlights appeared in the parking lot. I gratefully turned my attention to the approaching black SUV with bright, shiny rims. Kimball pulled to a stop next to us. Sleep lingered in his eyes as he rolled the window down and grinned widely.
“Hey, Ellie. Pretty early for our first date, don’t you think?”
Kimball’s gaze fluttered to Devin and his smile ebbed ever-so-slightly. I didn’t turn around to see what Devin’s reaction was because it didn’t matter.
“Early? I’ve been up for hours,” I quipped lightly and let the weird date comment slide.
A burly man sat in the passenger seat. He had mousey colored hair, a soft beard, and barely folded his broad body into the SUV. His hazel eyes had a quiet look about them when his gaze connected with mine, then dropped.
“This is Steve.” Kimball motioned with a dismissive wave. “He’s coming, too.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, then pointed to Devin. “This is Devin. He’s going as a guide with me. No extra charge,” I added quickly when a weird look crossed his face. “So if you need anything, either of us is here for you. Are you ready to get started?”
Kimball and Steve exchanged a glance, then Kimball nodded. “Uh, yeah. Sure. Let us just gather our stuff in here, then we’ll pull our gear out of the back.”
There was a true sense of excitement in his eyes, and that meant a lot. These mountains were my world. I felt honored to give him a tour through the most beautiful country I’d ever seen. A bright mood settled on my shoulders. Knowing I was going to be in my mountains liberated me from the baggage with Devin I’d clung to lately. This would be my firstrealstep into the life I had planned, and it sent a shot of energy through my body.
I slapped the side of the truck. “Don’t worry about that. Just follow us, and we’ll start at the trailhead.”
This guide was going to be just fine. The hike would be lovely this time of year. The weather forecast was perfect, and Devin was here as an . . . acquaintance. Friend. Whatever. There he’d stay until we parted again when he went back to his life, and I went to mine, where I could be safe from ever going through losing him again.
I’d see to it.
8
Devin
This guide was going to be a disaster.
Ellie had an unusual sense of optimism about her as she started the outfitter’s truck and drove off. Her jaw was set, evidently deep in thought. She didn't seem to notice the two creepy guys in the SUV who weren’t keen to have me be a part of this guide. Kimball was fit enough, but Steve was an absolute tank. That alone had set my teeth on edge. Why would two thirty-something guys like them need a guide to go into the mountains?
This math didn’t add up.
"We'll take them up the Nightingale Pass in three days," she said, more to herself than to me. "That'll give them some acclimation time with the altitude."
Maybe she didn't want to see the truth: these were two guys who probably hoped to win her over and then score big. Although in their mid-thirties, neither of them appeared overly ambitious with cardio. Steve had too much brawn for long-distance, and I doubted they would make it to the trailhead over the pass. Not in three days. And I seriously doubted whether they cared if the view was breathtaking or not.
In my mind, they had their sights on Ellie. Based on his attention at the gym, and the startled look on his face when she introduced me, the only view Kimball wanted was of her.
With a sigh, I peered at the fading darkness. Maybe I'd be wrong. I hoped so. She seemed intent on this going well, as if one guide determined the rest of her future. But that had always been Ellie. All in or all out.
My thoughts had all jumbled together over the last couple of days. Sitting next to her in the same truck she’d driven in high school didn’t help. Slamming an ax into sun-hardened wood for three hours at Adventura had been the therapy I’d needed because I just wasn’t ready to talk about deployment yet. Eventually, I would. I had to. I knew that.
But not yet.
The easy dinner that followed with Mark, JJ, Lizbeth, and a few of their camp counselors loosened me the rest of the way. Their counselors didn’t know me, so they didn’t ask deployment questions. Instead, we talked about the camp. Expectations for how things would continue to grow. Where the counselors were from. JJ served up a too-delicious cake and everything had felt normal.
For the first time.
But Daniel’s call and plea for help the next morning had started my brain back up after the first full night’s sleep I’d had since returning. Now, I was back with Ellie.
And she wanted nothing to do with me.
The wordacquaintancerang back through my head. Had she even said the wordfriendonce? Yes. After the canoe. But cold reality had settled in between then and now, and her walls were back up. Way up. She’d seemed calm enough in our short discussion about the guide, but panic lived in her eyes.
What was an acquaintance anyway?
We’dneverbeen acquaintances, not even when we first met. The moment I saw her for the first time, she’d grabbed my hand, pulled me outside, and we’d scoured the mud in search of worms and lures for hours.
