Page 10 of Raul
Erica sighed. There were always some people who felt the rules didn’t apply to them. She glanced around, a sense of incongruity nagging at her.
“You’re frowning,” Raul said. “What is it?”
The reason dawned on her. “Why would they choose to camp here? There’s no water and no view. Most people choose a site with one or both of those features.”
“Maybe they were hoping to see the dragons nesting,” Raul suggested.
“I guess we’ll never know because they’re gone,” Erica said with a shrug.
“And they left in a hurry,” Dario said, prowling around the site to snap photos with his phone.
“Maybe they heard the prince was coming,” Erica said as a joke.
“I wonder.” Raul was serious. “I’ll find out.” He pulled out his satellite phone and typed at high speed before stowing it back inhis pocket. “Yvette will get me an answer about who would know that we planned to hike in this area. And if any rangers visited recently.”
“Okay, time to get back to the main trail,” Erica said. This little detour would put them behind schedule to arrive at her chosen campsite.
“Good catch on noticing the trail had been used,” Raul said with a nod. “And on checking it out.”
Erica was surprised at how gratified she was by his praise. “I was curious because it seemed odd.”
And because she was escorting a prince into the wilderness. The weight of that settled heavily on her shoulders.
“Anything odd is worth investigating,” Raul said.
Erica started back through the trees, the route easy to follow now that so many of them had taken it. Despite having found no one at the campsite, she still scanned the area more vigilantly than usual.
The rest of the hike passed without signs of illegal intruders. Erica felt only mild concern as she veered off the trail to the site where she planned to set up camp for the night. However, when she neared the edge of the clearing, she held up a hand to stop her companions.
“I want to check for dragons before we all burst out of the woods,” she explained. “They might be sunning on the rocks.”
Once again, Dario and Pascal tightened their positions around the prince while she walked silently to the last line of trees and skimmed her gaze over the boulders that dotted the wide ledge on the side of the mountain. She glided closer to the cliff face to check a couple of crevices where dragons might be sleeping.
“No dragons!” she called. “You can come out of the trees.”
The three men emerged through the shadows cast by the low afternoon sun. Raul walked without noticeable fatigue, whichwas a relief. Of course, she had called a couple of extra rest stops along the way and forced more water and protein bars on her royal charge.
“Do I hear water nearby?” Raul asked.
“There’s a mountain stream on the other side of this ledge,” Erica said.
The prince gestured to the vista that offered a view all the way to the ocean. “Unlike our unknown trespasser, you have found a campsite with both wateranda view.” He gave her the flashing smile that lit his blue eyes and had been captured in many a media photograph. It was only the second time she had seen it that day. Unusual for the prince who was known for his charismatic charm.
Of course, he didn’t need to waste it on her, so maybe not surprising.
“They hired me because I know things about these mountains.” She answered his smile with one of her own. It was impossible not to when she felt like basking in the warmth of his approval. “Now we should set up camp. It gets dark fast when the sun drops behind the peaks.”
“Right.” Raul unslung his backpack and propped it on a rock before unzipping it. He rummaged around and pulled out the tent stuff sack. He looked puzzled as he hefted it.
“I have your tent poles in my pack,” Erica said. “They fit better there.”
That was because the prince had a two-person tent for his own use, as well as a much heavier sleeping bag and thicker sleeping mat than the rest of them. She smiled to herself as she thought of the fairy tale about the princess and the pea.
“Something funny?” Raul asked as he unfolded his tent and laid it out on the ground.
She ignored his question. “Why don’t you set up here?” She pointed to the prime spot for both view and grass cushioning.
He slanted her a penetrating glance that said he knew she was favoring him. “I’m good where I am. You take that spot.”
