Page 46 of Bear In A Bookstore
She thought about the man she’d met at the gala, how intimidating yet confident and reassuring he’d been. That was a man not to be messed with, and now that she thought about it, he carried himself with the same self-assuredness that Desi did.
“I met him at the gala.”
“I’m sorry.” Desi quipped, but she sensed something deeper there.
A beat of silence passed as she considered how to ask about it. “He seems like he could be a challenging man to have as a father.”
The road narrowed even more as they passed a large white sign with red lettering announcing they were now entering Estes Park shifter land. A few yards later, the road disappeared completely, and they ascended so high that her ears began to pop.
“You have no idea. He and I do not see eye-to-eye on pretty much anything.”
Sensing he had more to say, she didn’t respond. But Desi shifted in his seat and threw the truck into four-wheel drive. They bounced over a long stretch of heavily rutted ground. Finally, he parked and let out a breath.
“We’ll have to walk from here. Come on, I have something to show you.”
He grabbed a large red backpack from the rear seat and got out. She looked out the window, taking in her surroundings fully for the first time. Suddenly nervous, she hesitated before opening the door and slipping out. The trees were thick here, the ground rocky and uneven. Boulders the size of houses were scattered around as if they’d been dropped from the sky. The air was warm here, sunlight beating on her skin from between the trees.
And the scent . . . rich, thick pine and spicy forest. She recalled the scent from the daydream she’d had that day in the bookstore.
Kora blinked. The one where she’d been walking with him in the forest.
Dazed by how yet another daydream about him seemed to be coming true, she hurried to catch up with him. She had to pick her way over the ground carefully, unaccustomed to navigating the uneven terrain. Desi, on the other hand, had almost disappeared into the forest.
She caught up with him, entering a thick stand of trees, the branches spread out and touching and blocking any kind of easy path through. The scent here was rich and invigorating. Small birds flitted from the branches overhead. Looking up, Kora gasped to see sunlight fractured by the trees and darting in shards throughout the top of the forest. Petite white flowers interspersed with wild purple violets and delicate sprigs of princess pine sprung from the underbrush as she carefully walked through.
“It’s magical.”
It was exactly like something she’d create in her mind. Suddenly aware that she couldn’t see Desi, Kora paused and looked around. He was no where in sight.
“Where are you?”
Oh, God, what if she got lost in this magical place? She couldn’t write herself out of it. She’d fall off the side of a mountain or get eaten by a bobcat or something.
“Over here. Come on.”
Glancing in the direction of his voice, she ducked and hurried to follow. As she got closer, a roaring sound filled the air. The temperature changed as the trees cleared and the ground changed to pure rock. She spotted his red backpack.
Her heart began to race as she approached, the roar filling her ears.
He stood in the spray of a beautiful waterfall.
“Holy shit!”
She stood next to him, mouth gaped, stunned at the sheer amount of water pouring down the side the of the cliff. It pummeled into a pool below in a burst of mist and bubbles. Spray rolled off the water, drenching her hairline and tickling her cheeks. Laughing, she wiped her face with her hands.
“This is amazing! My God, Desi, it’s amazing!”
Excitement and wonder hummed through her body. She hadn’t felt anything like this in so long. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and grinned down at her.
“Leave your house more often. All this is waiting for you here.”
Tears burned her eyes unexpectedly. This man was something else. Kind, giving, hot as sin.
“Thank you,” she sniffed, turning away so he wouldn’t see.
His arm tightened, drawing her more firmly against him. “You’re welcome. I hope you mention me in your book.”
Slipping an arm around his hard waist, she soaked in the view. “Oh, of course. You’ll be the hunchbacked sherpa with an unfortunate wart.”
