Page 23 of So Right
He laughed. “Wow, youweredesperate. And apparently very smart since you graduated early.”
“I don’t know if I’m particularly smart or just driven.”
“I see. So when you go after something, everyone better move aside?”
She let out a sharp laugh. “I don’t know aboutthat.”
“Well, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” And that wouldn’t be a hardship. They spent the rest of the trip talking about their college experiences and how they’d learned to come out of their shells a bit more. She mentioned that she’d been in a relationship, but he noticed she didn’t say anything specific about it or the other person, which only doubled his curiosity. Or maybe it was nothing. It wasn’t like he was telling her all about Paige and, really, there wasnothinginteresting there.
But it still accounted for three and a half years of his life. He inwardly flinched at how that sounded—that he’d spent three and a half years in a relationship that didn’t bear mentioning. He pushed that from his mind as he turned into the parking area for the trailhead.
He parked near the large sign with a map of the area and turned the engine off. “I’ve got the packs in the back.” He jumped out and went to the rear of his Jeep and opened the hatch.
She met him there, tugging her hat over her long braids.
He grabbed one of his caps from the Jeep and pulled it low on his head. Her hat was brimmed and made of khaki twill. It looked great on her. “You’re clearly one of those women for whom hats are made.”
“Guilty. I own at least two dozen. My favorites are winter hats, though. That’s probably the bulk of my collection.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” He bet she looked adorable in every single one of them. He pulled the hydration pack out of the Jeep and handed it to her. “This okay for you to wear?”
She pulled it on over her shoulders. “No problem.”
“Cool. You know, I think I’m going to ditch the lower part of these pants right now.” He unzipped the removable legs and tossed them into the Jeep. Then he tugged his pack on.
“Your backpack looks heavier,” she said.
“Not much. It has a hydration chamber too, so think what you’re wearing plus our lunch and some basic supplies. You know, in case we get into trouble.” He locked the car and led her toward the trailhead.
“Uh-oh, what kind of trouble?”
He tightened the straps on his pack. “First aid, compass, water purification, extra food, that sort of thing.”
She looked at him askance as they started on the trail. “You’re the real deal.”
He nodded. “Real enough, but not quite up to going out for more than a handful of days.”
“Let me guess, only because you have to get back to work.”
He laughed. “You know me so well already.”
She threw him a flirty smile. “Like you said, it takes a workaholic to know one.”
“Did I say that?” He couldn’t resist flirting with her. He did wonder why she’d changed her mind about coming with him today and wanted to find a way to broach the subject.
The trail was wide enough for them to hike side by side. For now, at least. Once in a while, they’d have to go single file.
She adjusted her pack, tightening one of the straps. “Oh, before I forget, I wanted to talk to you about the Bird’s Nest Ranch.”
At first he wasn’t sure what that meant, but then remembered it was the historical structure that had been on the vineyard property. “I hope you aren’t going to ask me to bulldoze my vines.”
“Not at all. We were able to find where the house was located. Here.” She stopped on the trail and pulled her phone from her back pocket. “I have a picture.”
She tapped up the photo and then zoomed in so he could see it in better detail.
He took the phone and tried to figure out the placement of the house but had trouble finding his orientation. He zoomed back out, and that helped. “It looks like it’s up on the ridge, right where Block D terminates. You might actually be able to find what you need without any disturbance.” There was a space there between the pinot in Block D and the chardonnay in Block C. “It’s hard to say, because the terrain may be different now if dirt’s been moved around. The house would’ve been on a flat area, and what’s there now doesn’t seem large enough to support a house, but I guess it was probably fairly small.”
“We’d like to hire an archaeologist to come out and survey. If you guys agree.”
