Page 6 of Christmas Hike With The Mountain Man
“Lodge? There’s no lodge, hon.”
I stopped in my tracks so fast, he actually bumped into me, his hands reflexively going to my hips, before releasing them again. I’d had no idea he was walking so close behind me.
I spun around to face him and looked up, up, up until I met his moody eyes.
“What do you mean there’s no lodge? Where are we sleeping tonight?”
Quietly he rumbled, “At the camp.”
“I thought that was a euphemism for a lodge. So, this camp—is it outfitted with bunkbeds and bathtubs? I really only care about the bathtub. I hadn’t realized how sore this hike would make me.”
The look on his face told me he only had bad news to share. “Katie, there’s no lodge. No bunks.Definitelyno bathtub. It’s a campsite.”
Campsite.
“You mean like… with tents?”
He nodded, his eyes scraping across me like he was memorizing every detail. “Yup.”
“But… I don’t even have a tent! And there’s snow on the ground. How are we supposed to live through the night if we can’t get warmed up?”
His lips split into a wide grin, and Iswearsomething naughty just crossed his mind. It was written all over his face. “There are lots of ways to warm up, hon.”
Then he seemed to recover himself because he added, “I’m carrying your tent and your sleeping bag. This is what primitive snow camping looks like. It’s not the warmest night you’ll ever spend, but with the right gear, you can survive it just fine.”
“I thought this was ahike.”
“It is a hike. A three-day hike. With camping in between the days.”
“But the website didn’t say anything about camping.”
His brow knitted in confusion. “I think we just assumed everyone would realize that camping was involved. Do you want to turn around?” He looked as if he were calculating something. “We won’t make it before dark falls, but one night in the woods might be better than three for you.”
That would mean admitting defeat.
My whole body was aching and sore. Lunch had been a tiny serving of trail mix and freeze-dried soup. I was starving, out of my element, and feeling defeated.
A tiny tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it. “Ihaveto make it to the end. I will make it to the end.”
Boone reached out and wiped my tear away, the finger of his glove grazing across my cheek. Then he cupped my chin and growled out, “You’vegotthis. If you want it, you can do it. I have faith in you. But there’s also no shame in deciding your priorities have changed.”
I liked getting a pep-talk from a handsome stranger. That had made it completely worth driving all this way to come on this crazy hike.
Plus, he was the first man to touch me in over two years.
Somehow, Boone made me feel attractive again. Something I hadn’t felt since my bad breakup with my ex a couple of years ago.
Quietly, I told him, “I want to do this. I know I’m not cut out for it. But I want to do something wild for once in my life. And I’ve been dreaming of this hike ever since I signed up for it. I want to try to see it through.”
The grin he gave me made all the aches and pains worth it. “Good girl. You’ve got some grit in you. Now let’s goownthis trail. We want to hit camp by nightfall if possible.”
When we finally made it to camp, it had been dark for two hours.
Boone had pulled two headlamps out of his pack, and we’d carefully walked the trail as the light faded, then went inky, then turned pitch black.
The night sounds had been scary, but Boone had stayed close, making me feel protected.
The temperature had plummeted as soon as the sun went down, and despite the exercise, I’d been shivering for a while now.
