Page 56 of Willow

“You said you loved your job.” he counters.

“I love being a PA. But the doctor I work for is a workaholic. And I’m tired of the grueling schedule. I think it may be time to get out of surgery.”

I’m purposely vague. It’s not that I’m trying to hide my past from Zane, I’m just not ready to divulge all my dirty secrets to him yet. In my mind, I’m still unloading all the baggage I brought with me on this trip. And I haven’t had much time lately to sort through it all. Plus, I’m ashamed of myself, deep down. I’m not proud of some of the decisions I’ve made. And this thing withZane is new and feels fragile. I don’t know how he’ll react when he finds out about some of the skeletons in my closet.

My breaths are labored when I stop at a level spot, glancing down at Spring Lake, which is tiny and far in the distance now. I can see it through the trees. Zane stops beside me.

“Have you applied anywhere?” he asks. He seems genuinely interested.

I hesitate for a moment, unsure of how he will react when he finds out a place in town is a possibility. “I actually applied for an urgent care position here.”

I glance over at him, watching for a reaction.

His brow furrows. “Where?”

“The one near the ski lodge. Nadia told me about it.”

“Yeah, I know the place,” he says. I can’t tell if he’s excited or freaked out at the thought of me working here. Living here. His expression is unreadable. “When did you apply?”

“This morning,” I admit. I look back down at the lake. “I’m not sure what I want to do yet. I’ve never considered leaving the city before. But this place has me rethinking things.”You have me rethinking things too.

He’s quiet, standing there. I dropped a bomb on him.

“I’m ready to keep going,” I say now that I’ve caught my breath.

We start moving again. The hairs on my arms stand on end as I worry that Zane might be unhappy at the thought of me moving here. Maybe he’s looking at us as a temporary thing. I push the sting down deep in my gut and try to focus on the terrain.

The hike takes us up and over the top of the mountain. The scenery is breathtaking, and I stop to take a few pictures along the way. Most of the trek is made in silence, and it’s anothertwo hours before we make it to the campsite. The place is tucked into a cove. There’s a pit for a fire with ashes and remnants from a previous occupant. And there’s a metal bin to store food and trash inside.

I drink half of a bottle of water and then help Zane set up the tent.

I follow his instructions, and to his credit, he’s patient with me. I can tell he’s done this a thousand times before because he’s at ease with the entire process. Before I know it, we have the tent set up and our sleeping bags spread out with a heavy blanket on top.

I crawl from the tent, and Zane pulls me to my feet. He traps me inside his arms, and I take a moment to breathe him in. He smells like soap and sweat, a combination that’s become so familiar the past two weeks. There’s a layer of scruff covering his jawline. My nails make a scraping sound when my fingers test the feel of it.

“Hi,” I say, inches from his lips.

I didn’t realize how much I was craving the feel of him until he captured me against his chest.

“Hi,” he parrots back.

The only sound other than our breaths is the wind rustling the leaves and the water trickling over the rocks in the stream a few feet away. Now that my sweat has dried, the wind chills my skin. I shiver. Zane tugs me closer.

“Are you cold?” he asks.

“A little,” I admit.

His cheek is warm when it’s pressed against the side of my forehead. And his body radiates heat like an electric blanket as he tugs me closer.

“Thanks for coming with me,” he murmurs.

“Thanks for asking me to,” I whisper. I can sense my vulnerability with this man like it’s a living, breathing thing. Now that I’ve decided my feelings for him are real and worth pursuing, I wonder if I’m the only one who feels that way. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

I can’t see his face, and right now, I don’t want to. It gives me the courage to say what has been on my mind all afternoon.

“Does it freak you out that I applied for a job here?”

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