Page 25 of A Sweet Chat for the Cowboy

Chapter 12

Wynona had to hurryto keep up with Tucker, and when she finally fell into step beside him, she was out of breath, which was a little embarrassing. She was in good shape, but their current path was steep. “You were right about the fire permit. My boss just emailed me.” It pained her a little to admit she’d been wrong, but she was trying to get along with the man. She was going to have to spend the night with him, after all.

He surprised her by saying, “I wish I’d been wrong.” He looked over his shoulder, though the two men were so far behind that they weren’t visible. “I’m not worried about you, but I’m not sure how Craig is going to make out with this little adventure. I’m wondering how he got the job. Is he some kind of toad expert?”

“No. He’s a bat expert.”

Tucker tipped his head back and laughed. “Of course he is.” When he’d recovered, he looked at her. “And you? Are you the toad expert?”

“No, I’m a fish expert.”

“So, then what, did they just post a sign-up sheet for this gig?”

She tried not to be offended. “The whole organization is short-staffed. I think they got who they could get. Craig has gotten this far in his career. He’ll be fine.” She hoped she sounded more convincing that she felt. “You’re not wearing a coat.”

“It’s in my pack. I didn’t want to get too hot.”

That was smart. She was pretty warm under hers, and it was unzipped.

The terrain leveled off, and Tucker paused to look around. She was amazed at how much gear he was carrying, and he didn’t seem the slightest bit out of breath. His dog, who had run ahead, came back now and sat beside Tucker’s left leg with its nose in the air. They’d only been walking for about twenty minutes, though they had covered some ground because of the pace Tucker had set.

His entire demeanor had relaxed, had gotten gentler, since they’d started walking. Was he getting used to her, or was this an effect fresh air had on him? “Looks like rough terrain ahead. I’m not sure how far ahead the next level spot will be, and since we’re searching for a needle in a haystack, this might be as good a spot as any.”

She agreed, and gratefully took off her pack. It made a loud crash when it hit the ground, embarrassing her a little. He looked down at it and then up at her. “That’s a heavy bag.”

She didn’t know if it was a criticism. “Do you think I was wrong to not bring horses?”

“No,” he said quickly. “We should be on foot.”

They heard panting behind them, and both turned to look. Craig didn’t look nearly as bad as he sounded. Maybe he was just a heavy breather. Martin appeared to be having great fun and was all smiles. “Is this it?”

“We’ll stop here for the night.” Wynona tried to sound confident.

Craig looked around. “Why here?”

Without looking to the side of the trail, Tucker pointed at the ground. “Tracks.”

Craig wasn’t going to take the bait, though. “What tracks?”

“Toad tracks.”

Wynona tried to stave off the giggles and didn’t think she could, so she turned away.

“Toad tracks?” Martin said, and the hope in his voice pained her.

---