It was a huge part of the reason she loved the outreach program so much—there, she wasn’t Mackenna Haven, mediocre middle child of theHavenbrookHavens, flunker of college, and all-around lost cause. There, she was Kenna—Hudson’s Kenna—the girl who was strong and capable and knowledgeable. Who was brave and bold and did things no one expected of her—things no one thought her capable of.
“You ready for this?” he asked, squeezing her thigh and pulling her out of her thoughts.
She glanced over at him, his left hand draped loosely over the steering wheel, his right resting on her leg. Hudson had never seen her as anything less than her potential. He’d never seen her as a lousy stand-in for her sisters. Once upon a time, he’d been her person—her encourager, her supporter, and the single soul who always saw only her in a crowded room.
And now she was about to spend a weekend alone with him, out of reach of everyone, and somehow, she had to remain calm and collected. Remain completely detached.
No, she wasn’t ready for this at all.
Hudson tried notto get distracted as he watched Kenna navigate the path in front of him. The last thing he needed was to trip over a protruding root or lose his footing on loose rock. But the truth was, seeing her so confident and capable had him hard as fucking steel from the second they’d stepped foot on the trail.
He’d seen this side of her before—back when they’d been younger. When they’d been cocky as hell but too stupid to realize how incompetent they actually were. But back then, it’d been different. She’d still been coming into her own, still finding out what she was capable of, still learning about her strength. Since he’d been gone, it was clear she’d grown into herself.
And he found this new version of her sexy as hell.
Hudson held Kenna’s hand as she climbed over a fallen tree trunk at least two feet in diameter. “You ever come hikin’ up here?”
What he didn’t ask was whether or not she’d come when they’d originally planned to and who she’d done so with if she had. He and Kenna had wanted to climb the Ridge for years, but his momma had forbade them from doing so, the terrain too unpredictable and difficult, given their lack of experience.
Instead of sneaking like they were prone to do, they’d used their brains and had worked up to it. They’d hiked dozens of locations in the area that were on par with their skill set—challenging enough to keep them growing but not so much to get them hurt, or worse. They’d planned to take wilderness training the summer after Kenna’s first year in college so they’d be prepared for the hike when the time came. Had she done that without him?
She shook her head, and it took him a moment to realize she was answering the question he’d spoken aloud and not the one niggling his brain.
Pulling her hand from his the second they’d cleared the tree, she moved her fingers to grip the straps of her pack instead. “No one really enjoys this like I do. When you left, I lost my hiking partner.”
She said the words without heat, as if they were fact. And they were. He’d left her with little notice—hardly any time at all to discuss it, let alone for her to become acclimated to the change—and then he’d been gone.
It’d been the two of them for so long, neither of them cultivating many friendships beyond the one they’d shared with each other, so it was no wonder she hadn’t kept this up with someone else.
He cleared his throat as if he could so easily clear the thoughts from his head. “It’s a good thing I made this bet with you then, isn’t it?”
She glanced at him over her shoulder, a smile lifting one side of her mouth. “I don’t know. I really could’ve used some help with my gutters. You’ve seen how many trees I’ve got out there. It’s a nightmare.”
He laughed. “Remember the bet we made on my first day home? When I told you I’d’ve made you the pies anyway?” He waited for her nod before he continued, “I’ll do this for you too.”
Kenna bit her lip, staring at him for a long moment, before she turned around and continued hiking up the trail. “Speakin’ of pies, I still haven’t gotten mine.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got them chillin’ in the freezer for you. Ready to finish off as soon as I get a chance.”
“Mhmm…you sure you’re not just flakin’ on our bet? I know you like to weasel your way to winnin’, but I never took you for a flat-out cheater.”
“Hey now… You know better than to call me that. You don’t think I’ve changed that much since I’ve been gone, do you?”
Her eyes, narrowed and studying under her furrowed brow, bored into his, telegraphing her thoughts as clearly as if she had a megaphone. She didn’t know what he changed into, because they hadn’t been given the opportunity to learn each other as adults.
The truth was, he didn’t know her either. He’d seen glimpses of the old Kenna since he’d been home, but they’d been carved with new facets. These secret parts of her he’d never known but so desperately wanted to.
He wanted to cram ten years’ worth of knowledge and understanding and conversations and inside jokes into a few weeks. Twenty measly days. And half of those were already gone. Coming back here, he’d known he wouldn’t have enough time, but he’d done it anyway. Because he’d needed to see if there was something still between them.
For a while, he’d been wondering if the army was truly the place he belonged. He hadn’t voiced that aloud, hadn’t even really allowed himself to think it, but it was there, nonetheless, simmering under the surface.
At first, he’d loved being a soldier. He’d loved the thrill and the excitement… Loved the challenges he faced daily and the pride swelling his chest as he followed in his dad’s footsteps and served his country. As he became the man he knew he could be.
But lately, he’d been unsettled. Unsatisfied. And he knew that had little to do with his career and everything to do with the woman he’d left at home.
So, he’d decided, whether subconsciously or not, to come home. And he’d done so knowing it would be the test to see if this was where he belonged.
The more time he spent with Kenna, the more he realized she was who he belonged with. Of course she was. It had always been Kenna. The foundation of their friendship was still there, supporting this new thing they were exploring, and their chemistry had only seemed to blossom more in the time they’d spent apart. Everything was so easy with her, even when she was so obviously fighting it. They fit. They belonged together.
