“Jules.”
I sniffed and lifted my head, surprised to be jolted out of sleep so soon. It was still dark. “Yeah?”
“Hey, it’s kind of early, but I wanted to take you somewhere,” Pat’s morning voice was gravelly and… sexy, actually.
“Early is fine.” I bolted upright and cracked Pat’s head with my own. We both moaned for a couple seconds, and I fell back onto the couch, holding the spot above my eye. I whispered an expletive and groaned as crazy, hushed laughter bubbled up in me. “Crap, ow, that hurt so bad—are you okay?”
Patrick made a noise. It wasn’t a laugh, but it was the closest he’d ever gotten to laughing around me. His huff-chuckle ended as quickly as it began. “Yeah, I think you got the brunt of it.”
“Dang. I can’t open my eyes.”
He knelt beside the couch and found my shoulder again in the dark. He gently squeezed. “Don’t then.”
I dramatically peeled my eyes open and one watered. “Whoo-boy. Hopefully, I won’t have a bruise. Not sure why I got up that fast.”
“I startled you. I’m sorry.” His hand slid down my shoulder to my forearm. The motion sent heat through my body. My pace quickened, and I sat up, slower this time. The couch bounced as he dropped onto the cushion next to me. “Was thinking we could get some coffee to-go, and I could take you to watch the sunrise. Supposed to be a mild morning. It’s a few minutes hike to the spot if you’re up for it.”
That sounded heavenly. “Yeah, sounds good. Are your ribs up for a hike?”
“It’s an easy hike, plus my ribs are feeling better. I won’t get too worked up.” We were shoulder to shoulder and the back of his knuckles rested against my own. My fingers burned with the desire to entangle with his. It would be so easy. My breath caught as his hand made a gentle brush across the back of mine. He must’ve been considering it, but he pulled his hand away.
I was loath to leave that comfortable spot on the couch, and I think he was, too. He hesitated for a few beats before breaking the silence by tapping his thighs. “Sunrise waits on no one, so we better go.”
Soon we were at a Starbucks ordering black coffees and scones.
* * *
I blew the steam off the top of my coffee. My legs were tense like I’d had too much caffeine, but I was just getting started. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, but I couldn’t understand why.
Pat merged onto I-40E. He drove in silence, checking his rear view and side mirrors occasionally. The traffic was relatively light since we left so early. The excited tension combined with the efficient air conditioning in Pat’s truck gave me goosebumps. He must’ve noticed me rubbing my arms, because he turned the AC down and reached over the console for the blanket, handing it to me without a word.
His intense observance never ceased to amaze me. Made me feel like I had my head in the clouds.
“How long of a drive do we have?”
“Forty-five minutes or so.”
I leaned forward, tuning the radio to 101.1, my favorite country station. The city melted away as we drove toward the countryside. Pat’s countenance was brighter this morning. His shoulders and head held higher. He had made such progress. I suppressed a smile and hummed along with Luke Bryan.
Forty minutes later, we pulled onto a back road in the rolling hills. The curvy road weaved in and out of woods and started a steady incline up the side of a large foothill. It was one lane and a blind drive. Patrick didn’t seem concerned about the possibility of oncoming traffic, and he whipped around the corners like a true local. I assumed he’d been there many times before.
We pulled onto a gravel shoulder at the top of the hill. Right off the road was a fenced electrical tower and service station.
He hopped out and came around to my door. Pat stood in the ditch and held up his hand for me as I opened the door. “There’s a deep ditch right here. Didn’t want you to fall in the dark.”
I took his hand and dropped down. He held my elbow as we climbed out onto the road. On a normal occasion, I’d be offended by a man acting like I needed help. But Pat’s hand on me was not controlling or demeaning. He had a gentle way of making me feel like I was being watched out for, not because I was a woman, but simply because I was human.
“Do you want my flashlight?”
“It’s getting easier to see. I think I’m fine.”
We hiked down past the tower and through a section of woods. The trees were thick, and the early morning light didn’t filter through the canopy. A few times, the grade was steep, and we had to ease ourselves down.
We came to a clearing. A rocky ledge protruded off the side of the steep bank, and we had a full view of the eastern sky. I looked up, impressed already by the grey and purple streaks of light. Pat was spreading out the blanket. I didn’t even realize he’d brought it.
“This is cool. How’d you find this place?” I eased myself down next to him.
“My dad used to bring me here.”
