Her father muttered something about family unity. Her mother declared that curiosity was a virtue.
I tightened my grip on the zipper of my coat and thought that the Harper family might be more intense than any trail crew I had worked with in the past ten years. But the energy around them was warm rather than pushy. Protective rather than invasive. They teased their sister out of affection. I could see it in the way they watched her out of the corners of their eyes. They might poke fun, but they adored her.
It was hard
Sienna gave me a look that apologized for all of them and also warned me to ignore whatever was about to happen next.
“Sorry. They feed off new experiences. And drama. And apparently my suffering.”
I unlocked my truck and opened the bed. Two well-used duffel bags sat inside, along with a crate of gear I had sorted earlier in the truck bed.
Beck stepped forward like he was analyzing my packing habits. “You travel light.”
“I tend to move around a lot,” I told him.
Sienna’s eyes flicked over the bags, then back to me. She did not ask for details, but she was curious. “Do you guide everywhere or just seasonally?”
“Mostly seasonally.” I lifted one bag. “Montana. Idaho. Sometimes the Southwest.”
“Ever go abroad?” Fiona asked.
“Not recently.”
“Planning to?”
“Not sure.”
Violet laughed softly. “He is very economical with his answers.”
I gave a half shrug. “Only with strangers.”
That made all three sisters laugh again. I was not trying to be funny, but the reaction surprised me. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about being the center of this much attention, but I could tell they were harmless.
When Sienna stepped forward and reached as if to help with a bag, I reacted before I meant to. “I’ve got it.”
She paused. “It’s really not heavy.”
“I know.” I softened my voice because the sharp note that had slipped out wasn’t her fault. “I just prefer to carry my own things.”
Understanding flickered in her eyes, and she nodded without offense. She did not pry. That surprised me. Most people did. Most people looked for the story behind the boundary. Or acted offended. She simply accepted it and stepped back.
I slung both bags over my shoulder and closed the truck bed. As we walked back toward the lodge, Violet peppered me with more questions about the retreat schedule, Fiona asked whether I preferred mornings or evenings on the trail, and Beck took an unreasonable amount of interest in my GPS unit. I answered what I could and left the rest untouched. Privacy was something I carried with me the same way I carried my gear. It was essential.
It was non-negotiable.
Sienna noticed. She shot her siblings a warning look. “Can you three stop interrogating him for five seconds?”
They lifted their hands in surrender.
“We are welcoming him,” Violet insisted.
“By evaluating him,” Sienna replied.
“It is a helpful process,” Beck said.
Sienna’s brows lifted. “Helpful to whom?”
“To us,” he said proudly.
