“Yeah. And competence.” She smiled. “It’s kinda my thing.”
“Competence.” He couldn’t keep a disbelieving note from his voice.
Biting her lip, she nodded, and with a rush it occurred to him that this was Leo flirting under pretty normal circumstances. No running for their lives, no hanging from cliffs, no getting naked for body warmth. This, right here, was Leo being Leo. And he liked her.
A lot.
“Okay,” he said, letting his own smile take over his face. The woman had managed to get his mind off his lost dog for a minute—while talking about his lost dog. She was a freaking miracle. “Tell me more.”
“I have a better idea.” She folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head, and he could feel the challenge coming off her. He couldn’t wait to hear what she’d say next. “Take me out in the woods, Elias. We’ll find your dog and then…” She leaned in and whispered in his ear. “I’ll show you how much I love your competence.”
***
After two days of searching for Bo, Leo’s head wasn’t so bad and her body wasn’t so rough, but her desire for Elias was off the charts. She’d never seen a man do things with such fluid ease.
They kept their searches close to home—his requirement—but they walked for hours—hers. She could tell he mostly avoided ridges and more dangerous areas, but at one point, they arrived at a stream and he wouldn’t let her cross it.
“No jumping,” he insisted. “Pam’s rule.”
She turned and gave him a look.
“You jump that, Leo, and I’m going home.”
“Home?”
“To your cabin.”
“Fine.” She smiled. “We need a bridge.”
“Fine.” He smiled. And went and built her one.
The pile of sticks and branches looked wonky at first, but within fifteen minutes, he’d made something solid and wide enough to cross without any risk of falling in.
She fell a bit more in love with him right there. “That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah?” He shook his head with a smile. “Taking you to Pam to get your head checked again.”
Holding hands, they started up the slope on the other side at more of a meander than the speed-hiking they’d done out in the wild, calling for Bo every minute or so. They’d made it almost to the top when Leo heard something.
“What’s that?”
Elias shook his head, sniffing for bears or any other creatures that could turn this into an unhappy adventure.
“There. That’s a dog. That’s barking.” She was sure of it. She turned, faced west, so excited she stomped off in that direction.
And then came to a dead stop.
There was Bo, running towards them, a white streak in the late-afternoon light. Elias squatted just as the dog jumped into his arms and they both went rolling on the ground.
But Leo didn’t take part in the festivities. She stared, instead, at the silhouette on the next ridge over. It was the time of day when the snow-covered ridges shone with sunlight, while the shadows moved up from the ground like ink seeping through paper. The figure stood where the two met—neither shadow nor light. She might have thought him a tree if he didn’t lift his hand in a long, deliberate wave before turning away.
“Elias,” Leo said, her low voice somehow cutting through the dog’s happy whines.
He got up without hesitation and came to stand beside her. “That’s him.” They watched the figure get smaller. “Leaving.”
She nodded and drew a shaky breath, then reached for Elias’s hand, laughing when Bo nudged her instead with her wet nose. “Yeah, baby, we’re here. You’re back. We found each other.” She hugged the dog and could have sworn the animal hugged her back. “We brought your stinky food. Yeah. Who wants some stinky food?”
When she rose, Elias looked at her, then squinted back out at the setting sun. “Got a feeling we’ll be seeing him again.”
