His brawny arms were boxing her in, and his thickly corded chest bumped into her from behind. His woodsy pine-and-cedar scent was strong, like it usually was in the mornings after he showered.
“Kidnapping?” She didn’t resist him. She didn’t want to, even though she knew she should.
“You’re taking the day off,” T.W. called from the bed.
“I’m watching T.W. all day,” Leah chimed in.
“I didn’t agree to this.” Kinsey could picture the couple as they’d been last night, snuggled up together on the bed, their love so alive and so sweet. Instead of letting T.W.’s cancer tear them apart, they were letting it bring them closer. From the way everyone admired the couple, Kinsey guessed the two had worked at having a strong marriage all along—a marriage that could stand during the storms instead of crumbling.
“I knew you wouldn’t agree. That’s why I’m kidnapping you.” Tyler kept his hold firmly over her eyes and then reached for her hand with his other one. His fingers rounded hers, grasping her firmly and giving her no option but to go along with whatever he was doing.
“What exactly do you intend to do with me?” She kept her voice light and tried not to think about all the ways he could answer that question.
“It’s a surprise.” His answer contained a thread of arrogance, but it sent a thrill through her anyway.
She was expecting him to take her around the ranch so that she could try more of the activities that guests got to experience—like white water rafting or the ropes course. But he had a Jeep packed with bags and said they had a drive ahead of them. When he asked if she wanted the top of the Jeep up or down, she rolled her eyes and told him that of course she wanted it down.
As they headed away from the ranch toward the west, the wind bathed her face, and Tyler blasted Brock’s newest country music album. The beauty of the morning filled her soul with wonder, and every once in a while, Tyler pointed to something for her to look at—a herd of mustangs grazing, pronghorns lifting alert heads to watch them as they passed, and prairie dogs scurrying in and out of burrows.
When they reached the western range and started up the switchbacks, she was again awed by the majesty of the scenery. Tyler drove the roads with a confidence and skill that made it clear he’d grown up in the mountains and knew exactly where he was going.
He parked the Jeep in a small gravel lot, outfitted himself with a backpack, and then led her up a trail. They hiked for a mile or more until they reached an alpine lake that was so pristine and glassy it reflected the peaks surrounding it. With only a few other hikers lingering by the lake, she felt like she was in a little slice of heaven on earth.
Tyler spread out a blanket on a smooth rock at the water’s edge and then proceeded to arrange a picnic lunch on it. She was famished and ate with a gusto that matched Tyler’s. Theyfinished off the sandwiches, chips, and fruit easily. Then they lay back on the rock and rested contentedly.
“Thank you, Tyler.” The clouds floated in front of the sun, providing some shade. “This is the best date ever.”
He cleared his throat. “So we’re on adate?”
“No!” She sat up quickly. “Of course this isn’t a date.”
Except for a grin, he didn’t move, remaining sprawled out and completely relaxed beside her with his eyes closed. “Seems to me you’re protesting a little too much.”
He looked so good. His light blue T-shirt with the ranch logo strained at his shoulders and around his arms. His muscular legs, tanned and fit, stretched out from long shorts. With a baseball cap and sunglasses, he’d shed the rugged-cowboy look and instead perfected the preppy-hiker vibe.
“We’re just two friends on a hike together.” She tossed out the words as casually as she could this time.
“Fine. Just two friends.” His hand shifted and brushed against hers. The caress was light and feathery on her knuckles, but the impact of it smacked into her chest, making her suddenly breathless.
She needed to pull her hand out of reach. She had to abstain from any physical contact in order to keep the invisible fence up between them as she had the past two weeks since the night of the dinner and dance.
But as his finger traced a line from her knuckles to her wrist, her resistance crumbled just a little, and heat raced up her arm and shimmered across her skin.
What was he doing? And what did this picnic mean to him?
As if hearing her unasked question, he cracked open one eye and glanced up at her. “Ready to go?” He wasn’t pulling his hand away from hers, was instead now drawing a circle on the back of her hand.
The circle sent a surge of desire through her. But a desire for what? For him? For more of his touch?
She expelled a taut breath. She didn’t want their time together to end. But she wouldn’t be able to sit next to him a moment longer without saying or doing something she might regret later.
“I’m ready.” She began to gather the containers from their lunch and return them to the backpack.
With a smug smile, he joined her, clearly realizing the impact of his touch upon her and enjoying that he was getting a reaction.
The hike back to the Jeep didn’t take as long. She’d expected him to direct the vehicle back the way they’d come, but he drove the opposite direction. He didn’t touch her again and moved the conversation to easy topics, almost as if he wanted to distract her.
By the time they arrived in a little mountain town called Frisco, the conversation between them was flowing again as naturally as it always did. They stopped and got ice cream, and then they walked around the little tourist shops while he insisted on buying her an expensive bracelet as a souvenir. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, so she paid him back by getting matching Colorado ball caps and T-shirts that had huge gopher heads on them.
