He looked her over. “You’re going to hike in that?”
She scoffed. “Oh ye of little faith. I come prepared. Plus, the trail’s an easy one, just something to get your feet wet.”
Alex grinned. “Right. Because I’m a delicate flower.”
“Yup, a regular little hothouse flower. Dainty and sweet, like a tea rose.” Her lips twitched and he watched her belly quiver as she tried to hold back her laughter. “Wouldn’t want you to overdo it on your first real trip into the mountains.”
“It’s not my first trip into the mountains, it’s my first real trip intothesemountains.”
“What other mountains have you climbed?”
His mind flashed back briefly to missions—so many missions—in Afghanistan. “Paktia province in Afghanistan, to the east.”
Her jovial mood faded. “Right. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“You probably can’t talk about it, can you?”
He thought about one mission in particular, when the objective was to guard an asset meeting with the troops stationed there whose job was to safeguard a road from local Taliban-friendly Zadran tribes while they rooted out insurgents. The camp had come under fire ahead of the meeting, wounding an Afghani soldier who’d needed to be medevacked out of the mountains by helicopter. The official was a local who was in charge of agricultural programs throughout the province. He said he was an enemy of the Taliban and a personal enemy of the local tribal leader, which proved out when the shelling started again right after they got him into the camp’s headquarters. Apache helicopters flew over the area searching for the insurgents while Alex and his men returned fire. When it was over, there were five hostiles dead while two fled, probably back over the Pakistani border where they couldn’t be reached.
At least, not that day.
“I can tell you that the mountains don’t look that different from Wyoming, or maybe Nevada. Very dry country. But some of their mountains are almost twice the height of the Rockies.”
“So, you’re telling me that everything around here is just a foothill to you?”
“Not such a delicate flower now, huh?”
Sylvie laughed. “Maaaybe not.”
They joked back and forth throughout the drive, punctuated by Sylvie pointing out and naming various peaks along the way. It was a beautiful day with the bluest sky Alex had ever seen. After about forty-five minutes, Sylvie hit the turn signal and they turned onto a road so narrow, Alex thought it might be a driveway.
“It’s about another half-hour to the trailhead. Before that, we’ll get out and stretch our legs and let the pups have a bathroom break at one of my favorite places just because of its name.”
“What’s its—” Just then, Alex spotted the sign and snorted. “Of course.”
“Welcome to Camp Dick!”
Am I going to say it? Am I? Yes, I am. “That should be my line.”
Sylvie side-eyed him as she turned into the campground parking lot. She killed the engine and looked him full in the face. He met her gaze, wondering how this amazing, unpredictable woman would react now. Slowly, the corner of her mouth turned up into a wicked grin.
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
Then she was out of the car in a flash, leaving him breathless.
CHAPTERFIVE
Sylvie hadn’t lied—she came prepared for a hike. She had debated what to wear that morning, getting up extra-early to torment herself over the decision to put on jeans and hiking boots or to show off her girliest skirt and watch Alex’s reaction. In the end, she opted for the skirt and packed the hiking boots and a pair of socks in her old backpack along with water bottles and the fixings for a picnic.Mom would be so proud that I look like I’m going on an actual date for a change and not on a guys’ weekend in the woods. She laughed to herself as she turned this way and that in front of her full-length mirror, watching her skirt twirl.
What was it about Alex Hoff that brought out her feminine side? She was surrounded by men at her job and they mostly provoked her competitive side, the one that whisperedMake sure they know you aren’t here only because you’re Sergeant George Williams’ little girl. That voice drove her to ace her classes at the police academy, to stay at the firing range just a little later than the others, to help start a community homeless outreach program for the department. And now to make it onto the K9 Unit.
Sure, Alex drove her to compete as well but she also felt like she could let her guard down around him. Like today.
When they’d gotten to the trailhead, she’d changed out of her espadrilles into the hiking boots, though Buchanan Pass Trail wasn’t too rigorous—perfect for walking the dogs without having to think about losing them. There weren’t as many other hikers as Sylvie had expected, just a few families and a couple other dogs.
Perfect.
