He looked past me at the metal barrier, then back at me. “Huh.”
“I thought it locked at dusk.” I gestured helplessly at the sky. “It’s still dusk. Mostly. I mean, it was dusk when I got here, and the sign said dusk, so I assumed…”
When he didn’t say anything in response, I added, “I’m sorry I stayed too late, but would you mind unlocking the gate?” I was rambling, so I clamped my mouth shut.
His blue eyes met mine, steady and apologetic. “Sorry, hon. I don’t work here.”
“You don’t? But…” I gestured to the chainsaw in his hands. He certainlylookedlike he worked here.
He took a few steps closer, “Naw. I was just doing some trail maintenance as a volunteer.”
“Oh.” The word came out small and deflated. “Ohno. Does that mean we’rebothlocked in?”
“Naw. Tucker must have locked up early because of the storm rolling in. I’ll call him and tell him to get his ass back here to let us out.”
Well, Mr. Mountain Hottie didn’t seem too worked up over the locked gate.
And I was glad he was here. I didn’t usually rely on men to get me out of a bind, but right now I sure was happy to lean into the damsel in distress vibe and let someone else figure this mess out.
He set the chainsaw down and pulled his phone from his pocket, clicking buttons while he frowned at the screen. “What the fuck? There’s no signal.”
“I know. I tried. The emergency phone is dead too.” I wrapped my arms around myself as another cold raindrop slid down the back of my neck.
“There’salwayscell reception out here,” he growled at his phone.
He put it away and rubbed the back of his neck. “There was a big lightning strike last night. You probably heard it. I think the whole town did. It might have knocked out a cell tower.”
He studied me for a moment, then looked back at the gate before confidently announcing. “We can climb over the gate and walk down the road together until we get a cell signal. I’ve got friends who can come pick us up.”
I followed his gaze to the gate.
It had to be at least ten feet tall, made of thick metal bars, and it was flanked on either side by rock outcroppings. It looked like the entrance to the park had been blasted out of the mountainside. There was no way around it. The only way through wasoverit.
“I can’t climb that.”
“It’s easier than it looks. Here, I’ll show you,” he said gruffly as he put his chainsaw and a small backpack down on the ground, then walked over to the gate and grabbed one of the bars, climbing it as if it were nothing.
His boots found purchase on the horizontal crossbars, and his arms flexed as he pulled himself up with smooth, efficient movements. The sweater stretched across his broad shoulders, and I could see the muscles in his back working as he ascended.
He made it look effortless, like his body was built for exactly this kind of thing, and when he reached the top, he swung one leg over and looked down at me with an expectant expression.
“See? Easy. Your turn, hon,” he rumbled. “Just follow the same path I took.”
“Easy for you, maybe.” I shook my head, acutely aware of my soft body and lack of muscles. “I’ll fall and break my neck.”
I’d never been good at climbing, even when I was younger.
He came back down as gracefully as he’d gone up, dropping the last few feet and landing in a crouch before straightening again.
Then he pointed at the lowest crossbar as fat raindrops started to fall. “First foothold goes here. You grab here and here, then just pull yourself up one bar at a time. I can stay under you as a spotter. You’ll be safe. Ipromise.”
While I wanted to believe this mysterious stranger who’d somehow catapulted straight into my life, I knew my limitations better than he did.
“No,” the word came out more forcefully than I intended. “I’m sorry, I just… Ican’t.”
He studied me, and I waited for the thinly veiled exasperation that Colin always defaulted to when I couldn’t do something he found easy.
But it didn’t come. Instead, his expression softened into something that looked almost like understanding.
