She did a double-take, wondering if he was quoting fromDumb and Dumber—one of her favorite movies. He winked, confirming that he was, and she had to smile.
“Nice,” Tess said, taking the napkin and shoving it into her pocket. “Don’t make meBetter off Deadyou for payback.” It was a reference to another silly 80s movie where the protagonist is relentlessly hounded by another character over two dollars. He laughed, which told her he’d seen that one too.
“Fancy Pants Cowboy,” Willie called.
“I wondered why she didn’t ask for a name,” the man said with a chuckle. “I’m assuming that’s me?”
“If the cowboy boot fits…”
He picked up his cup, thanked the barista, and returned to Tess. “How will I find you to pay you back?”
“Just leave it here,” Tess said.
“I don’t even know your name.” He glanced down at her cup, probably thinking her name would be on it.
“Tell ’em it’s for number one. They’ll get it to me.”
He raised a brow but gave a curt nod. “All right, Number One. Well, thanks again. Catch ya later.”
“Flirt much?” Hope teased once he’d cleared the door. “He’s hot, Walker. You should’ve given him your number. Or at least your name.”
“It’s a dance, Hope. If he wants it, he’ll find a way.”
“I have so much to learn,” Hope said wistfully, and they both laughed.
“The out-of-town stuff never works anyway,” Tess said, swiping the thought away with a hand. “Been there, done that.”
“Well, if I don’t see you. Good luck on your campout.”
Tess waved on her way out and walked to the bookstore next door. Faith’s mom had owned Page Turners ever since Tess could remember. But she’d passed away two years ago, leaving the store to Faith.
“Hey, girl,” Tess said, popping her head into Faith’s back office. “Just want to make sure you’re still cool to water my garden this week. There’s no rain in the forecast, so I’m counting on you.”
“You thought I forgot,” Faith said. A look of indignation morphed into guilt. “And I may have. But now that you’re here, I’m going to write myself a note and put it where I can’t miss it.”
Tess shook her head but laughed. “I’ll text Nick too. As a backup.”
“Good idea. Hey, you wanna get lunch later?”
“Sure. I’m heading home to pack right now, and I’ve got orientation at one. Meet you at Karla’s at noon?”
“See you then.”
Lunch took longer than expected, and she didn’t make it back to The Outpost until right at one o’clock. As she approached the small classroom, she heard the men talking and stopped just outside the door.
“I heard the guide’s a chick,” one said. “Hope she’s hot.”
“I just hope she can do what they say. I don’t want to die on the mountain because some incompetent woman got stuck taking us up.”
Tess took that as her cue to enter. “Afternoon, gentlemen,” she greeted, striding to the front of the room. “Sorry to interrupt…”
Two men slumped in their seats, giving themselves away as the two who’d been talking about her.
“I’m Tess Walker, and I’ll be your guide for the next week. Today, we’ll review the rules and what to expect. I’ll take questions and do an equipment check. Anything you don’t have or that’s not up to par, you can rent or buy from the store.”
As she spoke, she glanced around the room, making eye contact with each man. She fought to hide her surprise when she landed on a pair of pale green eyes—Fancy Pants Cowboy.
“First, since we’ll be spending a lot of time together, let’s introduce ourselves. Just basic stuff. First name’s fine, where you’re from, and any camping experience you have. I’ve found that most campers come up here to leave the grind behind, so telling us what you do is optional. Let’s start over here.”
