“Of course not.”
“It just—it seems silly to ride in the back like you’re my chauffeur or something.”
“Whatever you want.” He reached for the passenger door.
A moment later he got in on the driver’s side, seeming to shrink the sedan in half. There was only a narrow console separating them.
She shook away the thought. “Where are you taking me today?”
“I guess that depends on how adventurous you’re feeling.” He spared her a smile as they pulled out onto the street.
“That sounds like a challenge...”
He chuckled, a deep, rich sound that made her insides twist. “We can stick to the touristy trails if you prefer, but there are some lesser-known ones outside the state park. There’s another waterfall—not as big as Lone Creek Falls, so it’s usually overlooked. It dries up in late summer, but this time of year it’s nice, and sometimes you can get a glimpse of wildlife up there. The trail’s not marked well, so it’s easy to take a wrong turn, but I brought a map.”
She gave him a wry grin, appreciating his nice profile. “I’m not exactly known for being good with maps. I get lost in public parks. It’s too bad though. Sounds really pretty.” She bit her lip, feeling uncharacteristically shy. “Unless...”
“Unless...?” he prompted when the silence dragged on.
She shook her head. “I was going to ask if you wanted to come along. But you’re not really dressed for it. And anyway, that’s not part of your job. I’ll just take a different trail. There are plenty to choose from.”
“I don’t mind coming along. In fact, I’d actually feel better about it. You really shouldn’t hike alone on deserted trails. As you discovered last time, reception isn’t good up in the mountains.”
She glanced down at his khakis and boat shoes. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. It’s not that hot.” He tossed her a smile. “Besides, now I can pass up the gym today—at least the cardio part.”
***
Levi told himself he was just being a good host. He told himself again as he took Mia’s hand to help her over a wet gully. And when he steadied her as she climbed over a fallen tree.
It wasn’t too hard to convince himself. After all, even though this wasn’t normally a part of his job, Mia wasn’t the average guest. She—or rather, her fiancé—had paid a lot of money to make sure the staff of the inn were at her beck and call. Entertaining her was part of making sure she enjoyed her stay. And after she’d promised an endorsement, how could he do anything else?
They climbed steadily upward through the thick woods. He’d let her take the lead, wanting to be as unobtrusive as possible. The path was trampled down but not covered with mulch or gravel like the well-known trails. This was actually a deer trail, leading to Lone Creek. He held tree limbs for her, ducking under low-hanging branches. The woods were thick with pines, the ground beginning to level out.
“So what kind of wildlife do you have around here?”
“Let’s see...” They’d been mostly quiet so far, enjoying the scenery. “We have raccoons, groundhogs, deer, wild turkey, black bear, bobcats—”
She stopped so suddenly he almost slammed into her back. He steadied her with hands on her sides as she whipped around. Her green eyes were wide, her pupils large in the shadowed forest.
“Bears? You’re just now telling me you have bears?”
“We’re in the mountains, Mia.”
“I’m a city girl. What do I know about mountains? Or bears?”
His lips twitched. “We’re fine. That’s why we’ve been making plenty of noise—to avoid surprising them. If we come upon one, we just slowly back away. Bottom line, they’re more afraid of us than we are of them.”
“Speak for yourself.”
“They’re rarely even sighted. There’s no need to be afraid—unless there’s a cub present.”
Her eyes widened even more. “What do we do then?”
“Get the heck out of Dodge.”
She elbowed him. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? I was hiking alone!”
