“’We were walking right into the sun, we left so early,’” Wolf said, reading from the journal they’d brought along. “’We headed way up into the highest, rockiest places we could see. We went that way often, but this time we went farther from the river,deeper into the wilds. I don’t know if we were within the park’s boundaries or not.’”
He looked out into the distance ahead of them.
It infuriated Camellia that he was pretending not to know anything was wrong. On the other hand, the only thing wrong was that he hadn’t responded to her signals last night.
She was being ridiculous. He couldn’t help it if he didn’t want to… That kiss in the river had been pure emotion, what with the doll in the water and his history and all. It might not have meant anything.
Although he’d sure seemed attracted to her when they’d been all wrapped in each other’s arms, surrounded by the cold rushing river, their only warmth the places where they were pressed together.
She heaved a big, deep sigh and told herself to let it go. Wanting someone who didn’t want you back was how you wound up like Earl, obsessed and out of control. Besides, shehadtold him she intended to die single.
They hiked away from their campsite, heading whatever direction went uphill, until they had a beautiful view. Rock formations and scrub brush spread out around them over brown, stony ground with stunted trees clinging in unlikely places. The sky was blue without a cloud in sight, and she was glad of her hat and sunglasses, which darkened, as advertised, in the bright light.
“There,” Wolf said, pointing. “Those are the highest rocks I can see.”
“I agree. Let’s head that way.” She took off her backpack, though, and then shucked her hoodie, rolled it up, and tucked it inside where there were several water bottles to refill the canteens they each carried, a paper map, her phone, and her lunch. “It’s already warm.”
He looked at her curiously, noticing her friendly tone, no doubt. He should. She was trying to take his rejection with grace.
“Didn’t take long, did it?” He took off his jacket as well. And she noticed how his T-shirt clung to his chest and remembered how hard it had felt under her hands when they’d kissed. He had some muscles going on under there all right.
She shook her head, disgusted with herself, then stopped all at once, grabbed Wolf’s arm, and put a finger to her lips. He went still, too, frowning at her. There were two more sounds, footsteps she thought, somewhere behind them.
He heard them, too. She saw him react. And then the sounds stopped, and it was quiet again. There was no one in sight behind them. She took a deep breath.
“Probably an animal,” Wolf said. “Coyote, maybe, or a deer.”
She nodded and told her heart to slow down. “Probably,” she said.
But she listened, and she watched their backs as they hiked on. She never saw anyone or heard any footsteps again. So why was there a chill dancing up and down her nape every little while?
She’d deliberately lowered her bristles and tried to recapture the easy energy that had existed between her and Wolf up until now. It had been good, maybe the beginning of a solid friendship even, and she didn’t want to ruin it.
Soon they were hiking through the high, rocky places. They picked a flat-topped boulder with a view for miles and sat down to take a rest and get their bearings. Wolf dropped everything he was carrying, took out the map, and spread it open atop the boulder.
Camellia picked up his canteen, nudged his arm with it till he took it and drank. Then he pointed to the spot that matched their location. “I think we’re about here.” She was chugging from her own canteen but nodded as Wolf went on. “Ma wrote thatthey could see the river, so far away it was no wider than her forefinger.”
She finished her drink, wiped her lips with the back of her hand, and screwed its lid back on. Then she got out a package of trail mix, ate a handful, and offered the bag to Wolf.
He took some, too, looking at the horizon and then at the map as he ate. Then he said, “The river’s that way from here,” and pointed directly toward a row of towering formations.
She said, “Those rocks might be the only thing blocking our view of it. Let’s hike out past them next.” She drank some more water, ate some more trail mix. He did the same, and then they sealed everything up and returned it to the backpack. “You all rested up?”
“In that forty-five second break we just took, you mean?” He said it with a teasing tone.
That was better. Maybe their friendship was still okay. “It was at least three minutes. Why? Can’t you keep up with me?” She sprang to her feet, heading in the direction of the rock formations at a clip that challenged him to catch her.
He did, and they picked their way around the boulders. There was no trail, and they were up high, but as soon as they cleared the formations, the river glinted silver-blue in the distance. Camellia ran up onto a stony rise and held up her forefinger to measure. Then she turned and said, “A little further, I think.” And then the ground fell from under her feet and she dropped.
Wolf
“Camellia!”
Wolf watched her vanish and scrambled up onto the small rise as Camellia’s body pounded down a steep, rocky slope. He slipped and slid down after her, losing his footing a couple of times along the way before he finally came to rest beside her. She’d landed on her back, but her hair had come loose and covered her face.
He put his hands on her shoulders, leaning over her, pushing the hair away, and thinking again how soft it was against his fingers. “Be okay,” he said, and it came out all choked and hoarse.
He got past the tangle of honey-gold to see a pair of dark blue eyes blinking at him.
