He was still telling himself that when the driver’s door opened.
Jack fiddled with the waist belt of his pack, focusing on it much longer than necessary, his heart pounding even harder.
When he looked up, she was staring at him.
He raised a hand. “Hey.”
She didn’t move toward him, just stood next to her SUV with her hand still on the door, eyes narrowed. “What are you doing here?”
“Trail run.” He gestured toward the barricade across the road. “You know, I’ve heard about this place and have been wanting to get out here before the season gets too far along. It’s supposed to be amazing. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. Is it? Amazing, I mean?”
Smooth, Swisher.
“You’ve been wanting to get out here?”
“Yeah.”
“To run in the snow?”
“Well . . . yeah.”
“And this is the place you decided to show up?” She gestured with her arm. “At the end of the day?”
“It seemed like it would meet my needs.”
“Mm-hmm. And it’s only a coincidence that we’re both here at the same time?”
“Basin County’s not that big.”
“No, it isn’t.” She didn’t look convinced.
He tried for something more natural. “I read about using this area for winter training. Made sense to check it out.”
“You read about it.”
“Yeah. Saw videos too. And I thought, why not?”
She held his gaze for a moment, and he had the uncomfortable feeling she could see more than he was showing her. The sigh she released was loud enough for him to hear. She dropped her shoulders and shook her head as she went to the trunk of the SUV and popped it open.
Steph pulled a fully loaded, tarped sled out of the back. She crouched to check the tow bar connections, rockedthe sled to test its balance, and seemed satisfied before tucking a pair of folded poles into the sled.
He should let her go first, give her space. That was the reasonable thing. “Since we’re both here...” he said.
She turned and stared at him, eyes still narrowed and lips pursed. Jack should’ve expected this. Should’ve known that she’d be less than impressed to see him there.
He smiled. “Makes sense to go together.” He said it like it had just occurred to him. “We could keep each other company.”
She considered him for a long moment. He wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but he kept his face as neutral as he could manage and waited. Her gaze shifted to the bed of his truck, where his sled sat.
Steph shook her head. “I set the pace.”
“You bet.” His heart sped up. She was going to allow it, to let him stay with her.
“And I choose the route.”
“Understood.”
Another pause. The wind moved through the trees at the edge of the lot. The light was still good but wouldn’t stay that way. They had maybe an hour and a half before it’d turn dark.
