He shrugged. “Of course.” He pulled the cuff of his pants down over his boots then turned to face me.
Aaron and I were similar age, late thirties but we were opposites in a lot of ways. I wore my dark hair and beard long whereas he kept his blond hair buzzed shorter. He was pale and had muscles like a bodybuilder, never far from the gym.
My skin was darker, reflecting my Indigenous Canadian grandparents and although I had muscle, it wasn’t as carefully crafted as his were.
“Do you avoid relationships because of your job?”
He studied me for a moment. “Just haven’t found someone I was willing to commit to.” He avoided my eyes as he said it, an uncharacteristic move for him, making me think he wasn’t telling me the whole truth.
“If you did, though?”
He took a deep breath and pursed his lips. “I’ve seen relationships fail a lot when one works as a first responder. Clay, Flynt and Ash seem to have it figured out but their better halves work crazy jobs too. Maybe that’s the key. I don’t know.” He paused. “I’m fine on my own,but if you’re not—”
“I am,” I said too quickly then cleared my throat. “I mean I always have been.” I picked at the callus on my palm and Aaron waited me out. “I met this bridesmaid. She fights wildfires so she understands how this job works. She said she doesn’t go for relationships because of her job and I totally understand that but…”
He nodded. “But she has you questioning things.”
I nodded.
Aaron leaned his elbows on his knees, watching me. “You gonna do anything about it?” he asked finally.
I snorted. “Do what? Chase her down? I don’t even know where she’s working. Don’t have a phone number. Besides, she made her intentions pretty clear.”
“So give up and mope then, awesome plan,” he said, flashing me a sarcastic thumbs-up.
I shot him a look. “It’s not that easy.”
“It never is, man.” A look crossed his face as if he had an impossible situation of his own brewing. Before I could ask, the radio on the desk crackled to life.
“Base, we’ve got a report of an overdue hiker on the south ridge. Last contact was yesterday evening. Solo. No check in this morning.”
Aaron was already on his feet. “No rest for the weary.”
I shoved all my swirling thoughts aside and snapped into rescue mode, gathering supplies and preparing to head out.
My boss, Flynt, was barking orders as I grabbed my pack, and we all piled into two trucks.
The smell of smoke hit me as we got to the trailhead.
It brought Wren back to my mind and I forcefully shoved the thought away.
“Our hiker has been out here since lastnight, be ready for an injury. Cliff is on standby in case we need a heli rescue. Aaron and Jasper will take the north trail. Clay and I will take the east. Ash you’re on standby for a potential medical emergency. Radios on channel two, let’s go.”
I fought not to get lost in my head as we made our way over the dusty terrain and up the familiar trail. There were a lot of places to hike in this area and I knew most of them like the back of my hand. It wasn’t uncommon for someone to overestimate their ability or underestimate the mountain.
Aaron and I were quiet as we hiked except to call out the hiker’s name. We scanned the terrain for signs of the missing person. Life and death have almost become routine some days and I held onto that familiar feeling to keep any new feelings from breaking through.
We found the hiker about an hour later.
“Hey,” I said, crouching down beside him. “Are you hurt?”
I was already assessing the situation. My eyes landed on his swollen ankle and empty water bottle.
Hopefully dehydration and a sprain were the worst of it.
“I got turned around, then tripped over a log. I thought I was going to be stuck out here all night again.”
“Not happening,” I said, handing him a bottle of water from my pack. “We’ll get you out.”
