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“Doesn’t look good. I’m going to call Waylon and see if their rig is anywhere near us.” He opened his MEC backpack and pulled out his phone.

“No, no, I don’t want an ambo ride, please. This is embarrassing enough.”

Mac tilted his head. “Embarrassing how? You’re injured. This could have happened to anyone.”

Jodie sighed. “Seriously, I’m fine. I made a bad decision and I don’t want people talking about it.”

“Jodie—”

“Mac. Please.”

Wise man that he was, he understood that Jodie was not going to be budged.

“Sorry. At least let me take you to a clinic.”

And wise woman that Jodie was, she knew Mac wouldn’t budge on that point.

“Okay. Okay, fair enough.”

He scooped her up again like she weighed nothing and continued down the trail.

“You said this guy’s name was Dale?”

“Yeah, why?”

Mac smiled. “Just checking.”

O-kay…

They reached the last bend in the trail, then followed it to the parking lot at the trailhead.

And there was Dale, loading his pack into the back of his Jeep. Jodie noticed the vanity plate—DALE 1.

“Hey!” Jodie yelled, feeling her blood already beginning to boil. “Where’s my stuff?”

Dale turned and looked up. His eyes widened for a moment, then he rolled them.

“Right next to you, if you’d just look.” He pointed to a spot on the ground beside where the trail opened up to the lot. There sat Jodie’s pack in the reddish-brown dust, looking like Dale had just dumped it there.

“I’ll get your pack for you in a moment,” Mac said cheerfully as he carried her toward his truck.

But Jodie wasn’t done with Dale. “How’d you get down here? You didn’t pass us. Oh, and thanks for sending help, asshole.”

“I backtracked and took the shortcut back. My day was pretty much ruined and I didn’t want to waste any more of it so I cut my losses.” He sneered. “Looks like you found help on your own, anyway. You do that to all your dates, just find someone else and go home with them?”

“Oh, for the love of…Mac, put me down, right now.”

“Sure thing, Jodie.” Mac had reached his truck and unlocked the passenger side door without setting her down. He opened it and tucked her inside.

“No, not in here. I need to go pummel him⁠—”

“Stay here. I got it.” He closed the door and turned. Jodie cranked the window all the way down in the old truck.

In the meantime, Dale had gotten into his Jeep.

“Wait, friend,” Mac said, raising his arm as he approached the Jeep instead of the pack. “One thing Jodie needs from you first.”

“I don’t have her damn pack,” Dale said through his open window. “I told you, it’s right over there, are you fucking blind?”