Ring.
As Lily waited for her mum to pick up the phone, she strolled along the grass outside the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office in Dunsmuir while Molly tugged on the leash, eager to explore. She half hoped she could leave a voicemail. However, as the call connected, her insides clenched.
“Lilypad?”
“Hi, Mum. I’m checking in like I said I would. I’m still alive in case you are wondering.” But for how long was a different story. “Just thought I’d give you a ring and update you.”
She glanced at the doors to the sheriff’s office. Ethan was still inside, giving his statement. Not that they’d had a lot of info to give, and it wasn’t like the men actually shot the black bear—thankfully. She just hoped the photos would help.
“And how is gallivanting across the United States with a man you don’t even know?” her mother asked lightly.
Lily cringed. She supposed her mother got that info out of Marilyn. Not that she’d expected her aunt to lie for her. She’d just hoped she could skirt around that particular anecdote. It’s not like her mother needed to know everything she was doing on her trip. Wasn’t that the whole point of going there? To get a little freedom?
“It’s been lovely. He’s been a splendid tour guide. I feel very safe with him.” Which wasn’t a lie. He did make her feel safe despite their run through the woods from two men with guns.
“Well, you’re vulnerable there on your own. Make sure he doesn’t take advantage of that.”
“He’s a perfect gentleman.” In fact, she’d literally thrown herself at the man—albeit by accident, but still … And he’d pushed her away.
Not that it mattered. He wasn’t her type, anyway. The high-and-dry type. However, that was based solely on his sister’s opinion, and Lily had already learned that her viewpoint wasn’t the whole story. Ethan had said he fancied settling down and starting a family.
“Speaking of dating,” her mother began.
Were we? But she kept her mouth shut.
“The neighbor’s boy moved back from London. You remember Rory, don’t you?”
“All I remember is how he used to peer through my bedroom window all the time and make excuses to creep around our yard.”
“Yes, that’s right!” Mum sounded thrilled by his stalker tendencies. “He’s back for good. He got a job as a manager at the supermarket. Very promising. He was asking about you, you know.”
“I’ll bet he was.” Lily bent down to unravel Molly, who’d gotten tangled in her leash while she rolled in the grass, biting white dandelion heads.
“I told him you’d gone on holiday, and he seemed very interested. He’s a bit of a traveler, too, you know. He’s been to Wales.”
“Good for him,” Lily said. “Did you forget how he used to threaten all my boyfriends?” Well, all two of them.
“That just shows how much he liked you. Rory would be perfect for you.”
She sat down on the grass next to Molly. “Why? Because it would keep me in Malvern?”
“Why move out at all? With your brothers gone, there’s plenty of space here. We could fix up Tom’s old room for a nursery. I would even give you two the master bedroom. Imagine all the money you would save as a new couple. And just think, you’d have a built-in babysitter.”
Lily covered her face with a hand and suppressed a groan. She could practically see the rest of her life laid out in front of her.
She knew she should tell her mother no, to stay out of her love life. However, she’d already run five thousand miles away. She didn’t want to upset her mother any more than she already had. But wasn’t this how things always went, how her mother always got her way?
Well, it doesn’t matter. She can’t very well force me on a date all the way from England.
The front door to the sheriff’s office opened, and Ethan stepped out. He spotted her with Molly and came over.
“Mum, I have to go,” Lily said. “We still have a bit of a drive to get to the hotel. We only stopped for … snacks.”
“Okay, but remember, you can ring me anytime, day or night. And if you need me to book you a flight home for any reason, just say the word.”
“I’ll be fine. Love you, Mum.” She hung up before she got any more caveats to her freedom and headed for Ethan.
He jingled his keys as he met her on the sidewalk. “Thanks for walking Molly.”
“No problem. It’s in my best interest, anyway. I only have so many trousers.”
He laughed, and they strolled to the BMW. As a car passed by, she pulled down the sunhat she’d tucked her hair into.
“Are you trying out a new fashion statement?” he asked. “Or did you forget to tell me you’re the world’s most obvious undercover spy?”
“It’s a precaution. We’re only ten minutes up the road from the trail. What if we run into the poachers?”
“You’re worrying for nothing. They weren’t close enough to get a good look at us. Besides, they don’t know what we’re driving.”
“They were close enough to see a man, a woman, and a puppy. And if you haven’t noticed, my hair isn’t exactly subtle. It might as well be a flaming beacon saying ‘Here we are.’”
He pulled the hat off her head and stuck it into his back pocket. “I have noticed, and I think it’s a shame to hide it.”
She ducked and raised a hand to tuck her hair behind an ear. But she stopped herself. Instead, she shook it out and let it flow in the breeze.
“Don’t worry.” He unlocked the car. “As soon as we fuel up and grab snacks, we’ll be on the road to spend the night in Medford.”
Once he’d put the top down, they drove a couple of blocks to the nearest petrol station. On the way, she spotted two kids coasting down the sidewalk on bikes, sucking back colas. Across the street, a woman pushing a stroller sat down on a bench to enjoy the late afternoon sun.
Now that they were among civilization again, she wondered if Ethan wasn’t right. Had she gotten carried away in the moment, her fear heightened by their solitude on that trail? Maybe those two men really were rangers. But if so, then why did they chase them? And if Ethan was so confident, why had he been running right next to her?
When they pulled up to the pumps, he started fueling up the car. Lily felt uneasy sitting around, so she picked up Molly and went to find something to nibble on. The sign on the door said No shirt, no shoes, no service. However, it said nothing about adorable dachshunds, so she shrugged and entered.
She was browsing the chocolate bars when the door dinged and someone walked in. On edge, she hid behind the chip bags and peered around them. It was only Ethan.
She followed him to the frozen drink machines. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a slushy guy. What with all … this.” She waved a vague hand at his fit physique. “You strike me as being very regimented.”
He arched an eyebrow. “I’m going to take that as a compliment. I usually live by a solid routine, but this is a road trip, isn’t it? And it’s not just a slushy. It’s a screamer.” He finally chose a flavor, but only filled the cup part way.
“What’s a screamer?”
“Half slushy, and half …” He stuck his cup under the soft-serve ice cream machine and pulled the lever. “Vanilla ice cream.”
“That actually sounds fun.”
“Don’t act so surprised. I know how to have fun. Aren’t you having fun?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Only if you make me one of those.”
“Deal.”
As they created their screamers, they stood close enough that she could smell the sweat on him. The kind that can only be formed from being outside, a mixture of earth, fresh air, and him. God, if she could bottle it and take it home, it would be the only souvenir she’d need.
They grabbed a package of peanuts, some fruit, and more water. The male cashier eyed the pup as he rang them through but said nothing.
On their way out, Ethan held the door for her. “I’m surprised he didn’t tell you to leave with Molly.”
Lily ruffled the puppy’s ears. “He couldn’t kick out something so cute.”
“True. And Molly is pretty cute too.”
As his meaning hit her, she gaped at him, dribbling a little screamer onto her shirt. But he didn’t miss a beat as he headed for the car.
She wanted to yank him back and call out Mr. I’m-just-not-in-that-place on what was definitely a pickup line. However, the hotel was still a couple of hours away, and she didn’t want to make things weird. Oh, wait, she’d already done that by attacking his face with hers.
But part of her also didn’t want it to stop. Sure, he wanted to settle down, and she was leaving, but it was fun—and that wasn’t just the screamer speaking. Besides, she was supposed to be following her Live Boldly book’s advice, and step twelve did say to flirt.
When she got to the car, Ethan was washing the windshield with a squeegee. Popping open the door, she set Molly on the blanket. Before she climbed in, she heard the deep rumble of an engine growl to life behind her. She jumped and whirled to face the sound. It was the truck parked at the pump behind them. A sage green truck with a push bar on the front and a hard canopy on the back.
She froze. It can’t be.
Without meaning to, she locked eyes with the driver and instantly regretted it. It was him. Goatee, red ball cap. There was someone in the passenger seat, probably the other poacher, but she couldn’t drag her focus away from the driver, like she was trapped in some kind of terrifying staring contest.
Finally, he pulled away from the pump. One hand on the wheel, the other casually hanging out the open window, he studied her as they passed. She could do nothing but gawk as they crawled by.
Beneath the brim of his hat, his leer seemed to say “There you are,” and Lily was grateful they were down the street from the sheriff’s office.
The truck passed, and she finally averted her gaze. She sank into the passenger seat as her mind replayed the last few seconds. There was no pretending he didn’t recognize them. A man, his puppy, and a woman with flaming red hair? And if all that hadn’t given them away, her deer-in-headlights look definitely had.
Way to be cool, Lil.
She mentally ticked off step twenty-four on her book’s list: Don’t Be Afraid to Make Enemies. Somehow, she didn’t think that’s what the book really meant by that.
“You okay?” Ethan’s voice made her jump.
“The truck.” She thrust her chin at the retreating tailgate, trying—too late—to be subtle about it. “That’s them.”
He scowled. “We should let the sheriff know they’re in town before they get too far. Do you think they saw us?”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m sure of it.”
“Let’s hope we’re on different paths.”
She nodded and fastened her seatbelt, but she had the feeling their paths crossing again wasn’t a coincidence. And now the poachers knew what Ethan drove.