thirteen

After Mia finished breakfast she continued reading her grandmother’s journal. The small deliberate script was easy to read, as was her natural style of writing. Mostly she wrote about their guests, about her husband, about the daily life of an innkeeper. She obviously cared about people and even seemed to grow attached to her guests.

Although she had a positive attitude, there was an underlying sadness to her entries that Mia couldn’t put her finger on. Maybe her estranged relationship with her daughter? She hadn’t mentioned Katherine at all, but maybe it was too depressing to even journal about.

The page blurred as Mia’s thoughts turned to Levi and their late-night conversation. He’d opened up a little, and that felt good.

Her offer to endorse the inn had been spontaneous. She hadn’t realized it would mean so much until she heard the hope in his voice. The memory of his reaction made her uneasy. Was he only being kind in hopes of getting something in return? He was personally invested in this inn, after all. More on his parents’ behalf than his own, but still. It was reason for caution.

“Got you hooked, has she?”

Mia jumped as Levi appeared at her side. She closed the journal. “I’m only a little ways in, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s like getting a peek inside my grandmother’s mind.”

“She seems like she was a special woman.”

Mia tucked the journal into her purse. “I wish I’d had the chance to know her, but she died before I was born.”

“That’s unfortunate.” His eyes raked her form. “You’re dressed to hike.”

“I’d love it, if you have time to drive me.”

His eyes smiled. She’d never known blue could look so warm. “At your service.”

She stood, feeling the stretch from having sat on the wooden chair so long. “I need the exercise. And the change of scenery.”

“All right.” He started through the French doors. “Need anything from your room before we go?”

“I’m all set.” She put her sunglasses in place and tugged the brim of her cap down. Overly cautious was better than careless and caught.

She followed Levi out the door, which he locked behind them. Halfway to the car she bit her lip. After their talk last night, sitting in the back seat seemed silly. He was sort of a friend, albeit a short-term one.

When he reached out to open the back door, she set her hand on his arm. Warm flesh stretched tautly over hard muscle.

She drew her hand away. “Do you mind if I ride up front with you?”

“Of course not.”

“It just—it seems silly to ride in the back like you’re my chauffeur or something.”

“Whatever you want.” He reached for the passenger door.

A moment later he got in on the driver’s side, seeming to shrink the sedan in half. There was only a narrow console separating them.

She shook away the thought. “Where are you taking me today?”

“I guess that depends on how adventurous you’re feeling.” He spared her a smile as they pulled out onto the street.

“That sounds like a challenge . . .”

He chuckled, a deep, rich sound that made her insides twist. “We can stick to the touristy trails if you prefer, but there are some lesser-known ones outside the state park. There’s another waterfall—not as big as Lone Creek Falls, so it’s usually overlooked. It dries up in late summer, but this time of year it’s nice, and sometimes you can get a glimpse of wildlife up there. The trail’s not marked well, so it’s easy to take a wrong turn, but I brought a map.”

She gave him a wry grin, appreciating his nice profile. “I’m not exactly known for being good with maps. I get lost in public parks. It’s too bad though. Sounds really pretty.” She bit her lip, feeling uncharacteristically shy. “Unless . . .”

“Unless . . . ?” he prompted when the silence dragged on.

She shook her head. “I was going to ask if you wanted to come along. But you’re not really dressed for it. And anyway, that’s not part of your job. I’ll just take a different trail. There are plenty to choose from.”

“I don’t mind coming along. In fact, I’d actually feel better about it. You really shouldn’t hike alone on deserted trails. As you discovered last time, reception isn’t good up in the mountains.”

She glanced down at his khakis and boat shoes. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. It’s not that hot.” He tossed her a smile. “Besides, now I can pass up the gym today—at least the cardio part.”

*  *  *

Levi told himself he was just being a good host. He told himself again as he took Mia’s hand to help her over a wet gully. And when he steadied her as she climbed over a fallen tree.

It wasn’t too hard to convince himself. After all, even though this wasn’t normally a part of his job, Mia wasn’t the average guest. She—or rather, her fiancé—had paid a lot of money to make sure the staff of the inn were at her beck and call. Entertaining her was part of making sure she enjoyed her stay. And after she’d promised an endorsement, how could he do anything else?

They climbed steadily upward through the thick woods. He’d let her take the lead, wanting to be as unobtrusive as possible. The path was trampled down but not covered with mulch or gravel like the well-known trails. This was actually a deer trail, leading to Lone Creek. He held tree limbs for her, ducking under low-hanging branches. The woods were thick with pines, the ground beginning to level out.

“So what kind of wildlife do you have around here?”

“Let’s see . . .” They’d been mostly quiet so far, enjoying the scenery. “We have raccoons, groundhogs, deer, wild turkey, black bear, bobcats—”

She stopped so suddenly he almost slammed into her back. He steadied her with hands on her sides as she whipped around. Her green eyes were wide, her pupils large in the shadowed forest.

“Bears? You’re just now telling me you have bears?”

“We’re in the mountains, Mia.”

“I’m a city girl. What do I know about mountains? Or bears?”

His lips twitched. “We’re fine. That’s why we’ve been making plenty of noise—to avoid surprising them. If we come upon one, we just slowly back away. Bottom line, they’re more afraid of us than we are of them.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“They’re rarely even sighted. There’s no need to be afraid—unless there’s a cub present.”

Her eyes widened even more. “What do we do then?”

“Get the heck out of Dodge.”

She elbowed him. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? I was hiking alone!”

He couldn’t hold back the smile. “You were on a public trail before. They tend to stay away from people.”

“Have you ever seen one?”

“Couple of times. And look . . . I’m still alive to talk about it. Relax. You should probably be more concerned about the rattlesnakes.”

“Rattlesnakes!”

He chuckled at the adorable look on her face. “Didn’t you read that pamphlet I gave you?”

“I guess I misplaced it.”

Something scuttled in the underbrush.

Mia squealed, all but leaping into his arms. “What is it? Is it a snake? Be careful!”

“Mia. It’s a squirrel.”

“Are you sure? How do you know?”

He laughed. “See it? Right there?”

“Oh. Yeah.” She looked back at him and seemed to realize she was practically hanging from his neck. One hand grasping his shirt, one knee tucked up against his stomach where he’d caught it.

She gave a sheepish laugh as she disentangled her limbs. “Whoops. Guess I got a little spooked. My heart is beating so fast right now.”

Hers wasn’t the only one. “See how much more fun it is hiking with someone?”

“You mean more terrifying?”

“I’ve lived here most of my life, and I know how to handle myself. I wouldn’t let any harm come to you.”

“Great, well . . . maybe you can just take the lead then.”

“Happy to.” He squeezed around her on the narrow path, pausing to pull a leaf from her ponytail. His eyes met hers. “You have a great laugh, by the way.”

Levi set off on the trail again, wincing.

You have a great laugh? She’s going to think you’re hitting on her.

Never mind that she’d just been in his arms. Never mind how good she’d felt against him. Or how reluctant he’d been to let her go.

But the look in her eyes when he’d said it. The way they’d warmed. The way her face had softened just before he cleared his throat and passed by. When a man got a reaction like that, it only made him want to do it again.