Genesis could have smacked herself on the forehead. What did you just say?
It almost sounded as though she was speaking to this stranger about her personal life. Was it possible to be any more embarrassed? It was horrifying enough to slide down an embankment and land at his feet a dirty mess, but to actually speak about her lack of dating? She must have hit her head on something.
She clapped her hands together and tried to salvage what little was left of her pride. “Well, I should be getting back to the trail—”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”
Immediately, imaginings of this dark-eyed, black-haired hottie made her picture some sort of horror film. She looked at him warily. “Excuse me?”
He pointed toward the sky as he began to gather his things and put them away in a knapsack. “There’s a nasty storm brewing on the horizon. I can give you a lift back to your car if you’d like, but I wouldn’t venture out much farther if you don’t have a tent handy.”
Genesis blinked, because it had been perfectly sunny earlier. Sure enough, when she glanced upward, there were black clouds quickly rolling their way overhead. “My rental didn’t want to run.”
“Ah.” She wondered what he meant by that single syllable. “I can give you a ride and take a look at it.”
“You’d do that?”
He pointed to his badge. “It’s kind of my job to help out stranded tourists.”
“I wasn’t stranded,” she returned, and when he shot her a dry look, she quickly added, “Not really. I just… lost my way is all.”
He nodded his head and she had to give him credit for keeping a straight face. “I can see where there is a marked difference.” He jerked his head toward the opposite way from the trail. “Come on. My truck isn’t too far. We’ll see what we can do about your car.”
Genesis glanced up the embankment and had to wonder how many insects she’d squished on her way down to Mr. Hale’s feet. She decided she didn’t really want to know, nor did her leg feel like climbing up the hill and recovering her trail when it was about to pour down rain. She decided her odds were better with Mr. Hale. He didn’t seem like the type to murder someone, at least, not in his uniform.
Shaking her head, she set out after her escort.
It was true the off-road SUV wasn’t that far away, much to her relief. Especially now that the valley was starting to turn into nighttime, although it was still early afternoon.
“On second thought,” her companion murmured. “It might be best to wait this out a bit.” He glanced at her. “Fancy a trip into Lahaina?”
“That would be nice, except I’m staying on the other side of the island, near Waikapu.” She pointed in the direction of what she hoped was northeast.
“Once the rain passes, I’ll get you where you need to go, but for now, we need to find shelter away from the flood region.”
She considered his words, and decided that, as a ranger, he must be the expert in these situations. She gestured to the SUV. “Lead the way, Mr. Hale.”
As they sat together, Genesis found herself almost envious at the smooth way the engine obeyed the key’s command. She hoped that there would be hope in salvaging the rental. She didn’t want to have to go through the hassle anymore.
“What brings you to Maui, Miss Evans?” He paused. “Pardon me, Mrs.—”
She shook her head. “No, you were right the first time. I find my life is much too busy these days to even consider dating. I’m here for some much needed relaxation.” Her lips twitched. “That isn’t working out too well right now.”
“It appears so, doesn’t it?” he chuckled, and she found that she liked the smooth sound of his voice. “But perhaps your luck will start to change.”
It already has. She stopped the words from spilling out just in time. She cleared her throat. “What about you? Obviously, you are currently on business, but do you ever take time to make it to the mainland?”
He seemed to ponder the question for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve been to the mainland for about six years.”
“Wow.” She shrugged. “But then, when you have such beauty around you all the time, I bet it’s difficult to leave it behind.”
He glanced at her, and for an instant, she thought she glimpsed a sense of sadness behind his gaze. “It can be. But I have other reasons for not leaving Maui.” This time, he was the one to clear his throat. She wondered if perhaps emotion was his prompting factor. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t go back to the mainland because that was where my wife was killed in a hit-and-run.”
Genesis blinked, completely taken aback. That certainly wasn’t what she thought he might say. “I’m so sorry.”
“So am I.” He shot her a melancholy smile. “But at least I didn’t have to worry about consoling a child after her death, trying to explain why their mother wouldn’t be coming home.”
She told herself not to ask, but something prompted her to say, “How long were you married?”
“Almost a year and a half.” He shrugged. “Before I met Jacqueline, I told myself that I was going to be a bachelor forever. My parents didn’t get along too well and divorced when I was in middle school.”
Again, Genesis’s heart went out to him.
“That woman was tenacious. From the moment we met, she was determined to win me over. She succeeded.” He released a heavy breath, as if he was feeling better by getting the weight of her loss off of his chest. Genesis found that she was glad he felt comfortable enough opening up to her. “She always had this dream to visit New York City. And it was a grand adventure to say the least. I wouldn’t trade a single moment—except for the instant she breathed her last.”
Without conscious thought, Genesis reached out. One hand was on the steering wheel, but his right was resting on the gear shifter. She covered that one with her own.
Almost immediately, she could feel his fingers tighten on the lever.
She jerked her hand back. “I didn’t mean to overstep. I—”
He pushed on the brake and once they came to a stop, he turned to her and with his warm, brown gaze on hers, he said softly, “You didn’t.