Page 6
Longing threatens my composure. I’d be an idiot to think a passionate, educated, beautiful woman like her hasn’t had her pick of lovers. All of them with a hell of a lot more to offer than a battle-scarred old man.
She’s smart, educated, kind, thoughtful. A grunt like me has no business even thinking about her. I’m so out of her league.
She’s your best friend’s daughter and too damn young for you. I keep repeating the mantra. Over and over. Hoping it will eventually sink in and dampen my longing.
The shower shuts off. Turning, I cross to the fire, so I’m not caught staring at the bathroom door like a lovesick puppy. When the door finally opens, I can’t seem to stop myself from glancing up. She’s dressed in what looks like flannel pajamas and a fuzzy robe. A towel is knotted around her hair.
She smiles. “How was the trail?”
“Nothing major. A little blowdown, but the fallen branches were easy enough to relocate off the path. Waterways were intact. No stray hikers or campers. Quiet night.”
“Good. I can’t believe I forgot my hairdryer. If you don’t mind, I’ll sit in front of the fire for a while until my hair is dry enough to go to bed.”
“When I’m showing you around the town tomorrow, we’ll stop and get you one.”
“Thank you.”
Her smile is so sweet and honest, I can’t help but grin back. “If you’re done, I’ll take my shower.”
“Micha,” she stops me at the bathroom door. I look over my shoulder.
“Thank you. I appreciate you letting me stay. This...getting the job on this mountain means a lot to me. Whatever I can learn from you helps my chances of being the one they select.”
I nod. “We’ll go over my ground rules tomorrow. Your safety, and your ability to keep yourself safe are my primary concerns. I won’t take chances with you, nor will I allow you to take chances on your own.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less. I don’t want to be good enough to do the job. I want to learn from the best to be the best. I won’t let you down.”
The sweet scent of her shampoo surrounds me in the bathroom. Damn, it’s a heady scent. One I remember all too well from my visits to her parents’ home. Being around her twenty-four seven is going to test my resistance to the extreme.
I could reach out to one of the other guys on the SAR team. But I won’t. I must be a sadistic bastard, because having her here is a dream come true. Even if it is only as a mentor and student. Platonic. That’s all it can be. But I’ll still have memories.
I’m a sleeping in the buff kind of guy but thankfully remembered a pair of sweatpants when I headed to the bathroom. Padding barefoot out to the main room, I see she’s in bed reading on her e-reader.
She glances up a slight blush on her cheeks. “I’ll shut it off. I just thought I could read while you were in the shower.”
“Not a problem.” I pull my book from my built in bedside shelf and turn on the reading light overhead.
“What are you reading,” she asks.
“Desert Solitaire.”
“That’s the one by the park ranger from outside Moab, Utah. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you always read nonfiction?”
“No. I like a good thriller or murder mystery. How about you?”
“Romance mostly, some mysteries. I’ve been in college forever and I need a break from learning.” Her eyes go wide. “That does not mean I won’t read or study any books you feel I should read about our area.”
“Relax. No one should work 24/7. Your dad is the one who taught me a lot about balance.”
Smiling, she reaches over and puts her reader on the shelf opposite my side of my bed. Then she snuggles under the comforter on her little cot and faces the wall. The outline of her body clearly visible to me in the lamp light. Damn, that bed can’t be comfortable. It’s only a little wider than she is and the springs creak.
She shifts again, probably trying to get comfortable. It’s going to be a long night. For both of us.
CHAPTER 5
