Beyond the tips of tall pines, rolling hills plunged to a cavernous valley. She could barely make out the structures, but a town was discernible by snaking roads and a flatter landscape. A lake lay still as glass, reflecting the late-afternoon sun. Sweetwater. Logan had told her all about the quaint town with cobblestone streets and old-fashioned storefronts. Maybe she and Jake could plan a trip together and visit the town. There was so much beauty outside of the city. Why had she waited this long to explore? The urge to call Jake and share her excitement with him fluttered inside her. As gorgeous as the view was, and as thrilled as she was to finally get this far on her journey, something was still missing. This trip had seemed like such an exciting and necessary idea when she’d seen all the places Jake had been and witnessed the things he’d accomplished. But now she realized it wasn’t the places he’d been that had captured her attention. Captured my heart. It went so much deeper. It was his dedication to helping people. His loyalty to what he believed in, his loyalty to his family.
And your loyalty to me.
He never looked at the camera because he knew the secret to happiness. It wasn’t in others seeing that he could achieve something, or that he adored his family. His happiness came from within, from doing the things he loved. Seeing those pictures sparked something bigger than just the need to prove she could get off her comfy couch and climb a mountain. But she’d spent so many years proving to herself, to her family, to anyone who might look at her like a girl born with a silver spoon in her mouth, that she was more, she hadn’t seen what was right in front of her. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. Jake’s voice floated into her mind again. I know you’re there with me. Nothing else matters.
Her eyes drifted to Sweetwater again, and she imagined walking along the cobblestone streets with him. Sitting at the edge of the lake getting drunk on his kisses. The truth she’d been trying to outrun clung to her like a second skin. She needed him. She missed the way butterflies nested in her belly when he smiled, and the way he looked at her. God, the way he looked at her. He had a way of seeing parts of her that no one else had ever taken the time to see. You need a man who can put up with your shit and slap your ass.
Her eyes welled up and she swiped at the tears. When had she become a fountain of emotions? Laughing to herself, she turned back toward the last leg of today’s journey. She couldn’t stand there and daydream all day. The sun would soon give way to darkness, and when that happened she wanted to be set up on Pirate’s Peak. Her body still wasn’t used to the daily climbing, and even the thought of scaling that mountainous rock made her tired, but she wasn’t a quitter.
I’m proud of you. Be safe, sexy girl. Jake’s voice gave her the push she needed.
She’d missed him too much when she’d first read those words to feel the full impact of his praise. Now, as she stared up at the rock face, she was excited to take a picture at the peak and text it to him. She finally had someone to share her accomplishments with. She had Gabriella, but sharing her accomplishments with a girlfriend was different from sharing them with a man she liked. Liked? I’m so far beyond like I can’t even see it anymore.
She gave her intimidating challenger a once-over. Having pored over articles written by hikers of all ages who had climbed Pirate’s Peak without any equipment, she knew she could do it, too. She assessed the deep ledges and long stretches of uneven rock, allowing plenty of space for fingerholds. As she hoisted her pack onto her back, a wave of doubt washed through her. Her pack wasn’t all that heavy, but it might make climbing something this challenging awkward. She stared at the rock face, which had gotten its name because of a darkened area of rock that resembled an eye patch, and the jagged horizontal crack about ten feet off the ground, which looked like an eerie sneer. I’ve come this far. I’m not about to let a pirate-faced rock beat me.
The rock was cold and unforgiving against her hands, stable and reassuring beneath each foot. Addy hoisted herself from one rock to the next, using upper-body strength she didn’t realize she possessed, and undiscovered muscles came to life along her sides and at the junctures of her knees and quads. She felt powerful and confident. Adrenaline pushed her past the abrading on her hands and the weight of her pack bearing down on her shoulders. Sweat beaded her forehead and dripped between her breasts. By the time she reached the peak, stretching her arm over the cold, hard stone, her limbs were trembling. She pictured herself sliding back down and crashing headfirst into the ground.
Not helpful.
Wishing more than ever that she’d accepted Jake’s offer to experience this with her, she ran her fingers over the ledge, blindly seeking something to grasp. Her fingers caught on a sharp edge, and she dragged her body over the ridge, scraping her thighs in the process. She dropped her backpack, pushed up to her hands and knees, and crawled away from the edge. Collapsing on her back, she lay with her arms stretched out, panting like she’d just scaled Mount Everest. Something dug into her butt. She reached into her pocket and withdrew the compass, remembering how she’d been a little offended when Jake had suggested she bring it. She was a fool.
“I did it!” she said into the air. An unstoppable smile formed on her lips, and her heart thundered so hard she was sure it was cursing at her, but she felt amazing! Closing her eyes and raising fisted hands to the sky, she yelled, “I fucking did it!”
Her voice echoed around her, reminding her of a philosophy class she’d taken in college. Her professor had posed the well-known thought experiment. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” She’d enjoyed that class tremendously. It had made her question everything about life. Now, as she sat watching the sun dip from the sky, her voice no longer lingering in the air, she asked the same question of her achievement. If no one was there to share it with, did it really happen? Of course it did, and she took pride in that, but her mind continued down that path.
Tackling Pirate’s Peak didn’t fill the emptiness she’d thought it would.
It might have, if she and Jake hadn’t become a thing. But despite the thrill of knowing she’d done something she never thought she would, she knew with her whole heart that it would mean more if they’d experienced it together.
She unzipped her pack and emptied it as quickly as she could, fishing around for her phone. The need to talk to Jake, to share this moment with him, was stronger than her need to breathe. She pushed the power button, and remembered he was teaching a class. She’d have to text instead of calling. Her phone didn’t power on. She pushed the button again…and again. The damn thing was dead. She could have sworn she’d powered it off after texting Gabriella, but she’d been in such a hurry, she must have forgotten. Now there would be no pictures, no texts, just the mind-numbing reality of spending her big moment alone.
Her eyes sailed over her sleeping bag, the supplies she’d brought to make dinner, and finally, her journal. Shoving her useless phone back in the pack, she grabbed the journal. How could he have known exactly what she needed on this trip, when she thought all she needed was to be alone with her thoughts?
She opened the journal and read the note he’d written for her again. Sexy girl, you can hike for miles, but everything you’re looking for is waiting for you right back here. Your Neanderthal, J.R.
She glanced at her supplies again, and realized she’d forgotten her lantern, pillow, and the firestarter to heat up her dinner. Her eyes drifted over the edge of the rocks at the branches and other pieces of firewood she’d need to start a fire. Sighing heavily, she clutched the journal to her chest. Jake would have thought this through. She wasn’t about to climb back down Pirate’s Peak.
Opening the journal once again, she wrote, I wish I could share this with you. This beautiful view, the excitement I feel inside me, the—
She fisted her hand around the pen, tears dampening her eyes. It wasn’t the view or the excitement of what she had accomplished that she wanted to share with him. Those things seemed so insignificant compared to the
love burgeoning inside her. She might have forgotten to bring the things she thought she needed to make herself comfortable, but none of them mattered. Even if she had remembered to bring every one of those items, she’d still left behind the most essential element of all.
My missing piece.
Chapter Twenty-Two
JAKE DOWNED THE last of his beer and set the empty glass on the bar, hoping the bartender, a buxom blonde who had spent more time vying for his attention than doing her job, wouldn’t start flirting again. Jake wasn’t in the mood to hang out at NightCaps, the bar where he usually met his brothers—and Addy. But after spending two days trying not to think about the fact that she hadn’t texted or called, Cash’s invitation had been a welcome one. Of course, while his phone was silent as a frigging stone, Cash had received three texts in the last thirty seconds.
Jake pushed his empty beer bottle away. He’d thought he’d get trashed and forget about the gnawing ache in his gut telling him to get in his truck, hunt down Addy, and talk some sense into her. He’d texted her this morning, and again this afternoon, and she hadn’t returned either one. Knowing Addy, she’d turned the damn phone off to make a statement, but worry ate away at him that she’d run into trouble. He knew if he hightailed it up that mountain and she was fine, she’d give him hell for checking up on her. He was this close to saying fuck it and going anyway. Time for Little Miss Independent to stop hiding behind her past. Maybe when Cash finished texting he could distract him enough to make it through a few more hours. And hopefully by then Addy would come to her senses and call him.
Blondie returned, fluttering her lashes as she whisked away his empty bottle. He averted his gaze. It was only nine thirty on what felt like the longest Thursday in the history of the world, and the bar was packed. Normally he liked the eye candy that hung out in NightCaps, but the only eye candy he wanted was too frigging far away to see.
“Everything okay?” Jake asked as Cash returned another text.
“Yeah.” Cash shoved his phone in his pocket. “You know my buddy Boyd Hudson?”
“Sure. He started med school, right?” Boyd had worked with Cash at the firehouse for a few years before moving away.
“Yup. In Meadowside, Virginia. He and his fiancée, Janie, just set a wedding date. Looks like we’ll be going to Virginia for a wedding.”
“Awesome. I’m happy for them.”
Blondie returned with another beer for Jake. “Here you go. Anything else I can get you, just ask.” Her sultry blue-eyed gaze told him she truly meant anything.
Before Addy, he wouldn’t have looked past the ready-and-willing, no-strings-attached opportunity before him, but now he saw a lonely woman looking to fill a few empty hours. Jake wondered why she couldn’t see that he was turned off by the idea of his hands on anyone other than Addy. He felt like he was so consumed with her he had a blinking neon sign that read PROUD BOYFRIEND OF STUBBORN, SEXY ADDISON DAHL on his forehead.
“Thanks,” he said with blatant disinterest, and turned away.
“Damn,” Cash said under his breath. “When did pigs start flying?”
“The night of Duke’s wedding.” His phone vibrated, and he withdrew it from his pocket, hoping like hell it was Addy. Duke’s name flashed on the screen. “Shit. This can’t be good.”
“A guy on his honeymoon shouldn’t be anywhere near his phone,” Cash said, locking a serious gaze on Jake as he answered the call.
“Hey, bro. You okay?”
“Let’s see,” Duke said casually. “I’m in paradise with the most gorgeous woman on earth, doing our best to start our family. What do you think?”
That’s hard to believe, because the most beautiful woman on earth is busy making me crazy up in the mountains. Jake heard a thread of something in Duke’s voice that made him hold back the tease. “Then why are you calling me?”
“Because my thoughtful wife is worried about her best friend.” Duke’s tone turned serious. “Have you heard from Addy?”
“Not since Tuesday.” When we had a rough end to our call. The hair on the back of Jake’s neck prickled. He pushed to his feet as Duke explained that Addy had texted Gabriella and seemed upset, and Gabriella hadn’t been able to reach her since. The thought of his girl alone and upset already had his insides twisting, but while she might pull stone-cold-stubborn silence on him, she’d never do that to Gabriella.
Cash rose beside him and tossed money on the bar. “What’s going on?”
“Gabby’s worried about Addy.” But not half as worried as I am. Then to Duke he said, “Tell Gabby not to worry. Her phone probably died, but I’m going to find her.” He promised to text Duke with an update, and ended the call as he pushed through the crowd toward the exit.
“Want me to come with you?” Cash asked.
Jake flagged down a cab. “No. I’ve got this.”
Two hours later, armed with his SAR equipment, and as his mother would say, enough piss and vinegar for four men, he went in search of the girl who knew how to push all his buttons. Jake took the mountain at a fast clip, stepping over fallen trees, around bushes and rocks. Guided by a headlamp and his own keen sense of direction, with every step his protective instincts kicked in harder. He could kick himself for not leaving hours ago.
A quick glance at his compass told him he was heading in the right direction. Riser’s Ridge was a few miles straight ahead. He had tunnel vision, his every thought consumed with Addy, the most sensual, smart, gorgeous, stubborn woman he’d ever met. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
The miles passed quickly, and when the tree line thinned, revealing bright stretches of royal-blue sky, he sprinted into the clearing and followed tracks to her campsite. His heart beat faster as he approached the dark tent, taking in the rock-lined fire pit, the clothesline strung between two trees, and the area around her tent, which was free of debris. She’d listened to his advice, or her own good sense. He crouched by the front of the tent, taking a moment to get a grip on his emotions. Chances were, she’d give him hell for showing up, and he guessed that hauling her into the kiss he’d been dying for wasn’t the best response to anger.
“Addy?” he said softly, not wanting to startle her. “It’s Jake. I’m going to unzip your tent.”
He unzipped it slowly and said, “I missed you, baby. I—” His stomach sank at the sight of the empty, almost barren, tent. In three seconds flat he cataloged her missing sleeping bag and gear. All of his search and rescue instincts surged forward.
“Addy?” he hollered, rising to his full height and scanning the area. She was out there alone somewhere spending the night without a tent. Jesus, Addy. He couldn’t decide if she was brave or stupid. Not that a tent was critical, but it provided a modicum of safety from the elements—and predators.
He bent at the waist, assessing the footprints around the site. There were only his and hers, which was a relief. At least the probability of someone absconding with her was off the table. But where the hell was she? Inspecting the ground more closely, he noticed freshly moved dirt just beyond the tent. Leaves were pushed to the side, as if she’d dragged something off to the west. He envisioned her tugging her backpack, cursing under her breath about him and his need to be there for her. His smile faded quickly as reality hit. If she was too tired to carry the pack, then how far could she have gone?
Plowing forward, he kept his light on the ground and his mind on the search, mentally ticking off all the places she’d wanted to see on her journey.
ADDY STARTLED AWAKE, her eyes darting blindly into the night. She clenched her fingers around the sleeping bag, holding it beneath her chin and listening to leaves brushing in the breeze. It was cold without the protection of her tent, and sounds were amplified. She’d had a heck of a time falling asleep. Her mind had traveled to eerie places. Places she hadn’t allowed it to the whole time she’d been on the mountain. But out here on the rocks, exposed to the elements, she’d conjured up all sorts of awful things. Mountain lions
surrounding her, hungry wolves on the prowl, confused black bears with a craving for human flesh. Great. Now she was panicking again. She squeezed her eyes closed, pretending to have a tent around her, though she knew how ridiculous it was to think that scrappy little vinyl dome could protect her from any of those things. A loud snap of twigs brought her eyes wide open. She held her breath, listening to the very clear, ominous snapping of twigs.
She was not conjuring this up. Something was out there, and it sounded heavy.
Snap, snap, snap!
She was trembling, her mind racing through her options. Lie still? Pray whatever it was couldn’t climb?
Snap! Snap!
She inched further down into the sleeping bag. Should she get up and try to scare it away? Could a bear see her up on that gigantic rock? What would she do if whatever it was charged up the rocks? There was no place to run.
The snapping sounds stopped.
She exhaled the breath she’d been holding.
Scrape, scrape.
It was at the base of Pirate’s Peak. Addy lay frozen, too scared to move, listening for—
The unmistakable sounds of heavy breathing broke through her fear. She scrambled out of the sleeping bag and ran, hunched over—as if that might make her invisible—to the far edge of the boulder, where she crouched as low as she could and peered over the side. The way down was a straight drop. Holy fuck, she was cornered. Jake was right, she had no business out here alone. She couldn’t fight off a wild animal.
Or a crazy mountain man.
Ohgodno. No, no, no.
Where was her Neanderthal when she needed him? Why did he have to listen to her? He should have known she needed him, just like he knew she needed the journal, the compass, and the goddamn slap on the ass. The next time she saw him, she’d give him a slap all right. Right upside the head for not being more stubborn than her! She’d never been one to pray, but she closed her eyes and begged, pleaded, groveled to whoever would listen. I promise to stop being stubborn, to listen to Jake’s advice, to appreciate all the things he does, and to make a bigger effort with my parents, and—
Rescued by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders): Jake Ryder Page 22
