She sighed and looked around. At least the town and its surroundings were pleasing to her. It was her first time in this part of Colorado, and she hadn’t quite known what to expect, but it was really quite lovely. No doubt her endless hours spent in the laboratory were contributing to a deep sense of relief at being somewhere so quiet and peaceful. The people she could see walking about the town did so completely unhurriedly, in stark opposite to the furious city streets that saw people bumping into each other and drivers beeping at pedestrians who didn’t get off the road quickly enough.
Albuquerque had its good points, but it felt refreshing to get away. Aubrey almost felt she could put her feet up somewhere here and have a proper vacation—if she could avoid any more conversations with the irritating shifter she now had to pay to take her round the place. Unfortunately, she was not there for relaxing. She had important work to do for the lab, and with her guide she could hopefully hunt down results in no time, no matter how annoying he was.
An image of her father suffering on a hospital bed flashed into her mind, and she drew a deep breath, put her sunglasses back on and turned back to the shop door with determination in her eyes… not that anyone could see them.
No doubt this Jesse had her pegged as a snobby bitch who wasn’t cut out for an arduous trek out into the wilderness, but there was a lot about her that people didn’t know…
Chapter 3
“So,” Jesse said after joining Aubrey outside of the store, “this community is very small and quaint. The people here cherish it, but there isn’t all that much to see.”
“I think it’s actually a pretty beautiful place you have here,’ she replied, going up in his estimation for voicing such a sentiment. It surprised him, considering how out of place she looked, but he was far too wary of city sarcasm to thank her for the compliment.
“What exactly is it you’re looking to study out here?” he asked.
“What I really need to see is the water reservoir,” she replied. “Do you know where that is?”
“Sure, but that’s way up in the mountains. I don’t usually take people that far. Can get kinda dangerous up there.”
“You mean up on that mountain?” Aubrey replied, pointing over his shoulder and apparently not even trying to hide her excitement. In the distance a blend of meadow and conifers gave way to the rocky mountain bases. Lush countryside contrasted with jagged and imposing terrain that gave away once more for smoother and more vertical mountainside that ended in a snow capped peak. An echo of winter lingered on, though everything beneath boasted the bright colors of summertime.
“That’s right. That particular mountain is called Mount Brown. You can see from here that it’s a fair bit steeper than the others, and we’ve gotta climb right around the side to reach the reservoir. Tourists usually stick to Mount Baker,” he said. “Y’know, there’s actually a road that leads to the reservoir, but that comes from the other side of the mountain, which is almost an hour’s drive from here, starting all the way over in Bear Grove. You’d have been better off going there rather than here.”
“Well, I’m up for a long hike. Really, I don’t mind.”
“You sure you don’t just want to drive from the other side in Bear Grove? Would be a lot easier.”
She shook her head.
“I’m here now. May as well hike.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay. I can take you up there if you want to see it…” Jesse said with caution in his voice.
“I sense a ‘but’ here…”
“If you want to study the place in depth, there’s really no point going now. It’s too late in the day and will be almost dark when we get there. That’s how long it takes to get all the way up to the reservoir.”
Aubrey appeared about to protest, opening her mouth but then nodding after considering his advice. Of course she would need daylight if she was intending to study the reservoir.
“Okay,” she said. “We can go tomorrow. Where do we…?”
Whatever question she intended to ask was cut off, because she was distracted by the frown on Jesse’s face. Clearly there was some other problem he was having difficulty voicing.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Well, I really don’t mean to sound patronizing,” he replied, “but you’re really not dressed for climbing mountains. Even when it’s warm down here, it gets cold up there. I’d suggest an entire new outfit of good regular clothes if you’re up for making a few purchases—if not then I’m going to have to be a stickler on those shoes at least. Those ballet flats or whatever you call them definitely aren’t good to climb in.”
Aubrey blushed and considered him for a moment, then looked at her watch. It wasn’t incredibly important to her if she looked out of place at the scene. She wasn’t staying the week and setting up camp, but she could see he was right about the shoes, and considering they had time to shop, she decided to humor him.
“You’re right,” she agreed. “Do you have a store in mind?”
“Absolutely. Good bargain place.”
“Then I’ll take your advice, as long as you promise not to dress me up like an Amazon woman.”
Jesse grinned at this and agreed to accompany her to a store where she could get kitted up. He could really have done with her not putting such a fascinating image in his mind, but he managed to soldier on without giving away that he was now imagining her clad in little more than a leopard-print bikini. Hmm…she can have as many annoying city habits as she likes if she wears an outfit like that…
***
Walking boots, hiking pants and thermal jackets were the order of the day, to replace Aubrey’s black leather ballet flats, pantyhose and wool coat. Jesse helped Aubrey pick something appropriate and then waited for her to try it all on. He also had reserve rain jackets in his backpack in case the heavens opened with the storms Claire had mentioned earlier, but otherwise he didn’t think they would be needed. The main aim was to have clothes that kept her warm and didn’t tear easily when walking through the undergrowth, but the boots were the most important addition considering the uneven trail paths he would be leading her on. In spite of her willingness he was still wondering if the next day might bring a change of attitude, especially once they were out on the trail with her legs aching from the miles. A spoiled city girl might surface once she became grumpy; would she be so flattering about the scenery when that time came?
In his mind she took an incredible amount of time to try the clothes on, but then again, he wasn’t the most patient of people. When she finally re-emerged from the fitting room, he could see from the look on her face that she wasn’t taking to the new outfit; perhaps she’d been bracing herself for being the butt of his jokes. Other than the look on her face, however, Jesse was impressed. He told her she looked great but unfortunately added the teasing quip ‘Better than that silly city outfit,’, and he immediately cursed himself for being such a prick.
God, what was it with this woman? It was like she was turning his brain to mush.
“Hey, I’m not the one pressuring you to change your clothes,” she bit back with a rather annoyed expression on her face now. “But if you asked, I’d say perhaps it wouldn’t hurt you to buy something more fashionable.”
“What is it they say about fashion? ‘Anyone who follows fashion is…’”
But he couldn’t remember the rest of the quote. Something about always lagging behind.
“Anyone who follows fashion is what? Better dressed than Jesse McCoy?” she said, one eyebrow arched again.
He chuckled. “All right. You got me there. I’m serious, though, you do look great in hiking gear,’ he replied.
“Thanks,” she said, and he didn’t miss the rising blush in her cheeks.
Awkward moment over—or so Jesse thought—the purchases were made and Aubrey was at least partially prepared for the hike he was to take her on the following day. After leaving the store, his initial thoughts were that their business was over for t
he day, but on turning to leave he realized again how lost she looked and thought he would be forgetting his manners if he didn’t offer her a place to eat. After all, that was how things were done in a small community like Pine Valley. She was a first-time visitor in town, after all, and might have been shy of entering some strange bar or café on her own.
“Well now that’s done with, you want to get something to eat?” he asked. “You must be quite tired and hungry from your journey.”
“I’m starving, actually,” she admitted. “Sorry if it’s making me irritable.”
He chuckled internally at how unexpectedly sweet she was. “Oh, I’m pretty thick-skinned. If you can put up with me for a bit longer then I know a place that makes a great steak.”
“Do they serve anything else?” she asked, seemingly unimpressed. “I’m a vegetarian.”
Of course you are, he thought, trying to hide his grin. “Sure, they have a massive menu. Come take a look.”
***
Jesse had never come across a serious vegetarian in his life; most people from this neck of the woods loved their meat, and seeing the salad Aubrey had ordered sitting opposite his plate of ribs made him wonder what on earth they got out of it. Pretty much everyone in town was keen on their barbecued dishes and he couldn’t imagine ever feeling full or satisfied if he had to depend on the kind of sustenance this girl saw as food.
“You know, you’ll need a lot of energy tomorrow,” he said, unable to avoid the subject at last as he tucked into his second rib. Perhaps he could work on her jealousy if she thought his plate of food smelled so much better than hers. “Maybe you should consider something else on the menu as well. Potatoes or something.”
“I’m trying to avoid carbs,” she replied.
“Why?” he asked, astounded. Carbs were almost as good as meat! Bread, chips, cakes…why on earth would this girl be avoiding them?
She cast her eyes down at the table, seemingly embarrassed. “Just trying to lose a bit of weight,” she mumbled.
Jesse scoffed. “I have no idea why you’d want to lose weight. You look fine,” he said. He’d almost told her how amazing he thought her body was, but he had settled on ‘fine’ at the last second, not wanting to freak her out. “You don’t stand a chance of putting on weight eating rabbit food, anyway, so I wouldn’t worry.”
“Maybe if you’d try eating some vegies, instead of a slaughtered lunch for a change, you’d find it gave you everything you needed,” she replied calmly. Aubrey had lost count of the times she’d had this conversation with people who could not figure out how someone could live without meat. No doubt her new acquaintance thought his opinions on the subject were entirely original, however.
“Don’t worry, Indiana Jones,” she continued. “I’ll keep up with you tomorrow.”
“You sure you can put up with me much longer?” he asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.
Her cheeks turned redder still. “Of course. I’m here for professional reasons,” she said stiffly.
No chance of having a midnight session under the stars with this one, Jesse thought, which was actually a relief. Once again he was thinking of his forum buddy on Roar4More. He wondered what she might look like and what she might be doing right then, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be lusting after Aubrey for much longer when the woman he really wanted was online.
If only he could finally meet her…
Chapter 4
Jesse wondered if he’d wound Aubrey up so much that she would change her mind by the morning, but when the time came, she was as good as her word, waiting by Claire’s store at eight A.M. sharp for their expedition to begin. She even paid him in advance.
Here to prove me wrong, he thought. As for Jesse, on the other hand, he had completely lost his sense of humor regarding taking this city girl on an arduous adventure. He had hoped that focusing his mind on something would help him to feel better, but the truth was he felt much worse. There was no enthusiasm in his bones for movement when he woke, and he had to apologize for being ten minutes late, something that had never happened before. Whatever virus he had was a complete drag, and he was slightly grumpy when Claire was quick to pick up on that fact when the two of them entered her store to pick up their climbing equipment.
“Hey, you really don’t look any better, Jesse!” she exclaimed. “You sure you’re up for this expedition?”
“I’m fine, Claire. Once I get moving, my limbs will forget this bug.”
“Oh, are you unwell?” Aubrey asked. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“It’s nothing,” he replied. “Just some virus.”
She chewed on her lower lip as she regarded him, looking far more worried than he expected her to.
“What are the symptoms?” she asked, eyes wide.
“My legs and arms just feel a bit heavy, that’s all.”
“How long have you have these symptoms?”
“Oh, a week or so. Really, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing,” he replied.
Why do women always sound so panicky just because you’ve picked up a bug? he wondered. He’d known this one less than a day and she already sounded like his mother. At the same time, however, he had to admit that it was sweet how much she already seemed to be worrying about him.
After picking up all their supplies and bidding Claire farewell, their day’s trek to the reservoir got under way. On a mission as she was, Aubrey was relieved to get going and attacked the trail before them with great enthusiasm. Jesse had to tell her that a steady pace would be better in the long run, otherwise she would soon burn herself out. He avoided adding a joke such as, especially as all you have had to power that body is a bundle of lettuce, but in truth he was quite envious of the spring in her step. If some similar quality could return to him at some point on their trip then he would feel more like himself again.
The first two hours of their journey would be a fairly easy trail, but the ground would soon rise all the way, and Jesse expected to see some of Aubrey’s enthusiasm drain away by the end of it. This didn’t happen, however. Aubrey’s pace remained strong and she still looked as if she would like to go faster; break out into a run even. There was not a bead of perspiration on her forehead, unlike his own (this was only because of his bug, of course) and he had to admit his respect for her was growing with every step.
“Hope you don’t mind me saying this,” he began, also hoping that some better quality of conversation than they’d had previously might distract him from the growing ache in his limbs. “But I didn’t imagine you as someone who gets out and about like this very much.”
“Well, I’m happy to surprise you, Jesse,” she replied with a smile.
“Fair enough. Guess I did underestimate you. But then again, I did advise you on those shoes and clothes, so I can take some credit for it, right?”
“Ha! Fine, I’ll give you that. These shoes are great. I’ve been keeping some things from you, though, so I guess I can forgive you.”
“What’s that?”
“I actually love hiking!” she replied with sudden glee in her tone. “I haven’t done it in years, so I was curious to see if my legs would keep up, but I was up for the pain even if not.”
“So when have you hiked before?” he asked, genuinely intrigued.
“When I was a girl, with my Dad,” she told him and, although she smiled, he was perceptive enough to see that there was sadness on her face. She was treading a form of melancholic nostalgia, and he didn’t have to play detective to figure out why.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess he’s not with you anymore,” he said.
She shook her head. “That’s right. I’ve had difficulty not thinking about him ever since you told me the reservoir was up here, to be honest. I know this probably sounds weird, but I almost feel as if I can remember him better, doing something like this that reminds me of him. I always figured it’d make me miss him more, which is why I haven’t hiked in ages. I’m glad we’re here, though. It just makes me think o
f all the good times I had with him, and it doesn’t feel bad at all.”
“Sounds like he must have been a great guy,” Jesse said, his voice gentle.
“He was…he would have liked you, I’d imagine; a shifter who loves hiking.”
“What…was he a shifter?”
“Yep.”
This was a massive surprise to him. He hadn’t picked up on any animal scents from Aubrey, so there was no way she was a shifter herself, and the gene was usually dominant.
“Why on earth didn’t you say so?”
“We all need to be respected for who we are, don’t we?” she replied. Of course this was a very tactful response, considering it was the kind of sentiment Shifter Rights protestors had been using to champion their cause for years. She was completely right of course, he had to admit. It shouldn’t have made any difference to his impression of her knowing that her father was like or unlike his own.
“Sure,” he replied, “I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Obviously I didn’t inherit the shifter gene. I’ve got a bit of an animal in me, though, I just keep it hidden,” she said with a cheeky smile.
She was joking of course, but whatever she meant by it there was no helping the twinge in his loins. Change the subject quickly, he thought. Before you pounce on her right now.
“I hope having a shifter father hasn’t held you back in the city,” he commented. “I know there’s a lot of intolerant folks everywhere, but the anti-shifter ones really seem to gather in the bigger places.”
“Well, the thing is,” she replied, “he’s totally responsible for me being here today. Even though he’s not around. So how’s that for influence?”
“How do you mean?” he asked, confused.
“The work I’m doing; it’s shifter related.”
“Oh?”
“My father got sick in the end from a rare disease that only affected shifters. It’s what stole him away from me, and it’s exactly why I do what I do.”
Roar For More (Online Shifter Dating Agency Romance) Page 3
