“Don’t take it like that,” he said and wrapped his arms around her. “I just meant that I never knew. I always thought you were beautiful and sometimes I had to wonder if your brothers ever caught me staring at you.”
“I don’t know. Did they ever throw anything at your face for no reason?” she asked with a smirk.
“Not that I can remember. But it doesn’t matter. All I know is that you’re here now and I’m seeing you, Summer. Really seeing you.”
Her eyes went wide at his words and the sincerity behind them. “What do you see?”
“I see a woman I want to get to know better. A woman who is sexy and intelligent and just…everything.”
“Wow.” She sighed and stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“No one’s ever said anything like that to me before,” she replied quietly, blushing.
“Good,” he said huskily. “I like knowing that I’m the only one.”
They were standing in the middle of the path, gazing into each other’s eyes, when a small group of hikers walked by and effectively killed the moment. Ethan looked around and knew that they could continue on the path they had been taking—the safe one—or he could give in to Summer’s request and take them on a bit of an adventure. Taking her hand in his, he pulled her toward the unmarked path.
“Wait. Ethan, what are you doing?”
Looking over his shoulder at her, he winked. “I thought you wanted an adventure.”
Her smile grew wide. “Really? You’re seriously going to take us on this unmapped trail? For real?”
“Stop asking or I’ll come to my senses,” he teased and led the way through the trees until they found a slightly wider path to follow.
They hiked for several hours, admiring the scenery and talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. Summer found out all about Ethan’s hobbies besides extreme sports—chess, reading mystery novels, and listening to classic rock music—and found that even if she hadn’t been insanely attracted to and falling in love with him, he’d be someone she’d still want as a friend.
Ethan still wasn’t one hundred percent comfortable taking Summer off the beaten trail (so to speak) but was enjoying their conversation. While he had heard all about her multiple and sometimes quirky career choices, each and every one of them meant something to her. She wasn’t as flighty as Zach had made her sound; she was just trying to find the right fit for herself without letting anyone dictate it for her. He admired Summer for that.
“So which job did you like the most?” he asked as he climbed over a fallen log.
“I love doing the yoga classes. It’s a win-win situation; I get to teach but I also get the benefits of the class. It’s one of the only jobs I’ve ever had where I never felt any stress.”
“That makes sense. And from what I could tell, you’re pretty good at it,” he said with a wink and then noticed the confused look on her face. “That day at the tepee? You were doing yoga out front. Remember?”
“Oh, right,” she said. “I had forgotten that part.”
“I don’t know anything about yoga, but you certainly seemed to know what you were doing.”
Summer stopped and looked around. “Tell you what, why don’t we stop here and have our lunch and I’ll show you a pose or two.”
Ethan’s eyes went wide. “Um…what?”
“Don’t be such a baby. I’ll just show you some basic poses. They’ll be easy for you.”
“Summer, I’m not doing yoga in the middle of the forest. Not even for you,” he said lightly as he pulled his backpack off and began taking out the supplies they had for their lunch.
“Spoilsport,” she mumbled and crouched down on the ground to help him. Within minutes, they were sitting quietly on a flannel blanket, enjoying the sandwiches they’d had the lodge restaurant pack up for them.
When she was done, Summer lay down and looked up at the sky through the blanket of trees. “This really has been a perfect day, don’t you think?”
Ethan finished his sandwich and lay down beside her. “It certainly has.”
“I bet Gabriella’s enjoying herself too.”
Ethan nodded. “I’m sure.”
“Would it be wrong to take a nap right now?” she asked around a big yawn.
“Yes. As it is we probably shouldn’t be where we are. It would be even worse to fall asleep here and get lost.”
“Fine. Can we just rest for a little bit?”
Leaning over, Ethan put an arm around Summer and tucked her in close to him until her head was resting on his chest. “I think that would be okay.”
It didn’t take long for him to realize his error in judgment as his own eyes began to drift closed. “We can’t fall asleep,” he said softly and then yawned.
“We won’t. I promise.” Even as she spoke the words, Summer relaxed against him and her breathing slowed and evened out.
Some time later, Ethan awoke with a start. The sun had definitely shifted, and he immediately began to panic. A quick glance at his watch showed that they had indeed fallen asleep—two hours ago. “Summer!” he said sharply. “Summer, wake up! We fell asleep!”
She didn’t immediately move to get up. Instead, she stretched and yawned and blinked a couple of times to bring the world into focus. “What’s the matter?” she asked innocently.
“What’s the matter?” he snapped impatiently. “We fell asleep! I have no idea how long it’s going to take us to find our way back to the path and get back to the lodge before it gets late!”
Standing, she stretched again. “Relax. It won’t get dark until almost eleven tonight. We’ve got plenty of time. What time is it?”
“It’s almost four,” he said. “I know it doesn’t get dark until late, but I don’t want to be out wandering around until that time. Come on, we need to get our stuff packed up and head back.”
While Summer knew Ethan had a point, it didn’t make her feel any better. So they had fallen asleep. What was the big deal? She knew better than to voice that question out loud and decided to keep it to herself. Once everything was cleaned up and back in their packs, Ethan took out his compass and Summer watched in fascination as he mapped out in his head where they needed to go.
“We came in from that direction,” she said, pointing back over her shoulder. “Why can’t we just head back that way and follow the path?”
Ethan frowned. “I didn’t think we came in that way. I thought it was from this side.” He pointed directly in front of him.
Summer looked around and her shoulders sank. “Now I’m confused,” she said.
“That’s why we have the compass,” he said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Hey,” she snapped. “I’ll admit it was a bad idea to fall asleep out here, but might I remind you that I wasn’t the only one? So quit being snippy with me. You were just as sound asleep as I was.”
He didn’t bother to argue and put his attention back on the compass and then pulled out the map from the original trail.
“You know what? You use your little compass and map and all that. I know we came in from this direction so I’m heading back.”
“Summer, don’t go wandering off,” he warned.
“I’m not wandering. I’m heading back to the trail. Which is this way!” And off she went, stomping off down the narrow trail.
“Damn it,” Ethan cursed and immediately went after her. He knew she was heading off in the wrong direction; what he didn’t realize was how fast she could walk. “Summer! Wait up!” He picked up to a light jog and finally caught up with her. Taking her arm, he stopped and spun her around. “This isn’t the way,” he said and pulled out the map and compass to show her. “We are heading farther away from the lodge right now. We need to turn around and head that way. Now come on.”
>
“I’m not going anywhere until you apologize,” she said defiantly.
“Seriously? We’re going to do this now?”
“I expect this kind of attitude from my brothers, but I didn’t expect it from you!”
“What attitude? You know what? We don’t have time for this. It’s getting late and—”
“And it won’t be dark for another six hours so save it. I’m not going to take the blame for this, Ethan. We both fell asleep.”
He let out a frustrated sigh and mentally counted to ten. “Okay. Fine. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I just…I just don’t want anything bad to happen while we’re out here where we’re not supposed to be.”
“Nothing bad’s happened, Ethan. We lost track of time. It’s not a catastrophe.”
“Not yet,” he mumbled.
Summer shot him a warning glare. “Fine. Let’s just say, for argument’s sake, that it’s not a catastrophe. Which way do we need to go?” She was feeling more than a little annoyed and defeated but didn’t argue when Ethan began to lead them in the opposite direction. Summer knew he was definitely more skilled in situations like this, but she knew she wasn’t an idiot either. One way or another, they would make it back to the lodge safely.
Having three older brothers had taught Summer many things, but one valuable lesson was that you didn’t say “I told you so” until a crisis was averted. After an hour of walking, nothing was looking familiar, but rather than speak up, she kept it to herself. Ethan was muttering to himself and was constantly looking at the map and the compass, so she knew that questioning their whereabouts would not be appreciated.
Unfortunately, by the fourth time he stopped and checked on their location, Summer couldn’t hide her concern—or annoyance. “Problem?” she asked.
“I don’t remember tracking for this long, and none of these trails look like the one we walked in on.” He looked around again. “I think we may need to call the lodge for help.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and cursed.
“What’s the matter?”
“It doesn’t look like we can get any reception out here. Try your phone,” he suggested.
“It’s back at the room.”
“What? Why?”
“I forgot to charge it last night and I knew you had yours, so there was no reason for me to bring it,” she said defensively. “Look, we need to just calm down and keep walking. If you say the lodge is this way, then that’s where we’ll keep going. It’s not a well-marked path, so it’s no wonder it doesn’t look familiar.”
“I knew we should have stayed on the damn marked trail,” he cursed as he started walking again.
The tension was palpable as they walked, and the longer they did, the more certain Summer became that they were going the wrong way. Not caring whether Ethan approved, she stopped and pulled a bottle of water from her pack. She watched as he continued to walk while she took a long drink.
Ethan finally realized that Summer wasn’t with him and turned around and stalked back over. “What’s the matter?” he asked none too gently.
“I needed to stop and take a drink, that’s all.” They stood silently for a moment before Ethan grudgingly pulled a bottle of water out of his pack and did the same. “Any idea how much farther until we reach the trail?”
“Should be soon,” he said distractedly and then quickly turned around. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“Like…someone is walking through the leaves. Listen.” They stood silently, and Ethan continued to look around for where the sound was coming from.
“Ooo… Ethan, look! It’s a moose!” she cried. “Look at it! I think it’s a baby! Where’s my camera?” Summer began going through her pack in search of it.
“You brought a camera and not your phone?” he asked incredulously.
“Well, like I said, the phone is charging and I had hoped to get some pictures while we were out today. Here it is,” she said as she stood and aimed the camera in the direction of the moose.
“Summer,” Ethan warned. “Just…don’t, okay? Put the camera away. You don’t want to startle it. When a moose gets startled or feels threatened, it will charge at you.”
“It’s just a baby, Ethan,” she said and continued to try and capture her shot.
“And that means the mama moose isn’t too far away.” He stepped closer and carefully guided Summer’s camera down. “Trust me.”
She sighed with annoyance. “I’m not going to startle it. Just one quick picture and then I’ll put the camera away.” Moving over slightly, Summer quickly took aim and got her picture. “I can’t wait to show Gabriella!”
Ethan wasn’t listening; he was watching the moose and, sure enough, not ten feet behind it was the mama. “Summer, I need to you to listen to me and focus. We need to carefully back up and get behind those trees over there.” He pointed over his shoulder to a large cluster of evergreens. “Don’t think. Just slowly pick up your pack and back up.”
“But—”
“Now!” he hissed as the mother and baby began to amble in their direction. Grasping Summer’s hand in his, he began to move them slowly, eyes never leaving the animals that were heading their way.
Summer cursed as she tripped on a hidden pile of twigs and almost went down. The noise was enough to startle the female moose, which began to charge in their direction. Before she knew what was happening, Ethan was dragging her along through the uncharted terrain. They ran this way and that for several yards before Ethan dodged to the right and quickly tucked her against the back of a tree, where he pressed his body against hers until the animals went by.
His breathing was ragged and Summer was trembling. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
“Are you okay?” he asked shakily, his hands skimming over her to make sure she was all right.
“I’m…I’m fine. Scared, but fine.” She was clutching the front of his shirt as she looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have listened to you. I never should have suggested—”
“Shh… It’s all right.” He gathered her into his embrace and just held her. His heart beat rapidly as he tried to relax.
“I never thought moose were wild like that. I always thought they were relatively tame,” she said as she moved to put a little space between them.
“Normally they are, except when they feel threatened. They probably don’t see a lot of hikers in this area, and we startled them.” Looking around, Ethan wasn’t sure where the animals had run off to. Nor was he certain where he and Summer were. Somewhere in the attempt to get away, he had dropped the compass and the map. He cursed.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“I have no idea where we are or how to get us out of here. I dropped the compass, and I don’t think we should waste time looking for it. It’s getting late and we’re supposed to meet Gabriella for dinner and I have no idea how far we are from the damn lodge!”
“Try your phone again,” she suggested.
Pulling it out, Ethan looked at it and put it back in his pocket. “Still nothing.”
“Do you have a compass app on there?”
He looked at her as if she was crazy.
“Seriously, they have a compass app. How could you not have one? Everyone has one. Even I have one.”
“Yeah, lots of good it’s doing us back in the room,” he mumbled and then immediately apologized. “I’m sorry. I…I just don’t like that this day has gotten so out of control. Everything was going great and then…”
“Then I made us do something stupid,” she finished.
“We just weren’t prepared for something like this,” he said rather than disagree with her directly.
“If you were with Zach and you got lost, what would you do?”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Not this again. What does it matter? I’m
not with Zach. I’m with you.”
“Pretend!” she snapped. “For crying out loud, what makes the situation any damn different? You’re lost in the forest with someone; what do you do?”
He glared at her for a solid minute. “Seriously? If it were the two of us, we wouldn’t have gotten lost. And if by some small chance we did, we’d keep walking until we found a trail—any trail!”
“Then let’s do that!” she snapped again. “I’m not some delicate little flower who can’t handle this kind of situation, Ethan. I don’t need you coddling me and worrying about how I’m doing and if I can handle it. And I find it a little insulting that you’re acting like I am!”
“Believe me, I don’t think you’re a delicate flower, Summer. But it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re safe!”
“Would you be this concerned if I were Zach?”
“What the hell kind of question is that?” he demanded.
“I’m just saying that you and Zach go out on all these crazy adventures with each other. Do you ever freak out like this with him?”
“This is completely different!”
“Why? We took a risk—which you clearly like to do—and you’ve done nothing but complain the entire time! Why? What is so damn different all of a sudden?”
“Because it’s you!” he yelled and raked a hand through his hair. “All day today—hell, all week—I’ve finally begun to realize that I don’t need all that adventure shit! We have done some fantastic stuff together this week and I’ve loved every damn minute of it, and do you know why?” He didn’t wait for a response. “Because I’m with you! I don’t need to prove anything when we’re together. There isn’t a competition, there aren’t any dares, and there’s no threat to my health! Dammit, Summer, I don’t need any of that because I’m happy with you. And the thought that I did something that could possibly get you hurt is killing me!”
All the anger she felt only moments ago quickly faded away as tenderness for Ethan swamped her. There were no words she could say to convey all the emotions swirling inside her. Instead, she dropped her pack to the ground, went over, and wrapped her arms around him.
Meant for You Page 11
