by Nicola Marsh
Snatching her hand out from under his on the pretext of standing, she shoved off the locker and put some distance between them.
‘What’s this? I passed your test so now we move on to the next stage, interrogation?’
She expected him to bristle, to instantly retreat. Instead, his wry smile eased the tension lines around his mouth.
‘Fair call.’
He pointed to the life jackets. ‘You passed, by the way. Fastest time on record too.’
‘I ran all the way.’
Her calf and thigh muscles twanged to underline the fact. Knowing her luck, she wouldn’t be able to walk for days.
‘That’s nuts.’
‘Only way to prove to you I’m not some weak female playing winter dress-ups in the wild.’
‘I never thought that.’
She shook her head. ‘Don’t lie. You have this tense muscle thing in your neck going on when you do.’
To her amazement a faint blush stained his cheeks. ‘If I know what’s motivating you to be here, maybe I won’t be so tough on you.’
‘Don’t do me any favours,’ she muttered as a spasm shot up her back and she bit back a groan.
He wouldn’t give up. She could see it in every stubborn line of his body. Fine. She’d give him the abbreviated version.
Easing onto a log and trying not to wince, she folded her arms on top of her knees and rested her chin on top.
‘I had a glittering social life in Sydney. Rich family. Only kid. All the perks.’
Or so she’d thought, until she’d confronted those closest to her and the world as she knew it came crashing down around her diamond-studded ears.
‘You didn’t like it?’
Her forced chuckle sounded bitter. ‘I liked it just fine. Lapped it up from a young age, enjoyed all the trimmings.’
‘So what made you leave it all behind?’
‘I told you, my fiancé cheated on me.’
‘Your fiancé?’
She nodded, absent-mindedly rubbed the base of her left ring finger where Julian’s three-carat rock had resided; until she’d flung it at him on her way out of the door of his multimillion-dollar Double Bay mansion.
‘All seemed so natural. Exit finishing school, enter perfect guy hand-picked by Daddy.’
‘You were coerced into an engagement?’
She shook her head, remembering the first time she’d met Julian. How she’d been blown away by his manners and chivalry and polished good looks; how he’d made her innocent heart pitter-patter with his practised kisses; how he’d made her feel as she’d felt her whole life: cherished.
What a crock.
‘Nothing like that. My dad moves in posh circles, so did Julian. He introduced us, we hit it off.’
Hugging her knees tighter, she blinked back the sting of bitter tears. ‘The usual boring story. Whirlwind courtship. Magical proposal. All very glamorous and exciting and…’
‘And?’
‘Fake, the lot of them—it,’ she amended, but not before she’d seen his raised eyebrow.
‘Them?’
She shook her head. Discussing Julian with Rhys was bad enough. Having to tell him the whole sordid story of how she discovered her fiancé was a rat? No way.
‘My parents are into the whole appearances thing, too. I’ve had a gutful.’
‘So this job is an escape route? A whim to temporarily take your mind off it?’
She frowned at his judgement. ‘You think I’m running away. I prefer to call it getting a much-needed wake-up call. Time to follow my own dreams rather than living up to the expectations of other people’s.’
His jaw clenched as he absent-mindedly rubbed it, piquing her curiosity. By all accounts he was footloose and fancy-free. What would he know about living up to others’ expectations?
‘Once I gain my biology degree, sky’s the limit. I want to travel the world, researching the ecology and physiology of plant and animal species. Ideally, I’d love to prepare environmental impact reports for industry and government. You know, make a real difference.’
The reluctant admiration in his gaze made her want to preen. ‘Can’t fault you there. One of the reasons I became a park naturalist was to make a difference. I used to survey various parks, determining forest conditions and the distribution of fauna and flora, conferring with local councils on preserving a park. I loved it.’
He glanced around, his eyes drawn to the glacier shimmering in the distance. ‘That’s why I started my own tour company, so I could share a small, unique part of this beauty with people who might appreciate it, even if they only saw one tenth of what I did.’
Jade stared, mesmerised by the animation in his face as he spoke about his work. She’d never seen this side of him and it surprised her.
‘Which parks did you work at?’
‘You name the park, I’ve probably worked there. Started at Acadia National Park in Maine, moved on to White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire where I used to lead a four-mile hike up Champney Falls Trail to the summit of Mount Chocorua.’
He screwed up his eyes, dredging up memories she sat forward to hear. She’d never seem him like this: blue eyes glowing yet unfocused, lost in reminiscing, his mouth relaxed, his hands animated.
‘Then there was Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. From the summit of LeConte Mountain you could see the amazing fall colours of maples, beeches and oaks in the valley below. It was awesome.’
‘The only hike I’ve ever done in the States was in Yosemite. About six miles up to Vernal-Nevada Falls and I still remember the beauty of the dogwoods and maples covering the valley floor.’
He must’ve heard the wistful yearning in her voice. ‘Sure you want to hear me rave on?’
She nodded, wriggling her fingers in a give-me-more gesture.
‘Okay, you asked for it.’ He held up his fingers, ticked points off. ‘Throw in Chippewa National Forest in Minnesota, Targhee National Forest in Idaho and my Alaskan adventures and there you have it, my complete park naturalist CV.’
‘So why did you swap that for a desk, if you loved it that much?’
He avoided her eyes, staring out over the vista instead. ‘You know why.’
‘Work-place accidents happen all the time. That shouldn’t stop you.’
Shadows shifted in all that deep blue.
‘I needed a change.’
He swept his arm to encompass the stunning vista in front of them. ‘This will always be here. I can come back any time I want.’
His defiant declaration challenged her to deny his claim. She didn’t. There was more behind his reticence to return to the wilderness he loved and while she harboured her own secrets it’d be unfair to push him to reveal his.
‘Speaking of heading back, I need a long, hot bath before my muscles seize.’
Seeing another side to him, hearing the passion for nature in his voice—a passion that matched her own—only served to draw her closer, something she couldn’t afford after that kiss. A kiss they hadn’t talked about and for now she’d like to keep it that way.
‘You did good, by the way.’
His gruffness was underlined by admiration and she smiled.
‘Thanks, Ranger. I’m made of sterner stuff than you think.’
Pity a cramp in her calf had her tumbling off the log as she tried to stand, making a mockery of her declaration. She bit her lip, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
‘Easy does it.’
Her pride took a well-earned rest as he helped her up and with a muttered ‘Thanks,’ she headed for the path.
She should be mad at him for putting her through that stupid test, should be angry at his lack of faith in her abilities.
However, as she hit the path and her legs silently protested at the increasing incline, she knew the build-up of lactic acid in her screaming muscles wasn’t half as dangerous as the build-up of a monster crush on her boss.
nbsp; Nicola Marsh, Her Bad, Bad Boss
