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“I tried,” he said wide-eyed. “But all of our radios had too much interference.”
“So you ran all the way here?”
He nodded.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Shit, it was a text from Matt.
Hey, my sister is supposedly out near you, at the Shadow Lodge. Keep an eye on her, will ya?
Fuck.
Me: Sure. No problem.
I ground my teeth. If only he knew exactly how well I'd been keeping an eye on little sis. This was shaping up to be one hell of a long day.
The drive to the campsite wasn’t far. Dan and a couple of other rangers were already there.
“What’s the situation,” I asked Dan.
“Kids were horsin’ around, and one of them fell into the ravine,” he said and shook his head. “Lucky dude didn’t break anything.”
I peered down into the steep-sided ravine. It had to be at least a fifteen-foot drop. Lucky was an understatement. Another ranger and rescue personnel were at the basin inspecting the boy.
“How can I help?” I asked pulling up the sleeves of my beige uniform.
“We got it, boss,” he said. “You’ve trained us well.”
The promotion had been over six months ago, but I was still getting used to being called boss.
“I’ll hang back just in case,” I said, trying to focus on the issue at hand. The crew worked seamlessly together. They hitched the rescue straps to the front of the big rescue truck and reeled them up two at a time.
When the boy, who looked no more than twelve, appeared above the side of the ravine, the mother and a young girl ran to greet him. The reunion was heartwarming. The girl reminded me of Becca when she was that age.
And just like that, the memory of this morning flashed in my mind. The way she'd felt in my arms, the sounds she'd made as I’d kissed her neck. I shook off the memories, irritated with myself. This was ridiculous. Fuck, I barely knew the woman, anymore. We'd had one mind-blowing encounter, and now I couldn't stop thinking about her.
When the situation at the campsite was resolved, I headed back to check on Becca. I found her sitting cross-legged in the grass, murmuring softly to the fawn nestled in her lap.
She glanced up at my approach, her hazel eyes warm. "Everything okay?"
“All sorted.” I folded my arms, staring down at her. “You should head back to your cabin. I got an alert that another storm is headed our way.”
“Bossy, aren't you?” A teasing smile curved her mouth as she stroked the fawn's dappled head.
I gritted my teeth against the unwelcome surge of heat in my groin. “Just trying to do my job. Make sure you’re safe and don't get into any trouble.”
“Trouble finds me—ok? I never look for it.” Becca rose fluidly to her feet, the fawn butting against her leg with a plaintive bleat. She bent to press a kiss to its forehead. “Bye, for now, baby. I'll come back to check on you tomorrow.”
She turned to the rescue volunteer who'd been hanging out nearby. "Thanks for letting me hang out for a bit."
The woman nodded and called to the fawn so Becca could wander away.
Straightening, Becca slanted an amused look at me. "Walk me to my car?"
I jerked my head in a curt nod. I was just doing my job by walking Becca back to her car. That the churning in my gut had nothing to do with the memory of how she'd felt in my arms or the soft, needy sounds she'd made as I’d moved inside her.
When we reached her rental SUV, she paused with her hand on the door. “Thanks for the escort.”
"You're welcome." I shifted my weight, shoving my hands in my pockets. "Remember what I said. Stay out of trouble."
