I, on the other hand, was looking forward to spending some time with him outside the house. I needed to get out. I needed to not think about trying to make myself better for a little while. I especially needed a break from reading.
I’d been thinking about our kiss a lot, too. I had barely brushed my lips against his skin. Yet I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Every time I caught a whiff of his scent or remembered the heat of his body next to mine, my insides got all squishy like I might collapse into a pile of pudding.
Ford pulled into a parking lot with a wood sign that said Obed River Trailhead. He reached to the back seat, causing his upper body to come close to mine. I blinked, stupidly thinking he had been about to lean in for a kiss. Well, in my defense, it’s all I’d been thinking about. How I wanted it. How it was a bad idea. How he may or may not want it too.
“Let’s walk to the trail and I’ll show you where I typically like to climb. Maybe sometime we can come with my equipment and I’ll show you the ropes?”
“Was that a climbing pun?” I sucked in my lips to keep from smiling.
Ford twisted back around to the front again, a fleece pullover in his hand. “I guess it was. I’m going to pretend it was on purpose.” He smirked.
Call the media! Ford Rutledge smirked at me. I must have been too quiet because his gaze faltered and fell to my lips where they were parted in a stupid grin.
“Let’s get moving before it gets too late. These short days can get cold fast.”
I was glad for the extra coat he grabbed, but after a few minutes of walking on an incline through heavy forest I was plenty warm. The trees were beautiful and the air crisp. Sometimes I forgot how beautiful it was just right outside my door. It sorta reminded me of the trails I’d gone on with Jethro. We’d hike out to go fool around away from his brothers and my daddy. The thoughts of Jethro took me by surprise only because it was nice to find that I felt nothing. Maybe a little sentimental thinking about being so young and having a whole life ahead of me, but not that clawing ache in my chest and not the humiliation of rejection.
I’d probably still key his stupid car if I saw it though.
We rounded a corner and I was met by the sound of rushing water where the creek joined a larger river and a couple of tiny waterfalls trickled down like a soothing fountain.
“This is Clear Creek. Eventually, it leads to Obed River. It starts as a tiny trickle and then eventually becomes a massive river that’s formed some amazing landscapes. It’s pretty incredible.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Just wait until you see the rock faces. Perfect for climbing.”
“How’d you get started in climbing? I still can’t believe I didn’t know this about you. It’s like you lead a double life.”
He cleared his throat. "I discovered it when a few kids in my class said they were coming up here. I was trying out new ways to burn some energy. I had tried sports and different types of self-defense but I didn’t like the violence. Something about physically touching nature and the effort required to scale a wall appealed to me. And if you do it right, nobody gets hurt."
This wasn’t the first time Ford alluded to a dark past and an aversion to violence. I loved that he shared this with me. I smiled and we continued on. My cheeks and nose were cold but the cool fall air and a good hike made me feel invigorated. Eventually, the trail widened. One person was bouncing down the rock face on a rope held by another. They waved friendly enough. Ford and I waved back. I wondered if they thought we were together.
He noted me watching them and shared, “That’s called rappelling. Some people call it abseiling.”
“It looks fun.”
“It is. You know what I like about all this?” Ford asked.
“Huh?” I studied his profile as he spoke, his gaze tracking up the cliff face.
“I like rock climbing because it seems straight forward and relatively simple but it requires all your attention. You have to think about your foot and hand placements in advance or risk getting stuck and having to backtrack. Or worse. It's exhausting and highly physical but still requires focus. I can't think about anything else when I'm up here.”
“That sounds nice.”
I loved when Ford spoke about things he loved. His mouth moved freely and his hands got involved. It was such a nice change from the stiff, contained man. Also, imagining those intense muscles in his arms working as he wedged and jammed his fingers into the rock face did some weird magic to my girlie parts.
“You’d be good at it,” he said. “You’re very athletic.”
“Right. I can already see myself as a climber. I’d shoot right out the gate and climb until I got stuck then fall back down and give up. Hell, I’d probably just stay at the bottom and watch everyone else climb.”
“That’s not true. I wouldn’t let you.” His words were almost flirtatious and my goodness, if this was what Ford was like in nature, I'd put up with it a hell of a lot more to see this side of him. We held each other's gaze until he broke away. “Next time we can try. It’s already getting kind of late.”
I was still thinking about how he said “next time.” I wondered how much of the future he thought about. After December, did he think of an “us” at all? I couldn’t help how joyous I felt with Ford right now. I was at peace.
We stepped through some scraggly small trees breaking through large grey rocks onto a precipice. The world dropped away before us, falling into a pit filled with color. My stomach went with it. I wobbled.
“Careful now.” He grabbed my hand to steady me.
