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I heard Bennett let out a sigh of relief before answering. “We’ll go get him. Aiden will bring this group to the trailhead.”
I grabbed the radio. “Gary, Mr. Crawford misspoke. He and Mr. Vale will be bringing the kids down the trailhead,” I said firmly.
“I’m going,” Bennett said stubbornly and crossed his arms together in front of him. For once, Aiden was uncharacteristically silent, and I knew that probably wasn’t a good thing.
“You’re not,” I repeated.
It wasn’t until I heard Gary clear his throat that I realized I’d had my finger on the call button so Gary had heard everything.
“Uh, I’ll hike in first thing in the morning to Caldera and help… whoever… bring the crew out,” he said awkwardly. Gary signed off after that and Aiden mumbled some excuse about going to tell the kids what was happening.
“I’m going,” Bennett repeated, and then began walking away like that was the end of it.
“No, you’re not,” I said as I grabbed his arm. “I can get there faster on my own.” I didn’t tell him the real reason I didn’t want him coming along— that I was scared shitless he’d get hurt. Even though it was a relatively safe hike, there was always an inherent risk in going off trail. But I couldn’t tell him I was terrified of him getting hurt, because then he’d know that things had started to change for me. And that was a conversation I just wasn’t ready to have yet.
“Yes. I. Am.”
Before I could say anything, he continued. “I am responsible for each and every one of these kids, Xander. I’m the one who promised their parents I’d bring them home safely, and I’m the one who told these boys I’d always take care of them, no matter what. Jimmy is a great kid, but he’s still just a boy. What are you going to do if he gets scared or needs help on the trail while you’re helping Jake?” Bennett asked.
It was something I hadn’t considered. I mulled over his words and finally nodded. I wasn’t happy about it, a fact he was well aware of if the hard set of his jaw was anything to go by, but I’d figure it out. I’d keep him safe if it killed me. Because I’d have to let Bennett go when this was all over, but he’d sure as hell be going in one piece. And truth be told, the idea of spending even one day alone with him wasn’t a hardship in any way, shape or form.
Except maybe on my heart.
But I’d look at it as a chance to spend some time with an old friend, revisiting old memories and maybe even making a few new ones. At least that way I’d have something of Bennett to hang onto once he was gone.
“Fine,” I said. “But you do as I say, you got that?”
Bennett bristled, but nodded. Then he turned on his heel and marched back to camp. I may or may not have ogled his ass as he went. Just like I may or may not have fallen asleep later that night to dreams of all the things Bennett and I could do the following night when we would be forced to share a very small and very cozy tent together.
Chapter 24
Bennett
As we got ready to go the following morning, I was still pissed at Xander for trying to talk me out of coming with him. As if I was too weak to make the trip, or what I wanted didn’t matter. It made me feel unimportant and stupid, and I wasn’t used to feeling either of those things. Especially with him. Not to mention his parting shot the night before about me having to do what he said. Okay, yeah, so his words had both infuriated me and excited me at the same time. No way I’d ever tell him that.
I hadn’t slept well, and not just because I’d been worried about Jimmy. Although the boy had a tendency to get easily distracted, he was a good kid who wasn’t prone to questioning authority, so I knew he’d do whatever Jake told him. And while I didn’t know this Jake guy at all, I had to trust that he was good at his job and would be able to take care of Jimmy until Xander and I could reach them.
After saying goodbye to the kids and Aiden, I gave a last hug to Lucky.
“Take care of Bear, okay?” I asked, seeing the boy’s chest puff up with pride.
“I will, B. I promise. I told Xander I’d walk him when we got back and make sure he had plenty of food and water.”
Xander had decided the dog would be better off returning to the lodge with the group, since we had a river crossing that he’d said wouldn’t be easy for the animal to navigate, and the current was too strong to risk letting the dog swim across.
