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Melinda sighed.“He’s driving me crazy.”
“Then tell him you’d like some space.You’re the boss, right?”Ethan smiled.“You’re in charge of everything and everyone.”
Melinda pursed her lips, then shook her head.“I won’t force him to go.If he wants to stay here and fight about how much he wants to take care of me, I’ll let him.”
I glanced at my watch.“I should get going.We’re supposed to be meeting up at the Lodge shortly.”
“Enjoy yourself,” Melinda said sincerely.“And don’t let Jasper work too hard while he’s up there.If he’s brought his laptop with him, slap it out of his hands and make him take a walk by the stream, okay?”
“Only if you agree to stop looking at your work emails.I know what you’re doing on that phone,” I said when her face turned sheepish.“The world will turn without you.All you have to think about is getting better, okay?”
“I’ll walk you out,” Ethan said when I stood.
The instructions for the trip had said I only needed to bring personal items, but since I wasn’t sure what personal items I’d want to sleep outside, I’d stuffed a backpack to bursting.Ethan raised an eyebrow when he saw its heft.“You’re gonna need a separate horse for your baggage.”
“I might have gotten a little carried away.”
He smiled.“Have a good trip.It really shouldn’t be much work for you.Just some rich assholes getting blisters in their thousand-dollar boots.”
My eyebrows flicked together.It was the first time since I’d been in Twisted Pines that I’d heard anyone refer to the guests with anything other than gracious respect.But then, Ethan wasn’t a direct employee of the lodge, and he’d decided he knew me well enough to let his guard down.“You know, I haven’t slept outside since I was a kid.”
He scoffed.“This trip is nothing like real camping.They practically transport a miniature version of the Lodge up to a high valley so the tourists can take pictures for their social media.It’s not real camping if you’re sleeping in a bed.”
“Isn’t that preferable to sleeping on the ground?”
His smile widened.“I’d love to take you camping sometime.Show you what it’s like to really be alone in the wilderness.”
“Okay, that sounds so creepy,” I laughed, struggling to get the backpack straps over my jacket.
“Here, let me help you,” he said, brushing my waist as he tugged at my jacket.He adjusted the strap, then turned it into a stroke of my arm.“Maybe I didn’t phrase that just right,” he said.“Still.The offer stands.I think you’d enjoy yourself.”
There was a promise in his eyes, and an offer.Maybe if I took him up on it, it would erase the memory of Jasper that seemed imprinted on my body.“Maybe,” I said, though all I could think wasno.
A few hours later, we’d arrived at the campsite high in a mountain meadow.White-tipped peaks speared around us on all sides, but the grass beneath us was green and a happy stream burbled in the distance.I could see that Ethan hadn’t been far off in his assessment of how close to nature this trip actually took the guests.Cloth-sided tents had been built over what looked like permanent foundations, and a massive pavilion covered picnic tables that were already set up with snacks and drinks after our ride up.While the guests descended on the feast, the Twisted Pines staff hauled their baggage to their assigned tent and saw to the horses.
The ride up was more eventful than the ambling trip through the trees that I’d taken with Jasper.Micah, who was leading the caravan, charmed us all with stories as the horses plodded along with little direction from us.They seemed to know exactly where they were going.He encouraged the guests to get to know each other as we rode, and joked with each of the families.The women, obviously, loved him, but the men liked him too, and by the time he led us into the campsite singing “Home on the Range,” everyone was primed to enjoy the night.
His bonhomie stood in sharp contrast to Jasper’s ruthless management.My eyes found him immediately in the crowd of Twisted Pines employees.I bit my lip as I watched him give orders.Competence and authority were so sexy on him.
When I’d told him we needed to take a step back in our relationship, I’d expected him to argue with me.It wasn’t that I wanted him to change my mind, but I’d wanted him totry.But he’d simply agreed.He’d been respectable, responsible, reasonable.
And I was the crazy person who wanted to throw caution to the wind and jump him.
“Um, are you trying to start a forest fire?Because that look is scorching.”
I jerked out of my erotic reverie.Micah was looking at me with one eyebrow up over the rim of his sunglasses.“What?Nothing.”
“Uh-huh, sure,” he said, his grin widening.“Why don’t I show you to your yurt?This is gonna be a really fun weekend.”
“I’m here to work.”
“Sure.That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.”
He led me to a small structure.“Did you call this a yurt?”
“Yeah, it’s just a style of tent.We have the base structures here, then take these up and down when we’re down.Toilets are down that way.They’re not fancy, but they’ll get the job done.”
I poked at the canvas side.“What about, like, wild animals and stuff?”
