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“So what’s your story?” Kaeden asked as he shoved his phone into his pocket.
Joy didn’t let the question throw her off. She’d gotten used to dealing with that kind of thing. “No story. I work at the lodge helping with the guests and cleaning rooms. This is a nice break for me because I’m getting sent out on all sorts of outings with you guys. I don’t usually get to play tour guide.”
“Have you been in the area long?”
It was a natural question. They were talking about her playing tour guide so wanting to know how long she’d been in the area was a normal segue. She didn’t let it get to her. But she did fudge the answer.
“Long enough to know you should listen to me.” She couldn’t help but grin at his scowl. He was fun to tease.
Lord, the thought of teasing him in other ways hit her and she had to look away from him so he wouldn’t see her blush. Or worse, read her thoughts on her face. She focused her attention on the rocky terrain her horse was working around as though her intense concentration might help the horse.
They were coming to the top of the trail and Joy heard the others in their group exclaiming over the waterfall. She turned to Kaeden. “Come on, let’s check out the falls. They’re supposed to be worth this climb.”
One of the wranglers was helping everyone dismount and tie the horses’ reins to stumps. They followed suit and then took the short path that led to the falls.
They were without a doubt worth the climb. They had seen small bits of the river and minifalls along the way but now there was level after level of rushing waterfalls. It wasn’t like some falls where it was tall. This was more like a cascading meandering fall that made its way down the face of the mountain in its own way, carving a path through rock and trees.
Kaeden jumped onto some of the rocks near the falls and Joy let herself watch the way the muscles flexed in his legs as he jumped. She had a new appreciation for shorts as she watched his tanned muscles. It was surprising to see him in such good shape. The way he acted sometimes she would have thought he’d spent all day every day in the office but you didn’t get legs like that without getting out sometimes.
Instead of letting herself wonder what his hobbies were, she wondered if it would be such a bad idea to have a fling with this guy before she left town. It’s not like she got the chance often and there were times she thought he was flirting with her. Would it hurt to let herself relax for just a day or two before she had to face the reality of her life again?
Kaeden turned and grinned at her, leaning down and offering his arm to pull her onto the boulder with him. His hand was warm and his grip firm and she would be lying if she said she didn’t lean in a little closer than necessary as he tugged her up. She saw heat flash in his eyes when her body came flush to his and he didn’t back away.
“It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” he asked. He was watching her and she looked away to the waterfalls, flustered at his flat-out flirting. It had been too damned long since she’d done anything like this.
“Yeah, it is.” It came out way too breathy and Joy stepped back, all too aware that half the people he worked with were nearby.
How do you tell a guy you want to see if he’s up for a night of fun and nothing else?
If the way he was looking at her was any indication, he was reading her thoughts just fine. And she didn’t know if she should be glad about that or terrified.
Chapter 11
Joy watched the fire, listening to the crackle and pop of the wood. She was far enough away to avoid the smoke, letting the interns manage the s’more-making with the kids. She had to admit, this week was turning out to be a lot less stressful than she’d thought it would be. Most of the time interacting with people had her too stressed to enjoy anything. She would wonder if they’d know Turner. Would they go home and say something to him about a girl who looked a lot like his missing stepdaughter?
It was probably silly to think something that coincidental would happen, but she couldn’t help it. When he’d found her shortly after she got her mother away from him, he’d threatened to hurt her until she told him where to find his wife. She had no doubt he would have. There had been a look in his eyes as he gripped her arms behind the restaurant she’d been working at. She had been prepared for his threats, for his anger. She hadn’t been prepared for the icy calculation in his eyes.
If someone hadn’t walked out then, giving her a chance to get away, she knew he would have done more than just hurt her. The man was evil, straight through his soul.
So yeah, being around people instead of working behind the scenes at the lodge had made her nervous. But so far, there didn’t seem to be anyone in the group from Texas and they were all people who made her smile. She hadn’t thought a corporate retreat would be this way.
She pictured team building exercises that no one really wanted to do and a bunch of people talking about their boss when he or she wasn’t around to hear it.
Instead, there was Jack Sutton, the CEO of the company, juggling not just his own children’s marshmallow sticks, but those of two other kids in the group as well. She would have thought this was a family reunion if she didn’t know better.
She felt Kaeden before she saw him. He stood across the fire watching her as he made his way around the outside of the group. He smiled and nodded greetings at the others when they spoke to him, but he was steadily making his way toward her.
And damn if that didn’t make her stomach flip. Stomach, heart—hell, all of her.
And then he was there.
“Is this seat taken?” His voice was low and sexy and raked over her body in a way it shouldn’t. But she loved it.
She looked at the space next to her. It wasn’t really a seat. She shifted over on the large log she was sitting on. “Nope. Have at it.”
He grinned her way as he sat. She could see his eyes skimming over the group. He was checking and double checking everything. In fact, she was surprised he’d gotten here late. It wasn’t like him to let the interns handle any event without him, even for a short time.
“You’re late,” she commented, bumping his shoulder with her own as she sent him a teasing smile.
