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Jasper nodded in understanding. “No worries, I get that way sometimes too. Are you worried about our camping trip?”
Jolene shrugged.
“A little,” she admitted, “but mostly I’m curious. All of this stuff is strange, sure, but it’s been harmless so far. I just hope it stays that way.”
“Me too,” Jasper agreed.
By the time they finished packing the camping bags, Anthony and Clarissa had arrived, and they were all ready to go. Anthony, as prepared as his brother, had plotted their course over the preserve map, and before they took off, he spread it out over the hood of Jasper’s truck and showed them all where they were going.
Jolene was very impressed by both of the brothers. In her family, it was the women who had always prepared everything, and she found it nice to not have to hold the reins all of the time.
* * *
The natural beautyof the secluded wildlife preserve, to Jolene at least, was astonishing. It reminded her in some ways of home, but the South Carolina landscape was completely its own. As Anthony led the way, with Emma holding his hand and Clarissa trailing right behind them, Jolene and Jasper brought up the end.
“So, how are you liking all of this?” Jasper asked as they followed Anthony’s trail. Jolene turned to him as she shifted her back and smiled.
“I know I should probably be spooked, given that we’re supposed to be lookin’ for somethin’ and all, but honestly I am loving it. It’s been way too long since I spent some time in the woods. I forgot how freeing it was.”
Jasper gave her a rugged smile as he nodded his head.
“It really is, isn’t it?” he asked, looking around at their surroundings. “In the winter there’s not much work in construction, so I head up to Colorado to be a wilderness and hunting guide. Honestly, it’s my favorite time of year.”
“I didn’t know that,” Jolene said in surprise. “Is that something you want to do full-time?”
Jasper shrugged.
“I’ve thought about it,” he admitted, “but I realized it was something I didn’t want to get burnt out from doing. I never want to walk into the woods unready or unhappy when I do. I think my construction work allows me to keep that perspective.”
Jolene pondered over his words, a little taken aback by their wisdom. Jasper was a handsome man, of that there was no denying, but there was a wealth of knowledge that far exceeded his physical beauty. She wondered how many women had gotten the chance to know the inner Jasper, and she felt privileged that she was given the opportunity that so many rarely got.
“Guys, up here,” Anthony called, interrupting their conversation. Together they jogged up to where Anthony and Emma had stopped, and they looked around.
“What is it?” Jolene asked, looking around at the ground. “I don’t see anything.”
“Tracks,” Jasper answered, kneeling on the ground. He pointed to a row of small indents Jolene hadn’t noticed.
“Are those boot prints?” she asked, leaning down to take a closer look. Jasper shook his head.
“Yep, and fresh too.”
Emma shrugged.
“But this is a public place. They could belong to anybody.”
“Yeah,” Jasper agreed, standing up and dusting off his hands, “but whoever it was, they were walking toward us, then suddenly turned around. Here, look, you can see where the tracks double back on themselves. Whoever was here, they didn’t want company, and they didn’t want to be found.”
“We should follow them,” Anthony said, already looking toward the trail. He walked a few steps toward it and then pointed to the left, which was thick with ferns, wild grass, and fallen trees.
“They went that way. My guess is so that we couldn’t follow their tracks so easily.”
Jasper joined him, inspected the area, and nodded his head in agreement.
“It disappears a few feet in,” he acknowledged, adjusting his cowboy hat.
“That’s so strange,” Emma mused, looking around. “If the tracks are fresh, don’t you think we would have heard something?”
Anthony shrugged.
