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“Don’t get my hopes up. Got it.”
“That being said, it’s prime season, and there has been a lot of activity lately, so the odds are in our favor.” He flipped on the tiny headlight and started the engine. “Your job is to spot the turtle tracks. They’ll come out of the water toward the dunes.”
“Okay.” She gave him a double thumbs-up, eager to help even though she wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for.
Before she got a chance to ask any more questions, Grant shifted into gear. “Here we go. Hold on.”
She slid her hands around his waist, holding onto him for support as the ATV lurched forward in the deep sand. A thrill rolled through her, which was becoming a regular occurrence anytime she hung out with Grant. She could try to explain it away, but this morning she wanted to enjoy the moment.
“See? Not so bad, huh?”
It wasn’t bad at all. In fact, Molly would’ve gone so far as to say it was pleasant. The early morning air was cool with a slight hint of the day’s coastal humidity already lingering, and gentle ripples replaced what were usually rolling waves. It was a different beach than during the day, or even during those quiet, dark hours that followed sunset. It was calm and still and sleepy and peaceful, and she drank in the uniqueness of the predawn scene.
“I’m going to pick up our pace; otherwise, we’ll be out here all day. You okay with that?” Grant called over his shoulder.
Molly tightened her hold on his waist. “Let’s do it.”
The surprising part was that she meant it which, she realized, was almost entirely due to her ever-growing trust in Grant. It was a deep-seated trust, the kind that grew out of respect. The kind of trust that made her daring enough to step outside of her comfort zone, confident enough to tackle things that once had seemed outside of her reach, and valued enough to be vulnerable about her feelings along the way. With him by her side, she was able to take risks she never would’ve considered before.
Not that riding on the back of an ATV was much of a risk. All things considered, this was one of the tamer adventures he’d taken her on. But then again, because of him, her comfort zone was quite a bit wider than it had been before. Especially when he was there with her.
She scanned the soft, white sand that shimmered under the fading light of the moon as they made their way down the beach, not entirely sure what she was looking for. So far, she’d only spotted the remains of what must’ve been a pretty big sand castle that had lost the battle with high tide and an impressive sand sculpture of a sea turtle that used pieces of shells to make up the mosaic on his back. While both were great finds, they weren’t what they’d gotten up at zero dark thirty for.
“Tell me again what they look like.” She had to shout to be heard over the combined noise of the engine and the wind. “Will it be obvious?”
“They sort of resemble a tire track with a comma-shaped tread. Some are more obvious than others,” he shouted over his shoulder. “But trust me, you’ll know it when you see it.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.”
They drove for a few more minutes. The sun was still a ways from coming up, but the sky was starting to lighten. It casted a faint glow over the whole beach, giving everything a blue tint, which seemed to add to the calm, peaceful vibe. She still wasn’t sure about the turtle tracks, but she could get used to these predawn beach strolls.
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath of salty, morning air when she felt the ATV slow to a stop. “Well, look at that,” Grant said.
She quickly blinked her eyes opened and scanned the sand. In front of them was what indeed looked like a wonky tire track leading from the seaweed line up the beach.
“Turtle tracks?” Excitement sparked inside her and she sat a little straighter.
“Looks like it. Let’s park the ATV by the dunes, and we’ll take a closer look.” He turned and headed toward the dunes, making sure he left plenty of room between them and the tracks. When he found a spot out of the way, he killed the engine and climbed off. Leaving his helmet on the seat, he walked around and slung the heavy canvas duffel that was attached to the rack on the back over one shoulder, then grabbed a long metal pole that was shaped like a T with his other hand. “I’m assuming Mama has already headed out to sea. But we should approach silently until we know for sure.”
Molly nodded, unbuckling her helmet and setting it next to his. As quietly as possible, they stepped through the soft sand toward the tracks. When they reached them, Grant squatted. She followed his lead, taking the opportunity to get a closer look at the flipper prints in the sand.
“Yep, it was definitely a green sea turtle. This set right here is headed toward the dunes, and that set on the other side is headed back to the water.”
Seeing his enthusiasm caused her own to grow. “You’re telling me we’re in the vicinity of soon-to-be baby turtles?”
One side of Grant’s mouth pulled up in a lopsided grin. “It would appear so. Want to check it out?”
“Are you kidding? Of course.” She felt like she was on the cusp of discovering buried treasure, making her playful and giddy. “I can’t believe you get to do this all the time.”
“Not all the time. I’m only on Turtle Patrol once every ten days. Four a.m. comes awfully early. And like I said, we don’t always spot new nests.” He stood and followed the tracks to the dunes. “But it’s pretty thrilling when we do.” The excitement that radiated from his rugged features seemed to mirror her own, and she couldn’t imagine anyone in the world she’d rather share this discovery with.
“Totally thrilling.” Her eyes locked with his, and for a moment she wasn’t sure if she was talking about the turtle nest discovery or standing here with him.
Turtle nests. It was definitely the turtle nests. She shook her head slightly to refocus on the task at hand.
“Shall we?” he asked.
“Lead the way.”
