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“If that’s what you want.” His eyes twinkled. “But I still stand by last night’s assessment.”
“I’m inclined to agree.” She lifted her lips as they stared at one another, sharing the memory of that one beautiful kiss. The moment lingered as a nattering squirrel filled the silence, and a humid breeze stirred the loose hairs at her nape.
He cleared his throat and the moment was gone. “I, uh, washed the bedding and towels. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to finish the wall. It still needs to be sanded and painted.”
She shrugged. “I think even I can handle that much.” She’d already given him his check. She had his W-4. There was no business left to discuss. Nothing left to say.
His gaze grew intense as the silence lengthened. Then he held out his arms. “Come here.”
She stepped between his legs, into his embrace, encircling his broad shoulders. Leaning on the rail as he was, they were the same height. She laid her head on his shoulder, breathing in the woodsy smell of him. Committing it to memory. Her fingers found the soft hair at his neck.
His warm breath hit the tender flesh between her neck and shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. Her heart thumped against the hard wall of his chest, and his arms cocooned her in safety. She never wanted to let him go.
“I’ll miss you.” His voice was gruff.
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I’ll miss you too. Take it easy out there. You don’t want to aggravate those muscles while you’re miles from civilization.”
“I’ll be careful, Doc.” He pulled back and set a soft kiss on her forehead.
She stepped back and the space between them seemed as broad as Linville Gorge.
He stood and stooped to retrieve his pack.
This was it. Wes was leaving her, just like Sam had. He’d hike down the road and onto the trail, and she’d never see him again. He was going to this other woman—this Lillian.
“Do you love her?” She hadn’t meant to say the words aloud. Wished she could call them back, especially when pain flickered in his eyes.
***
Wes halted in his efforts to shoulder his pack. Avery’s direct question gave him pause, and denial clawed for release in his throat. He didn’t want to talk to her about Lillian. Instead, he wanted to tell her how much he loved her. That he would always love her. That every cell in his body longed to stay here with her.
But duty demanded otherwise.
He forced himself to make eye contact as he grated out, “Yes.” He did love Lillian—just not the same way he loved Avery. He tried to convey with his eyes what he couldn’t say with words. It would serve no purpose to say them aloud when he couldn’t act on them.
She gave a wobbly smile. “Then I hope you’ll be very happy. You deserve that, Wes.”
Her kindness tore him in two. He opened his mouth to say... something. But he couldn’t think of anything that would ease her suffering—or his own. “I guess I should go.”
She cleared her throat. “You should have plenty of time to make it to the shelter before dark.”
“That’s the hope.”
“Let me know when you finish the trail?”
“Of course.” He couldn’t help but feel he was deserting her to an uncertain future. But she had a good family who would support and encourage her. He couldn’t resist touching her one last time. He cupped her chin and drank in her features. “I’m so glad I got sick. I’ll never forget you, Avery Robinson.”
She opened her mouth but nothing came out. When she closed it again, he gave her one last smile. Then he turned and took the porch steps.
Grief compressed his chest until his lungs struggled to draw a full breath. Walking away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He stared straight ahead, down the road that led to the trail. If he glanced back, he might not have the strength to go.
He was leaving a woman he was madly in love with to be with a woman he merely loved. He’d never been so aware of the enormous gap between the two. But what he felt for Lillian would have to be enough.
***
Avery deep-breathed all the way to the office. The smell of Chinese food wafted from the breakroom, making her stomachturn. She just needed a few minutes to collect herself, and then she’d join the others. She could process Wes’s sudden departure from her life after work.
She closed the door and walked to her desk. Was it reluctance that had slowed his movements as he shouldered his pack? His last sad smile ripped her heart in two.
