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Her smile fell. “Oh, do you need to cancel?”
“No, I just should have said to wear clothes you can hike in. I thought we could go over to Sawtooth Ridge and do the trail. If you’re up for it.” I rubbed my neck while she considered the idea. I should have asked if she liked hiking. Her mobility had improved so much over the past weeks, I thought it’d be a good trail to push her. “It was a bad idea. We can go to Centennial Park.”
“No way,” she said with a huge smile. “I was just trying to remember where I packed my hiking boots. Give me five minutes.”
I waited on the porch, and a few minutes later she returned in a crop top and a pair of spandex shorts that made my mouth godry. She’d put her hair into a ponytail and threaded it through a Karma baseball cap, which shouldn’t have been sexy but was.
“Where’s Skye?” she asked, sitting on the steps to lace up her well-worn hiking boots. Her small backpack and reusable water bottle looked equally used.
“Theo has her. I wanted to have my hands free for you.”
She blushed an adorable shade of pink, and my pulse quickened. I cleared my throat. “In case you need my help on the trail.”
“I used to hike it all the time with my dad. I think I’ll be ok, but you’re right, I’m in no shape to run after Skye if she spots a squirrel.” She grabbed onto the railing beside the steps and pulled herself up.
The front door opened, and Rose leaned out. “Did you remember sunscreen and bug spray?”
“Yes, Mom,” Rowan said, blushing again.
“What about you, Cal? I’m sure you don’t burn like a redhead, but the mosquitos will eat y’all alive this time of year.”
“I have some in the car.”
“Ok, kids. Have fun,” she said and smiled again before closing the door.
“Sorry about that,” Rowan said as she climbed into the passenger seat after we’d stowed her pack in the back with mine. “She forgets I’m a grown woman sometimes.”
“That’s nothing. My mom would have doused us with bug spray without asking. She has a serious fear of ticks.”
Rowan scrunched her delicate nose. “I don’t blame her.”
I couldn’t stop myself from leaning into the SUV and giving her a quick kiss. She smelled like sunscreen and citronella and a hint of chocolate. When I pulled away, she bit her bottom lip and smiled up at me. I considered skipping the entire hiking trip and driving her down the street to my house. Instead, I closed her door and walked around to the driver’s side. Rose stood inthe picture window waving, and I congratulated myself on not mauling Rowan the second I thought we were alone.
Rowan waved to her mother, a huge smile on her face. “I’m so excited,” she said. “I haven’t been hiking since I came back to Peace Falls. My family is too scared I’ll hurt myself, and I’m concerned enough I won’t hike alone.”
I felt a sudden rush of worry and glanced at her. “Do you ever hike alone?”
Rowan shrugged. “Sometimes. If my back weren’t messed up, I’d have done the Triple Crown by now.”
“Alone?” I said, turning onto Broad Street.
“It’s more fun with a friend. But yeah, I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. So, I might have tackled one or two hikes by myself.”
“Those trails can be dangerous.”
“Sure, if you don’t know what you’re doing. My dad took Poppy and me hiking almost every weekend before he got sick. I know those trails like the back of my hand. And I always bring a Garmin with gps and satellite messaging, plus my phone, of course.”
“Still, you don’t know who else is out there.”
“Caleb Cardoso,” she said with a smirk. “Are you usually this overprotective?”
I shook my head. “I’m protective. Nothingoverabout it. You’re a beautiful woman and the world is full of creeps.”
She threw her head back and laughed. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Yep.”
“Is it wrong that I kind of like that about you?” she said, drumming her fingers on her leg.
