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That was pretty presumptuous of him. “How do you know I don’t have anywhere to be?” She didn’t, but?—
“You said you were planning to be a house blob today, take it easy, and read,” Britt said, parroting exactly what Laurel had told her last night. “And I told him.”
Laurel widened her eyes at Britt, who merely smiled.
“Where’re we going?” Laurel asked him.
“Kinda defeats the impromptu part if I tell you,” he said.
“How? It’s not a ‘secret trip,’ it’s ‘impromptu.’ You do know the meaning of the word ‘impromptu,’ don’t you?”
“Ouch.” Jake put a hand on his chest. “The kitten has claws. Who knew grade school teachers were so mean? I’m telling the principal.” He tapped her plate. “Eat, or you’ll never find out.”
An hour and a half later, Laurel was buckled into the passenger side of Jake’s Jeep. The top was off, so there was some wind. Little wisps of hair had pulled from her braid and were whipping around her makeup-free face. Instead of complaining, like the women Jake typically dated would have, she simply kept pushing them behind her ears like it was no big deal. And he could tell that to her, it wasn’t a big deal, which in his dating experience was unfathomable. He could get used to her riding shotgun.
They’d crossed the Snake River about twenty minutes ago and had just reached a simple little town tucked in amongst rolling hills and acres of farmland. The area was beautiful, but not as beautiful as what they’d find at their destination… or his passenger.
“You brought me to Murphy?” Laurel asked.
Jake made the sound of a game show “time’s up” buzzer. “Wrong answer. Guess again.”
“This is the only town around here for miles. Are you taking me into the middle of nowhere to get rid of my soon-to-be lifeless body?” she teased.
He laughed. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“Honestly, where’re we going?”
He could tell the secrecy was driving her crazy, but no matter how much she whined, he wasn’t going to tell her. He wanted to watch her reaction when she saw what he was hoping they’d actually see. It was never guaranteed, but it was the right time of year, so he had his fingers crossed.
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
“Whenwill we get there?”
“Damn, you’re impatient.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Too bad.”
After another ten minutes, he turned right into a field and started driving up the hill. Luckily, his Jeep was great for off-roading because—well—there wasn’t a road. Being able to do things like this was one of the main reasons he’d bought it.
“Aren’t we supposed to stay on the road?” Laurel asked.
“What’s the fun in that?”
“No, Jake, really. Won’t we get in trouble?”
“Not if we don’t get caught.”
“Jake—”
“Bad boy, remember?” He looked over to find her gripping the hand hold as they bumped along, a worried expression clouding her face. “It’s okay to break the rules sometimes, Princess. And this’ll be worth it. I promise.”
After a few twists and turns around trees and some small rock formations, they reached the summit. Jake turned off the ignition and set the parking brake. “We’re here.”
Laurel took in their surroundings. “There’s nothing here.”
“Ah, but you’re wrong.” He hopped out of the Jeep, trotted around to the passenger side, and opened her door. He offered Laurel his hand and helped her down. Even for him, the vehicle was tall, but at almost a foot shorter, Laurel had struggled to get in. He still couldn’t get over how petite she was.
