Page 19 of Close to Heaven

“On this trail?” She tried to keep her voice steady, but it might have squeaked at the end.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry. They’ll stay out of our way.”

“Not if they smell Doritos!”

“Good thing we ate them all,” he teased.

She smiled at his back, enjoying the easy camaraderie they shared. He seemed like a different person out here than in the office. There he maintained a polite distance, and their relationship could only be described as employer/employee. Here he seemed to have let down his guard, and he was much friendlier and more approachable. She decided she liked this version of Jax and wished she could see more of him.

Going down the mountain went much faster than going up, and soon his cabin came into view. It was dark out, but it wasn’t that late, and the thought of returning to her empty cabin wasn’t very appealing. She doubted he’d ask her in, though, so she resigned herself to going home alone.

“Well, thanks for letting me tag along on your hike and for dinner. I enjoyed it.”

“Let me put my backpack inside, and I’ll walk you home,” he said.

“You don’t have to. It’s just down the road.”

“Yeah, but it’s dark, and I don’t want you to fall and sue me.”

“I would never do that,” she said, unsure if he was teasing or not.

“At least wear my hat, then.”

Before she could argue, he took off his hat and plunked it on her head. It was obviously made for a man, and it was so big it partially covered her eyes.

“What good is this going to do if I can’t even see?”

He chuckled and took a step closer. Now his broad chest was at eye level, and she felt his warmth like a portable heater. He adjusted the hat on her head, and once she could see again, she looked up and met his gaze.

“How’s that?”

“Better. Thank you,” she said, her voice sounding unnaturally high.

He stepped back. “You have my phone number, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Just in case.”

“So if a bear approaches, I’ll pull out my phone and say, ‘Wait. Let me call Jax.’”

He tipped his head back and laughed, and the rich sound bounced off the trees. Then he quickly turned serious again.

“I just want you to be safe.”

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him. “Would you be this worried if I were a male employee?”

“Uh…”

“That’s what I thought. Dakota put you up to this, didn’t she?”

“No. It’s just that a woman living alone attracts a certain amount of attention…”

“The only one paying me attention is Cody, and he doesn’t count.”

Jax raised his brows.

“Dakota already warned me that he flirts with everyone, so I know he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“Cody’s not the only one who’s interested,” he said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Really? Who else?”

“It doesn’t matter. Everyone knows you have a boyfriend, so they’ll probably back off.”

Boyfriend. Trevor. Right. She could only imagine how Trevor would react if he knew she’d gone hiking and had dinner with Jax. It wouldn’t matter that he was her best friend’s brother and her boss. Trevor would probably say something like, “He’s still a man.”

“I should go,” she said, suddenly feeling guilty. Instead of traipsing off with Jax, she should have spent the past two hours talking to Trevor. A successful relationship required compromise, and she shouldn’t expect him to do all the work.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home?” Jax said, breaking into her thoughts.

“Positive. I’ll be fine.” She turned away and set off toward her cabin. She glanced back once and saw Jax and Smoky standing on the porch, watching her.

His silhouette was both comforting and disconcerting, especially since she’d just lied to him. She wasn’t fine at all. Her father had recently been diagnosed with a debilitating disease. She’d left her well-paying job, best friend, and boyfriend behind to care for him. And to top it all off, she was inexplicably drawn to her best friend’s brother, who was also her boss.

She was the opposite of fine, but nobody could know that, especially not Jax.