Page 16 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

He looked at her warily. “Why’d you do that?”

“Are you kidding? In this modern world we live in, some of us like to take precautions. I’m sending your pic to my sister. If you do away with me in the middle of the woods, they’ll know exactly who to come for. Not that I think you’re a serial killer. I think that requires some charm.”

Mimi had already replied. He’s kind of hot in an angry sort of way.

River smiled while responding to her sister, Right?!

“What?”

“Nothing,” she replied, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her shorts only to hear a click coming from his direction. Raising her gaze revealed he’d taken a picture with his own phone. She slid him a look but couldn’t exactly say anything after justifying her actions.

“Just in case,” he said, doing some kind of exaggerated impression of texting while flicking back imaginary hair on one side of his face. Was that supposed to be her? “I’m going to send this to . . . uh, somebody.”

She laughed out loud at his awkward attempt at pretending he had someone to text. River hadn’t known him for long, but her gut told her the guy wasn’t a regular texter with anyone.

“Based on your requirements, you definitely could be a serial killer,” he grumbled.

Instead of getting annoyed, she tilted her head, biting back a grin. “Aw, Logan. You think I’m charming? That’s so nice of you.”

He stopped. “No, I don’t. I think . . . you’re annoying.”

“Sure, you do, bud,” she said, slapping his shoulder playfully. “Welp, I think we should get going. All your chitchat is delaying time that could be spent looking for a fox. Do you want me to follow you?” She was only just considering the car situation. Despite her apparent confidence, she did worry about annoying him too much. He was doing her a huge favor. Anyway, River didn’t want to assume he’d chauffeur her.

“You can ride with me . . . unless you feel more comfortable taking your own car. It’s whatever you want to do.”

She liked being given the choice. Her ex, Michael, had a habit of making choices for both of them and then getting irritated if she pushed back because he saw his decisions as logically sound. Even if she agreed, she always had an urge to fight against it a little.

River decided to test Logan since she preferred keeping access to her car. “Actually, I think I’ll just follow.” Because she still had an aggravating manner of smoothing things over in case there was any offense to the male ego, she added, “I’m still getting used to the area, and it helps me focus on getting familiar if I drive.” Her stomach tightened, preparing for him to not be okay with the situation.

The worry passed, though, when he shrugged. “Okay.” He then unlocked his truck and got in. He waited until she started her vehicle before smoothly pulling back and driving forward.

He was easy to follow, the kind of person who checked his rearview mirror often to make sure she remained behind him. When he made it through a light and she didn’t, he pulled to the side to wait. It was hard to continue thinking of the guy as a grouchy jerk when he also seemed considerate. River kept thinking she had him locked down, and then he’d do something to completely change her opinion. She tried not to think about it or about that evening at Lucky Duck, choosing instead to blast music, singing at the top of her lungs while letting the wind blow through her hair. All of it made for the ingredients of a perfect day and, if she were fortunate, she’d also see a fox.

Logan eventually turned off the main highway and after a few miles, turned onto a narrow dirt road that appeared to be a logging path. It was bumpy, not maintained, and she gripped her steering wheel, hoping her ten-year-old SUV could handle it. She was thankful when he pulled over to a small clearing and directed her to park behind him.

The area showed past fire damage. Blackened, bare trees dotted the landscape. But there were signs of recovery, as young green plants sprouted around the burnt husks, including grasses, ferns, wildflowers, and manzanita shrubs. Nature never gave up and, despite its previous hardship, remained gorgeous. River stopped to breathe in the mountain air, letting it fill her lungs as she closed her eyes.

When she opened them, he was watching her as he adjusted his backpack. River took a chance, asking him, “I know you see these areas during the worst kind of conditions, but do you still like to hike through the forest during your off time and see it during the best?”

“No, not much anymore.” Logan walked in a direction off the main path. She hoped this wasn’t a complete drag for him, feeling bad again for putting so much pressure in regards to her fox hunt. River followed behind him silently in hopes of not being annoying. Occasionally, Logan turned his head to her, but she only smiled in return. He better know where he was headed because they weren’t on any designated trail. What if they got lost? What if she had to cuddle into him for warmth once the sun went down? Should it worry her that this didn’t sound like a terrible scenario?

“You okay?” he asked about twenty minutes into their hike.

“Yup,” she replied, unsure why he was asking. “Are you okay?”

“You’re just being unusually quiet.” It wasn’t clear whether this bothered him.

“I don’t want to scare any animals away,” she replied good-naturedly.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” This should be good.

“What is it about this fox?” He slowed until they were walking side by side.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean why are you so eager to find this particular animal?”