Page 53
“What if it’s a bear, or worse, Bigfoot?” My heart starts to race as I scan the forest floor.
“There is no such thing as Bigfoot, Genevieve.”
“They have a TV show about hunting him, Wyatt, so I’m pretty sure you’re wrong.”
“If he was real, someone would have come across him by now?”
“You don’t know that. He’s probably really good at hiding and knows the mountains better than we do, so he’s able to escape or blend in with his surroundings whenever someone is close.”
“I got to Storm,” he says, obviously ignoring my freak-out. “I’m going to give him your scent, then send him on his way.”
“Storm, if you can hear me, I will give you the biggest bone ever if you hurry up,” I say over the walkie.
“We’re coming, baby,” he says before the line goes quiet. Rubbing my hands together, I look out over the woods. Wyatt and I hiked about two miles before we reached the deer lookout, and it took us probably thirty minutes, maybe a little longer because the terrain was rugged. I don’t know how long it will take for them to reach me with darkness settling in, but I imagine it will be a bit longer. As I sit there in the quiet, I look up at the sky. It’s a beautiful night and kind of cool to watch the starry sky eat away at the hazy purples and oranges that have mixed together with the sun setting. Hearing the breaking of a branch close by, I try to remember which bears are good at climbing and which ones you need to fight. I pull out the can of bear spray that Wyatt gave me just in case. As I hold it in my hand, I feel ridiculously unprepared to take on a bear if one does try to attack.
Seriously, I must be stupid for agreeing to do this. Looking down, I scan the forest floor and hold my breath when a huge buck walks into view. Some hunter would pay good money to be sitting where I am right now, only I can’t imagine taking the life of an animal that seems almost majestic. As he walks toward the tree, he pauses and wiggles his ears like he’s listening for something, then three more deer come out of hiding to join him. I don’t think that I have ever sat anywhere long enough to experience nature like I am in this moment, and that is just sad, considering I grew up in one of the most beautiful states in all the US. I don’t know how long I watch the little family graze on the grass below me, but something startles them, and they all take off running. Listening for what it could be, I don’t hear anything except the sound of the forest around me as night starts to settle in. Then, as I’m about to reach out to Wyatt and see how far away they are, a flash of yellow and orange comes out of nowhere.
“Oh my god, good job,” I yell as Storm circles the base of the tree. “You did so good,” I tell him, leaning over the side of the stand, and he barks up at me. Carefully, so that I don’t fall to my death, I maneuver my way out of the stand, then start to make my way down the ladder with Storm cheering me on. Just when my feet are about to touch the ground, hands wrap around my waist, and I’m lifted the rest of the way, then spun around. I don’t have time to even get my wits about me before warm lips crash down on mine and a gloved hand slides under my beanie into my hair, holding me steady.
“He did it,” I whisper against Wyatt’s lips when he pulls back, leaving me breathless.
“Of course he did. The moment he got your scent, he was off to find you.” He smiles, and my toes curl at the sight of it. “I’ve never seen him move so fast. I had to run to keep up, and even then he was way ahead of me.”
“That’s because he didn’t want me to get taken by Bigfoot, unlike you.” I look down at Storm, who is sitting and watching us. Reaching down, I pat the top of his head. “Good job—you earned another bone.”
Barking, he jumps up on me, and I laugh while Wyatt pulls him off.
“You ready to get out of here?”
“Yes.” I look around. “You know how to get us out of here, right?” It’s already much darker than it was, and down here on the forest floor, the moonlight is barely visible.
“Come on.” He wraps his gloved hand around mine and begins leading me out of the forest back to his truck, using a fancy light attached to his hat—and Storm, who moves ahead of us with his nose to the ground.
A little over an hour later, tucked against Wyatt’s side in his truck, with Storm next to me taking up most of the seat, I smile at the windshield.
“Told you it’d be fun,” he mutters, squeezing my hand, which is resting on his thigh where he placed it.
“I’ll never admit it.”
“That’s okay. It’s written all over your face.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it, and my stupid smile gets bigger. “What do you want to eat for dinner?”
“You didn’t put something in your fancy Crock-Pot this morning?”
“Not today, but tomorrow I’ll make you shredded-chicken green-chili tacos.” My stomach growls, and my mouth waters at the thought. The roast he made was so good, it literally melted on my tongue. “Are you up to going to the diner?”
“Everyone in town goes to the diner.”
“Yeah.”
“People will for sure see us together, and without a doubt that news will reach my mom.”
“Are we hiding from your mom?”
“Yes,” I say quietly, and his hand, still holding mine, tightens. “My mom will not just accept that you and I like each other’s company. She will assume it’s more and—”
“I get it.” He cuts me off. “We’ll find something else to do for dinner.” He doesn’t sound angry, but there is a tension in the cab of his truck that wasn’t here a few minutes ago, and it makes me feel awkward. The thing is I really do like him, I like spending time with him, but I’m not sure I’m ready to make the kind of statement it would make if people saw us out at dinner together. Right now I just want to enjoy whatever this is without the pressure of other people’s opinions.
“I . . .” I open my mouth to try to explain things, to try and explain how I feel, but before I can get anything substantial out, his cell phone begins to ring.
