Page 11 of Hearts Don't Lie
Piñon Ridge…
After crying it out, Mac returned to the front office, numb but determined to move forward. She could do this. She had dealt with other challenges that demanded far more from her than Hardin’s sudden appearance. Mac put on her professional hat and threw herself into checking the details of tomorrow’s trip.
Her first order of business was to find Chase and tell him he wasn’t accompanying her on the trip. She found him in the pantry, a large room that served as their equipment room, readying supplies for trips going out that day and the next, including hers and Hardin’s. In front of him was an electronic tablet for logging the items for each trip. Mac and Cori were responsible for final inventory checks, comprising gear, navigational tools, first aid kits, and itinerary. Since this was Mac’s trip, Cori would take care of it.
“Hey. I only need you for the trailhead drop-off tomorrow. I’m taking Hardin Ambrose out on my own.”
Although Chase was only a half head taller than Mac, he was husky, all muscle, and the self-appointed watchdog over his lady bosses. He stopped what he was doing and faced her, squinting his eyes. “That’s against policy.”
“It would be if our client was an unknown entity,” she said, squeezing his arm and smiling, her eyes not wavering from his.
Chase searched her eyes and nodded, seeming satisfied Mac was fully comfortable with her decision. He leaned his hips back against the metal table, crossed his arms, and studied her. “Cori said you know him. He picked a tough trip. Has he hiked?”
“When we were teens, no. Since then? I have no idea.”
“How are you going to handle him?”
“He insisted on this excursion, so I’ll treat him like he’s a seasoned hiker but guide him like he’s a novice.” She laughed and passed two bear canisters to him, which he noted on the tablet in front of him.
“You’ll be careful,” he said, studying her, his expression serious.
“Always,” she said convincingly.But what about my heart?
He shook his head slowly. “Go pull yourself together. I’ve got this. Cori will do the recheck.”
“Iamtogether.”
“Bullshit you are. Right now you’re the leasttogetheryou’ve ever been since I’ve known you.”
Mac snapped her hands to her hips and pulled herself up to her full height. Her jaw jutted forward. “Listen—”
Chase shook his head again and grimaced, but his eyes danced. “Don’t go getting all huffy on me,boss.” He waved his hand toward the front of Intrepid. “Go do what you need to do. Everything is set for the day.”
Mac walked back heavily to her desk and dropped into her chair, wondering how Chase seemed to know about the turmoil she was experiencing. Had he and Cori talked while she wept in the break room, or worse, had one or both of them heard her lose it?Oh God…She passed the rest of her morning battling the near panic that surfaced between answering the phone, scheduling trips, and talking to walk-ins. A massive, nauseating headache was building between her temples, expanding and filling her entire skull. She tried breathing through her nose, but it didn’t help.
Gentle pressure on her shoulder snapped Mac out of a long-compartmentalized memory in the recesses of her brain that had materialized, so vivid it was as if it had happened yesterday.
“Hey!” Cori said. “You’re absolutely no good here.”
Mac rubbed her temples and glanced up at her partner and friend. “I have a massive headache coming on.”
“I’ll get you something,” Cori said before rifling around in her purse. “Hold out your hand.” She tapped some gel caps out into Mac’s palm.
Mac tossed the gel caps into her mouth and gulped down most of the water from the bottle on her desk.
“Good. Now go take a walk, and if you’re feeling up to it when you return, take my one o’clock. It’s Blue Lake. You love that one. A hike will do you good. Get whatever is in your head out.”
Mac rose and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, then pulled Cori into her arms. “Thanks, sweetie.”
“You’ve got this,” Cori said and pushed her toward the open door. “Go. Lunch will be waiting when you get back.”
Mac walked the same direction Hardin had earlier, past Hazy Rebel Brewing, past the art district, toward Limestone Peak, looking for a flatter spot in the uneven, gentle terrain. She was surrounded by acres of green when she eased herself onto the earth and lay back, her head and upper torso cushioned by her Intrepid Adventures jacket. She glanced up at the sky and placed her feet on the ground, then crossed one ankle over her knee, watching the clouds move joyously overhead. The memory from earlier resurfaced, and Mac let it overtake her, wondering if the event was why Hardin’s parents had disliked her so much.
Illinois, August, Thirteen Years Earlier, Mac’s Junior Year in High School…
Hardin had obviously been in a hurry when he picked her up. Sure, he had taken his time kissing her, but as soon as her seat belt was secured, they were off. “We need to make a detour. I forgot my wallet at home.”
“Your parents?”
