He offered us dry towels and dry clothes before he went to work securing the tow rope to Teddy’s car. Levi was methodical about the rescue, with no hint of judgment, no playful glint in his eye. It reminded me so much of when he’d adjusted the saddle on that horse for me.
“If it stops you from seriously injuring yourself, I’ll do whatever I need to do.”
I tried and failed not to blush at the memory. It was embarrassing being so attracted to him when I had a feeling he’d never looked at me that way once. And why would he? I was just a visitor in Levi’s world. He probably had people lining up every weekday and weekend to spend a night in his bed. I wouldn’t even be around long enough to get off the waiting list.
“Are you okay?” Levi’s question knocked me out of my headspace. I was sitting with him, upfront, as Teddy hung out in the backseat. He was wearing over-the-ear headphones, probably listening to a podcast about wildlife photography. He seemed like the type.
“I’m fine.” I shrugged. “Just happy to be out of the rain.”
“You should be more careful.”
“To be fair, it’s not like I signed up to go looking for owls,” I replied. “Teddy volunteered me. By kidnapping me.”
“Yeah, being careful includesnotaccepting rides from him.” Levi smirked. “One time, he offered me a ride to a bar in town. Next thing I know, we’re out at some riverfront, with Teddy trying to take action shots of fish.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I have no idea.” Levi laughed. “But Teddy’s a good friend of mine at this point, so it was fine.”
“He told me you run a rescue company?”
“Big Sky Rescue, that’s right. You’re being rescued by us right now.”
“So, a cowboy by blood, but a superhero by choice?” I let out a wistful sigh. “What are you trying to get out of life? A Perfect Person Award?”
“Nope.” Levi’s expression turned serious. “I’m just… trying to be happy. Isn’t everybody?”
“You’re… not happy?” I was a little shocked by his response. “You just seem like you have the world at your feet.”
“That’s not what I—I’m just mixing up my words.” Levi shook his head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”
I opened my mouth to say something else but soon felt Teddy tapping me on the shoulder. A few seconds later he was putting his headphones over my head, his fingers pointing to the name of a podcast on his phone’s screen.
Wildlife Photography: A Look Inside the Jungle.
Knew it.
“Give this a listen! You’ll love it. Trust me.”
I nodded back at Teddy, as I let the podcast drone on in my ears, my mind completely on Levi instead.
* * *
He isn’t happy?
I sat outside my cabin staring up at the night sky. It was brilliant and beautiful, the stars perfectly twinkling and white. I tried to remember the last time I’d been able to see constellations so clearly, but I didn’t know if I ever could. As I tried to recall the various zodiac signs beyond the clouds, my mind quietly returned to Levi.
He isn’t happy.
Had I gotten him all wrong? I’d taken him for a charming, cunning cowboy type, a rogue who played by his own rules. But maybe there was something more to Levi, something he didn’t like to wear on his sleeve. Or maybe I was just reading too much into things, wanting thecharacterof Levi to have more emotional weight.
It wouldn’t be the first time I’d projected something onto someone that wasn’t there.
“Oh.” Levi’s voice was suddenly a few feet away from me. “Hey. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be out here.”
“Like how you’re out here right now?” I quirked an eyebrow, looking him up and down. He was wearing his usual trendy black ensemble, with a pair of old cowboy boots. The only thing different about Levi was the expression he wore on his face. He looked like he’d been thinking about something, hard.
“I was just out for a walk.”
