Noel glared in my direction. “He’s right. It’s not worth the risk.”
“You guys sound like Caden,” I grumbled.
Eddie smirked. “Lover boy not stoked about you going out on your own?”
“It helped that a former Navy SEAL will be on the trip.”
Eddie’s brows rose. “Really?”
“Yup.”
Jordan sighed. “I guess that does make things a little better. But I still think I should come.”
“You need to work out the scheduling for next week,” I told him.
“I’ll go,” Eddie offered.
Jordan looked unsure.
“I only had the sunrise kayak trip. I’ve got nothing else for the day. Wouldn’t mind getting out into the field.”
“You don’t have to do that. You must be exhausted,” I said.
He grinned at me. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
“You guys. I’m going to be fine. Navy SEAL, remember?”
A muscle ticked in Jordan’s jaw. “Fine, but I’m going with you on the kayak trip tomorrow because there’s no Navy SEAL on that one.”
I blew out a breath but nodded. There was no use arguing. And I was tired of fighting these battles.
A door slammed outside.
Eddie stood. “Looks like the tour group is here. Let’s get them loaded up.”
Jordan and I greeted the family while Eddie and Noel loaded the equipment. It was actually two families—a group of aunts, uncles, and cousins—and they were thrilled to be in Cedar Ridge.
I chatted up two girls hoping to see a bear while Jordan gave our gear one last once-over. He turned back to me. “I think you’re good to go.”
I grinned at our group. “Let’s hit the mountain.”
The hike was exactly what I needed, and the normalcy of leading a group up the mountain was, too. I could forget the break-in, the fire…everything. I got lost in teaching the group about our surroundings and chatting with them about their lives back home.
By the time we were coming down and headed back to the trailhead, I felt like a part of their family.
Kathy, one of the moms, smiled at me. “Well, if you ever make it out to Missouri, we can take you on a hike.”
Her husband, Mike, the infamous Navy SEAL, chuckled. “We don’t have views quite like this one, though.”
“It’s pretty incredible to wake up to these mountains every day,” I admitted. And it didn’t hurt to be reminded of that.
Their youngest girl, Cindy, slipped her hand into mine. “I wanna lead hikes when I grow up. I could do this every day.”
Kathy laughed. “You’ll have to study hard in all your science classes. Think of all the plants Grae taught us about.”
Cindy frowned for a moment and then nodded. “I can do it.”
Mike grinned. “If my girl gets an A in science because of you, we’re sending you a medal.”
