“As if I couldn’t guess. No man would be so mean to amale dog. You need to learn to stay,” he finished, addressing Darling.
Darling wasn’t the only one who needed to learn that lesson. Zona needed to stay, too. Right where she was, single and safe.
They finished with Darling and Alec went back to his own house. But not before he suggested Zona go hiking with him on the weekend. “Give Darling some exercise.”
“After his last escape, I don’t see my mother letting him out of her sight.”
“Okay. Will she let you out of her sight? I promise not to—” he began.
“If you say cut me up in little pieces, I’ll smack you,” she said, and he laughed.
A laugh. A genuine laugh out of Alec James. She stared at him in surprise.
His brows shot down. “What?”
“You laughed.”
He looked thoughtful. “What do you know. I did. Haven’t done that in a while.” Then he smiled. “I guess it was time.”
“Maybe it was,” she said.
THE REST OFthe week hurried by. Zona received her car back, good as new. Darling had another obedience lesson, and Zona made some good tips driving people around on Friday night. Saturday morning, she found several treasures hitting garage sales with Louise and Martin, and Sunday morning she put on her hiking boots and prepared to hike the Bonnie Cove West and East Trail Loop with Alec. It was a moderate hike, with some nice views of Glendora and a few challenging inclines.
Good for her health, she convinced herself.
“Hiking in the wilderness. Alone with that man we barely know. Except we know he’s got a temper,” Louise had said when Zona had shared her plans.
“And he bought us hamburgers. Nothing bad is going to happen. And besides, you’re the one who nominated him as a love candidate in the first place,” Zona reminded her.
“I wish you’d quit bringing that up. I changed my mind.”
“And now we know he’s not a murderer.”
“We also know he comes complete with a crazy family. And an ex.”
“I come with two. I’m ahead of him by one. This will not turn into anything, trust me. I’ve been burned enough,” Zona had assured her.
But she was finding that easy to forget as she and Alec made their way up the trail. The sun warmed her back and her face, but it was Alec who was warming her heart. He’d had coffee waiting in his truck for her and he’d packed snacks and water for them both. He was a completely different man than the angry version who they’d heard on the other side of the fence. Was this the real Alec?
We hope so, said her starved hormones. He did look good in his jeans and T-shirt and hiking boots. And when they finished the hike and sat down at the picnic table at the trailhead to finish off their water bottles, the hint of his cologne mixed with the musky smell of overheated male upped her heart rate higher than it had been when they’d hiked up the incline. He was sitting close enough to her that she could feel the warmth from his body and she found herself wishing he’d kiss her.
Then she scolded herself for it.Won’t turn into anything serious, remember?She didn’t need to be kissing him. Shouldn’t even be with him. Was her protective wall of caution crumbling? Not good.
We need to stop this right now, she informed her hormones.
They weren’t listening.
“What are you thinking?”
His words jerked her back into the moment and her heart began to pick up its pace again. “What?”
“Just wondering what was going on inside your head.”
“Honestly? I was wondering what on earth I’m doing here with you.”
“Enjoying a nice day?”
“You know what I mean.”
