Page 35 of Return to Me Always

"Mm-hmm. Yep," I lied.

There was nothing but silence for a long moment. "I can hear you thinking," Tyler eventually said.

"What? That's impossible."

"Ah, well, I can feel you fidgeting."

Okay. Maybe he had a point. "I, uh, I tend to worry a lot."

I heard a rustling noise, and a second later, his strong arm came around me in the darkness, pulling me into his warmth, filling me with an unexpected peace that miraculously helped ease my fears.

Chapter Eleven

After such a strange night, I was very happy to wake up to some hot chocolate courtesy of Tyler.

"Now today," he said, "we really will make it back to civilization."

"And God only knows what we'll find."

"There's that. Aye," he agreed with a one-shoulder shrug. "But at least it's a braw day."

I was so eager for a shower and clean clothes that we packed up camp in a flash and headed out. The sun was shining, and the path was dry, making the last part of our hike incredibly easy.

Several hours later as we started our descent, I saw a small city in the distance, nestled between rolling mountains and bright blue water.

Tyler pointed at a snow-covered peak that loomed just beyond the town. "That's Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK."

"It's beautiful. So how many times have you hiked to the top?" I teased.

Tyler grinned. "Too many times to count."

His smile was contagious, and I couldn't help but feel excited—and anxious—about going into an actual city. Would people recognize us? What about this friend of Tyler's? What would he think?

"How well do you know this guy in Fort William anyway?" I asked.

He gave me a sharp look. "Why? Are you nervous he might turn us in or something?"

I smiled because leave it to Tyler to just get right to the point. That was exactly what I was thinking. "Pretty much. Yeah."

"Ryder, have I led you astray yet?"

"No. Well, maybe a bit with that mountain lion last night."

That made him laugh, and I joined in, feeling like a ball of confused energy rolling down the hill toward this city. As we started passing a few houses on the outskirts, Tyler put up his hood, and I did the same.

Like the fugitives we were.

We wound through several quiet neighborhoods, and I wondered what time it was. It was so strange to be in a town again after being in the wilds alone with Tyler for days.

I felt like a savage, not just because of my clothes, hair, and appearance, but because we were on the run, apart from normal humanity that I had taken for granted just a short time ago.

Had I actually sat in a coffee shop and sipped on a hot chocolate only a few days ago? Where was that girl now? I didn't think I'd ever get back to that life.

After a quick glance around, Tyler turned toward a two-story cottage set back from the road and surrounded by tall trees. I followed him around the side to the back where he approached a door, my heart doing a dance as he knocked.

Within seconds, the door swung open and Tyler practically shoved me inside in front of him. A cute guy around Tyler's age stood before me, mouth agape, his eyes darting from me to Tyler and back again.

"Uh, hi," he said.

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