Page 48 of Cherishing Happily Ever After

Never in his life had Travis imagined that letting someone into his heart could be so…nice. It was a terribly simple word to describe an extremely complicated emotion, but it was the best he could come up with. Being with Stephanie, talking to her, laughing with her, kissing her and cuddling with her was just that—nice.

Which was also why he was quite content to stay in the cabin and continue doing all the nice andvery nicethings they had been doing. Stephanie, on the other hand, had different ideas.

“It’s not like we’re going to be gone forever.” She pulled down a backpack from the top of the closet. “It’s just a hike. I thought you liked doing these outdoor exercise things?”

He laughed and, resigned, started to make sandwiches. “I do. But I’ve recently discovered that I also like doing certain indoor exercise things even more.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and she laughed, too.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong.” Steph came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, one hand slipping inside the front of his jeans, just a little. But it was enough. “I like those activities, too.”

Travis spun around and kissed her hard before lifting her to the counter.

Steph squealed in protest, but she wrapped her legs around him to hold him tight to her and indulged him in the kiss for a few more minutes before finally pulling back. “But the sun is out, things are drying up, and I really want to see the top of Premier Ridge.”

He groaned but didn’t release her right away. “I’ve seen it,” he said. “I’ll tell you all about it. It will be just like you were there yourself.”

“Or.” She unwrapped her legs. “You can show me in person and once we get to the ridge, I can show you just how much I appreciate your sacrifice to leave the cabin today.”

He eyed her carefully. “Promises, promises.”

“You know it.” She giggled and with another quick kiss, he released her from his embrace and she hopped down.

Travis finished making the sandwiches and packed them a simple lunch in his pack while Stephanie loaded hers with water, bear spray, and a few treats for Tink, who sensed something more than lying around the cabin was about to happen and looked suitably excited about it.

Truthfully, Travis was happy about hiking up to Premier Ridge with Stephanie. It was one of his favorite places and the view was amazing. She would love it, and he looked forward to seeing the look on her face when she took in the view for the first time. It was unlike any other around the valley. Never mind the view he’d have of her ass in those tight leggings she’d put on for the occasion.

And he wasn’t disappointed.

Stephanie was in good shape from whatever workouts her personal trainer had her doing, and his view of her lean legs and juicy ass definitely kept him moving on the steeper inclines.

The hike, although challenging and slick in spots from the massive amounts of rain, was a good one. It took them a little over two hours to reach the ridge of Premier Mountain.

“This is…” Steph put her hands on her hips and walked first to one viewpoint and then another, still unable to finish her sentence. “It’s just so…”

Travis came to stand beside her and exhaled slowly. “It sure is something, isn’t it?”

She shook her head slowly. “That’s putting it mildly. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen something quite so magnificent.”

Travis smiled. “I bet you say that about all the mountains you climb.”

“This is my first.”

He turned to stare at her, stunned. “Really?”

She nodded but still didn’t take her eyes off the view of the jagged peaks, some with their tips still covered in snow. The valley below was a thousand shades of green from the rain, with the river snaking its way through the trees, toward Glacier Falls. “My family wasn’t much for hiking,” she said. “Or really anything outdoorsy that didn’t include working on the acreage. There was always enough work to do that we didn’t need to go out looking for more.”

Travis nodded but then shook his head. “Hiking up a mountain is pretty different then…well…almost any chore on a ranch or acreage I could think of.”

Steph finally looked at him then. “I agree. Especially after seeing this. But I wasn’t making the decisions back then.”

“And since?”

She shrugged. “Not many mountains to climb on movie sets.”

It was always a jolt when he remembered that the Steph he was getting to know and very quickly falling in love with was the very same woman who the entire world knew as Stephanie Starz, international movie star. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that she was super famous.

“But now you’re here.” He slipped an arm around her shoulders. “And just think…out of all the billions of people in the world, only a handful will ever experience this view and see it in person.”

“Wow. I never really thought of it like that.” She shook her head in wonder. “That makes it extra special.”

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