Page 103 of The Lost Book of First Loves

“Okay. Well, animals tend to poop wherever you put them.If they’re too close to a water source, that can end up in the water that other animals drink out of, which can spread illness or disease. So you always want to find a place away from water sources.”

“How long have you been riding in these mountains?” he asked.

“My whole life. My parents used to bring me up here a few times every summer. My dad and I took a ride not too far from here last year. It was our last time camping together before he died.”

Her voice broke slightly on the last word, and Xander turned off his camera and reached for her hand to pull her into a hug.

“I can cut that out if you want,” he said.

He smelled really good, she thought again. Even better than he had the night they danced together. Sunshine and leather and sage.

“I’m not ashamed to express how much I miss my dad. It’s part of me every day. I’ve been away at school for seven years so you might think I would be used to the separation, but I talked to him every day when I was in school. I still pick up my phone and start to dial his number, then have to remember he won’t ever answer again.”

He tightened his arms and held her for a moment longer before he released her slightly. She looked up and met his gaze and was certain she saw something, a little spark she wasn’t sure she had ever seen there before.

He quickly released her and stepped away.

For an instant, she almost thought he wanted to kiss her. Impossible. This was Xander. He didn’t think about her romantically, any more than she thought about him that way.

But he did have a whole photo album containing pictures of her.

“I brought a PB&J sandwich for you if you want,” she said. “Little midmorning energy boost.”

“Thanks.”

They ate quickly, then Xander recorded some content about the wilderness area they were about to enter and some of the best trails for beginners and intermediate hikers. While he was wrapping up, Ali left to walk up the trail to stretch her legs.

When she returned, he was readying the horses, leading them back down to the creek to drink again before taking them back to the trail.

“Did you get enough footage?” she asked when he returned. “I don’t mind waiting longer.”

“Should be good. We’ve only started the trip. I’ll have time for more.”

It was too warm for the hoodies now so they both took them off and tucked them away before they mounted and headed back up the trail.

Xander stopped along the way twice more to video the terrain they passed through and once when they spotted a black bear and a couple of cubs far off the trail.

It took them probably twice as long to reach Hidden Lake as it might have if Xander hadn’t been recording content for his channel, but she didn’t mind. His frequent stops gave her time to enjoy their surroundings and appreciate the beauty and solitude around them.

They only saw one other group, a trio of guys with big backpacks and fishing gear heading in the opposite direction, who moved to the side of the trail to let them pass.

“How’s the fishing?” Xander asked them.

“Great,” one of the guys said. “We’ve been up to Lake Solitude for two days and had a great time.”

Xander asked the guys if he could film them for his channel and they were only too happy to chat with him about their hike. They learned they were high school friends from Idaho who took a different adventure every summer.

Finally, when the horses were growing restless, she and Xander pressed on.

“I hope we find the same good fishing up at Hidden Lake,” he said as they rode.

“Me, too.”

Ali didn’t necessarily love to fish. She mostly enjoyed hanging out in the mountains and savoring the silence and the sheer joy of being disconnected from technology and to-do lists and study assignments.

When they arrived at the lake, so named because it was in a bowl of mountains accessed only through a narrow canyon, she found no sign of anyone else.

The only movement was the breeze that rippled the water and sent the aspen leaves trembling.

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