Page 31 of Trapped with the Mountain Man

Then I remember the conversation that came afterward.

“Think you might ever make it back this way again?” I ask between bites, trying to sound casual. Once again, it’s too casual and cryptic.

Thankfully, Abby seems to derive my meaning. She finishes chewing and dabs at her mouth with a napkin before answering.

“You mean to your Airbnb for wayward female hikers?” She smiles at me coyly and I twitch under the table again.

“Yeah, or Tennessee…Gatlinburg…in general. Doesn’t have to be here necessarily.”

She captures her bottom lip between her teeth and bites at her smile as she seems to give my question serious thought.

“Well, are you inviting me back?” she finally asks.

“I’m trying to, but I’ll admit I’m doing a pretty shitty job,” I laugh. “I’d like to spend some more time with you, either here or in Portland or wherever. I know it’s a weird situation, but I don’t want…” The words are tumbling out of my mouth with a speed and honesty that I’m not accustomed to, so I cut myself off.

“…this to be it,” she finishes.

I nod.

“Me neither,” she says. “I would love to come back and visit.”

This time, I feel a twitch high up in my chest. All the anticipation I held in my shoulders melts away. It may not seem like a big step to most people, but for someone like me who has mastered emotional detachment in a way others can’t even fathom, it’s huge.

Abby takes another bite. She doesn’t seem as settled by our conversation as I feel right now. I can see her still vibrating with something that I can’t quite place. The corners of her lips are curled into a hint of a smile, but it seems more like they’re holding something back.

“Actually, you might be seeing me again sooner than you think,” she finally says.

“Oh yeah?” I raise an eyebrow, thinking she’s alluding to another romp in bed tonight.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking. I know I said that I wasn’t going to try to finish the rest of the hike on this trip, but if I don’t do it now, I probably never will.” She pauses, gauging my reaction so far. “So, instead of going back to town tomorrow, I’m going back out on the trail. Maybe when I’m done with the hike, we could spend another night here before I head back to Portland.”

“You’re joking.”

“No…”

Abby obviously wasn’t expecting my reaction. The room is still and quiet around us, amplifying the buzz in my chest and the beat of my heart against my sternum. But this isn’t the pleasant buzz I get around Abby; it’s the buzz of annoyance and anger at her and all the women that came before her because of that fucking book.

As Abby reads my expression, hers hardens as well.

Chapter 17

Abby

Honestly, I knew there was a chance Hunter wouldn’t take this news well.

A pretty good chance.

He hasn’t made any secret of his feelings about the book that brought me out here. Even though he has a better understanding now of why I read it and decided to do the hike, his hatred of that book runs pretty deep.

But I did expect at least a modicum of understanding after I opened up to him, and I can tell by his narrow glare and tight jaw that I will not be getting that.

“You need to go back to town tomorrow,” Hunter says firmly. “Your family is waiting for you there.”

The media is, too. He doesn’t get it.

In all fairness, I didn’t exactly explaineverythingto him. But I shouldn’t have to. We’ve only known each other for a few days. He hasn’t earned all of my truths yet.

“I didn’t ask them to come,” I retort.

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