Page 24 of Wild About the Mountain Guide
Peyton and I go through our usual routine, but when I duck into the tent, she’s not lying down. She’s sitting cross-legged on her sleeping bag.
“Knox,” she says quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to know that this week has meant everything to me. You’ve helped me discover parts of myself I didn’t know existed.”
My throat feels tight. “Peyton—”
“I know you’re going to tell me to save it until we’re safely down. But I needed to say it now, while I have the courage.”
I want to tell her she’s changed something in me, too, that these past few days have been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I want to tell her that the thought of saying goodbye after tomorrow makes my chest ache in ways I don’t understand. And most of all, I want another chance at that kiss.
Instead, I reach over and squeeze her hand. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be the adventure of a lifetime. Let’s focus on nothing else but that for now.”
She nods and lies down, but her fingers don’t leave mine.
As I listen to her breathing slow and deepen, I stare at the tent ceiling and try to prepare myself for what’s coming. Tomorrow, I’ll guide her to the summit of Mount Hartley.
And then I’ll have to figure out how to let her go.
It seems like an impossible task.
Chapter Eleven
Peyton
The alarm goes off at 2:30 a.m., but I’m already awake. I’ve been lying here for the past hour, listening to Knox’s steady breathing and trying to calm my racing thoughts. Today’s the day. Mount Hartley. The thing that seemed impossible a week ago is about to happen.
Knox stirs beside me. “Hey, you. You ready for this?”
“Ask me in twelve hours,” I tell him.
He chuckles. “Fair enough. But you’re going to do great. The others too.”
“Thanks, I hope so. I’m glad you’re going to be there to guide us to the top safely.”
“I’ve got you,” he says, his voice sounding like gravel. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Could he be any more attractive than he is now, with his tousled hair and his protective streak shining through?
Outside, headlamps are already flickering to life as everyone gets moving. The pre-dawn air is shockingly cold, probably in the low thirties, and I’m grateful for every layer Knox makes us wear. We eat a quick breakfast of energy bars and instant coffee, but only because we’re forced to. We’re way too nervous to be hungry. Knox won’t hear any of it, though. We need fuel, and only food can provide that, he instructs us.
We all shoulder our packs and turn to Knox. “Remember, slow and steady. Save your energy for the summit push.”
“I’m so excited,” Harmony says as she walks up the summit trail beside me.
“Me too, but if I’m being honest, I’m consumed by nerves.”
She smiles at me. “Babe, me too, but we’re not going to let some nerves get the best of us, right?”
“Right,” I tell her, and I mean it.
I can and will do this. I didn’t come this far to give up now.
The first few hours pass in a blur of switchbacks through the dark forest. My headlamp beam bounces ahead of me, illuminating enough trail to keep me from tripping over rocks and roots.
As the sky starts to lighten, we emerge above tree line into a landscape that takes my breath away. Rolling alpine tundra stretches in every direction, dotted with tiny wildflowers that seem impossible at this elevation. And above us, Mount Hartley’s summit rises like something out of a fantasy, all granite and snow and impossible steepness.
