Page 31 of Trail to Trouble
“Are you sick?” Hannah asked.
Bianca lifted her gaze from the dirt but didn’t meet Hannah’s eyes. Something was not right.
“I do feel...I don’t know. Just not right. Tired, I guess. I didn’t sleep that well.”
“Do you need a quick nap before we go?” Hunter asked.
She shook her head. “Why don’t you guys go without me today? I’ll just hang here on the beach and rest.”
Hannah watched as Hunter studied Bianca. Probably debating if that was a good idea. Leaving one of his guests unattended in the wilderness after the bear incident yesterday.
“I suppose that would be okay. But, know that we’ll be gone for the better part of the day. The staff will pop in while we are out to stock the food and ice, and firewood, so if you need anything, they can help you out.”
“Okay,” she responded, then turned and looked out over the water.
Unease coiled in the pit of Hannah’s stomach. She could totally understand that Bianca was done with this trip, but her behavior seemed off, too off. She’d started the trip off on the right foot—accepting even though camping and hiking weren’t her thing, but as the days came and went, she was less able to hide her displeasure, but still tolerated it. Now, it wasn’t as much displeasure as it was despair, maybe. Hannah couldn’t quite read it, and it concerned her.
“Bianca!” Hannah called out to her.
Without turning to face her, Bianca raised a sluggish hand in the air, waving her off.
Her stomach coiled into a tight knot. She had an eerie feeling this day would not end well. It started great. But…
ChapterNine
Hunter stowed the sandwiches,water, and Gatorade into his backpack and flung it over his shoulders.
“Ready?”
Hannah and Alyssa nodded. Then, he shot a glance at Bianca, who stood in the small sandy beach area facing the water. She hadn’t moved at all since Hannah had walked away from her a couple of minutes ago. Not an inch. He understood she was a drama queen; even so, she’d tolerated this trip thus far and now she acted as if she couldn’t tolerate another second of it.
“Last chance!” he called out to her.
No reaction from Bianca.
Hannah and Alyssa shrugged.
Whatever.He convinced himself she’d be fine. Wouldn’t get eaten by a bear or something while they were gone. Yet, he felt an obligation to watch over her. After all, that is what they paid him to do. He was stuck. Either cancel the hike and stay at camp, depriving the other two of the adventure they paid for, or leave her behind and make the other two happy. Two out of three being happy wasn’t bad. He’d go with that.
He led Hannah and Alyssa down the trail toward Lover’s Leap Falls.
It was an easy and quiet walk for the first mile. He liked the quiet. It gave him time with his thoughts. As he walked, he mentally prepared for his upcoming job interviews. With as much as he wanted to land one of those jobs, he wanted to stay here even more. But it was time to move on.
He paused and looked around. A serene forest surrounded them. Inhaling, he expanded his lungs as much as possible. The earthy scent unleashed so many wonderful memories. As a kid, he hiked this trail with his dad, uncle, brother, and sister more times than he could count. They loved nature as much as he did. Uncle Lee had proposed to his wife atop Lover’s Leap Falls. Why couldn’t he? It was the most beautiful spot on his property.
Hunter glanced over his shoulder. Hannah’s sexy as sin, kissable mouth turned up into a soft smile. His heartbeat stuttered. That’s it. He planned to kiss her atop Lover’s Leap Falls. He didn’t care if Alyssa saw or not. The gold flecks in her emerald irises sparked. Had she read his last thought? He hoped so, and he wished for her to be agreeable.
His gaze floated down to her toned shoulders. Today she wore a sky-blue tank top under a lightweight, long-sleeved tan shirt. It had been cool out earlier when they’d left last night’s campsite, but she removed the long-sleeved shirt during the canoe ride, exposing those milky white shoulders of hers. His fingers itched to touch her soft-looking skin and that tank top hugged her in all the right places. Admittedly, he was a breast guy, and it looked as though she had the perfect pair. Everything about her was perfect. Beautiful emerald eyes, milky white skin, long brown hair, toned muscles, yet shapely—curvy. Best of all, outdoorsy and nice. She was perfect.
“Here we go, ladies. Our gradual climb up.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” Hannah said.
“Me, too,” Alyssa added.
“You’re in for a real treat. The falls are about a forty-foot drop from the very top. It’s only about ten feet wide but has a profound gully allowing for some major water to flow into a deep pond. I would have shown it to you from the bottom first, but the forest is thick around the bottom with a lot of thorny vegetation. We can view it from that angle later if you want.”
“I’d like to,” Hannah said.
