Page 32 of Trail to Trouble
Of course, she would, and he’d be happy to show her.
The trail transitioned from mostly soil and tree roots to rock. It wouldn’t be long before they’d reach the top.
He paused and looked back at the ladies. “Careful, the rocks are loose and they’ll get larger as we near the top. Just make sure you have good footing before taking your next step.”
“Okay,” they responded in unison.
The scraping of rocks behind him caused him to halt on a dime and twist at the trunk to see what happened. Hannah and Alyssa looked back, too. So, it wasn’t one of them who’d lost their footing. For another few seconds, they all just stood there staring in the direction from which they’d come. Then, both ladies turned their heads and fixed their gazes on him.
“Neither of you slipped?” he asked.
They both shook their heads.
“I suppose one of us could have loosened a stone or two on our way through. No biggy. This is why we have to be careful with our footing, not to slide down the hill with the rocks,” he said.
He spun and resumed climbing.
His mind wandered back to the sunglasses incident and the feeling of being watched. Over the past couple of days, there’d been some strange noises he couldn’t identify, and he’d been in these woods enough to know the sounds that animals make. These sounds were different—off—likely human. Was someone spying on them? He didn’t like that thought at all. Why would someone be following them? It certainly wouldn’t be any of their hikers and campers because the guides wouldn’t allow it. They’d stick to the plans in place and not deviate from them for both the enjoyment and safety of the clients. State land surrounded his uncle’s property, so he supposed hikers other than those signed up at Yooper Adventures could be milling around. Every now and then, he’d come across a lost hiker and help them back to civilization.
Hunter stepped up onto the bald top of the waterfall. Water flowed full force from the deep gully in the rocks, over the edge, and into the pool below. From this vantage point, he could see miles and miles of the lush green forest.
Hannah stepped next to him. She lifted her hand to further shield her eyes from the bright sun, even though she wore sunglasses. The sunglasses that had mysteriously disappeared and reappeared. Her long brown ponytail flung around in the shifting wind. It was always windy on top of the falls.
“This is lovely,” she said.
“You should see it in the fall when the colors are at peak.”
“I bet it’s gorgeous.”
“If you come back, I’ll show you.”
She fixed her gaze on him. “Maybe I will.”
“What about me?” Alyssa asked in a playful tone.
“You are more than welcome, too,” Hunter replied.
Alyssa swung her gaze between him and Hannah. “And be the third wheel. No, thank you,” she replied with a wink.
His gaze quickly landed on Hannah, whose flush floated up from her neck to her cheeks.
“Let me get a photo of you two to capture this moment,” Alyssa ordered as she pulled her camera from her backpack.
Hannah’s cheeks flamed red. Why was she so embarrassed that Alyssa figured them out?
Hunter slung his arm over Hannah’s shoulders and snuggled her close to his side. She didn’t resist.
Alyssa snapped several photos.
“Why don’t you move closer to the water’s edge and I’ll take a couple more with a bit of a different background. God, this place is gorgeous. A photographer’s dream.”
“So, Lover’s Leap. What’s the scoop? Who leaped?” Hannah asked as they moved to a new spot.
“The legend is like many others. A Native American woman, daughter of a chief, fell in love with a trapper, a white man. The chief would not allow his daughter to marry a white man, so she jumped off the ledge, and her lover did the same, so they would be joined in the afterlife.”
“How awful,” Alyssa replied.
“That’s not the worst part.”
