Page 41 of Lost With You
“I can’t promise you a signal.” He pointed to the sky. “I doubt there’s a cell tower for a hundred miles. But it’s worth a check.”
She curled her fingers over the phone. This was a forbidden thing, except for emergencies—those were the rules. She hadn’t once touched her own, despite the temptation. She didn’t want to be a disruptive force in the expedition, or affect the very story she was covering.
“You’re absolved,” he said, reading her mind, flames reflected in his eyes. “Call your Jillian.”
She gripped the lifeline he’d flung at her. Her heartbeat slowed and then pounded hard. It would be so good to hear Jillian’s voice. Jillian would soak the whole story in, about how she’d gotten to this place, in the middle of nowhere, so far from the world. Jillian would ask questions about Dylan and listen not just to Casey’s words but also to the tone of her voice. What had Jill said about discomfort? All growth came from it. Casey sure as hell was uncomfortable now. How did running away from her old life lead her to such confusion?
To such a man?
She didn’t look up, but mentally she stretched toward the warmth of Dylan’s presence. She ached to place her cheek against the nook between his head and shoulder, to feel his arms around her. The phone in her hand felt cold and hard.
“Casey?”
Little lines by his eyes crinkled in query. Never had she been so aware of the loneliness yawning inside her.
She thrust out the phone. “Take it.”
His look turned serious. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Where was Jillian’s voice now? Not in her head. Casey heard nothing but the rush of her own blood in her ears and felt nothing but a fierce pull toward the man so close to her.
Without a word, he took the phone and then held out his arms.
***
Less than an hour into their hike the next morning, Dylan glimpsed through the trees a glimmer of sunshine striking water.
Casey caught her breath. “Is that a river up ahead?”
“It must be.”
“Dylan.” She hopped a step. “That means—”
“Exactly.” A tributary this big had to be part of the northern river network. “We’re not lost anymore, even if we never really were.”
Casey twirled, her dark ponytail flying. She darted ahead through the trees, the soles of her hiking boots flashing. He followed, his lungs thick, the ground uneven under his feet, and not just because they’d finally found the northern river network. His mind couldn’t catch up with the changes between him and Casey since last night, when she’d crawled into that tiny tent and burrowed against him like a nymph. They hadn’t even kissed. This morning, the sweetest thing he’d shared with her was a cup of coffee and a smile.
And yet the last twelve hours had been the most intimate he’d ever shared with a woman.
With a heart both warm and confused, he broke through the trees, and the vista opened. Sunlight poured over a sixty-odd-yard stretch of river. Outside the soupy atmosphere of the woods, the air lightened, the sky blazed blue. Casey stood by the bank of the river, making quick work of her clothing.
“What are you waiting for, Dylan?” She tossed her panties in his direction with a shy, sidelong promise. “Join me?”
For now or forever?He shook off the thought. The backpack bumped off his shoulder as he let it slide down his arms. He had to wrestle his swim trunks over his hiking boots, and try to pick the ties free while watching her dip under the surface of the river and rise up again. Water sluiced over her bare skin. His heart strained out of his chest. He wanted to hold her again, make her feel good, see happiness on her face. He wanted to be the reason for her joy.
“Congratulations, weary traveler.” She watched as he waded in, water rising up his thighs. “How does triumph feel?”
“Like relief.” There was another challenge in the expedition ahead, but he could barely think beyond this bright, shimmering moment. “We’re no longer stuck.”
“You should be enjoying this.” She rose up from the rib-deep water, her voice soft, to meet him halfway. “You found a path across. Embrace the success, even if it’s not exactly what you’d hoped for.”
He stopped a few feet in front of her and squinted toward the opposite bank, not yet ready to confess the real reason for his change in mood, in case he was just imagining the shift between them. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen something in a woman’s eyes that wasn’t really there.
“For the next expedition, I’ll cross through from Canada, the opposite route. I’ll find more trail markers then.”
Her gaze flickered. “Think about what you’ve already accomplished.American Backroadsis going to love this story.”
