Page 53 of Every Little Kiss
CHAPTER 10
“Is this what you had in mind?” Liv asked.
Ford looked from the cluster of pine trees above the lake that Liv was pointing out, into her bedroom eyes, and admitted he was up to no good. He’d kept it casual as they’d wound their way along the lake’s edge and toward the first potential ropes-course site. But the knowledge of just how good she felt by his side was almost as troublesome as the empty promise he’d made back on the beach.
He should have gone back to bed the second he read her text this morning canceling, taken the out the universe handed him, and run. Only running would have left Liv standing alone, and Ford couldn’t stomach the idea.
Not when he’d spent most of last night going over the past two years. Every search, every call, every visit to Sequoia Lake raced around in his mind until the overwhelming itch to pack up and head into another storm became so acute he’d pulled out his bag at first light. But no matter how many times he checked his bag, he always felt as if he was missing something.
Then he’d seen Liv standing on the beach, staring out at the morning as if challenging it to come at her with all it had—her daily mantra—and he knew what was missing.
The fire.
Something Liv had in spades.
“The lakeside entry to Poppy Alley would be the perfect place to set up base camp,” he said, letting Bullseye take the lead on the trail. “It’s easy to get to, has a great view, and is visible from Lake Street and all of the booths. We can sell tickets right there.” He pointed to the wooden walkway behind them that attached Lake Street to the water’s edge.
“You sure know a lot about this place for being a transfer,” Liv said, keeping pace with him. A miracle because her boots were more fashion than function. Same with the jeans, but the way they hugged that heart-shaped ass? Ford wasn’t complaining.
“Bullseye and I come to town a few times a year,” he said cautiously. “Sometimes to see Harris, sometimes to help with a search when they need a K-9 team.”
“But you haven’t gone on any searches this summer. Why?”
Oh, Ford had spent the entire trip searching. He just didn’t think he was going to find what he was looking for on the job. Nope, he was pretty sure it went deeper than that. “If you ask my boss, it’s because I missed an important test and they put me in big-boy time-out.”
She laughed. “So judging dog shows and dealing with stubborn citizens is your punishment?” she asked as they reached a clearing in the outcropping of pines. “That must have been some test.”
“It wasthetest,” he confessed. “And for the record, I think stubborn is sexy on a woman.”
“You’re just saying that because you have your eye on my remaining cupcake,” she teased.
“I’d have my eyes on more than your cupcake, but you laid down the no-flirting rule.”
“I think you broke that rule when you asked me to go hiking in nothing but my secrets.”
“Lucky you let me go back to the house and get dressed, then. Otherwise we would have gotten some strange looks when we drove through town. With you being overdressed and all,” he said with a grin, remembering just how fast he’d gotten dressed. Liv had promised she’d wait, but he wasn’t willing to chance it, so he’d tugged on the first shirt he’d found.
Good thing too. Because when he’d come back out, she was already walking down the shoreline. Clearly, waiting was not in her morning itinerary. Neither was talking.
Nope, Liv remained relatively quiet as they walked the short distance of the trail, bending down to run her hands along the carpet of bright orange poppies that covered the hillside and the valley around them. It wasn’t until they reached a small outcropping of trees that she allowed herself to pick one.
She held the petal to her nose and breathed it in. Bullseye flopped on the ground and began rolling in the flowers.
“This is the perfect place for a family event,” she said, turning around. “It’s easy to reach—a two-minute walk from the main part of Wagon Days—but far enough out to feel like you’re in another time.”
Ford bent over to let Bullseye off the leash. Legs pointed toward the sky, Bullseye let out a yawn and closed his eyes.
“It’s also private property, owned by Sequoia Lake Lodge, and I happen to know the owner,” he said, referring to Ty and his parents, who would help in a heartbeat. All Ford had to do was ask.
“What about the permit issue?” she asked, taking in the sequoia trees and pines.
“By avoiding forest land and having the right personnel already lined up, there’s no good reason for them to deny the permits.”
She ran a hand along the trunk of an old oak, her hair loose and dancing in the breeze. “So when Kevin’s guy said he couldn’t sign off on the permits ...?”
“He’s full of shit.”
Her lips quirked. “He said the same thing about my guy.”
