He glanced at his phone to open his contacts, and he froze. Every bit of courage drained from his body, and he felt himself sobering up almost instantly— he was staring at Natalie’s smiling face.
Ian dropped his phone. It landed softly on the floor with the screen facing up—Natalie’s face still gazing at him accusingly. She had her arm wrapped around Charlene, like they were never going to spend one day a part. He remembered taking that picture. It had been just after daybreak, two mornings before Charlene’s accident. He had captured a happy moment between the two sisters, intending to send it to them later—but later had never come. He had gotten distracted by his attraction for Natalie, and Charlene had died.
Ian stared at the screen, transfixed, until his phone darkened on its own, leaving him in complete darkness. Seeing Shelby at the bar had been nothing more than a coincidence. Natalie’s picture stopping him from making a reckless move was a twist of fate; it was the sign that he hadn’t even known he was searching for.
He knew he had better listen.
Leaving his phone where it had fallen, Ian collapsed back on his bed. He took quick, short breaths, trying to calm the demons that were gathering in his gut. Returning to Della Falls had not set him free from his past.
He needed to walk away from Shelby—for her protection and his.
At least he could be thankful for the fact that he had back to back work trips on his schedule—first this trip to Forbidden Plateau, and then the Survival Spa Week. He would have little time to think about Shelby—except for, of course, all those nights under the stars.
He closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories, but they were right there behind his eyelids like they always were. He had gotten caught up in the thrill, and he had let himself forget for a while. He couldn’t make that mistake again.
Shelby stared down at the pile of gear at her feet. How was she ever supposed to get all of this organized and into her backpack before Ginny arrived to pick her up? She wasn’t ready for this. If she hadn’t been distracted by that amazing dance with Ian, she never would have agreed to sign up for this.
And just like that, she was engulfed in the turmoil of emotions that only Ian had the ability to evoke. It was completely ridiculous. So what if they shared a steamy dance and he hadn’t called? It didn’t mean anything.
She needed to get over it.
It was one thing to get lost in fantasizing about the things he would to do her under the cover of darkness; it was an entirely different thing to let thoughts of him take over her day.
She didn’t need Ian McLean in her life, so the fact that he wasn’t was perfect.
Pulling her mind back to the task at hand, Shelby knelt down and opened the top of the backpack. She had borrowed it from her brother-in-law, Wes, and it seemed bulky and hard to manage. How was she ever going to find anything in its cavernous depths?
How was she going to get through this week at all? She wasn’t ready.
Letting Ginny convince her to sign up for the Survival Spa Week had set off chaos like Shelby hadn’t seen since both her boys had gotten out of diapers; not even the first few days after leaving Blake had been this wild and stressful. She just wanted to hide.
Dealing with her hangover, the morning after her blind date and intrepid meeting with Ian, had been the easiest part of the entire process. The hangover headache had lasted all day, and she hadn’t been sure if the nausea was the result of the cocktails or the discovery that her deposit wasn’t refundable.
You would think a grown woman with two children would know that credit cards and alcohol were a bad mix.
She hadn’t needed to hear her mother’s lecture to know that she had been irresponsible, and that her punishment was having to beg her mother to watch the boys for her. She came just short of agreeing to go back to Blake to convince Caroline to agree to it.
A small part of her wished that her mother had refused. If she had, Shelby would be out a lot of money, but she wouldn’t be standing here feeling like a fraud in thrift store pants with a half-packed, borrowed backpack.
This was Ian’s fault.
He was the one that had encouraged her to go for her dreams, and he was the one who had pegged her for a fool. She plopped down on the futon, shoving some of the gear aside with her foot. Would she ever forget the moment Ian had turned and walked away? She let her head fall back against the futon in frustration. She couldn’t afford to be thinking about Ian right now, and yet that seemed to be all she was capable of doing.
Maybe she could just give him a call; maybe that would put a stop to the endless cycle of thoughts going around in her head. It had been Ian who had encouraged her to take more training. He would probably be excited to know that she had taken his advice. He might even get a kick out of the fact that she had done it while she was drunk both on alcohol and dancing with him.
Then the image of him disappearing into the crowd rose again, and she knew she would never call him. She had been a fool to think for a second that she might. He had made it pretty clear that he wasn’t interested. If he was, he would have called. Simple as that.
Instead it had been two weeks of silence.
CHAPTER 11
“Oh God, I can’t look,” Shelby said, as Ginny took another blind corner without even tapping on the brakes. Clutching the grab handle above her head, she closed her eyes. Then she opened them again, undecided as to whether it was scarier to watch or not watch.
Please don’t let there be another car, Shelby repeated over and over in her head like a mantra, as they flew along the Coastal Highway towards the Alfresco Adventure Base Camp.
“It’s fine,” Ginny said, not slowing down.
“I don’t know about that. This road is so narrow.” Shelby clamped her eyes shut again, tensing for impact. “Oh God! I think you’re supposed to stop before the one-way bridges.”
Ginny laughed. “Only if a car is coming the other way. And how are you going to spot the sign with your eyes closed?”
After what seemed like a marathon couple of weeks, the women were finally on their way to the Survival Spa Week. They had taken Ginny’s car, leaving Shelby to be navigator—a job that was proving to be terrifying, as Ginny zipped along the highway. The coastal road was narrow and curvy. When it wasn’t buried in the lush foliage of the old growth rainforest, it ran along the edge of a cliff with crashing waves below, giving the women a stunning view.
“ESP. I’ll just sense that it’s there,” Shelby said, opening her eyes to take a peek. “Hey, there it is.” She pointed at a small, white, rectangular sign with “Alfresco Adventures—Come Wander With Us” written in royal blue.
“It says turn left in 400 metres.”
“Sweet. Survival Spa Week phase one—check. I told you this would be easy,” Ginny said, glancing over at Shelby with mischievous eyes.
“Eyes on the road,” Shelby laughed. Easy was a huge understatement.
The whole process had been so arduous that she had started to think today would never come. It seemed like she would be stuck in endless negotiations with her mother and never actually make it past the city limits. But it had come, and here she was. She couldn’t help but smile.
She was here, and that’s what mattered—assuming they made it to the camp and didn’t go careening off a cliff into the ocean, which seemed like a distinct possibility with the way Ginny was driving.
Ginny made the left across the highway without incident, and they were officially at camp. The parking lot was nestled beneath massive trees standing like sentinels at the heart of the old growth forest. The branches of the behemoth trees spread wide, blocking out the azure sky, deepening the shadows. As if their minds were connected, the two women turned at the exact same moment and grinned at each other.
“This is going to be so amazing,” Shelby breathed, a thrill shooting through her.
“Oh yes, it is. If we can find somewhere to park that is,” Ginny said as she looped around again. Despite being in the middle of nowhe
re, the lot was busy. Alfresco Adventures apparently shared the lot with some popular hiking trails.
“Maybe we can park along the highway,” Shelby suggested, just as a white minivan backed out of a spot near the far end.
“No need for that,” Ginny said, nosing the car into it before anyone else could snatch it up. She turned to Shelby, grinning. “We’re officially here. Let’s get this party started. I’m ready for a nice relaxation massage after that drive.”
“You need a massage? I need a deep meditation and a massage to recover from the stress.”
“Maybe from a certain smoking-hot survival instructor?” Ginny dropped her shoulder to dodge Shelby’s playful punch, winking as she opened her door.
Shelby shook her head at her friend. Would Ginny ever get tired of teasing her about Ian? Of course, she hadn’t exactly confided in Ginny what had really happened at the Strath. Maybe this week would be a good chance to get him out of her head, while she was focused on learning how to not die and relaxing—an interesting combination of activities.
Laughing, they both piled out of the car and then grabbed their packs from the trunk. Shelby shifted her borrowed pack onto her back, as she breathed in her surroundings and took a good look around. The air was cool in the shade of the trees. It was damp and refreshing with a hint of the ocean, which Shelby knew must be just beyond the dense underbrush and ancient trees.
It was heaven.
But it didn’t last. Her moment of serenity was shattered as a black car zipped through the parking lot with its music blaring.
“Wow. He almost hit those people,” Shelby said, pointing at a couple of hikers running across the lot.
“No kidding! What a lunatic.” Ginny shook her fist at the back of the speeding car.
“That’s why the human race is doomed. Did you catch the licence plate? Maybe, we should report it.”
But Ginny had already forgotten the black car and was once again taking in the stunning scenery. “Hey, look,” Ginny said, waving her arms in the air. “It’s Ian.”
Shelby’s stomach did a flip. It couldn’t be. Ian could not be here. She needed more time to stop acting like a love-sick teenager obsessed with the hot boy who had blown her off before she encountered him.
“Ian’s here?” she choked out.
“Yes,” Ginny said, giving her a strange look.
“Like Ian McLean, Ian?”
“Uh, yes? He’s the lead instructor.” Ginny raised her eyebrows at Shelby. “You knew that, didn’t you?”
Oh my God! I had no idea, Shelby thought, scrambling to make sense of Ian being there. Sure, on some level, she had known it was a possibility, Alfresco Adventures wasn’t exactly a giant company, but her pride had needed her to focus on him being far away doing whatever it was he did in the woods when he wasn’t teaching survival skills to beginners.
Not wanting Ginny to sense her agitation, Shelby shrugged her shoulders, trying to fake nonchalance. “Of course, I did. I just forgot. You know, distracted by the trees. They’re massive.” Her face was heating up.
“Right,” Ginny said, skeptically. “You know what’s massive? Your crush on Ian.”
Shelby’s face felt like it was on fire. “It was just a dance.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Hello, ladies, and welcome to the Survival Spa Week,” Ian said, coming up next to the women.
Shelby felt his eyes coming to rest on her lips, as his mouth curved into his signature barely-there smile, cutting off the oxygen to her brain. She swayed, losing her equilibrium. Ian’s solid, warm hand caught her.
“Whoa. Steady. You okay?”
No, I’m not okay, her mind screamed. Why wasn’t sweet, curly-haired Annabeth the lead instructor? Or maybe some grizzled grandfatherly type. Shelby could handle that.
Pull yourself together. If she wanted to avoid making a fool out of herself right here in the parking lot before the week even got started, she had better say something quick.
“Sorry, I think all those curves on the road here gave me vertigo,” she said weakly. Her face flushed hotter.
What was wrong with her? He was just a man. Yes, he was mouth wateringly sexy and had muscles that could make a girl drool. Yes, he had the skills to keep you alive in the wilderness and an aura that suggested he could do the same for you in bed, but he was still just a man.
“This is stunning, Ian,” Ginny said as she slowly spun in a circle to take in the full view, inadvertently saving Shelby. “I can’t believe it.”
He chuckled. “I hardly think I’ve been hiding anything.”
“But, come on, you didn’t tell me it was like this.”
Ian quirked a smile at Shelby. “Old growth forests along the coast—a deep secret hidden from the public.”
How is he so calm? Isn’t he surprised to see me here? But, of course, he wouldn’t be surprised. He would have seen her registration. Nothing about her being here was a surprise—except maybe the fact that she had been audacious enough to go through with it.
Oblivious to Shelby’s inner turmoil, Ginny swatted playfully at Ian’s arm in response to his teasing. Ian stepped back chuckling and warding himself with his arms as if her attack was real.
“Don’t be a brat. You never said it was like this,” Ginny admonished. “Where are we staying? Right on the beach?”
He laughed. “Maybe one night, if the weather cooperates, but tonight, it’s the Barracks.”
“Seriously? Barracks? This is supposed to be a spa adventure, not basic training.” Ginny retorted.
“Wait for it,” Ian said. “You’ll see what I mean. Head over there and check in with Annabeth in the office.” He pointed to a small building, with weathered white paint, nestled in the undergrowth. “Watch out for the crazies in this lot. They whip through here.” He turned to Shelby, “It’s nice to see you here, Shelby.”
“I... Uh... I’m glad to be here.” As soon as her words hit the open air, she wished she could pull them back in. Why did everything she said to Ian have to be so incredibly lame?
Winking at them, Ian headed for a trail leading into the woods. “See you at chow time, ladies.”
“Down girl,” Ginny said, as soon as Ian was out of earshot. “You’re drooling.”
“Ginny!” Shelby’s hands reflexively flew to her face. Maybe, Ginny hadn’t been oblivious to her reaction to Ian.
Ginny hoisted her own backpack onto one shoulder, laughing. “Come on. Let’s get checked in. I’m dying to see these Barracks.”
About fifteen minutes later, after getting all checked in with Annabeth, who had recognized Shelby from the Adventure Safe course, they dropped their bags in front of a plain wooden door.
“I think this is it,” Ginny said, fumbling to insert the key in the lock. When the key finally turned, she swung the door open. “Wow. I see what Ian was talking about. There’s a lot more boot camp than spa in this room.”
“Let me see,” Shelby said, peeking past Ginny. “It’s spartan, isn’t it?”
The building itself was a simple, single-storey, white rectangle. Six windows lined the long side, and each end had an entry door. It definitely resembled barracks, or at least the barracks Shelby had seen in the movies. Unlike the office, the paint was still bright, suggesting it was a new build. Alfresco Adventures must be doing good business to have such a large facility.
Their room was the same colour of white as the building’s exterior. The two sides of the room were mirror images of each other, simply furnished with industrial-looking black metal furniture, including bunk beds.
Shelby’s eyes were drawn to the view out the single window, located directly across from the door. Framed by charcoal-coloured curtains, the view out the window was stunning. A lush undergrowth of ferns stretched their fronds skyward towards the canopy of giant cedar trees that seemed to touch the atmosphere. The beauty of the forest was a stark contrast to the austerity of the room.
“It should be green,” Ginny said, jolting Shelby back to the room
.
“What?”
“The furniture. Everyone knows army stuff is supposed to be green.”
Shelby shook her head, laughing. “You’re crazy!”
“That may be, but if you’re going to have a theme, you shouldn’t half-ass it. That’s all I’m saying.” Ginny plopped down on one of the bunks and the springs groaned. She pulled out the welcome package and began flipping through the pages. “When does the spa part of this adventure begin?”
“I think we might have to adjust our idea of what a spa retreat is,” Shelby said, opening one of the lockers to peer inside.
“Ha! I don’t think it’s me that needs to re-adjust. Do you know that the bathroom is down the hall? We don’t even get our own bathroom. And I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that the toilet paper isn’t going to be the plushy kind.”
“You said you wanted authentic.”
Ginny laughed. “Yes, but if you’re going to pick and choose, shared toilets and one-ply aren’t the way to go, in my humble opinion.” Tossing her welcome package down on the bunk and pushing herself back up to her feet, Ginny wandered over to the window. “This is worth a pretty penny though.”
“Sure is. Do you have a preference for which bunk you’d like?”
Ginny laughed heartily and turned from the window to survey the bunks. “Not a question I ever thought I’d have to answer, but nope. I think they’re all going to be equally torturous to sleep on.”
Shelby sniggered. “My boys don’t complain about their bunks, but I think they might be a bit more luxurious than these.” She hoisted her backpack onto a bottom bunk. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
“Ha, no kidding. This looks more like boot camp than spa, eh?”
And Ian, what was she going to do about Ian?
CHAPTER 12
Ian watched the two women disappear into the office from behind the trunk of a giant cedar. It blocked him from their view, but it couldn’t shield him from the disquiet settling in his gut. He couldn’t ignore the feeling of déjà vu. This wasn’t the first time he had found himself responsible for the safety of a woman he couldn’t get out of his mind. A woman that he needed to forget for her safety, and the safety of his heart.
Saving Shelby Page 9