by Miley Maine
We stood side by side, gazing out at the view of the majestic lake. “Do you usually come alone?”
“Not always. I have three brothers. And a whole bunch of buddies from the army that are usually eager to come with me.”
“But you came alone this time.”
“Yeah.” He looked away. “Rough mission.”
For Jackson, that was a huge confession. We might have slept together, but I barely knew anything about him.
“And now I’m tagging along with you.”
He nudged me with his elbow. “You’re not so bad.”
“You’ll be free of me in two days.”
“I don’t know how I feel about sending you into that wedding. It sounds like a lion’s den.”
“Well,” I said, drawing the word out. “You don’t have to send me off all alone.”
He took his eyes off the lake for a second to glance at me. “What do you mean?”
The more time I spent around Jackson, the bolder I got. “You could come with me.”
He frowned, but he didn’t say no automatically. “You know I wasn’t wild about dropping you off at that hotel with no one there. Just in case that asshole from the car rental lot had something else up his sleeve.”
I wanted him to come. Really badly. “That’s a good point,” I said.
“But once your family gets there, then you’ll be surrounded by security, right?” Jackson asked. “So what in the hell would I do at a wedding while you took pictures? You were anti-security last time I checked. Have you changed your mind? You want me to come along as your security?”
“No, I absolutely don’t want that. I fired my bodyguard for a reason.”
“You fired him?” he asked.
The horror in his voice was apparent. Maybe he thought we just threw him out on the street. “He wasn’t really fired. He works for my dad doing something else now, and he’s probably extremely grateful to be rid of me.” I leaned closer. “You probably won’t believe this, but I was a really difficult client to my bodyguard.”
Jackson muttered something under his breath.
“Hear me out, okay? So, if you came with me, you could pretend to be my boyfriend.”
Jackson kicked at the rocks with one of his hiking boots. “Why on God’s green earth would I do that?”
“Hey!” I crossed my arms. “Plenty of people would date me! You don’t have to act so offended.”
“It’s not that I don’t think people would date you. It’s that they’ll wonder what you’d seen in me.”
I scoffed. “You’re funny.”
“I’m serious.” He turned toward me and put his hands on my shoulders. “Loren. You have everything. You have every opportunity. There is no reason for you to date a washed-up Army Ranger.”
“You’re a Ranger? Why didn’t you mention that before?” I asked.
“Why are you impressed? Your uncle works at the Pentagon. Not to mention the rest of your star-studded family.”
“Being a Ranger is plenty impressive. Besides, I’m not the rest of my family. I can be impressed by something without their permission. And I’ve heard parts of what you have to do to get that far.” We left the lake behind to go back down into the valley, where Jackson crawled onto a boulder. “So will you do it?”
He held his hands out to me, supporting me as I scaled the boulder in my running shoes.“Do what?”
I swatted him on the arm. “Pretend to be my boyfriend?”
“Yes,” he said.
“You will?”
“I said I would.”
“I owe you. Think of something you want. Anything. And I’ll do it.”
“I think I’ll hold onto that favor for a while,” he said. “And if we get there, and your family gets pissed off, feel free to tell them I’m your security instead of your boyfriend.”
“They will not get pissed off. They are going to be so happy.”
“Why?” he asked.
“Because they want me to date,” I explained. “And I never have. They’ve tried for years and years to set me up with suitable men. But I’ve never taken the bait.”
“I’m thirty-six years old.”
Yes, he was. And that experience made him so much hotter than he realized. “I know.”
“And you’re twenty-two.”
“I’m aware.”
He shook his head. “Your dad’s going to kill me. And if he doesn’t, your uncle surely will.”
“You really don’t get my family.” My family would be thrilled. But even more than that, I’d actually get to concentrate on my photography instead of warding off their attempts to set me up. It was win-win. Except for poor Jackson. I’d really have to find a way to repay him for this.
He wasn’t convinced. “And you really don’t get how your family’s going to see me.”
I wasn’t going to argue with him. My family loved me. But they were more worried about perceptions than my mental or emotional wellbeing.
Yeah, they’d probably choose an oil tycoon over a soldier if they were the ones picking my dates, but a Ranger would be something impressive for my mom to trot out at one of her fundraisers. I could just hear her now, bragging about how her daughter was dating a Ranger, a person who truly was on the front lines of American conflict.
I didn’t need to tell Jackson that. He probably wouldn't be surprised, so I figured he wouldn’t appreciate it at all.
“Okay fine. You’ll meet them soon enough. I have one more favor to ask. But this one is much easier than the last.”
“I’m listening.”
“I don’t want you to tell my family about the asshole who tried to take my purse. Although my aunt might take it as a compliment.”
“That you almost got mugged?”
“She bought the purse. Trying to one-up with gifts is one of her favorite hobbies.”
“She sounds delightful.”
“She’s really not delightful at all -- she’s awful, but her daughter is the one getting married. And despite her faults, my cousin is a good person. And I love her.”
“Would you like her if she wasn’t related to you?”
“Probably not.” I laughed at my own admission.
“I won’t mention it to them.” He hopped to the ground and again, like the perfect gentleman, held out his hands for me to take.
“You have no idea how much all of this means to me. I really do owe you.” Now that we were on flat ground, I flung my arms around him and hugged him tight. “I’ve never had a friend who didn’t know who I was, and was nice to me anyway.”
He patted me on the back. “You don’t owe me anything.”
I wasn’t going to cry at the admission that I'd never made my own friends. I swiped at my eyes. “I do. I don’t want to promise my dad’s money, but I will. If there’s a charity you support, or a cause you need boosted, I can offer that with no hardship at all. Or if you need photography at an event, let me know. And I’ll be there.”
He kissed me on the top of the head. “Now that, I might take you up on.”
“I really do appreciate it,” I said. “I know I’m a lot to handle, and I absolutely do not want a bodyguard ever again, but having you with me makes me feel really safe.”
My statement was genuine. It did hurt me to admit that I’d needed help, but I had. And Jackson had delivered. Because of him, I was having a blast.
Chapter Eleven
Jackson
How the ever-loving fuck did I get into this situation? I came to regroup, and pull my head out of my ass, and now I had a hot-as-hell woman with me, every step of the way.
If I fell apart, she was going to have first row tickets to my breakdown.
And yet I wanted Loren with me. I didn’t want to dump her off at some ritzy hotel with her family, who all frankly sounded like a bunch of snobby bastards who didn’t appreciate her unique personality one bit.
“You ready to hike for real?” I asked as we left the store where we’d shopped for the gear. Before
we left the easy trails, Loren needed a pair of good hiking boots. Her running shoes weren’t going to get the job done.
The trip had taken longer than I’d anticipated -- Loren had been enchanted by all the camping equipment. She’d read one display after another, including the ones that made outlandish promises, such as having the right backpack, the right clothing, and the right food that would turn a novice into a seasoned camper.
“Wasn’t that real hiking?”
“No. That was the warm up. Now that you have the right clothes and boots, we’re moving on.”
“I need this,” she declared, holding a glittery walking stick in the air.
“You don’t need that.” I put the stick back in its container. “You’d probably just use it to whack me.”
“Ooh, now that’s a good idea,” she said.
I laughed at her silliness, and paid for our purchases and hopped back in the Jeep. I left the tourist area behind, and headed for a more secluded area where we’d have no amenities.
I pointed out the areas I’d been before as we drove along. “There are places out here that I’ve camped. They’re not allocated campground spots. They’re just part of the land. There’s no restroom here, no shower, no electricity. And best of all, not many people.”
“What if a bear wanders up? That’s what’s always on the news. Bear attacks.”
“Usually it’s a few assholes that deliberately go looking for bears to annoy. But not always. This is the bears’ home. So if we see one, then we’ll back away slowly, not making any sudden moves. But I’ve also packed my rifle in my carry-on luggage just in case. But it’s never come to that before, and I’ve hiked here many times.”
We found a place to park, and I jumped out of the Jeep. This was exactly what I’d needed. Fresh air, a secluded hike, and yes, Loren.
“You up for this?” I asked.
“Yes. I may not be a camper, but I’m a runner.”
We made our way up the incline of a few hills, and at one point the climb was mostly vertical. Loren stopped to breathe a few times, and we both gulped some water, but she mostly kept up with me. At the top of one of the peaks, we both sat down on a semi-flat rock, gulping in the air and staring silently out at the view.
Loren pointed to the north. “What’s that?”
“Black Lake.” I gestured the other direction. “And that’s Campbell Creek Valley.”
She scooted closer to me. She pulled out her phone and snapped several photos of the view. Then she put her hand over mine. “Thank you. I’ll never be able to express how much it means to me that you brought me along on this trip.”
I turned my hand over and held her hand. “I’m glad you came.” And I meant that. Now that she was with me, I couldn’t imagine not having her along on this trip.
The smoke was so thick I couldn’t see at all. Even the night vision goggles couldn’t help. I crept alongside the warehouse, one hand on the tin wall. Ahead of me, bullets clanged into the tin.
Desperate for better visibility, I dropped to my knees.
I jerked awake.
I wasn’t in Venezuela. I was in a tent in Alaska, with Loren, who was thankfully still asleep next to me.
Fuck this. Why the hell was my brain sending me back to a mission that happened three years ago? Beside me, Loren shifted, bringing her arms in closer to her chest and cuddling into the warm sleeping bag.
With my shirt, I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
I had to get out of this tent. The blast of fresh morning air helped a little. On autopilot, I made a fire and gathered supplies to make breakfast. We’d picked an off-the-grid camping spot last night, and Loren had happily set up the tent and then we’d fallen asleep right away, too tired to even make out. And I’d slept great until the fucking nightmare showed up.
As soon as the light of dawn broke on the horizon, I unzipped the tent and poked Loren in the ribs. “Come on. Get moving.”
I’d have prefered to have her sleep naked, but that just wasn’t smart out here in the wilderness.
She rolled over onto her stomach. “I think I slept on a rock.”
“Good.” I tugged on the pillow part of the sleeping bag. “Makes you tougher.”
She tried to hide her face, but I flicked some water at her from my bottle until she squealed. “Ugh. You’re evil.”
“You’re the one that said you wanted to fish. The fishing on the Kenai Peninsula is some of the best in the world.”
“Did you bring poles? Are they stuffed down in your bag?”
“We’re going to rent them. And charter a boat.”
She perked up at that, sitting up to look at me. She was adorably rumpled. With her gorgeous red hair sticking out in every direction. She rubbed her hands all over her face.
“We’re renting a boat? Will we have a guide?”
“Yes. Me.”
“Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Sing.” I tugged on a lock of her hair. “I thought you were a morning person?”
She squinted her eyes to glare at me, but the glare didn’t last. It faded into her usual sunny smile...“It depends.”
“You can’t even stay grouchy for long.”
She buried her face back into her pillow. “It’s my lifelong curse.”
It wasn’t much of a curse, in my opinion. “Come on. I’ve got a fire going, and I cooked some powdered eggs. I also have some jerky.”
Wearing an oversized hoodie and pajama pants, she crawled out of the tent and sat on one of the logs I’d dragged over. I handed her a cup of instant coffee. “Tonight we can brew the real stuff,” I said.
She made a face at the taste. “I can survive with this.”
She drank it all in one big gulp, and I handed her the plate of eggs. “They’re pretty salty, but that’s the only way to make them palatable.”
I waited for her to complain about the taste. I knew she was privy to private chefs in her day to day life, and even my most rugged fellow soldiers had whined about the taste of powdered eggs.
But she never said a word, other than thank you.
She stood up and dusted her hands off. “So show me how to sterilize this water. I need to brush my teeth.”
As I explained how the sterilizing tablets worked, I found myself completely fixated on her. I’d never have expected someone who’d grown up with such a pampered life to be so interested in roughing it. The other women who’d come to my grandfather’s cabin for a night or two after I’d met them in a club in Anchorage, had complained bitterly about the lack of adequate electrical outlets in the bathroom, the low water pressure and the taste of the well water.
Which had irritated me a whole fucking lot, because I loved Alaska. There was no place like it. And those women hadn’t appreciated what they had. But watching Loren’s fascination with nature -- real nature -- not the sanitized version she’d been offered before, made me feel like I was seeing the wild Alaskan landscape for the first time again.
With her around, I felt better than I had in a long while. I felt more alive, like I wasn’t going through the motions. I guess I’d been stupid enough to think that just because I’d gotten laid that I would be cured of the nightmares.
Although I wasn’t sure what I’d been thinking when I’d agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend. Pretend to be her security? Sure. I could play that role. I’d even done it before. At least a dozen times, I’d helped escort a dignitary across a hostile border. I knew risk assessment. I understood how to secure a room.
Of course all of that had been in the middle of war zones, or places with extreme political strife. At a sleepy town in Alaska in the middle of a wealthy person’s wedding? My skills wouldn't be of much use. But I could still look the part.
The role of boyfriend would be much more challenging. It was one I’d never played before. I’d had plenty of hookups. But I’d never been introduced to anyone’s family. There were scads of married Army Rangers, but the ones I knew well had met their significant others
before they were recruited.
The nature of our frequent deployments made dating seriously seem like more trouble than it was worth. And most of the women I met seemed more than happy to enjoy me and my body for a week or two and then say goodbye, which suited me just fine.
After all the hassle of renting the equipment and the boat, and proving that I had a fishing license and yes, I did know what I was doing, we finally made it onto the open water.
Once Loren and I were on the lake, she went to the front of the boat and just sat, staring out into the ocean “This is the best,” she said.
“I assumed you’d been out on a lot of boats a lot nicer than this one.” We were in an average-sized V-hull fishing boat with a motor. It wouldn’t even fit more than four people.
She leaned over and dipped her hand into the cold water. “I have. My dad has a yacht, and he’s done the usual schmoozing with celebrities and politicians. And I’ve been on a deep sea fishing expedition in the Gulf Coast, but the guide was hired to basically catch the fish for us. It was just an excuse for a big photo op.”
“Then you came to the right place. I don’t want anyone telling me how to fish. I read the rules, and I follow them.”
“I’m totally not surprised,” she said.
As with everything so far, she was a good student, and several hours later we had four king salmon and two rainbow trout fish to show for our work. We stored them in the cooler I’d rented, and then we just drove the boat around the lake.
“Now that you know what you’re doing, next time rent a small plane, and fly up to one of the remote lakes in the Chugach Mountain Range. You might not see another soul while you’re out fishing.”
“Have you done that?” she asked.
“Yeah. The last time two of my teammates were up here we did it.”
“Let me guess. You have your pilot’s license too.”
“Yep.” A cloud passed over the sun, and I lifted my sunglasses to stare at her. “And you could have one too.”
“I’ll have to think about that. But it’s been pretty nice down here. With the exception of the area at the marina, we’ve hardly been crowded.” She pointed to the expanse of the blue lake, surrounded by trees and jagged mountains beyond that.