by Debra
“When you’ve been lost?”
“No, I signal when I’ve found lost people.” She laughed. “I don’t ever recall being lost.”
“You’re kidding.” He leaned back, startled by her claim. He’d been blessed with a perfect sense of direction, as well, which came in handy.
“My grandpa used to say I had a compass where my heart should be.”
Will wasn’t sure how to respond. It seemed like a backhanded compliment, but he didn’t get the impression that Charly was the sort to put up with twisted family dynamics. He had a low threshold for drama, which was why he stayed out of his parents’ way. Better for all concerned.
“You think that sounds cold.”
“A little.”
“He meant it as the highest compliment.” She reached over and pulled apart hook-and-loop fasteners with a loud rip.
“I’m all ears.”
“Hand me those tent poles.”
He did as she asked, waiting patiently for the explanation. Instead, her phone rang, and she pulled it from her hip pocket.
It didn’t take long to realize she was speaking with the guide who’d be her partner on tomorrow’s hike. The story about her grandfather would have to wait. Will pointed from the tent to the pack, and she gave him a nod, so he finished putting her tent gear into the designated place while he listened to her end of the conversation.
Will didn’t know much about Charly’s employees, but he assumed she didn’t waste time working with anyone subpar. He might’ve found that reassuring if the circumstances were normal. He made a decision right there. If Lancaster gave Charly and her partner more than they could handle, Will vowed he’d be close enough to clean up the mess.
When she wrapped up her call, he’d get out of her way. He had his own preparations to finish and if he kept asking questions, he was bound to raise her suspicions.
* * *
CHARLY WALKED WILL out to his truck, a small part of her wishing the evening didn’t have to end so early. Who was she kidding? All of her wanted him to stay longer. “Thanks for bringing dinner by. That was a nice surprise.”
“My pleasure.” He pulled his keys from his jacket pocket. “I’m glad it worked out.”
“Me, too.” She nodded, unable to come up with any witty reply. No one but family had ever brought her dinner before a tour or kept her company during the packing. She should tell him that, let him know what it meant to her, but she knew it would come out as a lame thank-you for this or that. Why did she have to suck so badly at this kind of thing?
“Give me a call when you get back?” He opened his car door.
Grateful her lack of feminine wiles didn’t seem to put him off, she grinned up at him. In the dark, under all the stars, she let herself fantasize about how it would feel if he kissed her good-night.
She couldn’t imagine a better place for a first kiss than out here in the cold night air with the stars as silent, sparkling witnesses.
“Charly?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
“You should go inside. Get some rest.”
She felt the heat of his hand on her shoulder through the thick layers of her polar-fleece jacket and sweatshirt. The man was like a furnace and she wanted to burrow closer to all that warmth. “Right.”
Neither of them moved.
“Drive safe.”
His hand slipped away as he pulled out his keys, and she chided herself for missed opportunities. Until he caught her hand. Before she could decide what to do about that, he bent his head and brushed his lips against hers.
A fleeting kiss, over almost before it started, but it rocked her world. “I’ll call when I get back,” she promised, knowing she was grinning like a fool.
He settled into the driver’s seat, his lips tipped up on one side in a cocky smirk. She couldn’t find a reason to be annoyed with the expression.
She stayed put, like any girl crushing hard on a boy, and watched until his taillights disappeared down the road. She wasn’t sure how she’d get to sleep now, but if she did manage it, she knew she’d dream of Will.
Chapter Five
Thursday, February 26, 6:05 a.m.
Charly parked her truck next to Clint’s behind the shop and had tossed her pack into the bed when he came out with two tall travel mugs of coffee. “I knew there was a reason I kept you on,” she said as he set them in the cup holders.
“Next to you I’m the best guide in the galaxy,” he said, boosting up into the driver’s seat. “Let’s roll.”
“You’re in a good mood.”
“I’m all set.” He bobbed his head and rubbed his hands together. “It’s gonna be an outstanding day.”
There was no reason to doubt him. They were prepared, the client had prepaid in full and when they reached the parking area, she saw Lancaster and his team were gathered around two vehicles, as eager to get started as Clint.
On first impression, Lancaster’s team didn’t fit her mental stereotype of software developers. She caught Clint’s eye and exchanged raised eyebrows as Clint walked over to double-check their packs and gear. Lancaster hadn’t been kidding about his employee standards. Each of the six men addressed Lancaster with quiet respect. She matched each man with the waivers as introductions were made with Bob, James, Scott, Rich, Max and Jeff. Without any protest, all seven guests donned the bright Binali Backcountry ball caps she handed out. The men weren’t quite matching, but they’d certainly shopped from the same outdoor outfitter catalog. She counted it a good thing their boots looked broken in, though she’d packed the family remedy for blisters.
“You’re all wearing layers as suggested?”
They nodded in unison.
“And you packed rain gear?”
Another nod multiplied seven times. “All right. Clint will give each of you the items you’ll carry for the whole party.” Next she gave a quick safety briefing. It was standard fare and Lancaster and his team were attentive, but she had the feeling they weren’t really tuned in.
Well, that’s why I packed the snakebite kit, she thought, leading the party out. Clint brought up the rear as they hiked into the state park along the main road.
Charly made small talk along the way, relieved when Lancaster and his men responded. Occasionally she walked backward to see how everyone was doing. No one seemed even winded, a good sign, but not typical along the first steep inclines. “Clint packed a thermos of coffee if anyone needs a boost.”
“We’re fine,” Lancaster answered for all of them.
“Great.” With a forced smile, she hiked on, pointing out various trees and bird calls. The men were polite, but not excited about any of it. “Clint, can you tell everyone what they can expect at our first stop?”
“Sure.”
She listened while her friend explained the first team challenge. The rope bridge exercise sounded ominous, but no one usually suffered more than wet boots. With today’s clear weather and a planned stop for a cookout at noon, she hoped the challenge and any possible mistakes loosened up this crew.
Lancaster pulled back his sleeve and checked his watch. “Can we up the pace?”
“Sure,” Charly replied, shooting a look at Clint. “If we’re all in agreement.”
All six men agreed with monosyllabic replies, so she picked up the pace. It put them at the creek ahead of schedule, but maybe that was a good thing. At the wide creek, with the midmorning sunlight bouncing off the water, Clint laid out the supplies and explained the challenge once more.
Lancaster’s crew looked at one another, then at the gear at Clint’s feet, and finally to Lancaster.
“Make it quick,” Lancaster said, checking his watch. He peered up at the cold blue sky while his men started on the exercise.
Clint came over to stand with Charly while the men worked out a solution to cross the water. “If these guys are software engineers, I’m a trained monkey,” he muttered for her ears only.
“You brought coffee without a reminder,” she pointed out. “I t
rained you well.”
Clint snorted. “Your dad trained me.”
She smiled and bumped his shoulder with hers, the easy exchange completely at odds with the tension twisting her stomach. “Family business. I get credit by default.” She pulled her water bottle free and took a long drink. Judging by the progress the men were making, they’d be across the stream in less than fifteen minutes. And not one of them would have wet boots.
“What do you think really brought them here?”
Something more than a team-building excursion, she thought, tipping her face to the sunlight. Her grandmother had taught her to pause, to reach out to the world when she needed anything, from her next breath to the answers for a geometry exam. Charly had learned early how to listen to her surroundings. They had options: she could continue on, playing the happy nature guide, or she could confront Lancaster about his real intentions.
“Have I missed something crucial in the news lately?” she asked Clint.
Clint shook his head. “Might be some kind of geocaching team.”
That was possible. Except those types didn’t usually hire expert guides and they got lost up here frequently enough that Charly was often called in to help find them. “When they complete this exercise, radio back to the store and leave some happy message for Tammy. Tell her to post our progress with this tour to the website.”
“She won’t be there?”
“Not for another hour or so.” Charly raised her phone and snapped a picture of the bridge progress, quickly sending it as a text message attachment before they were out of cell range. Lancaster wouldn’t know the store schedule. It might be equivalent to baiting a bear, but if he heard Clint tell someone where they were, it might force him to expose his real plan earlier rather than later.
The man made her nervous, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. The sooner she understood what he was up to, the better the odds she could keep everyone safe up here. She watched, considering her options while the team tested the new bridge. One by one, the group crossed over, Charly last.
“That was fun,” the man named Scott said, adjusting his pack to sit snug against his shoulders. “Do we take it down now?”
“No. We’ll use it on our way back.”
“The park service won’t be irritated?”
She saw a new opportunity to push at Lancaster’s real agenda. “No. They’re used to us coming through. This is a standard route for Binali Backcountry.”
Lancaster went still, and while she knew it was impossible, it felt as if the air temperature dropped a few degrees. “I requested a unique route.”
“And you’ll have it,” she assured him, infusing her voice with all the patience she could muster. “But there are specific routes on the way in that allow us to get a feel for our clients on each tour.”
“I assured you my team is at the peak of fitness.”
“You did.” She stood still as a tree, the picture of unflappable calm. “And now I know you didn’t exaggerate. Thank you.”
Lancaster’s nostrils flared, his mouth set in a grim line. “I would like to head north, away from established trails so my team has the best experience possible.”
She applied balm to her lips while she considered. “And we’ll give you that.” Capping the balm, she put it back into her jacket pocket. “Better if we stay westbound for a while.”
“Why?”
“Heading north right now presents more terrain challenges.” She decided not to outline the gulley or the snow-choked pass. She might need one or both of those surprises later, if the situation degraded.
“We can handle any terrain,” Lancaster insisted. “I’d like to move north.”
She bit back the waspish reply on the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t too late to turn this party around and refund his money. He could find another guide, one willing to cave to his impatience. “Mr. Lancaster, my brothers once goaded me into a race to the summit.”
“So what?”
Only the memory kept her confident smile on her face. “Determined to win, I took the direct route and learned a hard lesson about variations in terrain.”
“We can handle it.”
She pulled her sunglasses from her face and planted her hands on her hips. “Mr. Lancaster, if you didn’t want an expert guide up here with you, why did you hire me?”
He slid a glance to one of the men behind her. Whatever the response, Lancaster’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “You’re right. We’ve heard so many good things and we all want as much time as possible on the peak itself. The views,” he added.
She wasn’t fooled. “You won’t be disappointed, but questioning my route won’t get us there any faster.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He swept an arm wide, inviting her to lead the way.
She looked at Clint. “Call the shop and let them know the first challenge is done. With flying colors.”
“That’s not necessary,” Lancaster said.
“Of course it is.” Charly replaced her sunglasses and set off while Clint obediently left the message they’d discussed. “All part of the service.”
Lancaster caught her arm in a hard grip just above her elbow. “This excursion isn’t about your publicity, Ms. Binali.”
“Let go,” she said quietly. When he did, she resisted the urge to rub at the sore spot. She’d have a bruise for sure by tomorrow. “I’m not about to jeopardize my licenses because you want a special, off-the-grid experience.”
“But that is exactly what I paid for.”
“You’re in a national forest, Mr. Lancaster. The geography can’t be avoided. There are regulations out here and I will stay in compliance for your safety as well as my long-term business interests.”
He looked as if he’d argue, maybe grab her again, but one of his men held up a cell phone. “My trail app says snow is on the way tonight.”
The announcement didn’t make Lancaster happy. “How much?”
“We won’t see more than a flurry where we’ll be camping tonight,” she assured them. “That report is for the upper elevations. We can’t get that far today, even with a quick pace.”
“Set a quicker pace anyway,” Lancaster said.
“You got it.” The customer was always right. The philosophy applied to the weird customers, too, as long as their demands didn’t put anyone at risk. Charly dialed the pace right up to grueling. Maybe one of his supercapable not-engineers would snap.
Whatever Lancaster was up to, she led them away from easy emergency access and reliable communication. The tactic could backfire, but she trusted her abilities. In fact, with every step away from civilization, her confidence increased. Lancaster had hired the best, but he clearly hadn’t considered how that could work against him if he was up to no good.
This part of the world had been her playground all her life. She’d explored it all, from the snowcapped peaks to the canyons to the pueblos farther south. Every step had made her stronger. Every season from birth to present had tied her closer to the land she loved, the land she’d inherited from her elders.
While it helped the business that she was one of the best guides in the area, what mattered more to Charly was sharing what she loved with others. Planting seeds of passion for nature in the hearts of tourists was her personal mission. When people cared about something, when they felt connected, they got involved to protect and preserve. At her grandfather’s knee she’d listened to the stories and history of both nature and humans. Her family had taught her everything about the blessings and dangers of the plants and animals in these mountains.
As an adult, when people got lost in what she considered her oversized backyard, she looked at rescue operations as more than a service to one person. She never wanted anyone to hold a grudge against the power of Mother Nature.
Whatever Lancaster had planned—and her intuition was screaming it wasn’t anything good—she wouldn’t let him cause lasting problems out here. She’d never purposely led anyone astray on a job, but this might be the time.
The idea didn’t sit well, especially since she couldn’t be sure whom and what she was dealing with, but patience was another lesson she’d learned the hard way in the great outdoors.
The group was quiet behind her and the back of her neck prickled a warning of Lancaster’s hard, unrelenting gaze watching her too closely. She turned often, doing an automatic head count as she kept up her litany about the surroundings, despite the hard pace. It was clear now none of the men were listening. Their loss.
Occasionally she caught a watch or compass check, but nothing was said. She thought maybe Lancaster was settling down until she suggested finding a scenic place to stop for lunch.
He shook his head. “Let’s keep moving.”
“All right.” She carefully stepped around a rotting log. “If everyone agrees.”
He dogged her heels. “My team follows my lead. You and your partner work for me now. We’ll keep moving.”
It had been too much to hope this jerk would give up on the power-play routine. He wasn’t the first difficult customer she’d led around the mountain. She stopped short, letting him run into her pack. Her satisfaction didn’t last as she did another head count and noticed one of Lancaster’s men, Scott, wasn’t in sight. Neither was Clint. She scanned the area down the slope, looking for a glimpse of the bright fabric of the company ball caps.
No sign of them. Dread pooled at the nape of her neck and dripped slowly down her spine.
She gripped her radio hard to still her shaking hands and called for Clint. The few seconds before his voice crackled from the speaker were a desperate eternity.
“Just explaining a deer trail,” Clint said. “We’re all good here.”
“I’ve put you on edge,” Lancaster said.
“Yes,” she admitted. On edge or not, she was a professional. While Lancaster and his team might be comfortable out here, this wasn’t their turf. To a person accustomed to city life, it might look as though she didn’t have any recourse or resources out here. She was toying with busting that myth.
“My single-minded focus does that sometimes.”