by Stacy Hoff
“No. I remember you saying you weren’t crazy about it. What’s with you and water?”
“I don’t swim.”
He quirked up an eyebrow. “No? Well, never mind. What I have in mind for us will be the exact opposite of somewhere watery.”
“Sounds great. I’m going to love whatever you chose. The rest is just wonderful detail.”
She gave him a small, shy smile. Ty felt his heart fill in a way he never thought it would. He was soaring. And they hadn’t even left the ground yet.
~ ~ ~
Cat bent forward and clamored into the helicopter as giddy as a child who ate her first candy. The front of the vehicle was a gigantic glass bubble, including part of the floor. It bummed her out to sit in the back but she did as she was told. The only other seat in the back was quickly filled as Ty climbed in.
“The pilot will be with us in a minute,” he explained. “In the meantime, reach beneath you.”
“What? Oh, okay.” She pulled out a large purple and black backpack made out of lightweight nylon. The sides had crisscrossed elastic strings obviously meant to hold water bottles. A few loops for hooks hung from the backpack’s bottom. She shot him a questioning glance.
“You might want to put your clothing in your new bag. It’ll be a lot easier than you rolling your suitcase along.”
“We’re going hiking?”
“Yep. I have a Plan B if you aren’t up to it.”
“You do?”
“Yes, Cat. I want you to have a good time. Hopefully Plan A will work out nicely though. Ever hike before?”
“No. I was brought up a Boston girl. Not much hiking happens in the Public Gardens. I’ve moved away from home of course but saved my interest in the outdoors for things like my inns’ landscape work.
“We’ll take it easy then. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
“Morning, people,” an elderly man said as he climbed on board. “I’m Jack James, and I’ll be your pilot. We’re headed only a short ways away, aren’t we?”
“Yep,” Ty quipped. “Mojave Desert.”
Cat felt her pulse quicken. “Really? Cool!” she exclaimed. She felt herself wincing, embarrassed by her childish outburst.
Ty grinned at her. “I feel the same way.”
With relief, she let out another laugh. The laugh abruptly stopped when he took her hand, placing his lips on her knuckles.
“You kids strapped in?” the pilot yelled above the growing roar of the engine. “You’d better be because we’re taking off.” He threw two sets of headphones back and motioned they should put them on.
As soon as they did, the vibrations of the helicopter grew as powerful as the engine sound. In a second they were in the air.
Cat shuddered in surprise as the pilot’s voice spoke to her from a microphone embedded in the headset.
“The Mojave Desert is a big place. We’re going to circle as much of it as we can before we land. Before we get there, we’ll fly over Lake Mead and then toward California so you can see some of Death Valley and Devil’s Playground. Then we’ll be flying back toward Nevada until we land near Joshua Tree National Park. Sit back, relax, and enjoy yourselves.”
No problem there. Cat leaned forward in the leather seat, eyes wide open. The Vegas Strip grew incrementally tinier until it faded into the distance.
Ty touched her arm and she turned to him. He was pointing out the window at the sky. A gold color covered the earth like a wedding band and was growing brighter. Turquoise and pink pastel bands emerged, fusing with the gold. Rays of light picked through clouds, bright bursts shining through the sky.
Ty caught her eye and smiled. Her heartbeat quickened. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear his smile was brighter than the rising sun. Before she was even aware of it, her hand was held in his. He gave a tight squeeze. He might as well have squeezed her heart.
It was truly the dawn of a new day.
Chapter 11
Cat dropped her purple and black backpack down with relief. They’d been hiking in Joshua Tree National Park for hours. The land was ruggedly beautiful. The terrain, a semi-fertile moonscape. Sandy soil with smooth rocky outcroppings and squat, prickly plants were everywhere. Most of the plants stood no higher than her knees. Scattered rocky ledges throughout were low-cropped and comprised of smooth stones, some large enough to be considered boulders. Behind these rocky ledges was shade and wind. Oddly, mere feet beyond the boulders’ shadows was immediate dry heat. The radical dichotomy was almost as striking as her original opinion of Ty, compared to how she looked at him now.
Though the park was not barren, it was somehow desolate. Yet peaceful. The only sounds surrounding them was the occasional warble of a bird or rush of wind and the constant sound of their footsteps. Sometimes she and Ty spoke. Sometimes they traveled in companionable silence. It didn’t matter. With each step they walked, she felt their bond grow tighter. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn she’d known him all her life. Hiking with him was calm and easy. They joked. Pointed out scenery or animals. Waited for each other to finish taking pictures.
Turned out Ty was an amateur photographer. When he had the time. Which was rare. She, on the other hand, never even bothered with the camera option on her smartphone. He handed her his compact Nikon and showed her how to use it. For a little camera, its ability to zoom in was amazing.
He had joked with her that taking pictures was one way to never lose his focus. Then he made her heart flutter by taking a whole series of pictures of her. She’d felt like a movie star, laughing as she posed with the stunning landscape in the background. Then he gave the camera to her.
Looking behind the lens was an eye-opening experience in more ways than one. Not just what she was looking at, but what she was really looking for. A world spread out before her. Beckoning. Waiting to be explored.
Up until now. If she didn’t sit down and take her sneakers off right this minute she was going to collapse.
“You’re going to have to fly in an EMT if I don’t catch my breath,” she quipped.
“You’re doing fine. Great actually, since you’ve never done this before.”
“Suuuure I am.”
Ty laughed, a sound both masculine and melodic. “It’s true what they say,” he commented, shrugging off his large canvas backpack. “Getting there is half the fun.”
“My feet hurt, so tell me what’s the fun half?”
She was glad they could laugh together, like they were now. Being with Ty seemed so . . . easy. There was no other way to describe it. Spending the day with him had been nothing short of perfect. He was great to talk to. An intent listener who asked questions. Without prying. Or pushing. Or, most importantly, mentioning business. They shared the food he’d packed, drank from the same water bottles. The gesture had seemed a little personal at first. “Swapping spit” with someone you barely know. Especially for her, who had a tendency toward being a “germaphobe.” Yet when he offered her a sip from his bottle, she hadn’t hesitated, let alone refused. Sharing with him seemed surprisingly natural. As if, somehow, they had always been connected to each other.
“You tired?” he asked.
“Not too much, no.”
“Liar.”
“Same answer as before.”
He laughed again. “You are, but I appreciate your effort to stay positive, since I’m running you into the ground.”
“I’d like to think of it as running with me.”
“Point taken,” he acknowledged. “Want to put your heavier sweatshirt on? I know it’s spring, but it can get quite chilly at night. The temperature changes in the desert are crazy.”
“I’ll be okay if I sit a few minutes. We’ve seen so much today and walked miles.”
“The exertion hasn’t been too much for you,
I hope.”
Cat was touched that he sounded concerned. “No, I loved it.”
~ ~ ~
Ty stared at Cat in wonderment. A woman who actually liked hiking. Even on her first time out. Even when she had hurt her ankle the day before. He’d almost doubted women like this existed. The women he usually dated wore high heels and needed a mirror around them at all times to fix their hair and lipstick. Or just admire themselves. Cat didn’t worry about those things. She loved looking at the beauty of nature that was all around her—not at herself.
Taking her hiking was a good choice. He hadn’t been hiking in ages. Growing up poor, he and his parents indulged in free activities. They explored trails as often as they could. Those times were some of his fondest memories. When his parents were young and healthy they’d take him on all sorts of trails. They’d laugh and talk about what was going on in their lives. It was their special bonding time. Now that his father was old and infirm and his mother gone, he missed having that connection with them.
Was it weird he now felt connected to Cat? Was it because he usually went hiking by himself? There was something about quiet walks in the woods that always soothed his inner restlessness. He’d pick parks and trails miles away from civilization so he could listen to nothing but bird songs, and the sounds of gravel and wood chips scraping beneath his feet. These times were limited. As CEO of Orland Premier Properties, Inc., he didn’t get a chance to go out much. Or go anywhere other than his office, or to other offices, really.
Maybe business was becoming a little too all-consuming. Having these two days with Cat was becoming a real eye-opener.
“The part we’re hiking through now,” he heard Cat happily chatter away, “is my favorite. I love seeing all these crazy plants. Take those for example,” she said, pointing to a spiky group. “If a dwarf pine tree mated with a cactus, that’s what their babies would look like.”
“Don’t pick on the poor Joshua tree.”
“That’s their name? They sound like they’re from a U2 album.”
“Funny,” he deadpanned. “They’re also known as Yuccas, if you prefer to use their scientific name.”
“Yes, calling them Yuccas suits them better. When people look at them, they say, yuck-o” she quipped through giggles. “Imagine how inadequate they’d feel next to California’s massive redwoods. Next thing you’d know, the Yucca’s would be begging botanists for vegetative Viagra.”
“Are you done making fun of them yet? They can’t help how they look,” Ty said with mock-sternness.
“I’m sorry. I’ll behave better,” she promised.
“Maybe you’d be less grouchy if you got some rest.”
Cat stifled a yawn. The day was wonderful but strenuous. Her desire to rest warred with her desire to spend more time out here with Ty. “Where is the hotel?”
“Who knows? We’re not staying in one. Not yet anyway.”
Cat blinked her eyes hard. “What?”
“Why do you think my backpack is so big? I’ve got a tent for two in here.”
“How is that possible? Your bag’s not big enough for all that, is it?”
“The tent is specially designed to be lightweight and flexible. The poles attach to each other with a few simple screws. Give it a try. If you’re unhappy, I can walk back to the road for a car to come get us. I have one on standby.”
“Are we even allowed to sleep here?”
“Not officially in this area, no. But I know a few people . . .”
“Do I even want to know how you pulled this off, Oh Great and Powerful Oz?”
“Just don’t look at the man behind the curtain and you’ll stay impressed.”
“Me and my little dog Toto are already impressed because I’ve found out from my own personal experience government agencies are not something you can easily bend. They really like their rules and restrictions.”
“They do. But they also really like ‘donations.’ Like the very large endowment I gave the Department of the Interior to use exclusively for the preservation and maintenance of U.S. National Parks. Amazing how a useful gift can keep on giving. Even to the individual who made the gift.”
She felt her throat dry up. The amount he must have given would be equal to one her parents could afford. If they’d ever donate to such a cause. But charities that didn’t put a plaque with their name on a façade was a charity they wouldn’t bother with. “You must have given quite a lot.”
“It was selfish of me. Nature is one of the few ways I can really connect. Be at peace. The hotel industry is the exact opposite—you make yourself crazy to ensure your guests have rest.”
“Good way of putting it, actually,” she said, mulling over his words. She’d never bothered with nature before, other than having the landscaping for her inns well maintained. Constantly striving for perfection was ensuring one’s own life wasn’t perfect. Or peaceful. Was it because of her surroundings she finally felt relaxed? Or because she was surrounded by a feeling of warmth every time she was with him?
“All right,” Ty said, poles and canvas scattered on the ground. “Oz’s Emerald City is going up. Too bad the tent’s gray, kind of wrecks the image.”
“No problem there. We’ll just call it ‘Silver City,’” Cat said. “How long does it take to get the tent up?”
“A few minutes. I’ve done it so many times, I can assemble it in the dark. Literally. Once I got so caught up in my hike by the time I got to the campsite the sun had been down a good hour. My lantern light blew and my flashlight was dying. At that point, I was feeling around for the variations on each piece as if Braille markings.”
From his proud expression, it was a test of his competency he’d happily take on again.
“You’re so confident out here,” she marveled. “I doubt constructing a tent while it was pitch black out was even a challenge for you.” As a thought crossed her mind, she felt her brows knit together. “I should have you build the addition for one of my inns. The work would be finished in two days rather than the two years it’s taken.”
“Two years? What the heck’s taking so long?”
“Never mind,” Cat said, frowning. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. I was only trying to say I’m impressed by the things you can do. You make everything look so easy.” She hesitated for a minute, biting the inside of her cheek. “Things come harder for me. I work really hard for . . . variable results.”
“You’re a success to me.”
Ty’s eyes seemed so kind. Her insides melted a little from his warmth.
“Thanks. Some days I’m more successful than others.” She perked up at a thought and the jolt felt like a shot of caffeine. “I’m going to learn from the lectures you’ve got scheduled. They should help me a lot.”
“They’re both cancelled.”
“You cancelled tomorrow’s classes? Why?”
“To spend more time with you. But don’t worry about my lectures.” He winked at her. “I’m a great tutor.”
“If you want me to sing ‘Hot for Teacher,’ forget it. I’ve got too much pride, and too little talent.”
She continued talking through his laughter in a more serious tone. “Was the Hotelier’s Association mad at you for ditching your lectures at the last minute?”
“They were put out a bit, yes. But I’ve done a lot of work for them this year, so they didn’t have too much to say. I got someone to cover for me, so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.” He reached into his backpack and started to set up camp.
“Want some help?” She’d probably screw everything up for him, but she could try.
“No, I’ve got it, though you can assemble this little lantern since night is setting in. It’s small and lightweight, but it gives off a lot of light.”
Cat took it from him, screwing the parts together.
In seconds it was shining brightly. “Oh, I did it! Now we’ve got the Green Lantern with us.”
He laughed. “You put it together, so you’re Wonder Woman. I had a feeling you’d do great out here. You’re not the silly, shrilly, high-maintenance type.”
“No?”
“No, you’re my type.”
Her cheeks flushed with heat.
“You know,” he said continuing casually as he built the tent beside her. “I’m a bit burnt out from all the things I’ve taken on. I needed this break. But even more, I needed to spend this time with you.”
Cat couldn’t find the words to answer him, too caught up in the same emotion. She sat there, watching him until the tent was complete. In another minute, he pulled out a thin fabric sheet, which he unrolled inside to serve as the tent’s floor. “Sit down,” he offered. “It’s made from a special fabric, surprisingly soft and cushiony.”
Cat crouched down and crawled in, the rolled-up entrance flap lightly smacking her head. Plopping down on the dark gray sheet ungracefully, she tugged off her sneakers as quickly as she could. The makeshift sheet did feel cushiony, as promised. It looked and felt like an oversized yoga mat and was about the size of a double bed. She ran her hand lightly over it, enjoying the feel of the tiny irregular bumps.
“Hard day walking?” he asked, reaching into the tent to hand her a flask. In a moment he was seated beside her. His position mirrored hers, knees up with arms wrapped around them.
She nodded. “Let me guess, it’s not club soda.”
“I hope not. I’d hate to spit it out. Especially in front of a lady. I brought Caribbean rum. I thought you’d like it better than the vodka I almost picked out.”
“One shot of vodka and I’m on the floor, passed out.”
“Damn, I knew I should have gone with the vodka.”
“Yeah, you should have.” The scent coming from the bottle was strong enough to be fumes. Her nose wrinkled in response. “Okay, here goes nothing.” The flask felt hard against her lips and tasted like metal. Until she lifted the bottle’s bottom in the air and the rum poured into her mouth. Then it tasted like dark sugar that left a trail of fire down her throat. “Good stuff,” she croaked.