The True Love Travels Series Box Set

by Poppy Pennington-Smith

  As soon as her feet touched the wooden slats, she felt as if the entire structure was swaying beneath her feet. Her knees had turned to jelly.

  Behind her, Blake said, “You know it’s super-safe up here? In fact, you’re probably safer here than you were in the cab ride over.” He was beside her now, looking over the edge and down at the water. “Gee, that’s some view. You seen it?”

  Beth closed her eyes and breathed in slowly through her nose. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She should have said no. She should have told Emily no way am I going up there.

  When she opened her eyes, Blake was taking a photograph of the way they’d come, and another peering over the side of the bridge.

  Shoot. She couldn’t not take any. So, she inched her way to the centre of the bridge and took the lens cap off her camera. Looking down at the rocks and the foaming crashing water, her hand was shaking so much she felt like she might drop it. She could almost picture it shattering and being carried away in tiny little pieces.

  “Get a good shot?” Blake sidled up beside her, totally unfazed by the fact that he was dangling unnaturally high above the ground with nothing but some wooden boards between him and almost-certain death.

  “Maybe. I think so.” Beth put her lens cap back on. “Let’s go, shall we?”

  “Sure. After you.” Blake held out his hand and waved towards the end of the bridge. Then, finally, after what felt like forever, they were back on solid ground.

  At the bottom of the bridge, looking up at it rather than down from it, Beth felt infinitely better. Tourists were starting to appear at the top, and a family of four were standing almost dead-centre looking down at the water. The angle of the early-morning sun had turned them into silhouettes. Mum, Dad, and two children pointing at the water below. Beth quickly stopped and took a photograph. Perfect.

  Beside her, Blake hadn’t noticed the people on the bridge; he was squinting at a map that Emily had given them. “This way, I think.” He pointed towards a boarded path through the trees.

  “And that leads to the swimming hole?”

  “Should do. If my map-reading skills are up to scratch.”

  “Were you ever a Boy Scout?”

  Blake laughed and gave a sort of half-wink that caught her off guard. “Oh no, I’m far too naughty to be a Boy Scout.”

  Beth blinked at him. Did he mean to say that? She started to blush, then so did he.

  “I mean, ah...”

  Blake O’Brien was flustered. Perhaps he wasn’t as cool and self-assured as he made himself out to be.

  “You mean...?” She waited for him to finish, enjoying watching him feel uncomfortable and noticing that his dark brown eyes were actually flecked with the same shade of green as hers.

  Blake rubbed the back of his neck and tried to stand a little straighter, as if doing so would make him taller and shrug off his embarrassment. “Let’s go, shall we?” He strode off, clutching the map.

  Beth smiled to herself and followed.

  They were about half-way there, according to Blake’s map, when her phone started ringing. Instantly, she silenced it. The jaunty, loud ringtone felt totally incongruous with their surroundings and she felt guilty for interrupting the birdsong and the greenery with a reminder of the outside world.

  “Nothing important, I hope?” Blake, who had been talking into his dictaphone app, pressed pause, and raised his eyebrows at her.

  Beth glanced at her phone. The notification Missed Call from Harry glared up at her.

  “No,” she said. “Nothing important.”

  Fifteen minutes and two more missed calls from Harry later - they arrived at the infamous Lynn Canyon Swimming Hole. Beth had purposefully not looked up or researched any of the places on their itinerary; she wanted her reactions to them to be raw and unfiltered. Too often, people were so aware of what they were about to see – because they’d watched videos on YouTube or seen pictures on Instagram – that the magic was taken away. And she wanted to try and inject some of that magic into the articles she wrote for the competition.

  So, when she saw the glistening pool of water that was so clear and blue it looked like it was from a movie set, she gave an audible intake of breath.

  Beside her, Blake sat down on a large comfortable-looking rock and breathed out a long wistful sigh. “Worth getting up early for, to be the only ones here, huh?”

  “Sure is,” she replied, momentarily forgetting that she didn’t particularly want to be friendly towards him.

  Beth set down the small backpack she’d brought with her and opened it up. From inside, she took a towel and then she started to dress down to her bathing costume.

  Blake looked at her, then looked quickly away, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. “Ah... you’re not getting in are you?”

  “Of course,” she replied, frowning. “You’re not?”

  “Heck no! It’ll be freezing in there.”

  Beth looked at the water, then back at Blake. “But it’s so beautiful. How can you not want to go in?” She was already a little cold, standing there in her black one-piece suit, and Blake was looking at her strangely. His eyes looked... softer, like she’d surprised him and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “You head on in. Let me know what it’s like.”

  “Okay. Your loss. Will you take a photo?” She handed him her camera, briefly wondering whether he could be trusted with it but then shaking loose her doubts and focussing on the fact that Mum would love to see a picture of her swimming.

  “Sure.”

  Beth walked towards the water’s edge, and paused. There was a cool breeze in the air that was making her legs feel prickly, but she ignored it and dipped her toes in the water.

  Blake was right; it was freezing. She glanced back at him. He waved at her and grinned. “Nice?”

  “Superb,” she replied. She wasn’t going to back down now, so she took a deep breath and waded in.

  It was like swimming through ice-water. Colder than anything she’d ever felt. But, at the same time, more exhilarating than anything she’d ever felt. Moving deeper into the pool, she started to swim properly, then turned and waved back at Blake. “Did you get a photo?” she called.

  He shook the camera at her. “Got it. Maybe you should come back now?”

  “I’m fine. It’s great. I’ll just swim a little more.”

  Blake got up from his rock and walked closer to the water. He said something, but she didn’t hear it because she was already swimming again. Rolling onto her back she looked up at the sky. Her long hair was getting wet. Her minimal makeup was probably smudged. But she didn’t care. For one beautiful moment, she didn’t care.

  “Beth!”

  She righted herself. Blake was waving her towel at her and motioning for her to come back. It was pretty cold. But it wasn’t until she was back and he was passing her the towel that she realised how cold.

  “You’ve gone blue.” Blake laughed a little, but his expression was one of concern.

  “Blue?”

  “Your lips. They’re blue. It says in the flyer not to swim for too long. Even in summer it’s freezing in there.”

  Her teeth were chattering. “But look at it...”

  Blake smiled and shook his head. “Here,” he said, reaching out and putting his hands on her shoulders. “You need to warm up.” He rubbed her upper arms, up and down. It felt nice. His hands were big and warm, and… almost as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she stepped back. Was she blushing? Or was she too cold to blush?

  “Better?”

  “Yes. Good. Thank you.”

  Blake reached for his backpack. “I’ve got a sweater in here. Get back into your things and you can borrow it.”

  Beth nodded, confused by his totally unexpected concern, then scurried behind a cluster of trees and quickly pulled back on her dry things. Towel drying her hair, she peeked through the branches of the trees. Blake was talking to a couple of twenty-something-year-old guys who�
�d just arrived. They were good looking guys, but Beth found herself focussing on Blake. She’d so almost leaned into his chest. She’d wanted to. Which was crazy. She barely knew him. And what she knew about him, she didn’t like! He was arrogant and sarcastic and a little bit mean. He’d gate-crashed her tour of Granville Island. He hadn’t even had the decency to apologise for never emailing her back. And... Harry. What would Harry say if he saw her swooning over some brash Canadian?

  Beth shook her head and breathed in deeply. That’s it, she told herself. I’m missing Harry. That’s all.

  Clearly, she was missing Harry. Being close to Blake, and being freezing cold, had made her feel things that she didn’t really feel. Obviously, it was Harry she really wanted.

  Wasn’t it?

  8

  After the morning’s excursion at Lynn Canyon Park, and Beth’s ice-cold swim, Emily escorted them back to their hotel. As soon as she was back in her room, Beth sent the picture that Blake had taken to her mum, Jo, and Harry. A group email that simply said:

  Missing you all but having an amazing time. Love Beth xx

  Then she settled into the comfy armchair beside the big picture window that looked down at the city and wrote her first article.

  It didn’t come easily. Without the heavy clunk of the typewriter beneath her fingers, her words seemed slower and less fluid. By the time she reached her one-thousand-word target, the sun was setting over the city and her stomach was starting to growl.

  Opening up a blank email, she took one last look at what she’d written. Then she copied in Emily and Nomad’s Online Communications Editor, attached her article – complete with the pictures that she’d skilfully taken and edited – and pressed SEND.

  She glanced at the time. Eight p.m. Back home, Harry would be sleeping. She should call him later, she knew she should. But, somehow, she also knew she wouldn’t. And she couldn’t work out why.

  Instead, she texted Jo.

  I’m avoiding Harry. What’s wrong with me? Love you. Hope work isn’t too awful without me.

  She added a winking emoji and a heap of kisses.

  To her surprise, Jo replied almost instantly.

  You’re avoiding him because he’s a fun-sucking loser. Love you too. Work is the same. But worse.

  Beth frowned at her phone. For Jo, back in Oxford, it was the early hours of the morning.

  Why are you up? It’s the middle of the night. She purposefully ignored Jo’s comments about Harry.

  Got into a Netflix binge and couldn’t sleep. Don’t worry about Harry. Use the time away to clear your head. Going to get coffee and head to gym. Keep sending pics. xxx

  Beth drummed her fingers on her thigh. Clear her head? She didn’t need to clear her head. Things between her and Harry were fine. Absolutely fine...

  Day Three, The Rocky Mountaineer

  The next morning, Beth woke to an email from her mum.

  Dearest Darling Beth,

  Thank you for your email and for the pictures of you swimming. You look freezing cold but very happy.

  All is fine here at home. I know you’ll be worrying about me, but I really am okay.

  Your father would be so proud of you, Beth. So, whatever happens, just do your best. Don’t for a second worry about what I’ll do if you win and end up jetting off around the world. I’m a big girl and I have friends who would keep me busy. You never know, I might even finally leave the country and come visit you at one of your stops.

  Go chase your dreams baby girl,

  Love you forever,

  Mum xxx

  As Beth read her mother’s words, she blinked quickly, wiping her watery eyes with the back of her hand. It was as if her mum knew exactly what she needed to hear. And, suddenly, thinking of the train journey she was about to embark on and the days ahead, Beth felt full to bursting with the desire to actually do this – to write some incredible pieces and kick Blake O’Brien’s butt.

  The taxi Emily had ordered arrived before seven and whisked Beth and Blake straight from the hotel to the train station where they were finally due to board the world-famous Rocky Mountaineer train that would take them from Vancouver to Banff. For two days – with an overnight stopover mid-way – they would travel through the breath-taking scenery of the Rocky Mountains, seeing things you could only see by rail. And Beth’s skin was fizzing with anticipation.

  Beside her, Blake was scrolling through his social media channels and seemed utterly unfazed by the whole experience. He was clearly travelling light, with just the small backpack he’d taken to the canyon yesterday and a similarly small wheeled suitcase. Beth, on the other hand, had her backpack, a large tan shoulder bag, and a suitcase double the size of Blake’s.

  As they waited on the platform for Emily to find out where they were all going, Blake eyed up her case. Sipping at the take-out coffee he was holding and barely looking up from his phone, he said, “What’ve you got in there? A notebook for every day of the trip? You know, most folks these days use these handy pocket-sized devices called smart phones for note-taking.”

  Beth narrowed her eyes at him. Today’s shirt was red. But still checked. “I didn’t get the memo about the uniform,” she said, chewing her lower lip. “So, I probably over-packed.”

  “Uniform?”

  “The checked-shirt memo. I missed it.”

  Blake made a snuff sound and looked away as if he was trying not to laugh. Changing the subject and putting away his phone, he tilted his head towards the train. “Pretty impressive, huh?”

  Beth nodded. She didn’t want to talk to him, but she was finding it hard to contain her excitement. “Look at the front,” she said, pointing. “I don’t think I’ve seen a double-decker train before.”

  They were edging a little closer, marvelling at the deep shining blue of the carriages and the domed glass roof of the front section of the train, when Emily trotted up beside them with a porter in tow.

  “Dan’s going to take your luggage,” Emily gestured to the porter, who took their suitcases and bags.

  “I’ll keep this one,” Beth nudged the tan bag that was on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

  The porter nodded, then strapped labels to their backpacks and cases. “You’ll see your bags again later today, when you stop over at Kamloops. They’ll be waiting in your hotel rooms.”

  “They will?” Beth glanced at Blake. “If I’d known I wouldn’t have to carry it far, I’d have packed a little more.”

  “Okay, you guys. This is where we part ways for a bit.” Emily handed over her own small case and pointed at the double-tiered end of the train. “You’re in the Gold Leaf section of the train. I’m down in Bronze. Dan will show you the way.”

  “We’re up front?” Beth felt her eyes widen. She’d assumed they’d be in standard seats with everyone else.

  “Didn’t you read the itinerary?” Blake whispered.

  Beth ignored him, waved goodbye to Emily, and then walked – in a bit of a trance – behind Dan the porter as he ushered them towards the luxury section of the train.

  Almost as soon as they were seated, in big leather chairs under the large glass dome, a waiter arrived with coffee and cookies and told them to make themselves comfortable, they’d be leaving shortly.

  Beside her, Blake took his phone out of his pocket and held it up to his ear. “Hey Emily. Ah ha. We’re both on board.” He turned and smiled at Beth. “Yep, she’s right here. Yeah, we’re okay. Sure. See you the other side.”

  “It’s a bit mean that she’s not up here with us. Don’t you think?”

  Blake shrugged. “Budget, I guess. I’m sure she’s fine. ‘Fraid you’re stuck with me, though, until we reach Kamloops.”

  Beth took out her iPad and swiped open the map Emily had sent her, ignoring the little flutter in her stomach because she wasn’t sure whether it meant she was pleased to be stuck with Blake or not pleased. “I haven’t heard of Kamloops before,” she muttered.

  “There’s not much there. It’s just a st
op-over really.” He leaned over and, without asking, took the iPad from her. “See, from here to here is about three-hundred kilometres...” He looked up, clearly only just noticing that Beth had folded her arms in front of her chest and was scowling at him. Sheepishly, Blake handed back her iPad.

  Beth took it and glanced behind her. Every other seat under the dome was full.

  “Looking for an escape route?” Blake sipped his coffee and looked at her over the rim of his mug.

  Beth shuffled a little further away in her seat. “I wanted to make notes as we travel. There’s not much room to spread out, that’s all.”

  “Just relax. Enjoy it. Looks like it’s going to be a clear day. The scenery should be pretty breath-taking. Don’t waste it on notes.” Blake leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.

  Beth’s skin prickled. “Does that mean you won’t be dictating today?”

  Blake opened one eye and smirked. “I’ll give you a break from my swoon-worthy Canadian accent for a few hours, shall I?”

  “Oh, please do. Which must mean you’re not going to speak to me either?”

  Blake was looking at her with a glint in his eye that said he was almost enjoying her answering him back, when a smartly dressed concierge appeared at the top of the stairs and waved at them all. “Ladies and gentlemen... welcome to The Rocky Mountaineer...”

  As the train rolled out of the station, Beth felt her heart flutter in her chest. This was it. The part her father had spoken to her about so many times when they’d sat dreaming about where they’d go when he got well. Canada was, he said, the one place he wanted to go back to more than any other.

  “No matter how long you’re there, it’s not enough to soak up the beauty, Beth.” She remembered him saying it, so clearly it was as if he was right there next to her.

  “Earth to Greenwood.” Blake nudged her lightly with his elbow.