She had no idea how she’d feel tomorrow, which did not loosen her knot of nerves.

Looking back, she watched as Rose picked a wildflower, and tucked it behind her ear, smiling at Rock.

Rock smiled back, and then she picked him a wildflower, too, making him blush.

Lily glanced at Jared, just a quick look, and he caught her. Damn it.

But she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d like to tuck a wildflower behind her ear and claim her as his. Or if he’d rather take the flower and run it over her body, and then follow that path with his mouth…

She had no idea where these thoughts were coming from. No idea at all.

Okay, she knew. But that didn’t mean she had to give in. “Almost time for lunch,” she announced.

“Don’t suppose we can radio for take-out,” Rose joked. “Maybe some Thai?”

“Don’t worry,” Lily promised with a laugh. “I’ve got a lovely, luxurious lunch planned. No one is going to be hungry.”

Jared’s gaze met hers, and held.

She knew just how hungry he was, and exactly what he was hungry for.

Oh, boy.

5

AFTER LUNCH, they took up the hike again. Jared eyed the view as they came out of a rocky canyon, a sheer rock on their left, a drop-off on their right, the river winding below.

“I’d swear we’ve gone two hundred miles,” Rose puffed. “Jared?”

He pulled out his PDA, glanced at Lily, who rolled her eyes. Damn, she was cute. “Four point six,” he said.

“Or that,” Rose muttered.

Once again they heard water falling, a different waterfall this time. “Almost there,” Lily promised them, and then they cleared past the trees and paused at the heart-stopping, magnificent view.

The water fell down thirty feet or so, splashing with loud, wet grandeur into a large natural pool. The pool was surrounded by rocks, over which the water spilled, creating a second, smaller fall dropping into the river they’d walked along to get up here.

“Can we swim?” Jack asked.

“Not here. It’s much safer from below, which we’ll get to in the morning. Keep drinking everyone, no dehydration today.”

“Okay, I get it now,” Michelle said on a huffing laugh. “This is why Daddy wanted us to come on this trip. He wanted to kill us to save him the attorney fees for our divorce.”

“We haven’t decided to divorce yet,” Jack said, then hesitated. “Not that I know of, anyway.”

Michelle lifted a shoulder. “You’ve been so upset with me, I figured it’s only a matter of time.”

Jack’s face went carefully blank. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“Fine, but switch places with me,” Michelle said. “You walk in front so you won’t be tempted to push me off the falls into the river.”

“You know,” Jack said thoughtfully. “That idea hadn’t occurred to me.”

“Oh,” Michelle said.

“-until now.”

“Oh.”

Rose smiled over at Rock. “Maybe you want to switch places too, sugar, and give me a better view.”

Rock passed her. “Is that better?”

Rose eyed his ass. “Waaay better.”

Jared watch Rock finally get it, and blush beet red. The trail was flat now, and he easily managed to stay right behind Lily. He figured he had the best view of all, and he enjoyed it until a squirrel popped out of a tree and screeched at him for getting too close, nearly giving him a coronary.

Lily looked back and smiled. “You’re being scolded.”

“Too close to his home?”

“Bingo.”

Jared looked at the tree the squirrel had vanished into. “He’s got a nice home.”

“Gorgeous here, isn’t it?” She took it all in and smiled with pleasure. “I almost forget, until I come back here.”

“From…?”

“Oh. Well, I have an apartment in San Francisco, though until recently I spent most of my time as a wildland firefighter in Montana.”

Yeah, he could see her as a firefighter, all sharp and toned and tough. “Sounds exciting.”

“Was,” she said, and rubbed her thighs.

It was a motion he’d seen her do before, and he doubted it was a nervous gesture. The trail widened enough that he could move to her side. “Something happen?”

“You could say so. A cliff happened.”

“You fell?”

“Forty feet.”

He stared at her, horrified.

“Yeah, that’s the usual reaction,” she said. “But at least I lived to tell the tale, right?”

“Right. Wow.”

“Living was definitely the silver lining,” she agreed grimly, then quickened her step as if she’d told him far more than she’d meant to.

“How bad was it, Lily?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Broke my back. They said I’d never walk.” She shrugged again. “Proved them wrong.”

He stared at her back as she kept walking, awed at her strength, and also, a little awed at the similarities in the things they’d suffered. “But you’re recovered. That’s amazing.”

“Not so recovered. I can’t be a firefighter anymore.”

“It’s amazing that you’re out here at all, doing this.” He shook his head. “You must have gone through hell to get here.”

A mirthless laugh escaped her.

He looked at her proud, stiff shoulders, and imagined all that she wasn’t saying. And if anyone understood that, it was him. “I’m sorry you had to give up firefighting.”

“It was time for something new anyway.”

One tough cookie. “Was it?”

“Yeah. I don’t tend to stick to anything for long.”

“You look happy doing this.”

She paused, considered, then smiled. “You know what? I am.”

“And Keith,” he said carefully, well aware that he was now on a fishing expedition. “He must be thrilled to have you working for him.”

“Oh.” She glanced away. “We go way back, Keith and me.”

He kept breathing, barely.

“But…this is my first trek for him in years, so we’ll see how it works out.”

He nodded. “He seemed happy enough with you.”

She glanced at him, probably remembering the kiss he’d witnessed.

The hell with subtlety, he decided. “Are you two together?”

She took a long drink from her water bottle, a nice delay tactic, he noted. “I’m not sure that matters,” she said carefully.

Reaching out, he put a hand on her arm and stopped her progress, pulling her around to face him. The others were all still far enough back that no one was in danger of overhearing. “You can’t see why it would matter to me?”

“You’re a client,” she whispered.

“For a few days, that’s all.”

She licked her lips. Now that was definitely a nervous gesture, but he liked it. He liked her.

Much more than he’d intended to, when it’d once been a purely physical thing.

“We need to keep moving,” she said, her gaze dropping for the briefest beat to his mouth.

Yeah, he liked that, too, but then she pulled free and began walking again.

She’d picked up her pace, and he had to hurry to catch up with her, which stole his breath and kept him, temporarily, from asking anything more.

“Your bio says you’re some sort of electronics wizard,” she said, because apparently she still had breath. “After seeing some of your toys so far, I believe it. How many did you bring, anyway?”

“Uh…”

She slowed down and let out a disbelieving laugh as he passed her. “You know what? Don’t tell me.”

“Okay.” Turning to face her, he walked backwards, smiling as he thought of the iPod and the PDA he carried. Not to mention his Sidekick…“I won’t.”

“Hey, watch out-”

He turned forward just as she pushed past him to shove a large branch out of the way. If she hadn’t, he’d have walked right into it, head first.

Feeling just a little bit stupid and a lot awkward, neither new when it came to beautiful women, he shot her a sheepish smile, which faded.

She’d gotten scratched across her neck.

“Ah, hell.” He reached for her. “That was my fault. I’m so sorry.”

She put a hand to her neck, then looked at her fingers, which had a little smear of her blood. “It’s nothing.”

He put his hands on her arms to stop her forward movement, and studied the scratch. True, it wasn’t bad, but it bothered him just the same. He shrugged off his pack and squatted down to go through it.

The folded piece of paper fell out of his pocket again.

She looked at it. “I know. Your grocery list.”

“It’s a list, but not groceries.”

“A to-do list.”

“Sort of.” He called it his To-Do-If-He-Didn’t-Die list.

“What does a guy like you put on a list?”

A guy like him? What the hell, he handed it to her, then reached into the front zippered pocket of his pack for a tube of antiseptic and a Band-Aid.

She laughed at the first aid stuff. “You’re kidding.”

“See? And you thought I’d be totally unprepared. I’ll have you know I also have sunscreen, waterproof matches, moleskin and aspirin.”

“Nice.” She peered into the pouch. “And a snakebite kit?”

“Yep. And also water purification tablets.”

“And the kitchen sink?” She unfolded his list and began to read.

He watched her face, and when she was finished, she handed the paper back to him.

“What do you think?” he asked, unable to help himself.

“I think that maybe everyone should have a list.”

He’d never thought so until he’d made his. He had it memorized. One, take a guided trek in the mountains. Two, sail the Greek Islands. Three, eat less fast food and more seafood, even if it’s slimy. Four, remember to smell the flowers. Five, tell the people in your life that you love them.

What would be on yours?” he asked her.

“You know, I have no idea.” She lifted a hand. “All my life, if I’ve wanted to go somewhere, or see something, I’ve just done it.”

“That’s an amazing way to live,” he agreed. “But there’s got to be something you’d like to do that you haven’t.”

A shadow crossed her face, and she grabbed the antiseptic.

“Here. Let me.” He took it back and stroked some of the cream over her skin, which felt like warm silk beneath his fingers.