There was the fallen log, the group of three trees that they all had used for shelter when going to the bathroom in the woods without four walls and a lock.

“What do you think?” Jack asked, his eyes a little wild with worry and fear. “She start climbing from here?”

Hard to tell. The dirt here was dry and brittle as well. There were no defined or clear footprints, but lots of dust disturbed from all of them from the night before, and, Lily hoped Michelle from this morning. All the comingled trampling led back to camp.

Except…

Cocking her head, she studied the narrow path that led straight up. Not exactly a path, but it was definitely a route she would have chosen if she was alone, and especially if she wanted to remain alone.

From up there on the rock precipice, she’d be able to see far and wide. But better yet, no one would be able to see her. Maybe just what she’d have wanted on a day like this, if she was a woman not sure about where she and her husband were going to go with their marriage.

Jared had thought of that, too. And he’d gone after her.

Damn it.

Her heart started to pound. He was no more equipped than Michelle to make that climb. God. If he got hurt, she was going to kill him.

14

“JACK,” Lily called out, head still tilted up, still trying to see.

“Yeah?” he asked from behind her.

She gestured up. “I’m going to climb it.”

Jack eyed the rock wall and the outcropping that was cut out and so overgrown with bushes that they couldn’t see above it. “Where?”

“Here.” Lily began to climb the rock using questionable foot and hand holds.

“Lily, I don’t think Michelle could have…”

She didn’t waste the breath to respond, and a minute later heard him scrambling behind her to keep up, his breath rasping in and out of his lungs.

“This is all my fault,” he said, panting. “I was so frustrated that she really believed I loved her for her daddy’s money. I kept taking that out on her. God, I’ve been such an ass.”

“It’s not all your fault.” Lily glanced up, but could still see nothing. “Michelle! Michelle, can you hear me?”

She wanted to lay her eyes on Jared, too, right now, right this minute. Honestly, what had he been thinking, going off to play hero?

Finally, she got to the top and crawled over. Normally the view would take her breath. She could see everything in a captivating, panoramic circle: the sharp jagged mountains lined with blankets and blankets of green, the dips and valleys of rock, the myriads of small alpine lakes like ribbons of blue.

It was staggeringly gorgeous.

Then she saw something even more gorgeous. Jared stepping out from behind a tree, hair tousled, jaw streaked with dirt, shirt torn, a knee bleeding…

Yeah. Staggeringly gorgeous.

And her heart simply turned over and exposed its belly. Oh, God. No. No, not this man. She was not going to fall for this man.

Too late, whispered a little voice inside her head. Far too late.

It had already been a monumentally bad morning, the worst, and after being on the edge for close to an hour, and now teetering on a different edge altogether, she didn’t feel steady, so when he lifted his hand, in which he held his PDA, with a sheepish smile on his face, she nearly lost it right then, but somehow she kept it together.

Then Jack was there beside her yelling, “Michelle! Michelle, where are you?”

“Here.” Michelle came out from behind a second tree, a spot of bright yellow in her jacket, her hair loose and tumbling around her shoulders, a cut along her jaw, but otherwise whole and healthy.

Jack rushed to her and hauled her in for a tight hug, fisting his hands at her back as if he was never going to let her go. “What was that? Where were you going? What were you doing?”

“Just trying to get a good view,” she said, sounding shaken. “I wanted to do something for myself, and prove I could. So I got up here, and then I was afraid to go back down.”

“Oh, baby-”

“I’m so sorry, Jack, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He pulled back to stare at her. He let out a low laugh, then hauled her close again. “It’s okay. I love you, Michelle. Love you so damn much.”

Lily’s eyes had locked on Jared and didn’t let go as she moved toward him.

“She’s okay,” Jared said, gesturing to Michelle.

“Yes, but how about you?” It was hard to breathe, but that didn’t matter. “Looking a little worse for wear there, chief.”

He lifted a shoulder. “I’m fine.”

“You helped her get up here, to the top.”

“A little.”

A lot, she suspected.

“She wanted a taste of freedom,” he said. “Wanted to be in charge of her own destiny. Not because of her father, or because of her husband, but because of herself.”

A feeling Lily knew all too well. As, she suspected, did Jared. Being in charge of one’s destiny had to mean a lot to a man who hadn’t always gotten to be in charge of his. She’d meant to strangle him, possibly kill him, but now…but now she wanted something else entirely.

He smiled. “What?”

“What what?”

“You’re looking at me funny. Like…”

Like I want to spread you on a cracker? Because I do…

“Like maybe…” He stepped even closer, so that they were toe to toe and eye to eye. Or they would have been eye to eye if she’d been just over six feet tall as he was, instead she was more like nose to chest, but he dipped his head down a little so that their jaws nearly brushed. She could feel his warm breath on her temple, his gaze running over her face, and it was the oddest thing.

She felt naked in front of a crowd.

“You were worried about me,” he said softly, sounding a little surprised, even awed and a lot amused.

“Hell yeah, I was worried.”

He grinned, and the sight of it caused a flood of emotions: fear, relief-giddy relief…anger. “You think it’s funny?” she demanded. “That I was so worried I could barely breathe?”

“Are you kidding? I-”

But she didn’t want to hear it, and whirled away, leaving him talking to air.

He merely snagged her arm, bringing her back around to face him. At least he was wise enough to swipe the grin off his face. “It’s sweet,” he said. “I think you’re incredibly sweet.”

“You keep calling me that.”

“Yeah? So?”

“No one’s ever accused me of being sweet before.”

At that, he tipped back his head and laughed, and, oh yeah, that pissed her off, too, but he scrambled to tighten his hands on her before she tore free again. “Here’s the thing,” he said. “It’s not an insult.”

She glared at him, or wanted to, but her chest felt too big, and sort of restricted, and for some odd reason, her eyes and throat burned. “We’re behind schedule,” she managed. “Let’s go.”

Michelle and Jack were still kissing as if they intended to swallow each other’s tongues. She stalked past, tapping them on the shoulders as she went. “Reunion’s over. We’ve got a hike to finish.”

THEY MOVED eight miles that day. By the time night came, and Lily got everyone fed and happy, she was feeling the effects of keeping a smile on her face.

Over a roaring fire, Rose suggested a game of Truth or Dare. Rock nixed that, probably with a healthy dose of fear of what Rose might ask him to do or say.

Jack, going through the supplies that had been dropped for them earlier, came up with a bottle of whiskey, which he used to liberally lace everyone’s hot chocolate.

They all sipped, then promptly choked in unison as the fiery stuff made its way to their bellies. Jack grinned and stood up. “Okay, here’s a game from the college drinking days. We go around the circle and tell something about ourselves. Either a truth or a lie…Everyone has to guess which. If you fool everyone, then they all have to drink. If you don’t, then the liar drinks.”

“We’ll be plastered in no time.” Rose clapped with glee. “I love it.”

Jack nodded. “Good.” He sat next to Michelle and poured a second, very healthy dose of whiskey into his own mug. “I’ll give you an example of how it works.” He looked at Michelle. “Truth or lie…me going out with you had nothing to do with your father being richer than God.”

“Lie,” Michelle whispered.

Jack, eyes never leaving hers, lifted his mug to his mouth and took a long swig.

Everyone at the campfire was silent as the implications of what Jack had said, and then admitted was a lie, sank in.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Okay, so now you get the game.”

Michelle stared morosely into her mug, silent.

Jack looked at her. “Now I’ll go again to be first,” he said. “Truth or lie…By the end of our first date, I didn’t give a shit about your father’s money.”

“Lie,” she whispered, head down, eyes on her drink.

“Truth,” Jack whispered, then pointed to everyone’s mug. “You all drink.”

They lifted their spiked hot chocolate to their lips and each took a healthy swallow, while Michelle just stared at Jack. “What? What did you just say?”

“By the end of our first date,” he repeated softly. “I didn’t give a shit about your father’s money.” He nudged her mug to her lips. “I haven’t given it a single thought since then.”

Michelle drank, then coughed, her eyes watering as she continued to stare at Jack. “Really?”

He sank next to her, and smiled a little shakily. “Really.”

“Oh, Jack.” She flung her arms around her husband, the action touching Lily more deeply than she’d expected. Or maybe it was the two deep sips of spiked hot chocolate she’d had. She glanced at Jared.

He was looking right at her.

Nope, not the alcohol getting to her head.

Him.

“Okay, now me.” Rose stood up, a little unsteady on her feet. “Truth or lie.” she cupped her own breasts. “I know my body’s fabulous, but it’s not quite all God-given.”