inept, you know. I may not know which direction I’m heading, but I can put one foot in front of the other without falling flat on my face.’ Most of the time. ‘I can do this on my own.’
Ignoring her outburst, Zach simply took her by the waist and physically lifted her and placed her to the left of the path so that those behind her could get past.
Once they were alone with their group bundling down the descent in front of them, Zach said, ‘Relax, Meg. I’m not offering you anything more than a hand down the mountain.’
Meg swallowed, the lack of saliva making her throat scratch so she winced. His dark eyes slid down her face to rest on her lips. His grip tightened. Infinitesimally. And she felt in his touch the same confusion of want and restraint surging through her body.
Triumph coursed through her. He’d felt every bit of enchantment in that kiss that she had.
Triumph fast turned to confusion. What was she meant to do with the knowledge that helping her down the hill wasn’t all he wanted to give her any more than that was all she wanted from him?
In the quiet that followed Meg realised the group had moved far enough away that birdsong came back to the forest. The water in the stream they had crossed bubbled melodiously about the fall of rocks unable to completely block its path.
They were to all intents and purposes alone. Anything could happen. Like having photos of ‘Meg Kelly and friend’ getting up to no good being splashed all over the Internet within hours. For that he’d never forgive her.
She took his hands from her and pressed them back to his sides. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I just slipped a little on some moss. I’ll pay more attention to where I put my feet.’
His eyes finally, thankfully, skimmed from her mouth back to her eyes and his hands moved to grip the straps of his backpack. ‘Just be careful, for my sake. I don’t need you slipping and breaking a bone.’
‘God, no. The press would be all over this place like a rash. Which is, of course, the last thing we want.’
‘We want?’
‘Yes, we . As in we agree that it’s Ruby who’s front and foremost in our minds when we happen upon one another.’
Ruby who should be reason enough we never happen upon one another again.
After one final dark glance he nodded, then turned and headed down the ragged path.
‘Keep up,’ he called without turning, ‘before we have to send out a search party for you again.’
‘A search party? Please,’ she called back as she walked unsteadily down the trail.
Had he just said ‘again’?
Five long, hot minutes later, the descent evened out and the path became made up of wide, neat steps carved into layers of grey rock.
The group spread out, walking in clumps. The scurrying, flapping, whistling noises of the forest had been overtaken by the nearby sound of rushing water. The overgrown forest cleared to reveal a vertical slant of wet rock that was so high Meg had to crane her neck to see the sliver of sunlight above.
‘Hold onto the handrails, step carefully, and prepare yourselves for something fabulous!’ the guide called out.
Meg followed Zach into a gap in the rock. And darkness. And sudden dank coolness. The sweat covering her whole body brought her skin up in goose bumps.
Bit by bit, step by slow step, Meg’s eyes became used to the gloom. Up ahead, through the bobbing heads of her fellow hikers, there was light. Eerie, green light.
Then suddenly she stepped onto the edge of a highdomed cave. At her feet lapped a pool of bright green water clear enough to see the floor was made of a tumble of smooth stones of all shapes and sizes. Above, through a gap way up high in the ceiling, a stunning, glowing, white sheet of water splashed magnificently into the deep centre of the pool. It was literally one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen.
‘I give you Juniper Falls,’ Zach said from somewhere to her right.
Meg couldn’t think of a thing to say back.She just
Ignoring her outburst, Zach simply took her by the waist and physically lifted her and placed her to the left of the path so that those behind her could get past.
Once they were alone with their group bundling down the descent in front of them, Zach said, ‘Relax, Meg. I’m not offering you anything more than a hand down the mountain.’
Meg swallowed, the lack of saliva making her throat scratch so she winced. His dark eyes slid down her face to rest on her lips. His grip tightened. Infinitesimally. And she felt in his touch the same confusion of want and restraint surging through her body.
Triumph coursed through her. He’d felt every bit of enchantment in that kiss that she had.
Triumph fast turned to confusion. What was she meant to do with the knowledge that helping her down the hill wasn’t all he wanted to give her any more than that was all she wanted from him?
In the quiet that followed Meg realised the group had moved far enough away that birdsong came back to the forest. The water in the stream they had crossed bubbled melodiously about the fall of rocks unable to completely block its path.
They were to all intents and purposes alone. Anything could happen. Like having photos of ‘Meg Kelly and friend’ getting up to no good being splashed all over the Internet within hours. For that he’d never forgive her.
She took his hands from her and pressed them back to his sides. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I just slipped a little on some moss. I’ll pay more attention to where I put my feet.’
His eyes finally, thankfully, skimmed from her mouth back to her eyes and his hands moved to grip the straps of his backpack. ‘Just be careful, for my sake. I don’t need you slipping and breaking a bone.’
‘God, no. The press would be all over this place like a rash. Which is, of course, the last thing we want.’
‘We want?’
‘Yes, we . As in we agree that it’s Ruby who’s front and foremost in our minds when we happen upon one another.’
Ruby who should be reason enough we never happen upon one another again.
After one final dark glance he nodded, then turned and headed down the ragged path.
‘Keep up,’ he called without turning, ‘before we have to send out a search party for you again.’
‘A search party? Please,’ she called back as she walked unsteadily down the trail.
Had he just said ‘again’?
Five long, hot minutes later, the descent evened out and the path became made up of wide, neat steps carved into layers of grey rock.
The group spread out, walking in clumps. The scurrying, flapping, whistling noises of the forest had been overtaken by the nearby sound of rushing water. The overgrown forest cleared to reveal a vertical slant of wet rock that was so high Meg had to crane her neck to see the sliver of sunlight above.
‘Hold onto the handrails, step carefully, and prepare yourselves for something fabulous!’ the guide called out.
Meg followed Zach into a gap in the rock. And darkness. And sudden dank coolness. The sweat covering her whole body brought her skin up in goose bumps.
Bit by bit, step by slow step, Meg’s eyes became used to the gloom. Up ahead, through the bobbing heads of her fellow hikers, there was light. Eerie, green light.
Then suddenly she stepped onto the edge of a highdomed cave. At her feet lapped a pool of bright green water clear enough to see the floor was made of a tumble of smooth stones of all shapes and sizes. Above, through a gap way up high in the ceiling, a stunning, glowing, white sheet of water splashed magnificently into the deep centre of the pool. It was literally one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen.
‘I give you Juniper Falls,’ Zach said from somewhere to her right.
Meg couldn’t think of a thing to say back.She just
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