Page 10 of Reign or Shine
Murmurs of thanks and grunts of relief meet my ears as my hikers make their way past me. I count everyone and check their names off my list, confirming that I had everyone who left with me this morning. The hike hadn’t been a strenuous one, but four hours of walking was a lot if you weren’t used to it. Or if walking wasn’t your actual job—like mine was.
Giving Judy, a regular of this hike, a nod of thanks, I check her name off and give the list a second and final scan. Everyone was accounted for and no injuries were sustained. An excellent day indeed.
Tucking the clipboard under my arm, I spin on the toe of my boot and head for Elevated Adventures’ main cabin, or Adventure HQ as I like to call it. The large A-frame cabin was my home away from home. Heck, I was here almost as much as I was in my apartment downtown.
The high-beamed ceiling and wall of windows at the back is a comforting sight. There are five of us working today including me, two in the café, one on the floor helping customers with merchandise and one behind the counter.
I wave to all my coworkers as I make my way to the counter. Everyone is all smiles. After logging in to the trail leaders’ program we had set up long ago, I enter in all the information from today’s hike and mark everyone as safe.
“How was it today?” My boss, Shirley, slides her upper body across the counter, coming to stop beside me.
“Good.” I unclip my hiker list and slip the paper into the folder where we keep our hard-copy files for the week. “There was a couple who definitely fibbed on their experience level, and another person who didn’t wear the correct clothing for the elevation, but it was fun overall. The peak was gorgeous.”
“The colors right now are stunning.”
I nodded, thinking of all the flowers in bloom and the sea of green I’d looked out at when we hit the trail’s peak.
Resting my upper body on the counter, I grin over at my boss. While Shirley and her late husband did open Elevated Adventures because of their love of nature, Shirley was not a guide. She preferred to run operations from the A-frame and not have to deal with hikers one-on-one for long periods of time.
“How have things been here?” I ask, running my hands over the smooth, dark oak surface of the counter. I listen to Shirley tell me about a humorous interaction with a camper looking for bear spray and get updated about two upcoming hiking expeditions.
I’m scheduled to lead another hike tomorrow that will have me camping out overnight on the mountain. The muscles in my shoulders relax at knowing I’ll have something else to distract me tomorrow. It had helped today to be outside and get out of my head, showing others the beauty of the area instead of obsessing about a man I would never see again except for in gossip magazines.
I’m just about to ask Shirley if she could add me to a couple more outings this week when she curses and rounds the counter, leaving me in the blink of an eye. Trying to follow her flurry of movement, my eyes scan past the front door and across—
I double back.
It takes me a stupid amount of time to believe what I’m seeing. At first, I think it’s a trick of the light. That I’ve conjured him here thanks to my overactive imagination.
But that smile. Damn, I would know that smile anywhere.
Holy shit.
Henry Cragnoor, 12th Earl of Caledonia, was at my place of work. An honest-to-God royal had walked in the door. He was standing at the front doors, grinning at me like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Holy shit.
Still not truly believing what I was seeing, I slowly straighten from my hunched-over position. With every step he takes toward me, I feel a new flutter in my stomach.
He’s almost unrecognizable in a dark green plaid button-down and dark jeans, artfully torn at the knees. I’d thought in a full suit he couldn’t be any more good-looking but I was very wrong. There was something about a man in plaid that made my heart beat into overdrive. Maybe it’s just a Canadian thing.
His eyes were focused on me as he sauntered his way over. A shine to them had me fighting not to bite my lip. Being the sole focus of Henry Cragnoor was thrilling—and probably one of the scariest things to ever happen to me.
Coming to a stop and interlacing his hands on the counter, he continues to give me a knowing grin. My mouth opens but no words come out. What is happening right now?
“Hello, Ellie.” The low tone of his voice sends shivers throughout my body. It both delights and terrifies me.
I know my eyes are wide with shock as I continue to gaze at him without a word. My body seems to have lost all function. Oh my God, Ellie, what are you doing?
“Hey.” The word is quiet, but drawn out. My brain is still glitching, trying to get back online after this second shock of a lifetime. This man keeps sneaking up on me!
“Did you have a good hike today?” he asks, all innocence and ease.
My vocabulary comes back, slow and a little hesitant, but at least I’m able to form full sentences.
“Yeah, it was a great hike. Spring days like this are the best weather for long trails.”
Oh, good one, Ellie. Yes, let’s talk about the weather with a freakin’ earl. That’s a baller move.