Page 95 of Burning Caine
“Let me guess.”
Ducking under an overhanging branch, I laughed. “You don’t think that would be a wonderful day?”
“Watch your step.” She put a hand on my forearm, pointing to a small snake slithering across the trail.
“Good eye. Survival training was an excellent idea. I like seeing you in your element instead of only hearing you talk about it.”
“You’ve never gone for a hike before?”
“Not like this. I think I’ve been missing out on a lot.” We resumed our pace, and I continued pushing. “So, if making love is not part of your perfect day—”
“Hold on, I never said that. I just rolled my eyes at you listing it as every second event of the day.”
“That tells me you have not been made love to properly.”
She laughed me off, but the thought was in her head, as firmly as it was in mine. Her shorts and tank top revealed much of her lovely, strong body, and I couldn’t wait to see more of it.
“Well, this is my idea of a perfect day. Hot summer morning, out in the middle of nowhere, listening to the birds and the wind.”
“Did you and your ex-husband hike?”
She veered far off the trail, making her way around trees and over rocks. “No, never.”
“Why not?”
“He was too urban for me. Didn’t like getting dirty, except in the kitchen.” She kept her eyes on the uneven ground in front of her. “Cities have a lot to offer but there has to be a balance.”
“Come back to the trail with me.” I beckoned her closer. “My survival instructor can’t teach me anything from so far away. I may be eaten by a snake.”
She paused and looked at me, chewing on her bottom lip. “No.”
This was a test. One I would pass. I made my way around the branches edging the main trail and headed after her.
“Thanks for being a good sport about this. I wasn’t sure you’d come out here.” She stopped at a large tree which had fallen over and hopped up to walk atop it.
“I want to meet the real you. I can tell by your smile this is it.” I walked on the ground next to the tree, taking her hand when she reached out for balance.
She stopped suddenly again. “Shhh.” She knelt slowly, straddled the tree trunk, and searched for something. “Over there, do you see it?”
Nothing. Her arm raised, pointing to a spot in the distance. I looked in the direction she indicated, toward a rustling noise, but I couldn’t spot the source. I placed my face next to hers, focused along the length of her arm. Her finger moved slowly, until I finally saw the small red fox she’d been tracking.
“I do now.” I put an arm behind her while we watched it trot through the woods. We were close enough that her citrusy scent mingled with the wet earth and leaves surrounding us. Moving closer, my cheek touched hers, eyes remaining on the wildlife. I whispered, for fear of scaring away the fox or her, “How beautiful.”
The fox disappeared, and she placed her hands on the tree to stand again. She was not getting away from me so soon. I dragged her off, placing her in front of me, body to body, holding her against me by her hips. “I love how confident you are here.”
She blinked up at me, resting her hands against my chest. I reached behind her to pluck an errant leaf from the top of her backpack, brushing my fingertips across her shoulder as I pulled the hand back. Her eyelids eased closed and she tilted her head, allowing me access to run the fingers along her lovely neck. As I began to lean forward for a kiss, she slipped away, winding her way back to the main trail.
Keep pushing.
“I don’t understand,” I said after we’d walked quietly for a while.
“What’s that?”
“How could you marry a man who didn’t share your greatest passion?”
“Long, boring story.”
“You say that a lot.”