She flung off the blanket and turned around. “Are you trying to scare the shit out of me?”
I tried to hold the grin because morning Jo was delightful, one hundred percent not put together and a bit of a spazz.
I loved it.
Jo moved her body off the bed and barely missed banging her head against the roof. “Where’s the bathroom?” she asked me.
“Outside.”
“Of course it is.”
She stomped out of the trailer and left the door swinging. I patted the wall and apologized to Betty for Hurricane Jo this morning. I also didn’t feel bad because being in midst of her storm was a beautiful thing to see.
A short time later, Jo came back and moved back onto the bed.
“Feel better?” I asked her.
“I would have felt better on a toilet, but at least you’re not making me run this morning.”
“I have a better idea than running for today. Do you work?”
I could tell she was trying to think of her schedule. “What day is it?”
“Thursday.”
“I have today off then. Do you work?”
I did have to work, but I could rearrange things. “For a little bit. Go home and grab your hiking gear. I want to show you one of my favorite place in these mountains.”
“Okay, I’m up for that. Except for the grabbing my hiking things. I don’t have any of those.”
“Do you have tennis shoes?” She nodded. “Wear those and workout type clothes. Bring lots of water. If you have a backpack, put it in there, and maybe a snack too. And a hat to cover your head. And sunscreen.”
Jo blinked and looked at me. “Anything else dad?” The moment the words left her mouth I saw her cringe. It was suppose to be a joke, that I was being overprotective and worrying about her. It was true though, because I was a dad and I did worry. It was my job and I guess I was focusing it on Jo.
I ignored the comment. Not because it made me uncomfortable, it didn’t. I didn’t have a problem with the role I played as a father but I knew it was weird for her so I didn’t comment on it. She hadn’t even had twenty-four hours yet to deal with the news. Minus the initial freak-out, Jo was handling it pretty well.
“No, I think that about covers it.” I kissed her on the nose, but then decided it wasn’t enough and pulled her mouth to mine.
It didn’t seem like enough either but I was starting to wonder if I would ever get my fill of Jo.
***
My phone rang as I was waking to my truck after a few hours of work. I was anxious to get on the mountain with Jo.
I answered the phone, recognizing the ring.
“Hey Brooke.” I wasn’t lying to Jo; there really were no bad feelings between Brooke and I. We were best friends before anything else and even if our marriage didn’t work, she did give me Annabelle. I would always be grateful for that.
“Hi! I was calling to confirm dates for Belle’s visit?”
“Last two weeks in July right?”
“Yes and it’s been all I’ve heard about for the last week. She keeps calling it Adventure Time.”
That was my girl. She loved these mountains almost as much as I did.
“I’m excited to see her. I’ve missed her.” It was a hard struggle to not be in her life full time. The summers were rough with work and sometimes I had to ask myself why I did it. But when I saw Annabelle’s shinning face and her blonde hair that was the same shade as her mothers, I knew it was all for her. I was following my dreams and making sure I could support my daughter.
I did most everything for her and never did I know at the young age of eighteen that a tiny girl with such a large spirit would change everything. That didn’t mean it was easy. There was a lot of heartbreak for Brooke and I as we did what we thought best for our daughter, but in the end it always circled back to being about her. I knew Annabelle was in excellent hands with Brooke and Avery. She was one very loved girl.
“We all miss you. Are you coming down for Evan and Daisy’s birthday?” My brother and sister’s birthday was at the beginning of July. They were the two oldest in the family of seven kids and they were also twins. For some reason, their birthday was always a reason for the whole family to get together. Brooke and Avery were part of that family as much as I was. Everyone would be there. Almost the whole family. My mother wouldn’t be there. She never was and no one expected her there.
“Yeah. I’ll try to make it.” Maybe I could bring Jolene. Except my large family would probably scare the shit out of her.
“How’s the summer up there?”
“It’s good. Really good, actually. I’m still trying to figure out my plans for fall, but the summer’s good.”
“Three goods? Impressive. And the third good, maybe the second good, was attached to what? A girl? What’s her name?”
I got into my truck but didn’t start it up.
“Why do you always think it’s a girl when I’m in a good mood?”
“Because it’s never a girl and I’m hoping one day it will be. I love you Ty and I’m saying this with all the love I have for you but you have got to know that your sense of responsibility for the odd family we have is wonderful but it is okay to be with someone. It’s okay to let someone into our crazy.”
Brooke was right because in the past, I never let girls in. Not that I didn’t get close a few times. I hadn’t found a girl who was the right one to bring into “our crazy” as Brooke put it.
I thought maybe Jolene could be that someone though. It was all still too new and it was possible I was jumping the gun.
“It might be a girl. Okay? Does that make you happy? But I don’t know if it’s
the
girl. It’s still new and I don’t want to rush things.” A voice in the back of my head kept saying that I knew how the summer went. Fast. The summers always flew by and the next thing you knew it was September and you were already making plans to leave. I wanted to take it slow but the summer months might have had a different idea.
“Holy shit.” Brooke’s voice brought me back to my phone conversation. “You actually admitted there’s a girl. I know they’ve been around but you’ve never admitted it. Bring her down for the twin’s birthday. If you can actually say there is a girl, she means more than you think.”
I closed my eyes and leaned back on the bench seat in my truck. Brooke knew me almost better than I knew myself, which meant it was true. I had never mentioned any female companionship before.
What was I getting myself into? And the real question was I ready for it?
CHAPTER TWELVE
Jolene
“Jed took me out into the mountains today. We walked out by the mine and I saw two deer perched above us on the ledge. The mountains hold life, hidden in its depth.”–From the diary of Maggie Brown, August 1891
Ty and I had been hiking for about an hour when he suddenly turned off the trail. I stopped and at first thought he was going to go pee. Damn boys and their ability to pee in the woods. A thousand times easier to accomplish than woman.
Except Ty kept walking and I realized it was past the small bunch of trees and up the slightly steep slope of rocks.
“Uh . . . Ty?” I shouted to him. “Where are you going?”
He stopped and called back to me, “I told you. I’m showing you one of my favorite places.”
“You’re leaving the trail,” I shouted back.
You follow the trail and it brings you to where you want to go. There was no reason to go off trail. Trails were good. Off trails meant no trail.
“I thought you were all about going with the flow and the adventure?” he threw back at me.
Damn him. I hiked up my bag and followed him up the hill.
I was all about the adventure, but I was the girl in the cabin drinking and not the girl hiking. That was the bestie June. But damn it all to hell, if I was going to climb this hill I was going to take so many pictures and text them all to her to show her my ability to hike. And throw in a picture of my cat, just to piss her off.
I looked up from the rocks I was scrambling up. The top of whatever it was seemed so far away.
I might send those pictures to June. If I ever made it up there.
I was breathily heavily and sweating, knowing that my hair was probably stuck to my forehead. Removing the hat Ty had shoved on my head after sweating all in it might not be the best idea.
“You doing okay back there?” Ty was at least twenty feet in front of me and about to get to the top.
Way to wait for me,
I thought.
“I’m getting there,” I told him.
Even ahead of me I could hear his chuckle.
I took a break, having to lean towards the hill so I didn’t tumble down it. Ty reached the top and sat at the small ledge.
“Thanks for the help!” I yelled at him out of frustration at this damn mountain.
He put his legs up and leaned his forearms on them.
“You don’t need my help,” he said matter-of-factly. “Do you?” This time a challenge was in my voice.
Goddammit, I didn’t need his help. I could do this. I was not going to let this mountain defeat me. I took a deep breath and powered up the rest of the hill. In no time I was next to Ty and the smile on his face, his white teeth and the dark scruffy beard was worth the mountain I climbed.
“Told you. No help was needed.” I was starting to realize Ty never doubted me. I lived by the motto of never doubting myself, but he did it in a way that was only encouraging and supportive.
“Now that you’ve made it up here, you can be rewarded.”
I raised my eyebrows as I sat next to him, overlooking the trail and the canyon we were in. I then moved my gaze to him. I hoped my reward was him. Without a shirt on.
“Turn around.”
But he was still wearing a shirt. Oh well. I followed his instructions and turned around.
And oh my, the scene in front of me stole my breath away. A pristine alpine lake glistened about a hundred yards away. It was still and calm and the mountains that surrounded them could be seen perfectly in the reflection of the water. The colors were arranged in perfection. Each one represented nature in it’s own unique way, a vital part of the complex puzzle that made this vibrant scene in front of me.
I reached into my bag before I lost it. That drive inside of me to take a pencil to paper. I got up, walked over to a small rock and sat down with my colored pencils. It was a whim when I threw in my pencils and paper, but to me they seemed like hiking essentials.
Food and water gave life, but for me, painting and drawing gave me passion. This in front of me was passion. It was like earth settling down after all the hard work it had to do to get to this point. It was the calm from the passion and I needed to capture it.
I ignored Ty as I feverishly sketched for the next little while. By the time I poked my head up and glanced around I noticed he was gone.
“I’m behind you.” His voice melted into the setting. It did something to me, it was smooth and rugged all at the same time and I hated and I loved what it did to me.
“That’s creepy,” I said, trying to get my thoughts away from the meaning of Ty.
I heard him move and then I saw him sit next to me in the corner of my eye. His presence though? That I felt everywhere. It was the same of the trees and the waters and the rocks in front of me. I couldn’t escape it.
I put the drawing back into my bag and then rolled my shoulders. I could feel the dried sweat on me.
I made a sound of disgust and that of course made Ty laugh. Nature was wonderful, but it also made you dirty and not in the fun way.
“I’m gross right now,” I told Ty as I took my hat off and ran my hands through my hair.
“Hmm, I don’t think so.” His voice was raspy and deep when he spoke sweetly into my ear, and I could feel the tingle between my legs. I tried to stay away from the sexual haze I knew would be easy with Ty.
“I do. Time to cool off.” There was no one up here so I got up and first threw off my jogging leggings and tennis shoes. My poor feet were caked in dirt.
“Whoa. What are you doing?” This time it was Ty asking, not me. Oh how the tables turn.
“I told you Ty,” I said throwing his words back at him. “Cooling off.” I looked back, winked and then took off my shirt.
That left me in my sports bra and panties. I didn’t look back to Ty, but instead scanned the rocks around the lake, looking for the one that would best be suited for my needs. It only took a second to find what I needed. I gingerly walked over the rocks in bare feet and climbed the rock I was looking at.
“Jo! Seriously, what are you doing?” Gone was the sexiness in his voice. Now it was replaced with a bit of apprehension.
I sighed. “I think it’s easy to figure out. I’m going to jump into the lake.” Ty was up the rock and next to me in a second.
“From here?” It was like I was jumping from a fifty-foot cliff from the tone of his voice. I gave him my crooked smile.
“It’s a baby jump Ty. I went off trail and climbed a rock filled mountain and you’re nervous for me to jump off this rock?”
He looked down into the water, hesitation on his face.
“You’re the one that’s been here before. Is this deep enough, do you know?”
That’s when I saw I had won. I was kind enough to make sure what I was doing was safe and there was no way to worry him now.
“I’ve seen people jump off this before,” he grumbled. Yep, I had won this one.
“You’ve never have?” I thought this adventurer would all be about jumping into lakes.
He shook his head no.
“Will you jump with me?”
It was more of a question. It was more than asking him to jump in this lake. Whatever we were doing was new and scary and much like having the courage to take the leap off a rock into a lake. I was not scared of jumping into the water. I was scared of jumping with him, not knowing where we would land.
I felt his hand grab mine. I heard his breath. I saw the yes in his eyes.
Two steps was all it took.
We were in flight, off the rock, into this lake but who knew how deep it went.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ty
The water was shockingly cold, enough to take your breath away. It was a glacier lake after all, the water pure and free of any human influence. Concealed away, this lake was unnamed, but a long time ago I had named it Gemma Lake after my grandmother.