Page 9 of Danger In The Backcountry
“Didn’t I teach you how to tie your hiking boots? You’ve been on plenty of hikes with me since we got married.” He went back to the spilled first aid kit, careful to avoid the items covered in dirt.
“It’s possible I blocked it all out after I came home one night to find divorce papers on my kitchen table and my husband’s things missing.” She shrugged those delicate shoulders that had no business carrying thirty pounds of gear. “But I’m not a psychologist. That’s just a guess.”
His exhale failed to clear that flare of guilt that came with her accusation. Repeating the same steps as with her hand, he gently washed the wounds with the water from his water bottle, appliedan antibiotic ointment to fight off infection and wrapped both of her feet. “Stay put, and keep your feet up on my pack.”
Without giving her an opportunity to answer, Rome hauled her feet to his pack and shoved to stand. He crossed the clearing to her pack and took out a pair of rolled-up socks, presumably clean. Tossing them into her lap, he cleaned up the minefield of first aid supplies. “Put those on, then your boots. It’ll be uncomfortable for a day or two, but the blisters should heal fairly quick.”
“Thank you.” The weight of her attention tensed the muscles along his neck, but he wouldn’t look at her. Not until he could talk to her without the bite in his voice. Because no matter how many times his anger over the way she’d simply given up on their marriage spiked, she didn’t deserve to be the brunt of it. Collecting the last pieces of the first aid kit, Rome stashed the travel-sized box into his pack and hauled his gear up. Offering her his hand, he helped her to her feet with a little too much force.
Her softness met the hard planes of his chest, her breath rushing out of her in a gasp that had he’d had the privilege of playing on repeat in his head last night pressed against her in that damn sleeping bag. Mere centimeters separated her mouth from his, and Rome found himself remembering all the ways he’d tasted her over the years. That explosive first kiss in the university library when he’d passed his algebra test with an 80 percent and hadn’t caught himself in time, and her responding smile right after. The second, more intentional kiss as he’d backed her into the nearest bookshelf. And the very distinct sound of a clearing throat from one of the librarians. The kiss that’d started sweet on his dorm room couch while they’d been watching a movie then turned into something far more heated and had led them into his bedroom. The one that had sealedtheir marriage ceremony and started the rest of their lives. He could have that again. Just a taste.
He bit through the rush of heat sparking between them and released her hand before it became a full inferno. “Grab your gear. We need to get moving. Your bear has a few minutes head start on us.”
Stepping out of her gravitational pull that’d hooked him from Day One, Rome breathed a bit easier, but couldn’t dislodge the feeling of wrongness that came with increasing the distance between them. He turned on his heel, more than a little agitated to catch up with the bear.
“That’s it?” Her voice held strong from behind him. Steadier than his. “After six months, that’s all I get?”
“What is there to say that hasn’t already been said, Arlette?” His stomach soured at the use of a name she absolutely hated, but it was the only way for him to emotionally keep himself in check. To see her as a stranger and not the woman he’d given everything for the past ten years. “The divorce papers spelled it out pretty well.”
“I don’t care what the papers said.” She broke on the last word. “I want to know why.”
Rome pulled up short. This wasn’t going to work. This push and pull between them. He had a job to do, and Lettie was doing everything in her power to keep him from achieving it. That much was clear by the way she’d put herself in danger to save that damn bear. Truth was, he needed this job. He couldn’t make a mistake. She’d been the main provider over the course of their marriage, and without a steady income, he’d lose everything he’d fought for since leaving. His own independence. The chance to learn who he was without her. If he was worth anything. Rome faced her, squinting into the morning sun. “You want to know why?”
“Yes.” She kept her head high, but he caught the wobble in her chin, the amount of energy it took for her to keep her composure. As if the answer threatened to tear her into a thousand pieces. If only she’d shown this much emotion during their marriage, things might’ve ended differently.
But she was right. Lettie deserved a clear answer. Maybe then they could both move on. He tightened his hand around the strap of his rifle. “You forgot our anniversary.”
Chapter Nine
Adrenaline still burned through her veins.
Lettie stared after him as Rome moved to follow the bear holding her career together. Their anniversary. She’d forgotten their anniversary. No.No. That wasn’t possible. She hadn’t…
Oh, no. The date. She hadn’t realized the importance of that date six months ago when she’d come home to an empty house, an empty bed. The dining table in which he’d set the divorce papers had been set for two, but she’d assumed she’d just missed dinner. Again. Their anniversary? Dread pooled at the base of her spine. Which meant he’d had those papers drawn before their anniversary. He’d seen a lawyer, assuming she would miss that dinner. They’d been waiting for her. He’d packed and moved out within hours. It hadn’t been one event that’d led him to his decision to leave her.
Missing their anniversary had just been the last straw.
Her feet protested the first couple of steps up a well-worn incline that blocked off the view to the other side, but not nearly as much as they had before she’d gone to take care of her personal needs. The ointment and gauze cushioned each step, the slight discomfort more manageable since Rome had wrapped her feet. The burn in her palm vied for attention, but she couldn’t get Rome’s voice out of her head.You forgot our anniversary. Even after disappointing him that night, after asking for the divorce, he’d taken care of her. Ordered her into his sleeping bag last night to keep her from suffering fromhypothermia, taped up her feet and hands with ointment. Saved her from being mauled by a bear she’d spent months observing.
There’d been missed calls that night. Text messages. Voicemails. Asking when she would be home. Her breath shuddered out of her, the weight of months stuck in the unknown suddenly gone. Wondering what she’d done wrong. How he could’ve just…left. What happened now.
She wasn’t in the dark anymore. Didn’t know where to go from here.
The thud of her pulse picked up as she hauled her pack over her shoulder and caught up. She didn’t give much attention to the fact she hadn’t packed her supplies and sleeping bag, but her gear had been stowed efficiently and promptly in order for her to get back on the trail. Choppy breaths punctuated her approach, to the point she was sure Rome—and anyone else—could hear her coming from a mile away. He moved as gracefully as a predator hunting in his own territory, his weapon slung over one shoulder and his pack on the other. He moved as though he’d taken this trail a thousand times over, as though the trees and the animals surrounding them answered solely to him. Larger-than-life and just as dangerous. Intuitive and charismatic.
It was that bad-boy-without-knowing-it nature that had appealed her to in the first place. His ability to make her feel safe in a dark alley, in the middle of the wilderness or on the couch in their own home by simply setting a single hand on her lower back. A wicked allure swam beneath the short answers and dark gaze he utilized to keep people at arm’s length. But she’d never been afraid of him. If anything, his tendency to downplay his handsomeness and street smarts had just made her want him all the more. Well, that and the fact her parents had hated him from the start. But that could’ve been due to Rome defending her whenever her parents had made their little comments about how she was failing and disappointing them in every way, no matterhow much she worked herself to the bone to be worthy of their approval.
She’d never felt like a disappointment to him. Until now.
“I’m sorry.” Lettie breathed through the kickup of red dirt at his heels. The trees had thinned this far south. She wasn’t sure how he managed to keep up with Sam’s tracks with the breeze cutting through the branches, but she trusted Rome to lead them in the right direction. “I didn’t realize I’d missed our ten-year anniversary.”
All this time, how hadn’t she connected the dots? The answer was already there, fisting her heart in a vise that made it hard to breathe. She hadn’t wanted to see it. She hadn’t wanted to know why he’d left. Because being angry had been so much easier than facing her shortcomings.
“You’re right. You didn’t realize.” He didn’t bother turning around or slowing. “Didn’t matter how many times I asked you to schedule time off from work so we could get away for the weekend or reminded you to be home to dinner. Your work was the priority. It just took until that night for me to figure that out.”
Acid surged up her throat, and she was glad she’d skipped eating anything heavier than the protein bar he’d offered her upon waking. “Then why are you here? Why let me join you to track down Sam?”
“I was under the impression I didn’t have any other choice.” He maneuvered around a boulder, all powerful muscle and volatile grace. He’d grown up a hunter, and she’d never seen a stronger example of that upbringing than right now.
