Page 11 of First Bride to Fall
One of the teenagers held up her hand. “How long is the hike?”
“Round trip, about two to two and a half hours, depending on how long we stay to admire the views.” He grinned. “Coming down will take half as long as going up. The incline’s kind of steep.”
The teen tugged at her sister’s arm, and they departed for the bathroom. A few of the others did, too.
The Zen guy opened his eyes and leaned into his trekking poles. “We’re leaving?”
“Not yet,” Jordan told him. “In a sec.”
“Cool.” He slid on his sunglasses and waited.
Grant turned toward Nell.
“Thanks, I’m fine.” Her smile alarmed him because it was…warming. He tried to shake off the feeling, but it clung to him like the heat from a campfire after an icy rain. He’d thought for a minute she was interested in Jordan, but her gaze was glued on him. For whatever reason, that pleased him. Not that he was normally in competition with Jordan.
He studied Nell’s outfit and its mixed-sporty vibe. It looked like she hadn’t been able to decide if she was going running or skiing this morning. And those flashy moon boots were definitely not meant for mountain trails. “I didn’t know you were a hiker.”
“Oh. Um.” She nervously fiddled with a lock of her hair. “Yes. Yeah, I’m really into it.”
He suppressed a chuckle. If she’d been on a hike a day in her life, he’d be shocked. He glanced down at her boots. “Those got tread?”
Her forehead wrinkled. “You mean this?” She lifted one foot behind her to show him, and it was pretty much what he’d guessed. Those boots were all for fashion and not about serious work. The sole also had a price sticker on it from a local discount store.
At least the ground was dry.
“Theseareokay, right?” She fretfully scanned his eyes. “They’re new.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” he said kindly. “The terrain’s pretty forgiving, except for that scramble near the top.”
She swallowed hard. “Scramble?”
“I’ll grab the rope.” Jordan headed to the boulder where they’d left their gear. He picked up the coil of rope and slung it over his shoulder, tossing the daypack to Grant, who caught it.
Nell’s eyes widened as she watched their exchange. “There’s arope?”
This time, Grant couldn’t help but laugh. She seemed fairly freaked about the particulars of this trip. Definitely not a regular hiker. Far from it. He slid the straps of his daypack over his shoulders and winked at her. “We’re taking it just in case we need it for the summit. Most should be fine without it, though.”
“But I thought this was a moderate hike?”
“Moderate enough.” Grant cocked his head at Nell, unable to resist teasing her. She seemed to be putting on a big act, and he had no clue why. He was kind of intrigued to find out. “You did sign the waiver?”
“Yeah.” She bit her bottom lip.
“Then we’re golden.”
Trepidation was written in her eyes, but Nell had nothing to be concerned about. Both he and Jordan were experts at leading hikes, and this was a very basic one.
Why had she signed up for this outing to begin with? None of the Delaneys were adventuresome, as far as he knew. But hey—who was he to argue with someone’s newfound interest in the great outdoors? Apart from the sticker on her boot, she had a price tag dangling from the back of her ski jacket, but he decided not to mention that part. Jordan saw it, though, and sent him the side-eye. In response, Grant held in another chuckle and shook his head.
He detected a faint mossy scent in the air, a smell that he’d learned often portended rain, which was odd, since every weather app he’d checked had said any precipitation would hold off until later. Worst-case scenario, if things got wet, they could always skip the scramble at the top. “We’d best get going,” he announced once everyone had returned.
Grant took the lead and headed up the trail first. Jordan would bring up the rear, corralling any stragglers so they wouldn’t be left behind. Judging by her uneasy gait in those obviously not-yet-broken-in boots, Grant suspected that their principal straggler would be Nell.
“Should I follow them? Or?” he could hear Nell ask Jordan.
“Yeah,” his friend said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Grant smiled to himself. She was cute and quirky in those very pink clothes of hers, and he couldn’t wait to find out what she was really doing here. Maybe she had challenged herself to try something new? He certainly couldn’t fault her for that. In fact, he kind of admired her for stepping out of her comfort zone. If more people did that, this world would be a much more interesting place.
