Even the far-lying regions. Though the best hikes aren’t far at all. I guess that’s what makes Bluebell so popular. And like I said, you really don’t want to miss Stone Gap Bridge.” One handsome guest, and she’d turned into Molly. She closed her eyes in a long blink.
“Maybe we can go there together.”
Grace blinked. “Um, I do guided tours.” It was true she hadn’t done one yet. In fact, she’d planned to hire someone for that.
The corner of his mouth curled up as he looked back to the map. “That’s not really what I had in mind. But for now, I’m trying to find a place I’ve been to before.”
“You’ve been here before then?”
“Long time ago. Camping, east of Bluebell, I think. I remember a creek nearby and a waterfall, small one. There was a rock formation that was about thirty feet high. Lots of pine trees in the area. Any of that ring a bell?”
She wondered what he was looking for. “Well . . . we have three creeks running east. Lone Creek, Pine Creek, and Lost Creek.” She pointed them out on the map. They all ran into the lake. “How big was the waterfall?”
“Just a few feet high, maybe ten feet wide. It was a long time ago.”
“I can’t think of anything like that nearby. That’s pretty small. It might even be dried up this time of year.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
“How far of a hike was it from town, do you know?”
“I think it was about a half day’s walk—maybe a full day. Honestly, it could’ve been even farther.”
“Okay . . . well, I’d recommend following each of the creeks from the lake. Some trails take you partway, but once you get past the touristy stuff, you might be on deer trails or even hacking your way through the forest. Also, Lost Creek is pretty wide. You get far enough away and tributaries flow into it.” She pointed them out on the map. “The maps won’t be very helpful after a certain point. If it’s that far away, you should probably look at camping along the way. All the trekking in and out of the mountains will cost a lot of time.”
His breath leaked out slowly. “This is going to be harder than I thought. I’m kind of on a schedule.”
A frown crouched between his brows. It wasn’t much, but for a guy with his poker face, it said a lot. She didn’t know why he wanted to find this spot so badly, but it was obviously important to him.
She knew the area like the back of her hand. The mountains had been her escape whenever life got stressful or chaotic. Molly was scheduled at the front desk at ten, and tomorrow was Grace’s day off. She wouldn’t even charge him, because she sensed this was a great opportunity for her too.
Ordinarily she wouldn’t even consider it. Hiking alone in the woods with a strange man? No thanks. But her intuition told her she was completely safe with Wyatt.
“I can do it,” Grace said finally. “I can help you find what you’re looking for.”
Chapter Ten
Wyatt hadn’t really wanted an audience as he faced his biggest fear, but he could always send Grace back home once he found the spot.
Despite her uncertain proposition, he didn’t doubt her knowledge of the area. He also knew he might not have time to find the spot without her assistance. And he didn’t have the equipment to go whacking his way through the forest or even for camping.
Did Grace often go traipsing through the mountains with strange men? He hoped not. “How much would you charge for something like that?”
She rubbed her lips together. “Um, I was going to do it on the house this time.”
“And why would you do that?”
“Well, honestly, it would be my first guided tour. It’ll be good experience for me.”
“I still want to pay you something.”
She waved him off. “I insist. I’d like to do this. And I have good camping equipment too.”
“I don’t doubt any of that, and I could sure use your help.” But there was something more in her expression, something he couldn’t quite gauge.
“But?”
He sensed her attraction, but he didn’t think that was her motivation. If he did, he’d turn down her offer to be his guide. A little harmless flirting was one thing, but let’s face it. She was too young for him—in years and in life experience.
That offer he’d extended before had been impulsive—an aberration. But she had those