little. What would happen when she moved to her own location?
She caught sight of Wyatt coming toward her, hands tucked into his jeans pockets. What that man did to a black T-shirt should be considered illegal.
“There you are,” he said.
Her heart gave an errant beat as she realized he was looking for her, then she gave herself a mental shake. He probably needed extra towels or something.
“Sorry. I had to abandon the front desk. A hazard of running two businesses at once.”
When they met up he turned and walked alongside her. “Your face looks a lot better.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I meant the bruising.”
“Relax, Romeo, I knew what you meant. Just wanted to see you squirm a little.”
He gave a wry huff, then shook his head.
She was relieved that after being apart since Saturday their camaraderie was still there. “Is there something you needed? Extra pillow? Afternoon snack? Guided tour of the lake?”
“That last one sounds intriguing. But I was actually hoping to enlist your help with that map at the library. I had a look at it today, but . . .”
“Yeah, it wouldn’t be very helpful if you don’t know the topography of the area.”
“I tried to check it out, but the librarian seemed to have mistaken it for the Holy Grail.”
“Hildy’s a little protective of the library’s assets. In her defense, it is a one-of-a kind map. But I could go with you tomorrow morning and have a look if you’re free then.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.”
They reached the back of the inn, and he opened the door for her. “I’ve been resting my shoulder, but I’d like to get back out there later this week.”
“We’re expecting good weather.” Grace wasn’t sure if he was just mentioning his plans in passing or hinting for help. They reached the front desk and she turned. “Well, if you need any help, I’m off Thursday.”
“I might do a little looking on my own till then, but I’d love your help if you’re willing.”
Grace met his steady gaze with one of her own. “I’ll be ready to go bright and early.” They set a time in the morning to leave for the library, and Grace tried not to stare as he slipped out the door and headed for supper.
* * *
Wyatt spread the map on the same back table he’d used the day before. The smell of books permeated the air, the hush of the space broken only by the soft flutter of turning pages.
Beside him Grace leaned over the map, her shoulder brushing his.
“So I know this is the area we covered last time.” He drew his finger along Lone Creek heading east. “But I’m not sure exactly where we cut over.”
Grace leaned closer, her hair falling over her shoulder. He caught a whiff of her sweet shampoo.
“It’s right here, Cut Away Road,” she said. “And this is the bridge that was out. We backtracked here and took this road down the mountain. Do you feel we went far enough up Lone Creek, or do you think we should continue up into the mountains?”
“What’s the topography like farther up the creek?”
“It’s high land with lots of pine trees. It sounds like the type of terrain you described to me, but I don’t know how far from town you want to go.”
He thought back to the trip he’d taken with his mom. He wasn’t sure where they’d started from exactly, and the trail had seemed cut back and easier, not like the last part of their hike. But his memory was unclear, and a lot could change over that many years.
“To be honest, I’m not sure we went far enough.”
“Well, let’s pick up from there then. We can drive up this road here, cut over to the creek, and start where we left off. If we don’t find the spot we can tackle Pine Creek next. It’s right here. There’s a good path that runs all the way to here. And this area is much like the terrain you describe. You can see the tributaries running into it along the way, but most of those are very small, not likely to be the creek you remember.”
Wyatt stared at the huge map with its miles of mountain range and creeks and tributaries that had in all likelihood changed over the years. The truth was he couldn’t even be positive they’d gone east. It was just an impression he had. There were miles and miles of mountains around Bluebell. What if this was a lost cause? Maybe