long tanned fingers.
He caught her watching him. The impact and intensity of those blue eyes made her rush into speech. "If you point the way to my cabin, I’ll find it."
He set her cases on the ground and dug a hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out two keys on a chain. They dangled a moment and then he flipped them back in his palm. "I'd be happy to show you."
"I’m sure you’ve got a ton of work," she said firmly. "I’ve already kept you too long."
"I'm the boss. The work will wait." His unexpected grin caused a fluttering in her chest. "The best thing about being the boss is I don't have to answer to anyone."
She gathered the chute into her arms. "We all answer to someone," she said smartly.
His grin was slow. "I'm the exception."
Emotion knifed unexpectedly through her midsection. God! His air of command combined with that hint of humor was unexpected. She recalled how being close to him had felt; wonderful yet dangerous to her equilibrium.
An image of Brad came into her head and sanity reasserted itself. Don't go there, she warned herself. He might be saying all the right things, but when push comes to shove some men just let you down. She had the scars to prove it. She had loved Brad and he had dumped her like so much garbage. Jacie squared her shoulders. That little reminder was what she needed to stay focused.
"Okay, then, I'd appreciate you showing me the cabin and I’ll be off your hands." Absently, she pushed back a tangle of hair, feeling the fine layer of grit along her hairline. If she had listened to her father she would be home. Mentally, she shook her head. No way. She had had enough of being looked after.
His glance dipped to her leg and back up. "Follow me."
Maybe he had seen the grimace of pain on her face and guessed she was hurting. She needed privacy to deal with her pain. It wasn’t open to public scrutiny. Her leg only bothered her when she was really tired. She had been up before dawn this morning thinking of what she had committed herself to. Was she insane taking on this job, ground and skydiving lessons? Before the accident, such a job wouldn't have daunted her, now she lived with a fear of failure. She had convinced Con she could do it, that she needed to do it. He was right on one score. She just had to prove it to herself.
Sloan was now waiting for her. With an unconcerned smile, she quickened her pace. "I’m right behind you and I won't land in a heap at your feet."
"I promise to pick you up if you do," he drawled.
She fluffed her hair back. "It's a deal." She entertained the notion of falling and letting herself be picked up by Sloan. Tempting.
They walked along a rutted path through dense evergreens. Someone had gone to the trouble of placing large wooden tubs with a profusion of bright colors along the narrow road.
She drew in a deep breath. "Mmm, I smell balsam. It’s unexpectedly refreshing. I’ve been admiring the mountains rising all around me since I arrived. I already love the wild beauty of the Catskills."
"You’re beautiful so you'll fit right in," he said.
"Well, thank you," she murmured, taken back, sidetracked by the unguarded expression on his face. It spoke of attraction. She gulped back a breath. Attraction. God! He felt it, too, then. She had been aware of it the first moment they had come body-to-body. She pressed her parachute more tightly against her chest as if the flimsy material could provide a barrier.
He grimaced. "That was pretty dumb blurting that out. No doubt I’ve made you uncomfortable."
Jacie laughed out loud. "Yup, that’s my first thought when a good looking guy tells me I’m beautiful. Uncomfortable as hell. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m the most laid-back person I know. Not much bothers me. Except lately, I find myself asking for help more than usual. It annoys me."
"Well, around here we're big on helping out. So if you need help, make sure you ask."
"We’ll see." Her mother called it strong, but maybe there were times when you needed to lean on someone else. "With four brothers you grow up taking care of yourself," she said dryly. "Otherwise they take over your live."
"Well, just to remind you the whole idea of Timber Falls is relaxation. There's riding, swimming, hiking, whatever strikes