a moment he scrutinised her features. Then left without another word.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lexie checked her backpack one last time. She had sandwiches and drinks, a couple of extra layers of clothing and plenty of plasters. That should be all she needed.
The sky was a crisp, bright blue, and she was confident she could make it up the mountain and back without any problems with the weather.
Filled with a sense of adventure, she tied the laces on her hiking boots, pulled her backpack onto both shoulders and set off out of the door. She spotted Nick leaning against the front wall as soon as she stepped outside but managed to hide her surprise. She’d told him that she was going back to Skye because she didn’t want to see him. His rejection when she’d kissed him had stung and she wanted time alone to process everything.
“Still going up the mountain?” he asked.
“Aye.”
“Mind if I join you?”
She tightened the straps of her backpack. “I’d rather go alone.”
“It’s not as easy as you think,” he said with a look of consternation.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll follow the path until I reach the top, then turn around and walk back down.”
“I already told you, it’s the wrong time of year to try and reach the summit.”
“Well, I’ll just see how far I make it,” she said.
“Let me come with you, please.”
She screwed her face up. “I’m quite capable of going on my own. I don’t need you rescuing me.” She took a step away from him then paused. “Why would you want to come with me anyway?”
His features fell serious. “Because you came to Fort William to see me, and I’ve been pretty rude to you.” He cast his eyes down. “And my bad mood isn’t because I’m angry with you. It’s everything with my mum getting to me.”
“You should be angry with me,” she said after a pause. “I treated you horribly. And I don’t mind if you’re upset about your mum and take that out on me. It doesn’t matter.”
“So why are you angry with me? And don’t say you’re not. It’s quite obvious you are.”
She wasn’t going to deny it. She was furious with him, but not for any of the reasons he thought. Taking a deep breath, she gazed up at the mountain looming over them. “I’ll tell you at the top,” she said as she set off walking.
“You may as well tell me now.” He hurried to keep her pace. “There’s no way you’ll actually make it to the top.”
“I’ll make it,” she said firmly. “And you better have snacks in that backpack, otherwise I’m going to regret agreeing to you coming with me.”
“Snacks are basically all I’ve got in my backpack.”
She snorted a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“That was such a lie! I’ll put money on you having a first aid kit in there … and at least two litres of water. Probably some sort of compact rain gear … an actual map on paper! And maybe a compass?”
He stifled a grin. “I may have some of those items.”
“Have you got a compass?” she asked, amused.
“Of course I haven’t got a compass. I know that mountain like the back of my hand. I could get to the top and back with my eyes closed.”
“I won’t ask you to prove it,” Lexie said, pausing for a car to pass before crossing the road.
“There’s a lochan and a waterfall halfway up,” Nick said. “It’s a nice hike just to get that far.”
“You can wimp out wherever you want. I’m going all the way up.”
He shook his head. “You’ll have blisters within an hour.”
“Can we please not argue all the way about how far I can make it? Let’s just wait until we’re at the top and then I’ll say I told you so.”
“Fine.” He smirked. “I’ll look forward to that.”
It took around two hours to reach the loch. They’d kept a good pace but Lexie was in desperate need of a break. Moving away from Nick, she gazed out across the breathtaking landscape. Unfortunately she couldn’t blame her breathlessness on the view. The terrain had been getting steadily steeper and she was starting to wonder whether Nick was right about her not making it to the summit. The muscles in her legs burned and she struggled to catch her breath.
“You okay?” Nick called as she wandered further away from him.
“Fine!” she called back between heaving breaths. “Great view!” It was an effort not to collapse on the ground and cry. The skin of her