from here,” he said, bringing her mind back to the mountains, “but it’ll be another thirty, forty minutes.”
“Okay.” Her toes throbbed and her ribs ached, but she was too close to take a break now. “Thanks.”
“You doing all right?” He lifted his sunglasses and looked at her.
She nodded. “Fine.”
“I’m sorry if I made things awkward between us. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
“You didn’t force yourself on me,” she said, not wanting him to regret the best kiss of her life.
“I know, but you’re under stress and depleted and in a state of heightened emotion. I feel like I took advantage.”
“Maybe I took advantage of you.”
He gave her a wan smile. “You’re welcome to do it again, anytime.”
She held his gaze and her heart crashed against her ribs. His piercing blue eyes held her rooted to the ground. She could stare into them all day.
No. Bad Lindsey.
Forcing herself to start walking again, she asked, “How long are you in Montana?”
He waited a beat and then followed, shoving the shades back onto his nose. “As long as it takes.”
“For what?”
“To be ready to go home.”
What the hell did that mean? Was he on some kind of journey of self-discovery, like that woman who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and then wrote a memoir about it? Lindsey glanced over her shoulder at him. “You can just stay out here as long as you want?”
He shrugged, and something dark gnawed at her stomach. He was hiding something. But then, they barely knew each other, were less than an hour from never seeing each other again. He didn’t owe her his entire life story. He owed her nothing. Nada.
She returned her attention to the trail, unaccountably disappointed. The humidity had dropped drastically over the last few hours as the air warmed, but at the same time, the wind had picked up and now tore strands from her ponytail, whipping them around her face. She fought to get her hair under some semblance of control.
Up the hillside, a stand of aspens shimmered like golden sequins against the backdrop of dark green pines. Or firs. Something evergreen. She knew little of foliage except that Montana was as beautiful as she’d hoped. Too bad she could take little joy in it now.
“Were you just starting out when you ran into me yesterday?” she asked.
“No. I’m about ten days in. Exploring the different trails.”
“But you weren’t planning to come back this way,” she said, still marveling at his generosity.
“True.”
“Why here?”
A full minute passed. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down the valley. “I’m chasing something.”
The look on his face made her want to wrap her arms around him. “What’s that?”
“Closure, I guess.” He gave a humorless laugh and shook his head at her confused expression. “I…lost someone and I’m not sure how to process it.”
“Oh.” Wow. She’d been so wrapped up in her own ordeal, she hadn’t given any thought to what might be going on with him. How selfish. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” Something in his voice broke her heart.
Tempted to take his hand, she clenched her fists. They were so close to the bottom of the valley, she could see the tiny town of Tuttle, its homes and buildings scattered across the narrow valley like a child’s toys in a sandbox. “You’re chasing, and I’m running away.”
“From that cheating asshole Cruz?” The anger in Todd’s voice warmed her heart, even as she cringed.
Why had she told him about it again?
“Right.” She’d needed a break from the gossip at volleyball, the worry that she’d run into Cruz at the mall, the constant reminders of what a fool she’d been to stay with him.
She’d originally hoped this trip would give her a chance to hit the refresh button and go back to LA in a new frame of mind. Now, she was just ready to go home.
“You know a guy like that doesn’t deserve your energy,” Todd said.
“I know.” Lindsey sighed. “Easier said than done though. I’ll be beating myself up over it for a while.”
“Trust me. I understand.”
She wanted to ask what he meant, but they’d reached the trailhead and a dirt parking lot with a smattering of cars. Her heart thudded. They were so close to getting help.
Ten minutes later, they walked across a lonely highway and followed Center Street, the main road lined with several small shops, a diner, a bakery, and a Mexican restaurant. Two smaller streets ran perpendicular to form the core of downtown, with a park at the far end.
The streets