would never happen.
Ever.
Annoyed that thoughts of Travis had affected her forest zen, Steph shook it off and did her best to refocus on the beauty that surrounded her.
Before she got to the little cabin that was the farthest away from her own and the most secluded, she stopped and gazed out at the view that the ridge afforded her.
Stunning: the mountains, the forest…all of it. It never failed to take her breath away and give her the feeling of home.
Steph had grown up in a town a few hours north of Glacier Falls. It was also full of forest and snow, from what she could remember. In fact, beyond her parents—who were the most amazing, loving parents she could have ever hoped for—Steph didn’t have much in the way of positive memories of her hometown. It was one of the reasons she was so excited to move away and start a new life when she was twenty. And that’s exactly what she did. She wasn’t looking to be a celebrity or a movie star. Not at all. She had wanted to be an advertising executive.
Steph laughed at herself now when she thought that she might ever be good at marketing in any way, but when she was in college, she was convinced that it was the most glamorous of jobs. Fortunately for her, she’d been a student at the University of British Columbia and working part-time at a coffee shop to make ends meet when a talent agent shooting a new series in the area ordered a venti, extra hot, no foam, extra whip mocha. Steph handed him the drink and the next thing she knew, she was being pulled into a meeting with a producer.
It really had all happened just that fast.
Stephanie had ended up replacing the star of that series—a young woman with a drug problem—and after four seasons, her celebrity was concreted. She’d forgotten about school and had instead poured herself into the entertainment industry. She’d moved from one starring role to another, and it didn’t take long before she was one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actresses. And she had the reputation of being the best to work with. She was unstoppable.
And she wasn’t complaining.
Stephanie loved her life.
Or at least, she had.
It wasn’t that she didn’t love it anymore. She just wanted more.
It was time.
With her eyes closed, she inhaled deeply. Maybe the forest air would give her the answers she sought.
A rustling in the bushes behind her spooked her. She dropped her coffee mug and fell to her knees as she turned around to see what it was.
If it were a bear, she should run.
No. Maybe that was a cougar.
Yes. A cougar, you run. A bear, you fight.
Or maybe it was the other way around.
Shit.
She really needed to brush up on some basic survival skills if she was going to live out here on her own.
The rustling got louder as the creature grew closer, until it—barked.
It was more of a woof than a bark. But still.
Steph tilted her head and tried to see through the dense bushes that were just starting to leaf out, at whatever it was that was startling her.
“Hello?” she called, her voice still thin and shaky. “Who are—oh.” A smile split her face. “You’re a puppy.” Steph knelt on the dirt path and held out her hand. “It’s okay. I won’t—”
The puppy bounded out of the bush and straight into her, knocking her flat on her back as she licked Steph’s face. She was still giggling and wrestling with the remarkably large bundle of fur a few minutes later when she heard the familiar voice that never failed to spark something inside her.
“I see you found Tinker Bell.”
Steph took a moment to compose herself, a feat that was virtually impossible considering she was lying on her back, with a giant puppy on her chest licking her face. Still laughing, somehow she managed to slip out from under the dog and sit up.
She almost regretted it the second she made eye contact with Travis. And a shot of desire ran through her, settling in her core.
Damn, he looked good.
He always looked good. Really good. But from this angle, he looked downright sinful in his shorts and…nothing else.
Seriously. Where was his shirt?
It was beyond frustrating that she was so ridiculously attracted to the man. Especially considering he went out of his way to avoid her and on the few occasions they did find themselves in close proximity, he couldn’t get away fast enough.
“Tinker Bell?” She