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“Thanks, but I’m fine. This vest is actually pretty warm. We’ve only got about a mile to go before we reach the falls.”
He stepped carefully over a pile of somewhat slippery rocks. “I’m really glad we decided to do this. It feels good to get away from everything for a while.”
She took the hand he extended to help her over the rocks. “It does feel good,” she acknowledged, and then smiled ruefully. “I have to admit I’m a little out of shape. Too much desk time, not enough gym time the past couple of years.”
It might have been a good time to slip in a question about what she’d done at that desk, but Casey decided to let the moment pass. All he wanted to do now was to enjoy this day. This moment. And he suspected Natalie felt the same way.
“Your shape looks good to me,” he said, earning himself another groan—and another fleeting glimpse of dimples.
She glanced down. “You’re still holding my hand,” she pointed out.
He tightened his fingers just a little. “I know. It’s a very nice hand.”
Lacing her fingers with his, she smiled. “You’re flirting.”
“So, you noticed this time.”
She looked up at him through her lashes, which made his pulse rate flutter a little in response. A typical male response to a very feminine look, he thought, even as she murmured, “I’ve noticed before.”
His face was close to hers now, their lips only a few inches apart. “And did you like it?”
With a laugh, she disentangled their hands and took a step away, lifting her camera to snap his picture. “Let’s keep moving,” she said, turning to head up the trail again.
Grinning in intrigue, he followed her.
The trail narrowed again and rose even more steeply as they neared the end. They’d been accompanied almost all the way by the sounds of water—rushing, tumbling, spilling over small ledges, gurgling in pools—but now Casey could hear a distinctive waterfall roar, as he thought of it. They climbed over a few more fallen trees, hopped across a couple more rocks, and then they were at their destination. And it was everything Natalie had promised it would be.
“Wow,” he said, raising his voice a little to be heard over the noise. “This is amazing.”
Breathing a little hard from the challenge of the last part of the trail, she smiled. “I told you.”
The cascades, formed by the joining of two separate creeks at the top, tumbled ninety feet downward over a series of rock ledges into a clear pool at the bottom. Signs were posted around the area warning hikers not to try to climb the ledges, as several people had died trying to do so. Feeling the cold, breeze-borne spray on his face, Casey wasn’t even tempted to do anything so foolish. Just seeing this place was reward enough for the strenuous hike.
He turned to Natalie, who’d found a flat-topped boulder on which to rest. Her cheeks were red and she was still breathing a bit more quickly than usual, but she seemed to be rapidly recovering. She gazed at the falls with an expression that made him think she was seeing it both in the present and in her memories of earlier hikes with the late cousin she had obviously loved.
Sensing that he was looking at her, she met his eyes with a slight smile. “It didn’t take me as long to catch my breath when I came up here as a kid,” she admitted, wrinkling her nose in a way that he found very appealing. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed that you aren’t even breathing hard.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been doing a lot of manual labor lately.”
“Not to mention that you’re almost four years younger than I am,” she grumbled.
Laughing, he settled beside her on the boulder. “Like that’s enough to matter.”
She made a sound he couldn’t quite interpret, and then she swung her little backpack around in front of her and pulled out her water bottle again. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.”
She dug in the pack and started pulling out the food she’d brought along. They spent the next half hour eating in the damp, chilly air beside the cascades, enjoying the scenery and the companionship. Casey doubted that they’d have been lucky enough to have the site to themselves had it been a weekend, or a summer day. Which made him even more glad that he and Natalie had chosen a November Monday morning for their excursion. He liked being alone with her here.
They stuffed their trash into a plastic bag Natalie had brought for that purpose, then put that back into her backpack, making sure they left no trace of their visit behind. Fully rested now, Natalie took some pictures of the cascades and of Casey posed in front of them, and then he returned the favor, snapping several shots of her.
“That’s enough,” she said when he’d taken the third picture of her. “We’d probably better head back now.”
She started to move toward him, but her left foot slipped on a wet, mossy rock. She stumbled forward, then fell, landing solidly on her right hip.
Casey had tried to catch her, but he just hadn’t been fast enough. He reached her almost the moment she made contact with the ground. “Natalie? Are you okay?”
Looking thoroughly embarrassed, she nodded, reaching for her cap, which had fallen off in her tumble. “I’m fine. Just lost my footing. Stupid.”
“It could have been worse,” he said, his pulse rate still a bit too fast. “You could have fallen backward.”
She glanced at the falls behind them and made a face. “That would definitely have been worse.”
“Can you stand?”
“Of course. I’m fine, Casey, really.”
“Here, let me help you.” Setting the camera aside, he took her left arm and supported her while she rose unsteadily to her feet. The way she winced when she put weight on her right leg told him that she was hurt a bit worse than she wanted him to know, but a few tentative steps convinced him that nothing was broken or even sprained.
He kept his hand on her arm until she was on more even ground. She glanced up at him with an awkward smile. “I really am okay,” she assured him again. “I’m going to have a very colorful bruise, but that’s the extent of it.”
“Probably going to be sore, too.”
She shrugged. “That was already inevitable after the hike.”
She’d put her cap back on a bit crookedly. He reached up to straighten it, tucking her honey-blond hair away from her face. The gesture brought him closer to her and she tipped her head back to look at him from beneath the brim of her red cap. She stood very still as he traced a fingertip down her jawline, wiping a smudge of dirt from her chin.
“Bet you thought I’d be the one to wipe out today,” he teased quietly, hoping to make her smile again.
She did. “I guess we’re both a little accident-prone.”
He chuckled. “Maybe.”
“Of course, the hike isn’t over yet. You could still ‘wipe out.’”
“I do have a tendency to press my luck,” he admitted, his hand still touching her face. He spread his fingers until his palm cupped her cheek. “Gets me in trouble sometimes.”
She made a slight sound that might have been a swallowed laugh. “I can see that.”
“Sometimes it’s worth it,” he murmured, lowering his head. Holding her gaze with his own, he said, “You never answered my question earlier.”
“Which question?” she asked, tilting her head back a little more.
“Do you like it when I flirt with you? Because, you know, I’ll stop if you don’t.”
She gave a little shrug. “There’s no need to stop. I like it well enough.”
Amused by her nonchalant tone, he said, “Let me guess. I’m a pleasant diversion.”
“You could put it that way.”
Grinning, he spoke against her lips. “I’ve got no complaints about that.”
Chapter Six
Rationally, Natalie knew this was risky. The timing was terrible, and she wasn’t the vacation-fling type, anyway. But the truth was, kissing Casey felt too darned good. As she had suspected it would.
He lifted his head slowly, his gaze locked with hers. “Going to push me into the water now?”
She slid her hand around the back of his neck. “Maybe later,” she said and pulled his mouth to hers again.
He smiled for a moment against her lips, until the kiss deepened and amusement faded into something very different. Natalie felt her breathing start to quicken again, but this time she couldn’t blame it on exertion or altitude. This reaction was due totally to Casey.
The sound of voices mingled with the rush of water, seeping into her consciousness. Someone laughed, and she and Casey broke apart, staggering backward as if caught doing something they shouldn’t. Rubbing her sore thigh, she looked toward the trail just in time to see two couples in their late teens or early twenties climb into sight. They were chattering and laughing and roughhousing a little, and seemed to be having a great time. And not one of the fit-looking foursome appeared to be at all winded by the climb, Natalie noted with a frown.
The newcomers greeted Natalie and Casey with friendly nods, then moved to the side of the cascades to exclaim excitedly over the view. Natalie and Casey shared a glance, then moved in unspoken unison toward the trail.
The return drive to the cabin was quiet, but not uncomfortably so. Natalie sat back in her seat, watching the passing mountainsides, occasionally looking at Casey. He caught her gaze at times and smiled. They talked about how much fun they’d had, the beautiful trail, what a joy it had been to reach the falls. They didn’t specifically mention the kisses they had shared, but she had no doubt that he was thinking about them, just as she was.
Casey parked in front of her cabin and turned off the truck. “I’ll put the furniture back on the deck before I leave.”
“I’ll help you.”
“Thanks. I could use your help with the table, especially.”
They went inside only long enough to freshen up and for Natalie to make a pot of coffee. They drank half a cup each, just for the energy boost, and then she poured the rest into an insulated carafe for drinking later. Casey went out to get started on the deck, and she followed him after changing from her hiking boots into more comfortable sneakers.
They had just replaced the last chair when Casey looked past her and smiled. “The dog’s back. Want to bring some fresh water and a bowl for the food I brought?”
She’d almost forgotten about the dog. “I’ll be right back.”
The dog waited by the edge of the woods, watching them with the now-familiar wary anticipation. Casey set the bowls on the ground, talking in the quietly reassuring voice he used with the stray. “It’s dry food today, not fancy meat, but it’s better for you. More of the nutrients you need. So try it before you turn up your nose, okay?”
Natalie smiled. The dog wasn’t in a position to turn up its nose at any kind of food. It attacked the dry food as hungrily as it had the meat loaf and pot roast, crunching noisily as it gulped down the meal.
“He is a boy,” Casey murmured, having caught a glimpse of something Natalie couldn’t see because of all the matted fur.
“So you guessed correctly.”
“He just acted like another guy. Right, buddy?”
Still chewing, the dog glanced at Casey and gave a quick wave of its tail.
Natalie and Casey looked at each other in surprise. “Did you see that?” he asked.
“I did. He wagged his tail. I think he’s starting to respond to you.”
“Maybe he is, a little.” Taking a step closer to the dog, Casey crouched and held out a hand.
The dog glanced at that hand, then at Casey’s face. He stretched out his head a couple of inches and sniffed the air around Casey’s hand. His tail wagged a couple more times. Natalie held her breath. She didn’t think the dog was in any way aggressive, but she still felt as if Casey was taking a risk reaching out that way.
The dog looked up at Casey from beneath what, to Natalie, looked like beetled brows. As if it were trying to gauge Casey’s motivations. And then it took a step closer to him.
Very carefully, moving very slowly, Casey touched the dog’s head. He spoke in a low voice, “That’s a good boy. We’re getting to be friends, aren’t we? You just need to learn to trust me a little.”
The dog wagged its tail once more, before moving back. He eyed Casey for another minute, glanced at Natalie, then turned and trotted away. Natalie couldn’t imagine why the past few moments had left her with a lump in her throat.
Straightening, Casey smiled at her, and she thought she saw a hint of her own emotions in his eyes. “He’s getting there,” he said.
“Yes, I suppose he is. How long do you think it will take until he’s ready to be placed in a home? Or at least a shelter for the winter?”
“I’ll give it another couple of days, while I finish up the work here. In the meantime, I’ll ask Kyle if he knows anyone who might be interested in taking the dog in.”
“It’s starting to get dark. I have some food ready to heat. I thought you might be hungry early since we had such a light lunch.”
“As a matter of fact, I’m starving,” he admitted. “I could almost eat a bowl of that kibble.”
She laughed. “You won’t have to resort to that. I’ll heat one of Aunt Jewel’s famous chicken casseroles.”
“Sounds great.” He turned with her toward the house, each of them carrying one of the bowls in which they’d served the stray food and water. “I’ve got to wash my hands. Our dog needs a bath.”
Something about the way he said “our dog” took her aback. That sounded just a bit too cozy for her comfort, though she doubted that he’d meant it quite that way.
They talked about Casey’s work schedule during dinner. He would be over early the next morning, he said, to begin caulking, a job that would take at least a full day. Window washing and the hot tub installation were also on his To-Do list for the week.
“That sounds like a lot,” Natalie commented, trying not to sound envious that he had worthwhile things to do.
He shrugged. “I like to stay busy.”
“So do I,” she murmured, looking away from him.
He waited a beat, then asked casually, “How’s the job search going?”
She couldn’t meet his eyes as she replied, “I’m waiting to hear from some people.”
“I see. Well, I hope you find what you’re looking for soon.”
“Yes, so do I. Would you like some more coffee?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve had plenty. I guess I’ll head home.”
Home. Though she knew it was just a figure of speech, she found it rather odd that he referred to his temporary cabin that way. Didn’t he miss his life in Dallas? His family and friends? He certainly didn’t talk about his life there much, not that she had exactly encouraged discussions about their lives before they’d met.
She stood, then winced when her bruised thigh protested the movement. She should have known Casey wouldn’t miss that telltale expression.
“Are you hurting?”
She shook her head. “Just a little sore from my fall. It’s nothing, only a bruise.”
