Ezra thought for a moment. Another client would be nice, but he wasn’t so sure it should be Clarissa. Trouble seemed to be following her, and his survival class was challenging enough without exposing his clients to additional danger. And just what was she mixed up in anyway? She didn’t seem like the criminal type. In fact, there was an almost fragile china-doll quality to her. Maybe it was just her delicate features. He’d been deceived before by appearances.
When he’d done his tour of duty in Iraq, he had thought his fiancée, Emma, would be faithful to him. But she’d broken his heart when she’d made the excuse that she could never be married to a man who ran a wilderness survival school. Nothing was ever what it appeared to be on the surface.
Ezra straightened a pile of papers. “This is kind of last-minute.” He was torn between saying yes to her and turning her away.
The back door burst open, and Jan stepped inside. “Oh, Clarissa, so good to see you. I like your outfit.”
“Thanks, I just bought it this morning.” Clarissa cut a sideways glance toward Ezra.
Jan turned to face him. “It’s so nice to have another woman on the expedition.”
A smile brightened Clarissa’s face. “Yes, I’m sure it would be hard to be the only female.” She raised an eyebrow toward Ezra.
She had a point. Jan would be far less likely to give up and want to go home if she wasn’t the only woman. And if Jan asked for a refund, then Kenneth probably would, too.
“So are you all ready to go?” asked Jan.
Clarissa turned back toward Ezra, amusement coloring her voice as she said, “I was just settling my bill with Mr. Jefferson, wasn’t I?”
It was nice to see a playful side to her. She’d seemed so burdened by worry when he’d first met her. Whatever it was, the load she carried must be a heavy one. Would it weigh down their group? He couldn’t be sure.
Ezra sighed and shook his head. “Yes, she was just getting everything in order.” He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
Jan patted her shoulder. “Good. We’ll see you two in a minute. Everyone else is loaded into the van.” She pulled open the back door and disappeared.
Clarissa turned to face him, her blue eyes shining. “How much do I owe you?”
Ezra placed a hand on his hip. “Are we agreed that was a little manipulative?”
“You weren’t totally set on saying no to me.” Her voice had a coy quality.
“That’s true,” he said. “The cost is twelve hundred dollars. That includes all your supplies and a stay at a remote lodge. I’ll understand if you don’t have that kind of cash.”
She didn’t blink at the price. “No, I can pay it.” She opened her purse and pulled out a stack of bills.
He tensed as suspicions rose to the surface again. Why would she have that much cash on her? He grabbed her hand. “Promise me one thing. I can’t take you on this expedition if you are in trouble with the law.”
She looked him in the eyes. “You don’t need to hear my whole long, pathetic story. Just know that I’m not a criminal.”
The steadiness of her voice and her unwavering gaze told him she was telling the truth. “Good. Let’s get you geared up.”
Ten minutes later, she slipped into the front passenger seat of the van. After locking up the office, Ezra got behind the wheel. He turned toward the back. “I assume everyone has been introduced.” Bruce, Jan and Kenneth nodded. “Clarissa, probably the only person you don’t know is Leonard. He signed up a few hours before you.”
Clarissa turned to shake the hand of the fiftyish man with the salt-and-pepper hair and deep tan.
“Well, people, the next seven days will be brutal. You’ll learn how to survive in the wilderness, how and where to find food and make a shelter. But you won’t be doing it alone. One of the keys to survival is learning how to work with others. Okay, we’ve got a long drive up to the trailhead. This is your last chance to jump ship.”
Ezra looked into the eyes of each of his clients. From his interactions with them, he’d begun to assess their strengths and weaknesses. Bruce knew more about survival in theory than in practice. Though in good shape for a man his age, Leonard could be a little overbearing, not a team player. It would be good to see Jan and Ken learn to rely on the other team members instead of just each other. Hopefully, the bond Jan had seemed to form with Clarissa would help with that.
Ezra turned to face the windshield, after glancing briefly at Clarissa. She was a mystery. He wasn’t sure how she’d fit in. She struck him as a pampered city girl, but there was an inner strength there, as well. She’d piqued his curiosity. He had a feeling he wouldn’t mind hearing the long pathetic story of why she needed to go on this expedition. He wouldn’t mind getting to know a little more about Clarissa Jones. He only hoped that what he found out wouldn’t be disastrous for this expedition.
* * *
With each mile they got farther out of town, Clarissa relaxed a little more. She checked the back window several times. No one had followed them up the winding mountain road. She pulled out her phone.
“Cell service out here is spotty at best,” Ezra said.
“I’m just checking some things on my calendar.” She hoped by reviewing what she and Max had worked on before he’d fired her, she might be able to figure out why he wanted her dead.
“Actually, I should have confiscated that back at the office. Everyone is required to go low-tech.”
Clarissa drew her phone protectively to her chest.
Ezra chuckled at her response. “You’ll only miss it for the first couple of days. After that, your hands will stop shaking from withdrawal.”
Leonard leaned forward in the seat and spoke in her ear. “Actually, I think it’s going to be kind of nice to get away from all that. Start looking at people’s faces instead of screens.”
“I think I’m going to like the quiet,” said Ken.
“What if there’s an emergency?” Jan asked.
“I do have a satellite phone if for any reason I need to get help to us quickly. I’ve never had to use it,” Ezra assured them.
“I promise to leave the phone in the van.” Clarissa checked her calendar itinerary quickly. Nothing stood out. “So no electronics.” What else would she be giving up? She’d been so focused on finding a hiding place from Max, she hadn’t really thought about what she’d signed up for.
“You can handle that, right?” Ezra tightened his grip on the wheel as the road grew steeper and more treacherous but his eyes met hers for a second.
His eyes had a bright, dancing quality that she hadn’t noticed before. If leaving town made her feel safer, it seemed to make him more cheerful.
The van wound down a mountain and came out at a lake. Ezra brought the van to a stop. “This is Bridger Lake, folks—our starting point. Everyone grab your pack, double-check what you have against the inventory sheet. I always bring a few extra supplies. Limit yourself to three personal items. Leave everything else in the van. It’ll be locked up. I’ve never had a problem with theft. My partner will come up here to check on it while we’re gone.”
“Three personal items,” said Bruce. “It’s like that riddle about being stranded on a desert island. You know, what would you take with you?”
Clarissa pushed open the door. At the back of the van, Ezra handed her a backpack. “You missed going over what’s in here. I grabbed a prepacked one for you. I’ll get you up to speed when we have a moment.”
She was struck by the kindness