She opened her purse. She’d be hard-pressed to come up with three items that mattered to her. She removed a brown food package and a space blanket, and tucked the money at the bottom of one of the smaller compartments. Then she put the change of undergarments and shirt she’d bought in the pack, as well.
She had a picture of herself with two friends from Naomi’s Place. The ten-year-old photo was worn and creased. Even though the pain of her miscarriage had caused her to run from there, the memory of the friendship she’d had with two other girls, Rochelle and Sarah, still warmed her heart. She placed the photo in one of the smaller compartments on the backpack. All her worldly treasures.
She watched Ezra, kneeling close to the van, place a small Bible in his pack. So he was a kindred spirit in that way. His faith probably ran much deeper than hers. Hers was so brand-new, and now doubt over the situation she was in had poked holes in it. She’d done the right thing by refusing Max’s advances and telling his wife, and she’d lost everything because of it. She hadn’t even had time to grab the Bible Sondra had given her. Uneasiness about Sondra’s no-show still plagued her. What if she’d been in a car accident?
Ezra swung his backpack on. “All right, people, suit up. We leave in three minutes.”
Clarissa grabbed the toothbrush and other toiletries she’d purchased that morning and packed them away. She lifted the backpack, surprised by the weight. She slipped one arm through a strap, but struggled with the other.
“Here, let me help you with that.” Ezra lifted her pack from the bottom so she could slip her arm in without having to wrestle with the weight.
“Thanks.”
He leaned toward her and pointed. “Belly strap.”
“Oh, right.” She turned slightly, looking for the other end.
He grabbed both strap ends and snapped them together. She felt the pressure of his fingers against her stomach as she met his gaze.
“You’ve never been on a hike before in your life, have you?” His voice held a note of humor, not condemnation.
She shook her head. A laugh escaped her lips. “No, sorry.”
He cupped his hand on her shoulder, the warmth of his touch seeping through her skin. “It’s not a problem. People surprise me all the time.”
She could feel her face heat up when his gaze rested on her. “I hope I can surprise you.” The stir of attraction caught her off guard. She hadn’t felt anything like that since she was a teenager. Back when she had been naive and had believed in fantasies like true love.
He stepped away and raised his voice. “Okay, people, single file. Let’s get moving up that mountain.”
Clarissa took in the beauty of the forest. The lake was like glass bordered by mountains on three sides. On the highest peak stood a fire tower surrounded by blackened trees.
Bruce came up beside her. “Guess there was a forest fire here about a month ago.”
Ezra, some twenty feet away, shouted, “Visiting time is over, people. Let’s get moving. Just follow the trail.”
“I can’t wait to get started.” Bruce fell in line behind Leonard. The bow he’d strapped to his pack must have been one of his personal items.
Clarissa stepped behind Bruce. Ezra waited until they were all on the narrow trail before slipping in line behind her. As she made her way up the steep incline, she could think of a thousand reasons not to acknowledge the blossoming attraction she felt toward him. Men couldn’t be trusted. Men couldn’t be depended on. They left when things got difficult.
None of that reasoning did anything to stop the fluttering in her stomach every time she thought about the way he’d looked at her. How his touch brought alive emotions that she’d stuffed down for ten years.
They hiked for what felt like several hours before reaching the ridgeline. Clarissa stopped for a moment to catch her breath and examine how far they’d come. Her gaze traveled the length of the trail down to the lake where the van was.
Her breath caught as another car pulled in beside the van and two burly-looking men got out. Even from this distance, she could see that one of them was Don.
Ezra heard the cascading rocks rolling down the steep slope before he saw them. On instinct, he grabbed Clarissa and pulled her to safety. His hand still cupped her narrow waist as half a dozen large stones rolled past them.
She touched her palm to her chest. “Way to think fast. I didn’t see those coming.”
“You could have been knocked over or injured.” Ezra glared up the cliff to where Bruce was using his hands and feet to scale the rocky incline. “Remind me to talk to Bruce about having greater awareness of the people below him.”
“You might also want to tell him that this isn’t a race.” Clarissa wiped the perspiration from her brow.
Ezra had to hand it to her. She’d showed substantial stamina hiking through the heat of the day. She’d kept up with the pace he’d set. Down below, Ken, Jan and Leonard made their way up the mountain. “Let’s let him get farther ahead before following him—it’ll be safer.”
With her eyes on Bruce, Clarissa nodded in agreement.
Bruce had pushed hard all day, determined to stay in the lead, and taking very little time to notice the people around him. And Ezra had thought Leonard was going to be the lone wolf.
Clarissa stood close to him while they waited for the others to catch up. She’d pulled her silky blond hair into some sort of hair contraption. Her cheeks were flushed from the exertion of the hike.
Her gaze darted from the three stragglers to a far-off point down the trail. She’d been looking over her shoulder for most of the hike. Though she joked a great deal, every once in a while Ezra saw a flash of fear mar her features. He wondered what the cause of the jitteriness was.
“That guy at the airport, whoever he was, isn’t likely to find you here.” He hoped to reassure her.
Her blue eyes locked on to him. “What makes you say that?” She turned and started on up the mountain.
The others were closing in on them. Ezra followed behind Clarissa. “I noticed you looking down the trail a lot. Honestly, where we’re headed there’s not going to be another person for fifty miles in any direction.”
She stuttered in her steps, but then pushed herself onward, not looking back at him when she spoke. “There are no little towns or anything?”
“A few, way over on the other side of that mountain.” He pointed off in the distance. “But we won’t be going anywhere near there.”
“So nothing until we get to that lodge?”
“There won’t be people at the lodge, either. You can only get to it by hiking or helicopter. It’s a wealthy man’s rustic retreat. He lets Jefferson Expeditions use it when he’s not there, for a minimal fee.” Ezra caught up with her. “The only other people we might run into would be other backpackers. Does that sound okay to you?”
They both stopped climbing for a moment. Clarissa didn’t completely meet his gaze, as though something still preoccupied her. “The solitude will be nice.”
Jan caught up with them at last. “What a beautiful day, huh?” she said as she looked around.
The conversation drifted in another direction when Ken and Leonard joined them. As he answered their questions and got to know them better, Ezra found himself wondering what was up with Clarissa. Her questions hinted at some unspoken agenda, some plan she was making. It made him suspicious. Why, exactly, did she want to be escorted into the deep woods? He