He laughed, and the sound carried over the valley. “Touché. I mean, when it comes to us. I won’t lead you on or make promises I can’t keep.”
&nbs
p; She avoided his eyes and selected another berry. “I appreciate that.”
They packed up their picnic and shouldered their packs, ready to hike through the meadow to the peaks beyond before looping back again. The incline was only slightly challenging, and the views from the top were astounding. Drew took out his camera and took several pictures, and then watched as Harper worked her magic. She took her time, adjusting her position, working with her equipment, squinting at the light. When she was satisfied, she beckoned him over to where the faint trail met a junction. “This way is to the ridge,” she said, pointing, and he looked at the incline. If she was up to it, he was totally game.
They went only maybe half a kilometer when she stopped, lifted her camera and fired off a quick few shots. “Look at that lake. Isn’t it stunning? Now look at what’s around it.”
He squinted and looked, and she laughed. “Here.” She held up her camera, though she kept it around her neck. “Look to the right of the lake, about halfway up, and use the zoom.”
When he did, he saw a bull elk. “How did I miss that before?”
“It’s a ways away, you know.” He took a quick picture of the entire lake, and then adjusted to take one of the elk, always aware that they were tethered closely together by her camera strap. She smelled like something light and floral, fresh air, and the light sweat from hiking.
“Harper,” he murmured, releasing the camera. He turned her toward him and cupped her face. “Damn,” he whispered, and then kissed her. He wanted to do more, so much more, but knew it would be wrong. He was leaving and it would be unfair to her. But he wanted to, so much. She tasted like heaven and felt so alive in his arms. The camera dug into his diaphragm but he didn’t care. This place was perfect, the day was perfect, and kissing her right now, with the Rockies all around them, was the most natural and important thing in the world.
She sighed against his lips as the kiss eased. “Oh, Drew. What are we doing?”
“I don’t know. I just know it feels good.”
She nodded. “Me, too. When you kiss me...”
She broke off, took a deep, wobbly breath.
“What, Harper? What happens when I kiss you?”
“I forget about everything. There’s only you and me and all the things you make me feel. I know it’s not wise but I can’t seem to help myself.”
“That’s a dangerous thing to say to a man like me.”
She looked up at him then, her blue eyes wide and full of wonder. “No, it’s not. Because I trust you.” She smiled a little. “You said you would never lie to me.”
He swallowed tightly and put an inch or two between them. When it came to relationships he wasn’t reliable, and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Harper. She was too special. He knew what a broken heart looked like and he didn’t want to be responsible for that again.
“You shouldn’t trust me,” he replied, his voice rough. “I’m good in business, Harper, but I suck at romance. Lies or not.” He remembered the accusations leveled at him over the last few years. Commitment-phobe. Married to his work. “My top focus is Aspen Outfitters. That’s not going to change.”
“I know.” She lifted her hand and ran her fingers over his jawline. “But I also know I trust you because you’ve been honest about that from the beginning. I’m not asking for more than you’re offering, Drew.”
But that was the problem. As he kissed her again, he knew he wanted to offer her more than he should. And to do so would only lead to hurt all around.
Maybe Dan was right. Maybe he didn’t know what he was doing.
CHAPTER TEN
THEY MADE THEIR way back toward the crest where they’d be picked up again, and Harper paused to catch her breath. There was more going on in her mind and body than simple physical exertion. Right now she was simply full of Drew. The way he looked and felt and tasted. What he’d said and the husky sound of his voice...she was in huge danger of falling for him. There was so much more than charm and charisma. There was a good, strong man beneath that persona. A man who freely admitted that work came before personal relationships, so why couldn’t she seem to stay away?
Instead they came to an uneven bit of ground, and Drew held out his hand. She took it, loving the feel of her palm against his.
And when she was over the rocks, she kept her fingers entwined with his. Days. They had only days left to enjoy each other. Why shouldn’t they?
She looked over at him and he sensed her gaze and looked back, a smile on his face. Harper felt something expand in her chest that was new and exciting. She rather thought it might be happiness. Did she dare hold on to it, even for a brief time? Her whole life she’d held herself apart from relationships, always afraid of getting hurt when they ended. Until she moved here, and she made a best friend—Adele. For the first time, she was confident that despite any awkwardness now, she and Adele would still be best friends and they’d work their way through the current dynamic.
She wasn’t afraid to care for Drew right now. She had no unrealistic expectations. Maybe it was time to live for the moment. Take chances, and live life with a bit of messiness. It had to be better than always being the one behind the lens, watching life happen to other people. She was so tired of being on the outside, even if she’d been the one to put herself there. The revelation was amazingly liberating.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Drew said, tugging on her hand.
“Walking is good for thinking, and thinking is good for working out problems.”