Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (23 page)

“Your father never remarried?” I asked when I reached him and slowed to a walk.

“No. He dated some, but he always blew it because he spends too much time working.”

“Really? What does he do?”

“He makes jewelry.”

“He makes it? You mean, like, by hand?”

“Exactly.”

“Wow. I didn’t know people do that.”

“Most don’t. But this craft has been in our family for generations. It’s in our blood.”

“What kind of jewelry does he make?”

“Mostly diamond necklaces.”

“That must be lucrative. How does he sell them?”

“Through a broker in LA. They usually end up being sold to movie stars, music executives, athletes, and the like.”

My jaw dropped as I imagined Xander mingling with gorgeous movie stars. No wonder our town seemed so boring to him. “Have you ever met anyone famous?”

“Naw. That never interested me. There’s only one thing in California I ever cared about.”

“The ocean.”

“That’s right. You catch on fast.”

Silence suddenly fell between us as we focused on our ascent up the mountain. After a few minutes, Xander stopped and spun around. He watched me intently as I closed the distance between us. “What?” I asked.

“I would feel better following you. That way I don’t have to worry that I’ve lost you somewhere behind.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I scoffed. “But I’ll still take the lead.” As I passed him, I felt his stare on me. I got the distinct feeling that he wanted me in front of him so that he could keep his eye on me,
all
of me. At least my jacket covered my backside below my waist, limiting what he could see. “But don’t you get lost back there,” I said over my shoulder as I marched ahead at a brisk pace.

“You couldn’t lose me if you tried,” he retorted.

I glanced back to see him keeping a close distance. When I returned my attention to the trail ahead, my thoughts wandered to the first day of school when Xander had ridden into the parking lot on his motorcycle. If anyone had told me I’d be hiking with him barely two weeks later, I never would have believed it.

We continued up the mountain without stopping for the next hour. Few words passed between us as the terrain grew steeper and rockier. I couldn’t afford to keep up a conversation when I needed to pay attention to each step I took, making sure to keep my balance. The rocks were tricky as some were loose and shifted under my weight. We crossed a stream about halfway up, carefully jumping from rock to rock to stay above the flowing water, before climbing a steep incline right after it.

When we finally reached the summit, we emerged from a cluster of pine trees onto a small rocky clearing. We stopped short of a steep drop-off, admiring the scenery. Beyond the cliff spanned the vast blue sky dotted with white fluffy clouds. Rugged mountains stretched out before us, abundant with thick trees and patches of red, orange, and yellow.

“Wow,” Xander gasped beside me. “This is really beautiful.”

“You should see it in about three weeks. The only green will be the pine trees. The mountains will be lit up with color,” I told him, breathless from the final climb. My leg muscles burned as I sat down on the flat expansive rock, my fleece jacket providing a thin cushion against the hard surface.

Xander eased down beside me. “Does that mean we can do this hike again in a few weeks?”

I smiled at him. “You can come here any time you want now that you know where to go. You don’t need me to come with you.”

He returned my smile. “But it wouldn’t be as much fun alone.”

Our eyes met, and I quickly looked straight ahead at the panoramic view. “You could always bring Carrie.”

“Somehow, I don’t think she’s the type to enjoy this sort of thing.”

“Yeah, you’re right. She might break a nail.”

Another moment of silence passed as I savored the sunshine. I cherished these last few warm days of summer as they were numbered. The snow and ice of winter would be here before we knew it. I leaned back, resting my hands on the smooth rock and tilting my head up toward the sky with my eyes closed.

I heard Xander rustling beside me and opened my eyes to see him sliding the backpack off his shoulders. “Thirsty?” he asked as he unzipped the bag, pulling out two water bottles.

“Yes. And hungry too.” I took one from him, noticing the water condensation that slicked its sides. As I opened the bottle and drank from it, Xander reached back into the bag for the granola bars. He handed one to me.

We ate and drank in silence, both of us admiring the mountains from our perch upon the rock. Surprisingly, in spite of my earlier apprehension about today, it was a comfortable silence.

Once we finished our water and snacks, Xander stuffed the empty bottles and wrappers into his backpack. “So who do you usually go hiking with?” he asked.

I shrugged. “No one. I go alone most of the time.” Except when I was with Dakota, but I couldn’t exactly tell him I had a wolf.

And I often took my camera to get pictures of moose or bears, but I didn’t want to tell him anything more about myself. He already knew too much.

“Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

“No,” I said with a smile that quickly faded. “At least I never thought of the mountains as dangerous until...”

“Until they found the body of the guy who took that little boy?”

I nodded as darkness swept over me, despite the blazing sun. “Yeah.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“It’s okay.” I glanced at him. “I bet that kind of thing happens a lot in California.”

“There’s more crime if that’s what you mean. But that doesn’t mean you get used to it.” He paused. “Do they know why that guy took the boy?”

“No, at least not yet.” I frowned, desperately wanting to change the subject.

Xander must have read my mind. He slid the straps back onto his shoulders and looked over at me, his blue eyes nearly transparent in the bright sunshine. “Ready to head back?”

Not really,
I thought with a sigh, remembering the college brochures on the kitchen table at home
.
But I couldn’t stay out here all day. I still had homework to finish. “Sure.” I scrambled to my feet and brushed off my jacket.

As Xander rose to his feet, I felt a faint flush race through me at the sight of his tall muscular frame. His tanned arms glistened in the sun, and the tiny piece of metal that fastened the shark tooth to the rope of his necklace glinted from a blinding spark of sunlight.

“Your turn to lead,” I told him, thinking that it was my turn to admire his backside.
Where did that come from
?
I thought, immediately scolding myself for having such thoughts, especially after kissing Noah last night.

I was about to change my mind and offer to lead when he agreed. “No problem. I don’t have to worry about you keeping up when we’re going downhill.” He flashed me one last smile before setting off through the small trail opening between the pine trees.

I followed, welcoming the shade from the canopy of trees overhead. I fell into step behind him, returning my attention to the steep rocky terrain as I carefully calculated each step. I had to work hard to keep my balance. The last thing I wanted was to fall down the slope and crash into him. We hiked down the steepest part of the mountain in silence. The scenery of all pine trees slowly transitioned to a variety of leafy trees as we descended. The forest sounds of chirping birds and drilling woodpeckers resumed the farther down we went.

When we approached the stream we had crossed on our way up the mountain, a black shape darted through the trees deep in the woods. I stopped, staring at it, my heart racing with fear. My first thought was of the wolf, but the shape was too large and round. It had to be a bear. It moved through the trees, coming a little closer before it halted and watched us.

Xander didn’t notice that I had fallen behind. He was about fifteen feet ahead when I called out to him. “Xander!” I said in a loud whisper.

He heard me and stopped quickly, turning around.

“Over there in the woods.” I nodded in the direction of the bear. It stood still, studying us curiously. “A bear.”

His eyes followed my gaze and widened as soon as he saw it staring at us. “Oh great. Now what do we do?”

“Nothing. Just don’t move.” I focused on the bear and suddenly noticed a line across its snout. A scar. This was the same bear that had found Ryder and kept him warm. A smiled worked its way across my lips as an idea formed in my mind. I glanced at Xander who was completely unsuspecting of what was about to happen.

‘
Hi,
’
I thought as I looked back at the bear, meeting the gaze of her soft brown eyes. ‘
I don’t think I thanked you for helping with the little boy, so thank you.
’
She watched me as understanding registered in her eyes. ‘
This is my friend. He won’t hurt you. But I need a favor. Can you come closer?
’

The bear lumbered through the trees, nearing the trail. Xander glanced at me. “What’s happening?” he whispered nervously.

“Ssh. Don’t make any noise. You don’t want to provoke it.”

He glared at me. “I thought you said black bears were harmless,” he said in a low voice, his teeth clenched.

I bit back a mischievous grin, returning my attention to the bear who had reached the edge of the trail halfway between us. When her gaze met mine, I envisioned her approaching Xander, nuzzling his hand with her nose. She seemed to understand exactly what to do. She looked at him as she ambled down the trail in his direction, closing the distance between them. His eyes grew bigger with every step she took.

He looked at me, the panic on his face shooting a pang of guilt through me. But it was too late to call it off. I would just have to send the bear away quickly after it was over.

“What in the world?” he whispered so softly that I barely heard him over the leaves rustling in the breeze.

“Ssh.” I pressed a finger to my lips and watched in disbelief as the bear approached him. She gently sniffed his hand like a big dog greeting him. When she looked my way, I released her with a quick thought. She spun around and loped off into the woods. Within seconds, the black ball of fur disappeared from sight. The smile I had been suppressing finally broke out, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Xander breathed a huge sigh of relief as he glared at me. “What the hell was that?”

I started marching toward him. “You must have forgotten to put on your bear repellent today,” I said with a stifled giggle. I felt his hot eyes following me as I walked by, but I ignored them.

I focused on the stream ahead, but I didn’t get very far. As I passed him, he reached out, grabbing my wrist. He yanked me to a stop in front of him, pulling me toward him until we were inches apart. As I stared up at his mesmerizing blue eyes, he placed my fingertips on his sternum above the neckline of his black tank top. His heart was racing.

“Feel that?” he asked, his eyes shooting sparks out at me.

My devious smile and the urge to burst out in laughter vanished immediately, replaced by the electricity between us. Our eyes locked, like magnets stuck to metal.

“How did you do that? That was one hell of a trick.”

Despite the warmth in the air and the heat rising off his skin, goose bumps prickled my arms. I shivered inwardly. “I--I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered.

“I think you do,” he stated with an overwhelming confidence.