Nobody's Lost (Rescue Me Saga #5) (8 page)

Focus, man
. “We’ll head up Highway 4 a bit and then take the Gilman Camp Loop. You’re going to get some great photos up there.”

Seeing some of his favorite places through her eyes energized him like nothing had in a long while. He rolled the throttle and eased into traffic then gunned the engine as he raced to the turnoff. Daylight was fleeting. He wanted to be sure she had all the time she needed to take photos of the tunnels, mountains, and Rio Guadalupe.

They weren’t far from his place, but it would be dark soon.
Hold on!
He hadn’t planned on taking her there anyway. He sighed. No, tonight they would return to that boxy condo in the city.

Live in the moment. He didn’t want to think about going back yet.

The time he’d spent with Carlos at his grandmother’s had taught him a lot about that philosophy. Forget the past. Stop worrying about the future.

Sometimes easier said than done.

*     *     *

Megan watched the gorgeous scenery fly by as they rode up the winding mountain road. She’d heard of the tunnels and this old logging road, but had never ventured out here. Usually she was on her way to Bandelier or some other site and didn’t stop.

The evergreens against the deep red earth stole her breath away, but the sky mesmerized her. Every now and then, she caught a glimpse of a river down below as they climbed the narrow road. When he slowed down and eventually cut off the engine, she removed her helmet and peeked around him to see a tunnel. She’d always enjoyed taking photographs through windows and tunnels. They made great frames for the view that lay beyond.

Ryder was sweet to accommodate her need to grab her camera and take photos. She hoped they turned out well enough to sell as prints in a gallery.

“After you take some shots here, we can ride up to the next tunnel where there’s some interesting road art you might like to see.”

“Absolutely! I’d rather stretch my legs.”

She started but soon felt him tug at her arm, slowing her down. “You walk at a city pace.”

“Guilty as charged. Grew up in Chicago.”

She started up the hill through the first tunnel again, and soon he grabbed her hand forcing her to match his pace. “It’s not a race. Time to slow down and smell the roses.”

The heat from his hand made her palm tingle, but she ignored it and forced herself to focus on the speed of her steps. She looked ahead, not finding much of interest in the darkened tunnel.

Until Ryder stopped.

“What is it?”

She saw him looking at the wall of the tunnel at some faded graffiti. He pointed to the initials RW. “I’ve been coming here since I was sixteen. Left my mark all those years ago.”

“What, no girlfriend you were in love with?”

He shook his head. “No. She came along when I was seventeen.”

“Your ex?”

He nodded.

“High-school sweethearts. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

Ryder shrugged. “A lot of my buddies had marriages fail. Military spouses become used to living on their own and handling things without you. Hard for them to make the adjustment to share responsibilities when you come home.” He stared at his initials on the tunnel wall.

Megan wondered if that was the only issue they struggled with, but it was none of her business. She squeezed his hand, pulling him back to her.

“Show me what you were talking about on the other side of the tunnel.”

“It’s after the next one.” He began walking again, and she held onto his hand. Anyone happening upon them would think they were a couple.

Would Patrick and Adam approve if she got involved with a fellow Marine?

Whoa. Who said anything about a relationship? You only met him a day ago.

“You seem lost in thought.”

She shrugged. No way did she intend to tell him her real thoughts. “Just thinking about my overprotective brothers.”

“Why didn’t you get to know Adam growing up?”

“Long story. He ran away at sixteen when…well, his dad died, and Mom married my dad and moved to Chicago from Minneapolis. Took decades for her and Adam to find each other again, in part because Adam changed his last name to her maiden name, Montague. Their reunion happened last Thanksgiving. But I had heard about my wonderful, missing older brother my whole life. He was larger than life to me.”

“He
is
larger than life. Best there is.”

She smiled. “Thanks. I’m kind of fond of him, too. What was he like to serve under?”

“Stern, but fair. I knew him before his wife died. He changed a lot after he lost her.”

“I don’t think he ever expected to find love again.”

“Most people aren’t so lucky.”

“Do you think you’ll ever marry again?”

“Hell, no. I’m not the marrying kind.”

“But you were married once.”

“That was before. I’m not that man any longer. Wouldn’t inflict myself on anyone, much less a wife.”

Talk about a gauntlet. “Women are stronger than you think. Don’t assume all of them will run at the first sign of a challenge.”

He continued to walk without responding. She hoped he would give her words some thought. Any woman would be proud to have such a brave hero as her partner.

If she were the marrying kind, she’d certainly have him on her short list.

They exited the first tunnel, and she heard the roar of the river down below them. Leading him to the guardrail, she peeked down the ravine while moving her camera into position.

After snapping a few shots of the river and the red-rock hills beyond the gorge, she reached for his hand. “Help me over and let’s go down for some closer shots.”

“That’s awfully steep.”

She flashed a smile at him. “You need to lighten up, Ryder. Play a little. Come on.”

She climbed to the other side of the guardrail, but he didn’t accept her help in return. He simply stepped over as if it was nothing. He didn’t appear to be taller than five-eleven, but seemed to have the legs of a man much taller. Funny that her walking pace was faster since his legs were considerably longer.

They found a bit of a path to follow. Probably one that animals used. She couldn’t imagine this being a popular hiking trail. Once at the bank of the river, she set her shutter speed slower and propped her elbows on a boulder to try and steady the camera as she took some frames of the water. The slow speed would show the movement of the water, giving it a white, flowing appearance in the photo.

After several more shots at varying speeds, she stood and looked around. “It’s gorgeous down here.”

He nodded, but seemed too lost in thought to speak.

“I haven’t been down here in decades. Carlos and I used to hike here when we came to stay with his grandmother.” He pointed toward the tunnels. “She lived on the other side of that hill on an old Indian service road.”

“That’s where you live now?”

“Yeah. She passed over long before I went on my last deployment. The house was vacant, and Carlos said I’d do him a favor by living there and keeping an eye on the place. I think he wants to use it as a vacation home or maybe retire there some day. But he knew I needed a hand up. I do maintenance on the place instead of paying rent.”

“I can see why you love it out here. And why it’s so hard for you to spend time in the city.”

“You like it out here. Why don’t you stay at my place? There’s a second bedroom, of course.”

Megan grinned as she stared down at his boots. Her face flushed warm at the thought of sharing his house out here.

“I’m sure you’d have lots of time to work on your photo editing. You might even build a new portfolio of nature shots.”

She was tempted, wondering what the morning light would be like up here and what flora and creatures she’d find on walks around his place.

“We’ll see.” She smiled at him, taking pleasure in giving him back a bit of his own non-commitment medicine. But the idea intrigued her. Since the break-in, the thought of getting away sounded better all of the time. But she didn’t know if it was a good idea.

“Hey, take off your boots and socks. Let’s go wading.” She placed her hand on his upper arm to steady herself as she shed her own shoes and socks. Rolling up her leather pants to her calves took a little more work, and she belatedly realized she’d given him a good view of her leather-encased butt while bent over at the waist to do so.

“Do you know how cold that water’s going to be this time of year?” His voice sounded a little husky.

“But it’s so warm in the sun.”

“Most of that water comes from snow runoff. It probably never is truly warm, but certainly not this early in the summer.”

“Oh, come on! Have a little fun!”

She found a safe place for her camera and waded into the water. “Oh my God! You’re right! It’s freezing!”

“Told you.”

A look of longing convinced her Ryder needed to let down his guard and play. Careful to miss the camera, she reached down and splashed a few drops of water on him. “I’m going to splash you until you come in with me. Might as well control how wet you get.”

He shook his head and unzipped his boots, sitting on a rock by the bank to remove them and tuck a sock inside each one. “I’ll be nicer than you were and be careful not to mess up your fancy leather outfit. I’d hate to see it ruined.”

Did he like seeing her in leather? She grinned.

When he hissed as he entered the cold water, she reached for his hand. “Come on. Let’s wade out a little bit.”

“The river’s not too high now, but promise me you won’t walk blindly into a river or arroyo without paying attention. Flash floods from storms many miles away are a problem here.”

She nodded but sensing no sudden wall of water about to descend on her, she stayed put and bent over to look for minnows. “Oh, look! A tadpole!”

She pointed it out to him, but when she glanced up, she caught him focused more on her butt until caught looking, and then he turned away. She grinned. Maybe the man was more interested than he let on.

When she could no longer feel her feet, she started for the bank. “Let’s head back up as soon as my feet dry a bit.” They sat together on the bank, and she pulled out her camera, taking more photos of the water, as well as their feet against the red rocks and dark green grass.

After they donned their shoes and socks, she stood and picked up the camera. Climbing the hill was tricky as she tried to keep her camera from banging against the ground. Ryder suggested she hold the camera with one hand while he pulled her up holding her free hand. The man was wicked strong. He must not be very idle. She wondered what he did for a living, but was too focused on hauling her ass up the hill to ask. Man, was she ever out of shape.

He gave her one last pull at the crest, and they stood side by side. She gasped for breath and felt sweat trickling down her neck. Man, leather was not the thing to wear when hiking up a hill.

When she could form a sentence again, she said, “Where to next, Ryder?”

Chapter Six

R
yder tried to ignore the breathiness of her voice and the way her chest heaved as she attempted to catch her breath the last few minutes. The last half hour had been a test of his self-control as he’d been treated to the sight of her leather-encased ass on a couple of occasions as she bent over. The way the outfit molded around her breasts, too, was equally distracting.

Stop looking at her breasts, asshole.

He needed to get back on the bike and take her back home. But first, he’d promised to show her something on the other end of the second tunnel. “Ready?”

She nodded, and he took her hand. He told himself it was to help her over the guardrail, but he’d enjoyed walking through the tunnel holding her hand earlier. He hadn’t spent companionable time with a woman in…forever.

Megan was comfortable to be with. She didn’t act silly or play games. The real deal.

He liked her. A lot.

But not in
that
way. More like a sister.

Then why are you noticing her ass, breathy voice, and heaving chest?

The admonishing inner voice sounded a lot like Carlos.

Oh, shut the fuck up.

Sometimes being honorable and doing the right thing got in the way of his baser needs. All he had to do was remember who had sent him on this mission, though, and he’d stay on the straight and narrow.