Wilderness Reunion

“The way you say that, sounds like you mean someone might have followed you to harm you. Is that what you mean, Alice?”

“Yes, I think so, but I can’t be sure. He disappeared between those buildings.”

Maybe she was overreacting, but he had a feeling she wasn’t. He hoped he was wrong about that. Hoped it had nothing to do with her stumbling on the illegal garden.

He started to take off in pursuit but she grabbed his arm. “No, wait. Don’t leave me. He’s long gone by now anyway.”

He hesitated, unsure what to do, but he didn’t want to leave her alone. Plus, they needed to talk. Alice didn’t know yet about his assignment, he assumed. And it sounded like there was much more about what had happened in the wilderness than Griffin knew, as well.

But before they could talk about that, he needed to address her on a more personal level. That was why he’d come. It would have seemed insensitive for him to just show up with his sheriff uncle tomorrow, especially considering how he’d left.

Three years ago, he’d come to the Wild Rogue Wilderness region to rest after a TBI—traumatic brain injury—had ended his military career and a job he lived for. After six months, he was well on his way to a full recovery and hoped to establish himself as a civilian photojournalist in conflicted regions of the world. Then...he’d met Alice. They’d grown too close, too fast.

He could still remember how she’d begged him to stay, but he’d been afraid of his growing feelings for her, so he’d taken the assignment in Kenya when an agency called looking for a freelancer. He’d assured her he would come back after the assignment and had told himself he meant it. But it had been all too easy to make excuses to never return. And now that he stood here with her, he had no clue how to bring it all up again. How to even broach the topic. Maybe Alice had moved on and had no interest in dredging it up, except her first words to him gave her away.

So you just appear out of nowhere, after two years? Why are you here?

Yeah, she wanted to talk about it.

Griffin scraped a hand down his face. He’d come to Gideon looking for her and now that he’d found her, he was tongue-tied and ashamed. He could face so many horrible things...but he couldn’t let himself love someone. Why was it so hard?

“Listen, I need to head to the lodge before it’s too late and make sure they have a room for me.” And yet he definitely wanted her to stick with him if someone was following her. “You want to walk with me? Then we can go somewhere and you can tell me what’s going on. Why someone followed you.”

She nodded. “Yeah, sure.” And looked over her shoulder again.

They headed off in the direction of the lodge. Dusk finally settled on the town. Griffin watched the shadows for Alice’s stalker, and at the same time he tried to come up with an opening about his departure before and the fact he hadn’t returned as he’d said.

Alice strolled next to him and palmed the gun tucked at her side. Wary. She was definitely wary about something.

Inside the lodge, she stepped back and waited for Griffin to check in. His call to find a room had been last-minute—risky during peak tourist season—but the woman had thought a guest planned to leave early and had said she would hold the room for Griffin.

When he announced his name, the woman paled. “I’m so sorry, sir. I thought we’d have a vacancy, but it didn’t materialize. I left you a message on your cell.”

Right, and he hadn’t checked his messages while on his motorcycle.

“It’s okay. Not your fault.” Worst case he could head back to Gold Beach and stay with Uncle Davis. But he was glad he’d come, if Alice needed him.

Griffin left the registration desk to stand next to Alice, unsure what to do now. He didn’t want to leave her alone if someone had followed her and she was in danger. Where were her brothers?

“You can stay in the apartment above Wilderness, Inc.” Her words took him by surprise.

“What about your brother Coop? Isn’t that where he lives? Don’t you think you should ask him if I can stay with him first?” Though Griffin didn’t relish the idea.

“He got married. He and his wife, Hadley, live in a beautiful new cabin across town. He’s out on a wilderness-training excursion, and she’s off at an art show. Gray and his wife are gone, too. Wilderness, Inc. is busy in the summer. But the apartment is vacant. We keep it for guests and situations like this.”

Right. Her words served to emphasize what he’d missed since his departure.

“Well, then, looks like I have no choice but to take you up on that offer.”

Disappointment surged in her eyes. He’d made it sound like staying there was a last resort. Well, it kind of was. But it was still an option he was glad to have if it meant that he could stay close and keep an eye on her as she dealt with a possible stalker. And given what he already knew about her situation, he wouldn’t leave her alone.

Still carrying his bag and gear, the day began to wear on him, and he knew it was far from over. She led him to the Wilderness, Inc. offices and inside the house-slash-business, up the stairs to the apartment.

He dropped his bags on the sofa and turned to face her. “Okay, so what’s going on? Why did someone follow you? Who is it, do you know?”

“You first.” Her expression said she was loaded for bear. “I asked you why you came back to Gideon, and you said you’d fill me in on the details soon enough. How about now?”

* * *

Griffin frowned and shrugged out of his leather jacket. Clearly, he wasn’t ready to offer his explanation. But after two years Alice needed answers. She needed closure.

It had taken all of the last half hour for her to regain her composure. To control her anxiety, both over the man following her and over her reunion with Griffin—the shock of seeing him in the flesh.

And now, she wasn’t sure how to tell him what she’d seen in the woods, or if she even should. She’d have to if she were to explain why someone followed her tonight.

But Griffin could give his explanation first.

Earlier, she’d just been glad to have his sturdy, protective form to walk next to in case the man she’d run into in the woods had actually followed her to Gideon, but she reminded herself she could not trust Griffin. He could disappear and leave her hanging.

Alice had always been strong and self-sufficient, but at the moment she felt weak and exposed. She wasn’t sure how to get on top of this apprehension that had followed her out of the wilderness and into Gideon.

But she needed to tell him about what was going on. What had happened. So he wouldn’t be taken by surprise if a bad guy showed up. It’s just...she’d needed answers from Griffin first.

“Well?” she asked.

He frowned.

Would he answer her question or not?

Pulling his professional-grade camera out, he fiddled with it—his attempt at procrastination while he measured his words. And while he took his time answering, she took him in. His shoulders and biceps stretched his polo shirt, and he’d cut his shaggy brown hair to a shorter, crisp cut. He looked good. Too good, in fact, and she was sorry because that made it impossible for her to ignore her attraction to him. She shouldn’t be thinking about his hair or his muscles or how good he looked.

Then his gaze snapped to hers, as if he’d known what she’d been thinking about him.

Alice couldn’t hold his intensity and averted her eyes.

“I’m working with my uncle, Sheriff Kruse,” he finally said. “Going into the wilderness. I’m a freelancer, documenting the increasing use of public lands to grow marijuana and covering the hazards both to the environment and to the public, especially hikers.” His gaze and emphasis intensified on that last word.

Alice sagged. Deep down, she’d been expecting a much different answer. Had she honestly thought Griffin had finally come back for her after two long years? Or that his uncle had notified him of what she’d been through and he’d come running to her rescue? She plopped onto the sofa next to his duffel bag and his expensive camera case. Of course. Of course, he would be here for the action. This had nothing to do with Alice.

Griffin was all about action.

But, wait... “You mean your uncle called you? But why did—”

“I contacted him weeks ago along with other West Coast county sheriffs to let them in on my assignment. Let them know to contact me if they learned of any activity. I want to be there when things go down. I knew I could count on Uncle Davis to let me know if there was activity, but honestly I hadn’t expected to hear from him. Nor did I want this to happen so close to him or...to you.”

Weeks ago.

He’d been on the West Coast for weeks and had made no effort to contact her. Alice let those words sink in but refused to let them hurt. She had obviously thought much more of what they’d had together before than Griffin. And the importance of this situation far outweighed her pathetic actions of the past.