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Hilly looked hesitant for only a second before accepting. “Sure. Let me just tell Buffy where I’ll be in case anything comes up while we’re gone.” She skipped off, her long, muscled legs eating up the path.
And yeah. He watched them like the dog he was. And speaking of which, Nel had just nudged his knee with her nose.
He bent down to give her a pat. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”
Nel gave a happy sounding bark, then bounded back into the trees.
“Really something,” he rasped to himself, trying to keep his excitement under wraps as he waited for Hilly to find her friend and return.
Cisco had wanted to get the confusing woman alone all day. To talk to her, of course, but also to see if he could wrangle another kiss. He had to find out if their first one had truly been the best lip-lock of his life, or if he’d built it up in his imagination as a bright spot in the weekend, in contrast with the heavy-duty trauma he’d suffered the previous day.
In other words, now that his head was completely clear, he needed to see if his feelings were real by requesting a do-over.
“Buffy’s good for the balance of the hour,” Hilly said breathlessly as she returned to his side. “She doesn’t have any appointments until later.”
“Then, shall we go?” Cisco gallantly held his elbow out for her to take.
She eyed it with only a slight hesitation before accepting the gesture, threading her hand around his arm.
“You lead the way,” he suggested. “Since you know which paths will get us back here in time for my early evening duties.”
“Follow me,” she agreed.
Hilly wound her way past the dining hall which practically vibrated with all the voices and laughter exploding from within. She led him around the campers’ cabins, the washrooms, skirting the counselors’ private lean-to before taking them down the same path that she’d familiarized him with, before.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Past the climbing wall,” she told him. “You’ve seen that. But I didn’t take you all the way to the ropes course when I gave you your previous tour.”
Cisco nodded happily. As far as he was concerned, the farther from the campers they got, the better.
They walked companionably, side by side, until the path grew narrower and he had to relinquish Hilly’s hand so that she could go first.
“Skinny trail,” he groused.
Hilly giggled, perhaps sensing his reluctance to have let her go. “We like to maintain a feeling of wilderness as the kids head toward the ropes. Even though it’s only fifty feet past the climbing wall and thirty or so feet from the lake, it’s camouflaged by the trees, and makes the adventure seem that much more exciting for them.”
Cisco nodded. “What’s beyond the ropes course? Is it your land?” he asked.
With what he hoped would happen, he didn’t want any interruptions from area hikers or neighboring camps.
Hilly swept her arm in front of them. “More paths,” she answered his first question, then his second. “And some of it. I own twenty-seven acres, most of that stretching out in the northerly direction, as well as around the lake.” She stopped and pointed at the area that had just opened up before them into a structured, but still rough-terrained setting. “And here’s our ropes course.”
Cisco gazed around, taking in the sturdy platforms up in the trees, the tall ladders made from logs, the rope bridges strung high across several expanses, and the various height cargo nets to climb. There was a belly-crawl, swaying balance beams, and at the end of the myriad of challenges, a series of swinging tires were set up so they had to be traversed in order to reach the finish line. The whole thing was professional as hell, and looked fairly new.
“How long has this been here?” Cisco asked. “Was it part of your grandmother’s infrastructure?”
Hilly looked at the course proudly. “Nope. She had the climbing wall built a few years before she passed, but this is all my baby. I had the land cleared during my first year here, and in the off season between years one and two, Papa-J and I got it built. It’s become a real favorite; a great team-and-esteem-building exercise where our more confident kids help those who are less comfortable overcome their fears.”
“Nice.” He looked up to one platform that suited his needs. “You want to go topside?” he grinned.
“Sure.”
She didn’t hesitate, but ran lightly toward the ladder and began climbing. Normally, he knew, a participant would already be harnessed in, but Cisco could see Hilly was extremely nimble as she climbed without tethers, and of course he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
When he reached the top behind her, Hilly was already leaning on the railing, looking out toward the lake which was just visible through the trees. “Nel actually likes to come up here,” she enlightened him as he moved in behind her. Not too close, but near enough that she’d get wind of his intent.
Her voice became breathless when she figured out his plan.