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I saw the counter-argument gleaming in her eyes.Oh, sure... Just like you took care of the others.

But the words never reached her lips.

“Fine.” She shuffled the pack from her shoulders and thrust it at me. “Take it.”

“Or...” Staring down the defiance flashing in her gaze, adrenaline rushed through my body. ‘Thank you for offering to take my bag for me, Eli.’”

I realized that keeping us there in the falling snow while we bantered over how to speak to one another was counter-intuitive to my goal of keeping her well, but for some reason, I couldn’t fight the urge to correct her.

Iwasused to getting what I wanted, but her insubordination was swelling something unexpected in me. I didn’t just want her compliance for the sake of our health and safety; I longed to put her in her place.

“What?” She stared at me as though I was mad.

“You heard me.” My voice lowered as the craving she’d stirred burgeoned. “I want to help you, but you can speak to me with gratitude and respect.”

“Oh.” She shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. Apparently, she hadn’t expected to be held to account. “Well, thank you, Eli.”

It wasn’t quite the perfect demonstration of deference I’d conjured in my mind, but a nod of my head signaled it was good enough. There would be time to deal with Erin, to get to know her better and decide why her large eyes appealed to me so much, but that moment would have to wait.

Swinging her bag onto my free shoulder, I motioned to the upcoming incline, glad I’d elected to leave James’s pack behind.

“We just need to make it up this slope and we’re home and dry.”

We’d actually be neither, but if we were lucky, the hut would be manned and there’d already be a roaring fire for her to recuperate by. If not, then I had to pray that the last ranger had left a stock of firewood because everything outside would already be soaked with snow.

“You call that a ‘slope’?” Her eyes widened as we approached.

“It’s a slope around these parts.” I might have chuckled at her shocked visage had the situation not been so serious. Whatever constituted a workout in Erin’s normal life, she’d have to dig down and endure if we were going to make it to the comparative sanctuary of the cabin. “Come on. I have your back.”

Peering around at her, I acknowledged once again just how attractive she was. Probably a few years younger than I was, she had wonderful, soft-looking skin and stunning green eyes. Perhaps I’d enjoy the impromptu stay with her more than I’d first anticipated. Spending time with such an appealing woman was certainly no hardship.

“How do you know so much about this area?” She wrapped her arms around herself as we started the ascent.

“I’m a guide, Erin.” Fixing my gaze on the zenith of the hill, I scanned the area for any sign of the hut. It was there—I knew it was—but I couldn’t yet see it. “You know that.”

Another dark shape loomed in my peripheral vision, fleetingly distracting me from the mission.

Not now...

Jaw clenching, I tried to ignore its unnatural movements as it ducked under the bushes and crawled along the aging trunks, but even after all the practice I’d had at dealing with the ghosts of my past, it was challenging to pretend the specter wasn’t there.

Hiding behind one of the encroaching, snow-laden trees, the shadow slinked from one trunk to the next, watching our trek and stealing my focus from getting Erin where she needed to be.

“But knowing where all the park rangers hide away?” Her teeth chattered as she pushed past the latest contorted branch and traipsed on. “This is a little off the beaten track for a guide, isn’t it?”

Smirking, I added ‘smart’ to the ever-increasing list of her assets.

“Very good.” Briefly, I contemplated dodging her inquiry, but there was something about Erin that demanded my honesty. “I used to be a ranger around here. That’s why I know the park so well.”

My admission hung in the air as she struggled over the roots of a neighboring tree. Calming when the sky was a sapphire blue overhead, the trees could be cruel and grasping when the weather turned.

“You went from park ranger to tour guide?” Puzzlement glinted in those alluring eyes as she paused to catch her breath.

“That’s right.” Even I heard the defensiveness in my voice. “Is that allowed?”

“Sure.” Her eyes locked with mine. “I just wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

Reaching around her, I steered her in the right direction. If I was right about the hut’s location, it would be just over the brow of the hill.