Page 39 of Riverbend Gap (Riverbend 1)

“I think envy and lust are in there somewhere.”

Heat worked up Katie’s neck despite the cool of the morning. “That’s only five.”

He took off up a steep, grassy slope, leading toward the trailhead. “Plenty enough right there to trip a guy up though.”

“Or a girl.” She wasn’t about to share her Achilles’ heel, though in truth it depended on the situation. Currently, his calf muscles bulging as he climbed, that last sin was at the forefront of her mind.

She tore her gaze away and forced her thoughts elsewhere. She was grateful for the cool breeze. Soon enough the sun would beat high overhead, and the humidity alone would make sweat bead on her skin.

Before long they approached the trailhead, passing the bulletin board that displayed a map and town information for northbound hikers coming off the trail.

“This first part is all switchbacks, heading uphill out of the valley.” He moved aside, gesturing her to pass. “It’s pretty much a one-lane road. You can set the pace.”

Katie took the lead and immediately a canopy of trees sheltered them from the sun. The air was thick with the buzz of cicadas, and knotty roots snaked across the path. Soon the trail inclined sharply, and she was grateful that her jogging routine kept her in good shape.

She took in the dense forest where fallen logs lay covered in moss and damp, decaying leaves carpeted the floor, giving off a rich, loamy scent. The trail switched back and grew steeper. Her lungs worked to keep pace with her heart.

She walked through a web—yuck—and got it out of her face as best she could, hoping a spider hadn’t been attached to it. Conversation had come to a halt as they navigated the steep trail.Squirrels scrambled through underbrush, and birds tweeted from lofty perches. Still the trail climbed.

“How are you faring back there?” she asked.

“Doing great. Nice views.”

She peered off through the woods toward town and the mountains on the other side of it. “We’re getting up there.”

She ran through another web. This time she paused to clear its sticky remnants from her face.

Cooper came up behind her. “Hold still.”

She peered over her shoulder. “What? What is it?”

He picked something off her shoulder—a black spider—and flung it away.

She shuddered. “Ugh. Disgusting.”

“Want me to take the lead?”

“Nobody told me there’d be spiders.”

He laughed and eased past her. “Let me know if you want to slow down.”

They set off again, their conversation limited to the basics until the ground leveled off a bit.

A slight rustle in the woods provoked a question. “Have you ever seen a bear while hiking?”

“Only once. If you make plenty of noise they stay away.”

“Where were you when you saw it? Was it a black bear?”

“Yeah. At a shelter actually. I was hanging out by the picnic tables with some thru-hikers, and it just ambled right on by. Didn’t even glance our way.”

“Gavin said I wouldn’t need bear spray.”

“It weighs the pack down and like I said, they mostly keep away.”

“It’s the ‘mostly’ that has me concerned.”

He tossed her a smile over his shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, I carry my Glock. Just a habit. I’ve never had to use one on a bear and don’t plan to start now.”