Every Step She Takes (Who's Watching Now Book 2) by Jannine Gallant Page B

relief. “No serious relationships since then?”
    “Not really. I considered starting something with Rachel’s brother-in-law. Since Kane makes her so happy, I thought maybe Jed—” She bit her lip.
    “Don’t tell me the guy wasn’t interested.”
    “I decided holidays would be awkward if it didn’t work out. And with my track record—” She broke off and shrugged. “Anyway, Jed isn’t really my type.”
    “I like the man already.”
    She laughed. “Now that you mention it, the two of you have a lot in common. Outdoorsy, take charge, alpha males.”
    He pounded his chest with his fists. “Woman cook food, stay pregnant. Me hunt.”
    She snickered. “You definitely don’t want me. I specialize in take-out pizza.”
    “I like to cook.”
    “Hmmm, that might get you a third date. What about kids?”
    “I’ve been too busy to give fatherhood any serious consideration. My older brother has a pair of adolescent boys, and my younger one has two cute little girls who adore their Uncle Travis.”
    “Aren’t we just two peas in a pod? Did your ex-wife want a baby?”
    “We didn’t get to that point. Looking back on it, I think Val saw only the glamorous Navy SEAL, not a regular guy working his ass off to make his fledgling company a success. When she realized she wasn’t living in a romance novel, she bailed faster than a sailor in a sinking life boat.”
    They’d had a few other issues. Nothing he wanted to get into. He didn’t want to think about the way Val had betrayed him ever again.
    Pulling a water bottle from the side pocket of her pack, Grace drank a few swallows then squirted a stream of liquid over her head. Drops ran between her breasts and soaked her tank top. He pried his gaze away and realized he’d lost track of the conversation.
    “Huh?”
    “I asked why you married her in the first place.”
    “Truthfully, I think I was too preoccupied with work to realize what was happening until the invitations were ordered and the church booked. Val is like a tsunami, swallowing up everything in her path. Before I knew it, I was walking down a church aisle, wondering if I’d ever actually proposed.”
    She smirked. “Jane, queen of the jungle, captures her man.”
    “Not even close. Val is this petite little blond thing. Don’t get me wrong, I was crazy about her. But we were horrible as a couple.”
    She stopped and laid a hand on his arm. His skin burned beneath her slim fingers.
    “You really are a nice guy. Not a single snarky comment about your ex.”
    He moaned. “The kiss of death.”
    Her smile morphed into a frown. “What are you talking about?”
    “The nice guy label. Nice guys don’t wind up with the hot girl.” His gaze drifted down to the dog, hind foot raised to scratch furiously behind its ear. “Nice guys spend lonely nights in a tent with nothing but a mangy mutt for company.”
    She covered her mouth but couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You’re funny, too, a trait not to be taken lightly. I think our true confessions session qualifies as a second date.”
    “Yeah?”
    Nodding, she squeezed his arm again before heading up the trail. “At this rate, we’ll be on date number five before you know it.”
    * * * *
    Grace pumped until she was certain her arm would fall off as the purified water ran into a plastic bottle. Capping it, she grabbed the next one in line and set to work. Across the clearing, Travis stirred some sort of chicken and rice dish studded with veggies. Her lip curled. What the freeze dried food lacked in flavor was made up for in nutrition. As hungry as she was, she’d eat just about anything.
    When the bottles were full, she carried them up from the creek. Funny how they’d fallen into such an easy routine, working together to prepare a meal and set up camp. After two days on the trail, she felt like a backpacking pro. A smile stretched into a broad grin. If Rachel could see her, sweat-stained and dirty, spreading sleeping pads in the miniscule