planned to keep yourself from stinking?”
“I was thinking about hiking tomorrow, anyway, get myself out of their hair.”
“Want some company? I’m here a bit longer myself, and I know a few good tracks.”
“Why?”
“Why?” He sounded completely flabbergasted, and the grin was gone. “What d’you mean, why?”
“I mean, do you actually like me?” she heard herself asking. “Or is it just that you can’t stand to fail? Because I can’t decide.”
“Crikey, you’re blunt,” he said wonderingly.
“Well, I haven’t dated for years,” she tried to explain. “I don’t know the rules anymore, if I ever did. So I figure that means I get to make up my own.”
“Not for years, eh,” he said speculatively.
“Nope.” She thought about explaining that, abandoned the idea.
“Conversational topic for tomorrow, then?”
“Maybe,” she smiled. “If my life history’s really of any interest. And if you tell me why you’re asking me out.”
“Right. You said honesty was good, so I’ll have a crack at it. Because I like how you look. A lot. Because you keep surprising me. And because,” he said with another grin, “I really, really hate to lose.”
“And honesty wins the day,” she decided. “All good answers. Sure, I’ll go hiking with you. Hiking’s pretty safe.”
Hidden Dangers
“Careful here,” Nate said the next day. Geez. He hadn’t been on this track in a couple years. He hadn’t realized how overgrown it had become with gorse. The nasty stuff was everywhere, its bright yellow flowers looking mockingly cheerful in the sunshine, belying the vicious thorns. “I should’ve told you to wear long pants.”
“It’s all right,” Ally said. “It’s worth it for the view.” They were at the edge of the headland now, the coastal vista spreading before them. The indentations of rugged cliffs creating hidden bays, the foaming lines of white surf and endless corrugated blue of the sea beyond.
It was fairly nice. He’d got that bit right, anyway. And she actually sounded pleased, to his relief. He couldn’t imagine another woman who would’ve got her legs scratched up like this without whingeing. And she wasn’t even a Kiwi. Maybe Canadians were tough too, though. He hadn’t known enough to tell.
He turned now as he crossed a stile into a paddock, reached for her hand.
“Nate,” she sighed, “I appreciate your gentlemanly concern, but you don’t have to help me. I can do the uphills, and I can do the downhills too. I can cross a stile without falling. I’m sorry if you’d like me to be more helpless, but I can’t fake it.”
“Yeh. Right.” He was thoroughly rattled now. He kept forgetting that she was a professional, kept automatically reaching back for her. This wasn’t going well at all. He’d thought it’d be a chance to make up some ground. Instead, he was on the back foot once again. Right, then. Conversation. He’d try that.
“This is some more of the honesty thing,” he said, embarking on a steep uphill section of track and making a conscious effort not to help her. “Making up your own rules for dating. Because you haven’t done it in years.”
“That’s it,” she said cheerfully, sounding not in the least winded as she came along behind him. For somebody with such a pretty body, she was in fantastic shape. Or maybe that was why she had such a pretty body.
Crikey. He was losing his train of thought again. Back to the topic.
“So why is that? Scare them all away?” She’d teased him enough. He’d try a bit of it on her.
She laughed. OK. Teasing was working. “No. I had somebody. Well, sort of. I’ve been with the same guy since college. I mean,” she corrected herself, “I had been. Until I came here.”
“You left him to move here with Kristen?” If she was a lesbian, he was going to have to get his signal-reading sorted. And have a chat with Mako. On the other hand, that would be pretty hot. Hmm.
“Well, not
“I was thinking about hiking tomorrow, anyway, get myself out of their hair.”
“Want some company? I’m here a bit longer myself, and I know a few good tracks.”
“Why?”
“Why?” He sounded completely flabbergasted, and the grin was gone. “What d’you mean, why?”
“I mean, do you actually like me?” she heard herself asking. “Or is it just that you can’t stand to fail? Because I can’t decide.”
“Crikey, you’re blunt,” he said wonderingly.
“Well, I haven’t dated for years,” she tried to explain. “I don’t know the rules anymore, if I ever did. So I figure that means I get to make up my own.”
“Not for years, eh,” he said speculatively.
“Nope.” She thought about explaining that, abandoned the idea.
“Conversational topic for tomorrow, then?”
“Maybe,” she smiled. “If my life history’s really of any interest. And if you tell me why you’re asking me out.”
“Right. You said honesty was good, so I’ll have a crack at it. Because I like how you look. A lot. Because you keep surprising me. And because,” he said with another grin, “I really, really hate to lose.”
“And honesty wins the day,” she decided. “All good answers. Sure, I’ll go hiking with you. Hiking’s pretty safe.”
Hidden Dangers
“Careful here,” Nate said the next day. Geez. He hadn’t been on this track in a couple years. He hadn’t realized how overgrown it had become with gorse. The nasty stuff was everywhere, its bright yellow flowers looking mockingly cheerful in the sunshine, belying the vicious thorns. “I should’ve told you to wear long pants.”
“It’s all right,” Ally said. “It’s worth it for the view.” They were at the edge of the headland now, the coastal vista spreading before them. The indentations of rugged cliffs creating hidden bays, the foaming lines of white surf and endless corrugated blue of the sea beyond.
It was fairly nice. He’d got that bit right, anyway. And she actually sounded pleased, to his relief. He couldn’t imagine another woman who would’ve got her legs scratched up like this without whingeing. And she wasn’t even a Kiwi. Maybe Canadians were tough too, though. He hadn’t known enough to tell.
He turned now as he crossed a stile into a paddock, reached for her hand.
“Nate,” she sighed, “I appreciate your gentlemanly concern, but you don’t have to help me. I can do the uphills, and I can do the downhills too. I can cross a stile without falling. I’m sorry if you’d like me to be more helpless, but I can’t fake it.”
“Yeh. Right.” He was thoroughly rattled now. He kept forgetting that she was a professional, kept automatically reaching back for her. This wasn’t going well at all. He’d thought it’d be a chance to make up some ground. Instead, he was on the back foot once again. Right, then. Conversation. He’d try that.
“This is some more of the honesty thing,” he said, embarking on a steep uphill section of track and making a conscious effort not to help her. “Making up your own rules for dating. Because you haven’t done it in years.”
“That’s it,” she said cheerfully, sounding not in the least winded as she came along behind him. For somebody with such a pretty body, she was in fantastic shape. Or maybe that was why she had such a pretty body.
Crikey. He was losing his train of thought again. Back to the topic.
“So why is that? Scare them all away?” She’d teased him enough. He’d try a bit of it on her.
She laughed. OK. Teasing was working. “No. I had somebody. Well, sort of. I’ve been with the same guy since college. I mean,” she corrected herself, “I had been. Until I came here.”
“You left him to move here with Kristen?” If she was a lesbian, he was going to have to get his signal-reading sorted. And have a chat with Mako. On the other hand, that would be pretty hot. Hmm.
“Well, not
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