“I was going to make steak and potatoes tonight,” I said non-committally.
“Great, we’ll call it a potluck,” she said, and then handed me the bottle of aloe before going into her cabin.
I knelt down by the fire pit and broke sticks for kindling.
Kyle came over and sat next to me, wrapping his tail around his body and watching me work. “What do you want?”
The cat looked up at me and I looked down at him. I’d thought it was pure black when I first saw him, but he had a little tuft of white on his chest and under his nose that made it look like he had a mustache and was wearing a little tuxedo.
“Kyle… do you even like the name Kyle?”
Kyle looked up at me, yawned widely, then rubbed the side of his face against my knee.
A smile spread over my face and I quickly pulled it back.
Getting sucked into Skye’s chaos was not the point of this trip. And I sure as hell was not going to make friends with a cat named Kyle.
Chapter Four
Skye
We ended up sharing dinner even though Aaron clearly didn’t want to. My chili recipe lured him in.
He came here to relax alone, but I’d never known the man to relax. I might as well keep him company and maybe get a favor at the same time. “What did you think of the chili?”
He nodded reluctantly. “I admit it was pretty damn good.”
I beamed at him and prepared for impact. “Have you heard of the Devil’s Horn Trail?”
“Why?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Wow, that goodwill from the chili disappeared quickly. “Well, if someone wants to climb it they are supposed to have a guide with them.”
“Uh, huh?” The firelight was dancing over his face, making even his pissed off expression sexy.
“And some pictures and info from the trail would really round out this article I’m writing…you’re a certified guide, right?”
He threw up his hands and rose from the log he was sitting on. He stalked towards me. Kyle leapt out from behind a table leg and batted his ankle before making a run for it with his ears pinned back.
Aaron loomed over me. “You really think I’d take you up there? I’m on vacation, for one thing.”
Alright, on to Plan B.
“That’s fine,” I waved my hand dismissively. “I’ll just head up with Kyle. What are the odds some park ranger will come by and bust me, anyway?”
He was studying me but I kept my eyes on the table where I was untangling one of Kyle’s leashes.
“The guide requirement is just to limit traffic, anyway. It isn’t dangerous.”
“The backcountry is always dangerous. You’re not going up there.”
I flicked my eyes up to meet his. “I am, one way or another.”
He let out an impressive string of curses. “Fine, tomorrow morning. Early. Be ready.”
Aaron marched towards his cabin door, stepped inside and slammed it behind him. Kyle leapt onto the porch chasing a moth and I smiled at his antics…and Aaron’s too.
Played right into his hero complex. The man is nothing if not predictable.