things in order to please her, or at least keep the peace. He never went anywhere. He warned me that he was a cautionary tale.”
“Hmm. So your father is miserable?”
Luke nodded. “Not completely miserable, but he has regrets. He sighs when he glances through the travel section of the newspaper and he watches every travel documentary he can find. He even clips out coupons for discount travel adventures that he can’t follow up on.”
“Excuse me for saying so, Luke, but unless he’s an invalid, he could still travel. What’s stopping him from going?”
“Like I said, the responsibilities at home, and my mother, who has no interest in traveling.” But as Luke laid it out for Emmett, he had to admit that his father was an adult with free will. If this was his passion, he could find a way to make it happen. Maybe it was easier to stay home and complain.
“You know, son, could be he’s using your mother as an excuse not to go.”
“Maybe. He might be scared to actually go now. I see your point, but that only emphasizes mine. I don’t want to tie myself to the same things that weigh him down, whether he’s allowing that or not. I’d rather avoid being in that mess in the first place. I wouldn’t be good at settling down, and I know it.”
“I suppose, with an example like that, you don’t think so.”
Luke had the feeling that Emmett had more he could say, but he was refraining from saying it. That was okay with Luke, because they’d strayed from the topic, which was his intentions toward Naomi and hers toward him.
So he tackled the subject again. “Naomi knows all about my wanderlust. She and I are attracted to each other, and I’ve told her I’m not a forever kind of guy.”
“Yes, but she might think she can change you.”
“I don’t think she wants to.”
“All women want to get a man to settle down. It’s the way of the world.” Emmett spoke with certainty.
“It used to be, Emmett, but not so much anymore. Naomi’s like a lot of women—not sure where she’s going, what her next job will be. She wants to stay flexible. She’s no more ready for a husband than I’m ready for a wife.”
“She told you that?”
“She did. And she’s not the only woman who’s said the same kind of thing. I don’t want to go behind your back, Emmett, but I intend to spend time with Naomi, and she’s heading into it with her eyes wide open. In fact, she likes the idea that I won’t be begging for her hand in marriage.”
Emmett was quiet for at least a full minute. “Her folks wouldn’t appreciate knowing about this.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t.”
“So I won’t tell them.”
“Thank you.”
“I won’t pry into your activities during your free time, but I expect the same amount of work out of you that I’ve always had.”
“You’ll get it. But I have an afternoon off coming, and I’d like to take it tomorrow.”
“Guess I don’t have to ask where you’ll be going.”
“No. And…I’d like to borrow a horse. If you can’t lend me one, I understand, but I—”
“You can borrow the damned horse.” Emmett sounded gruff. “Smudge can always use the exercise.”
“Thanks, Emmett.”
“You’re welcome. And if you have any more bright ideas regarding Pam, don’t keep them to yourself.”
Luke smiled. “I won’t.”
NAOMI HAD EXPECTED to toss and turn, but she slept great. She loved camping, but there was something to be said for a good innerspring. As she packed up for the hike back to the campsite, she thought about what likely would be happening there in the next few days and searched around for items she wouldn’t normally take camping.
Lacy underwear topped the list. Then she threw in a see-through nightgown that she’d never considered wearing while sleeping in a tent. She had a perfume bottle in her hand, ready to pack it, when she came to her senses.
Good grief, had she completely lost her mind? Fragrance of any kind was a no-no. She was in bear country, for God’s sake, not at a beach resort.
For that matter, she might want to forget the see-through nightgown, too. It was the sort of thing a woman wore when she emerged from the bathroom of a luxury suite and sashayed over to the king-size bed where her lover waited, his gaze hot. When two people were crammed into a small dome tent, transparent lingerie lost most of its impact.
With reality smacking her in the face, she pulled out her lacy underwear, too. She was doing field research on a nesting pair of eagles, not arranging a romantic tryst with the man of her dreams. Luke had suggested this arrangement after catching her at her rumpled worst. If she got all fancy on him, he might laugh.
Or worse yet, he might wonder if she was trying to snare him with her feminine wiles. Then he’d turn tail and run. He’d proposed a straightforward liaison where they both understood the parameters. Seductive clothing could easily send the wrong message.
Because she could cut cross-country to the campsite, her hike was only about five miles. Hiking always helped her think. As she walked, she examined her knee-jerk response to this situation with Luke.
She’d automatically reached for the accepted female lures—fragrance and suggestive clothing. She’d reacted as if she needed to make herself more desirable to him. Oh, yeah, Luke would have been suspicious of her motivation for doing that.
She was suspicious of her motivation. Before this affair started, she might want to search her conscience to make absolutely sure no hidden agenda existed. This relationship couldn’t be a bait and switch where she accepted his invitation to a no-strings affair and then subtly tried to bind him to her.
Hiking across a sunny meadow filled with sage and wildflowers, butterflies and songbirds, was perfect for soul-searching. She did a mental practice run through the scenario. For a few weeks, she would enjoy Luke’s company and his gorgeous body. They’d have great sex and watch the eagles together. She’d become used to having him around.
But the eagles would leave the nest. Luke had already said that was about the time he planned to head for parts unknown. She’d have to bid him goodbye without making a big deal out of it. Could she?
Well, of course she could. After she’d graduated from college and before starting her first job, she and some friends had spent the summer backpacking through Europe. They’d had an amazing time, but that trip had ended and the friends had scattered. They kept up through emails, but their summer of bonding was only a memory now.
Had she been sad when the trip had ended? Of course. Would she like the
