find her way home no matter the weather or resources. She could track and mimic any animal that called this area home and, more importantly, she could find lost people better than any bloodhound.
Typically, men looking for a good time didn’t put those skills at the top of the list when they wanted a date. Or a girlfriend. It was too soon to tell if Will would be different. She returned to the office to print out the work schedule.
Looking it over as it came off the printer, she prepared for the inevitable complaints. She required all of her guides to spend a few hours in the shop each week. It wasn’t a popular stance and she’d lost a few good guides to nearby competitors since she’d implemented the policy. No one loved getting out and guiding mountain and canyon tours more than she did. But it was important to her that everyone understood the gear they carried for customers and that selling tours was a group effort. It kept them all invested and focused on the overall success of Binali Backcountry. As she’d explained it—again—at last month’s staff meeting, no one sold a tour better than the guide who loved to lead it.
The reverse was also true, and it was past time for Tammy to get out and away from the business district. “Have you decided which tour you’ll join next week?”
Tammy cringed and busied herself with a sudden interest in the day’s few credit card receipts. “I’m not sure my boots are broken in yet.”
Charly glanced at Tammy’s feet and noted the cute Western boots better suited for line dancing than hiking. “So start small. How about something down around Lake Nighthorse or along the river trail?” Those routes naturally had a slower pace, more photo opportunities and generally left people delighted rather than exhausted.
“Maybe.” Tammy popped her gum while she flipped through the appointment book. “Clint only has openings on his two-night thing into the canyon.”
Ah. Now Charly had the clear picture. Tammy was crushing on Clint. The girl had good taste, but Clint Roberts wasn’t the one-woman kind of guy, and she didn’t want Tammy’s feelings getting hurt in the bargain.
“I know the tents are rated to thirty below or whatever,” Tammy said, “but I can’t believe that material is really effective.”
“What you should believe,” Charly said, her voice calm but stern, “is that your job here depends on you getting outside by next week.”
Tammy’s eyes went wide, shimmering with tears. “That’s not fair.”
This kind of thing was exactly why Charly preferred working with men. No emotional games, just the occasional posturing, and she knew how to shut that down. Charly took a calming breath, reminded herself the tears were an act, a tool Tammy had probably learned to wield early in life. “That was the deal when I hired you. Do I need to pull out the paperwork you signed?”
“No.” Tammy’s tears evaporated instantly. “I’ll go with David on the river trail tomorrow. Unless...”
Charly was half-afraid to ask. “Unless what?”
“What if I took over the office stuff? All that computer crap you hate is a piece of cake for me.”
“Really?”
Tammy nodded, hope clearly bubbling over as she laced her fingers and bounced a little.
Charly glared at her. “Why didn’t you say something when I was ready to put a tent stake through the computer last week?”
“And miss a chance to stare at Will’s ass?”
Valid point. The girl had priorities, even if they were different from Charly’s. “You still have to take the tours.” She held up a hand, cutting off Tammy’s protest. “At least the ones close to town. It will help you sort out what treks appeal to what type of person.”
“Okay, okay.” Tammy shook back her cloud of perfect, bottle-blond hair. “But if I fall in the river you’ll be on your own with the computer stuff.”
“I’ll tell David to be extra careful with you.”
“Thank you.” She tapped her fingernail on the counter. “You know, I could even put the tour schedules into a calendar app and then all of you would know what’s what out on the trails.”
She and her guides already knew that, but Charly appreciated the effort. “I’d go with that in a heartbeat if—”
“Right,” Tammy interrupted. “Cell reception is crappy in the wild. One more reason to appreciate the city.”
“Takes all kinds to keep the world turning.” Charly flipped through the mail, finding an official envelope from the park service between the catalogs and handing the rest of the stack to Tammy. She ripped it open, pleased to find a check for her latest consulting work. “I’m going to run this over to the bank.”
“I’ll hold down the fort.”
Charly breathed deep of the clear, crisp air as she strolled down the block. It always felt good when a consulting job had a happy ending. This time around it had been a weekend hiker who hadn’t come back on schedule. At the twenty-four-hour mark, his wife had insisted the park service start a search and they in turn had called Charly. When they reached him, they’d found the poor guy had taken a tumble and lost his radio. Easy enough to do this time of year when the weather couldn’t decide between winter and spring.
Up ahead, she saw Will on his route, but he was chatting with the owner of the pub where they had shared their first beer. The man was too easy on the eyes, and she purposely looked away, just to prove she could. It wouldn’t do her any good to get attached to the idea that he would see her as more than a pal with breasts. She glanced down at her chest. Her barely B cups might not be big enough to meet the general definition. They certainly had never been big enough to change the way the local guys saw her.
Tammy might be right about the raw chemistry between Charly and Will, and Charly was definitely ready to see where pheromones and attraction could lead. How could she find out if Will was on the same page? She was darn sure ready for more than another buddy to talk beer, guns and trails.
She yanked open the bank door and stutter-stepped to avoid bumping into the police officer walking out. “Whoops. Sorry, Steve.”
“No problem. How are things?”
“Can’t complain,” she replied. “How are the kids?”
“Good.” He stepped back inside with her. “I’m thinking about taking my youngest down into the canyon when it warms up a bit.”
Steve had worked part-time for her father during their senior year. They’d gone to the homecoming dance—as friends—because both of them had been too busy that season to find real dates. Suddenly she felt seventeen and awkward again, remembering the time they’d driven out to prep a campsite in the canyon and stayed long into the night, watching a meteor shower from the back of his pickup truck. She’d wished for a kiss as the stars fell, but Steve didn’t oblige.
Thank God, she thought now. It would’ve been weird. More of an experiment than romance, even under that endless sky.
Steve waved his hand in front of her face. “Charly? You okay?”
With a little jump and a self-conscious smile, she apologized.
