sunset pictures.”
“That’s a great idea. She’ll love that. I’m glad I bumped into you.”
“Me, too. Have a great time.”
They went their separate ways, leaving Charly feeling half a step out of sync with the rest of her world as she made the deposit. It irritated her. She had exactly what she wanted. More. With the business she had freedom and plenty of time in wide-open spaces, challenges of every variety. She had exactly what she needed, sharing the world she loved from mountaintop to river to canyon with new people every day.
“Living the dream,” she reminded herself as she walked back up the block to the Binali Backcountry storefront. This was her heritage as well as her dream come true.
So why did it feel as though something was missing? Determined to adjust her attitude, she tipped her face to the snowcapped peaks kissing the horizon. This happened to her when she spent too much time in the office and not enough out in the field. Four days was about her tolerance for the city life, and she hadn’t led a tour in over a week. Well, easy enough to fix that. She’d just make time for an early hike tomorrow morning since she had plans tonight. Plans with a man she definitely wanted to know better. In the biblical sense rather than strictly as a friend. Maybe she should ask Tammy for pointers on how to stage a seduction. Heck, she needed pointers in how to tell if a guy was open to being seduced.
She was laughing at herself, her balance somewhat restored, when she strolled back into the store.
“Must have been some check,” Tammy said.
“Every little bit helps,” she admitted.
“I opened the fan mail while you were gone.”
“We got fan mail?”
“Sure.” Tammy spun a handwritten note card around for Charly’s inspection. “Take a look.”
Charly read it aloud, happily recalling her time with the Ronkowski family. “‘Thanks again for making our vacation something we’ll remember forever. The kids are still talking about it with anyone who will stop long enough to listen. We’ve been camping and taken tours through all kinds of places, but Charly, your expertise and passion for the area made all the difference. We’re already planning to return to Colorado and take another tour with you this summer.’”
The note went on, elevating Charly’s mood with every word. She’d led the parents and their three kids on a camping excursion through the canyon she’d recommended to Steve earlier. “Wow. We can pull a few of these lines for the website,” she said. In fact, she wanted to upload the new quotes right this second. “They were a fun family.”
“They sure think the world of you.”
“It’s easy to share what you love best.” An idea dawned, one she thought might be a good compromise for Tammy. “Want to go hiking with me tomorrow?”
“What? And close the store?”
“No. Before we open. Before breakfast.”
Tammy’s jaw dropped open. Then she snapped it shut and glared at Charly. “This is some kind of test.”
“Not at all.” Charly gathered up the mail as she rounded the counter, smiling again at the note from the Ronkowskis. “I just need to get outside.”
Tammy pointed at the door with her perfectly manicured finger. “You just came in.”
Charly laughed. “I meant the big outside, away from sidewalks and storefronts.”
“You’re a nature addict.” Tammy shook her head, as if the diagnosis were fatal. “I have plans for tomorrow before breakfast.”
“You do?”
“Yup.” Tammy nodded emphatically. “Sleep.”
“Fine.” Unable to argue with a confirmed city girl, Charly ducked into the office to deal with a few remaining administrative details. If she lingered, she knew she’d ask Tammy for advice about men and that just felt too...needy, she decided.
She’d let the mysterious chemistry work, and whatever happened with Will happened.
* * *
WILL TOOK A final look around his apartment and decided he had everything set for his movie date with Charly. The clutter was gone, the kitchen and bathroom spotless. The beer was cold, he had microwave popcorn ready to go, and he’d bought a pack of cupcakes for dessert. Yeah, he had everything except the movie.
Binali Backcountry had quickly become the high point on his postal route each day. During his first week on the job, chatting up so many strangers all at once had left him drained and craving nothing more than hours of quiet at the end of the day. Then he’d met her. There was an ease about Charly that smoothed him out. He blamed it on the absolute confidence that hovered over her like a cloud. That particular trait wasn’t something he saw in most civilians.
Casey expected Will to get involved here, so sticking to his hermit tendencies wasn’t an option even for personal time. Following orders, Will had jumped in with both feet and asked her out, telling himself it was all part of burrowing deep into the cover story.
Being a mailman came easily enough. The tasks were so different from his military career, he appreciated having the mental space to assess the community. The people were nice and generally took pride in the area as a whole. He’d been right about the mile-wide streak of independence out here. While it had been hard work denying the part of him that needed solitude and quiet, he was making the adjustment.
I’m dating, he thought, checking his watch. Charly would be here in ten minutes. He picked up the remote and started scrolling through his extensive movie library. He’d picked up most of the titles during his time on bases where the troops had created dedicated servers packed with entertainment for relaxation between missions. Still, he couldn’t make up his mind about what they should watch tonight.
This was the first time they were staying in, which felt like enough pressure, but he didn’t know her tastes well enough to make a confident choice. Will decided to narrow the list to three and let her make the final call.
While he skimmed through the long list, his cell phone sounded with the old-school telephone ring he’d programmed for contact from Director Casey. The familiar anticipation of a mission shot through his system as he answered. “Chase here.”
“This is a high-alert notification.”
Thank God, some action. He was more than ready for a challenge bigger than movie selections.
“We have confirmed reports that a device known as a Blackout Key, a cutting-edge cyber weapon, has been stolen,” Director Casey explained. “It’s reverse-engineering software. I’m told the damn thing can breach everything from bank systems to nuclear weapon launch codes.”
Will took a slow breath and waited for more details. Software could hide anywhere, on anyone.
It could be as sexy as a tube of lipstick or as unassuming as a car key. Hell, something like that could hover up in a technology cloud, just waiting for the right bad guy to access it. He fought the immediate disappointment. He couldn’t hunt software. Not the way he hunted bad guys.
Still,
