Defending Harlow (Mountain Mercenaries #4)(38)

She blinked. “Of course.”

“Does she worry about you?”

“Lowell, yes. She’s my mother.”

“Then I have no problem talking to her. You’re her daughter. She loves you and wants the best for you. If you get hurt, I’ll take complete responsibility, and I’ll explain to your mother and your father what happened, and what I’m doing to make sure you get better. They’re a part of your life, and will always be a part of your life. I’d be a dick to not want to get to know them. And just to reassure you, I love my parents too. But I’d never take them on a date with me, and I’d never let my mother cut my food. So you don’t have to worry about that.”

Harlow’s mind spun. Finally, she just shook her head and asked, “Why are we talking about this?”

“You started it.”

She huffed out a laugh. “You sound like a ten-year-old.” She raised the pitch of her voice to sound like a child. “You started it!”

He smiled—then reached for her sides and began to tickle her.

“Lowell . . . stop it! No! I’m ticklish!” She giggled and writhed, trying to dislodge his fingers from her sides. Eventually he stopped, and Harlow realized he had his arms around her, and her hands were resting on his chest.

“Less nervous now?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah. I am. Thanks,” she responded just as quietly. And she was. She couldn’t believe she’d just told him about another horrible date she’d had, but he hadn’t laughed. He’d simply reassured her and moved on.

It was getting harder and harder to tell herself that she didn’t want to date this man.

“Come on. Let’s get you something to nibble on. I’m sure it’s not as good as your homemade biscuits and such that you make for the kids at the shelter, but it’ll fill your belly. We can go out for brunch when we get back.” And with that, he squeezed her waist, then took her hand in his once more and headed for the table laden with store-bought goodies.



An hour later they were at the top of the road that led up to Pikes Peak. The weather was chilly, but it was absolutely clear outside. A few stars were still twinkling above their heads, and the lights of Colorado Springs far below them were breathtaking.

Harlow took a deep breath and turned to grin at Lowell. It was hard to breathe since they were fourteen thousand feet above sea level, and she had goose bumps from being cold, but this was an amazing experience.

She was still nervous about being flung over the handlebars of her bike, but she’d actually felt better after watching the video. It explained that they wouldn’t be flying pell-mell down the mountain. They’d take frequent breaks, and if anyone got scared or nervous, they could call it quits and ride the rest of the way down in the van that was following behind the bikes for safety reasons.

“If I forget to tell you later, I had a good time this morning,” Harlow told Lowell.

In response, he leaned over, picked up her gloved hand, and kissed the back of it. She couldn’t feel his lips against her skin because of the leather glove, but the gesture touched her all the same.

“Glad I could make you smile, Harl. It looks good on you.”

She was going to respond, but their group leader chose that moment to ask, “Everyone ready?”

The others around her cheered their agreement, and then they were off.

Harlow was very careful for the first five minutes or so, then she let herself go. She didn’t worry so much about how fast she was going or if some wild animal was going to leap out in front of her. She simply enjoyed the experience.

The best part was when they all stopped at an overlook and watched the sun rise over the eastern plains of Colorado. One minute the sky was all pink and hazy, and the next, the bright yellow light of the sun was in her eyes. It was probably one of the most beautiful sights she’d ever seen.

To top it off, Lowell had pulled his bike up right next to hers and held her hand throughout the entire thing. Harlow turned to tell him how much the moment meant to her, but he took the words right out of her mouth when he leaned close and gently kissed her cheek.

He didn’t say anything, but Harlow knew the moment would forever be etched in her brain.

“Having fun?”

She nodded, knowing her voice wouldn’t work.

“Good.”

“Okay, folks, we’ve still got about half this mountain to conquer. Time to get moving!” their leader exclaimed once the sun had risen all the way above the horizon.

The rest of the trip down the mountain was uneventful, but Harlow couldn’t remember when she’d had as much fun. Looking at her watch, she was amazed it was only nine thirty. It seemed like an entire day had passed. As the guides were putting the bikes back into the trailer, Harlow yawned.

Lowell put his arm around her, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to rest her head on his shoulder. “You look beat.”

She shrugged. “I told you I didn’t sleep well last night. I kept having nightmares about the shelter blowing up.”

His body tensed. “I think I’m just going to take you home,” he said. “You can get a nap in before you have to go back and work this afternoon. It’s a bit early for brunch anyway.”

Harlow really didn’t want to go back to her empty apartment, but there was no reason for Lowell to spend any more time with her.