Running Wild(Wild #3)(70)

“Anything exciting?” I find myself desperate to change topics, to keep this casual conversation going. It feels good to be with Tyler. When I’m with him, I’m not thinking about anything else.

“Besides the family of tourists who thought bear repellent worked the same as mosquito repellent and sprayed it all over themselves?”

An unexpected burst of laughter escapes.

“You like that one, huh?” Tyler grins. “It’s not as good as the naked couple I found hiding in the trees yesterday.”

My jaw drops. “You’re lying!”

“Swear to God.” He presses his free hand over his vest where his heart resides, under a thick pad of muscle. “They were camping and decided to go skinny-dipping in one of the lakes in the afternoon. When they got out of the water, their clothes were gone. Went back to their campground and everything there was gone too. They were trying to get to their car when I came across them.”

“Naked and afraid.”

He chuckles. “She had a few well-positioned tree branches but kept dropping them to swat at the mosquitoes. Man, that was a long, uncomfortable walk back to my truck for everyone.”

If I had a free hand, it would be covering my hanging jaw. I’m not sure which would be worse—darting through the mosquito-infested forest bare-assed or being found that way by this man. My cheeks flush with the thought. “Did you figure out who stole their things?”

“The woman seemed convinced his girlfriend had something to do with it.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. If it was, I say good for her.” He takes a long sip of his coffee.

I’m momentarily caught on his mouth and his jaw, and the way his Adam’s apple bobs with his swallow. But mostly, I’m caught on how much I like being near Tyler.

He flashes another smile, this one showing off deep dimples, and a look that says he can somehow read my thoughts.

“Sorry ’bout that. Once you get Sam talkin’ about his fire boss planes, there’s no stopping him.”

I jump at the sound of Jonah’s deep voice behind me. “Yeah. No worries.”

“Aw, man. You did not.” He grimaces when he takes in the paper tray of biscuits and gravy. “How do you eat that stuff? It looks like cat vomit.”

Exactly the reaction I knew I’d get from Jonah. “Cold cat vomit now, thanks to you.”

He shakes his head with disgust, then points at the tray of drinks in my hand. “That’s dairy-free, right? ’Cause Calla will murder me in my sleep if it’s not.”

I’m about to say yes when Tyler cuts in. “Hey, you were flying dogs out of White Mountain back in March, weren’t you?”

“Dogs, straw, HEET, kibble, pork belly, you name it. She roped me in.” He jerks his chin toward me.

“This is Tyler Brady,” I introduce.

Jonah frowns as recognition slips in. “You won this year, didn’t you?” He sticks his hand out. “Congratulations. Good to see you, man.”

“I didn’t know you and Marie were friends. What’s that like? Did you have to fill out an application? Go for an interview?” Tyler is talking to Jonah, but he’s grinning at me. “Did she tell you to fuck off a few times, too, before she gave you a chance?”

I’m shaking my head, but I’m laughing now. And my cheeks are flushed. Again. “Don’t you have more naked people in the woods to rescue?”

“Oh man, I hope not.” His eyes twinkle with laughter.

Jonah watches curiously as if trying to decipher the cryptic joke, before tapping my arm with his elbow. “We better get back with that level before Roy quits on me. He’s on a super short fuse.” His gaze darts between Tyler and me, and I see that look of determination settle into his jaw a second before he says, “Hey, listen, if you’re around tomorrow night, you should come by the Ale House in Trapper’s Crossing.”

What is he doing? “Tyler lives too far away,” I blurt, glaring at my best friend.

“Actually, I don’t mind the drive. You going to be there, Marie?” Tyler is smiling. Is this a challenge? He must be able to sense my panic now as surely as he did earlier from across the lot.

“Yeah, she is,” Jonah answers for me.

“Then maybe I’ll make an appearance. Cheers.” He holds up his paper cup, the blue ink paw prints almost comical in his large hand, and then heads back to his pickup.

The second we’re in Jonah’s truck, he turns in his seat to declare, “You hooked up with that guy.”

“I didn’t!” I falter. “Not exactly. It’s a long story, and I don’t want to get into it. And why did you invite him to the Ale House?” My hands free of the coffee tray, I smack his arm.

“I was tryin’ to help you out! Come on, you two wanna jump each other.”

“We don’t.”

“Yeah. Bullshit,” he scoffs, cranking his engine. “I may be an idiot about a lot of things, but I can tell when two people are into each other.”

“We’re not. Or he’s not. Believe me, he couldn’t have been clearer.”

Jonah cocks his head, waiting for an explanation.

He is not going to relent. “His wife died giving birth to his son. They both died.” I watch the green-and-white ranger pickup truck sit at the main road, the little light blinking as Tyler waits to make his turn. “He’s not interested in dating anyone.”