Free Rocky Mountain Hideaway (To Love Again Book 2) by Kate Fargo

care of herself for a long time and when she realized that she’d placed her fate in Tray, who was unable to get out of his own sweater, she’d laughed at how far she’d come in the last twenty-four hours.
    They were here to have some fun. She would do well to remember that. In fact, that should be her only focus.
    That had to be her only focus. She had serious issues to deal with once this weekend was over. It was Thanksgiving and she intended to have some things to be thankful for. She would go back to her office in a couple of days with a few new techniques to share with her patients. Not so much the techniques but the ability to put herself in their place. No question about it - her libido was awake again. Wide awake. She was finding the fresh air, good food and Tray’s easy ability to laugh at himself to be wonderful aphrodisiacs.
    The view made her feel like she was living on the edge. She realized her life hadn’t had this much life in it for a long time. A sadness came over her. She was good at telling other people to pick up the pieces, to make the best of their lives, to live each day to the fullest but she hadn’t taken a word of her own advice.
    Thank heavens for Jenny. Her friend had stayed with her through thick and thin. Although she hadn’t shared many details with Jenny yesterday morning, she was looking forward to a cappuccino and lots of girl talk when she got back. She wished she could talk to Jenny now. Maybe she could help her sort out her feelings. The feelings she wasn’t supposed to be having.
    Isabel took another look over the edge, at the fabulous view, and decided she’d been playing it safe for far too long.
     

     

     
     
     

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
     
     
    Tray kept a steady pace up the side of the mountain, scrambling through the scree as they reached the top. Isabel stayed close behind, sliding a little in the loose shale, but she seemed to be more excited than scared.
    He’d been keeping a close watch on the weather but it was hard to tell what was happening to the west with the mountain in his way. The sky was growing darker and the wind had chilled by a few degrees. The wind wasn’t unusual this high up, but the sky could be cause for concern. If they kept up this pace, he thought they’d hit the top in about twenty minutes.
    Because they had stopped for such a leisurely lunch, the only people they were seeing on the trail were on their way back down. It was an out of the way trail anyway, he had planned it that way, but he couldn’t help thinking that he would be more comfortable if there were more people around. He hadn’t heard the weather forecast this morning, but they were rarely accurate anyway. A good bush man could often see what was coming better than a meteorologist with a computer in an office tower.
    Tray’s good impression of Isabel got better as they climbed higher. She was keeping up with him no problem at all. He knew that she barely had time for exercise with her busy schedule and wondered if it was pure adrenalin propelling her up the mountainside. He turned to put her in his sights. She was directly behind him. He reached back to give her a hand over a sheet face of rock. Her boots were adequate but not the best for this type of scrambling. Isabel took his hand and smiled as he pulled her up over the rock. That was the thing with Isabel - strong enough to know that accepting help didn’t make her weak. Some of the girls he’d dated wouldn’t let him hold a door open for them, let alone take his hand for help. Sometimes he thought they took it too far, but he knew his background may play a part in his attitudes.
    Growing up on the farm, he and his brothers had been taught to take care of women. Not because they were helpless, or weak, but out of respect. Thirty-five years into their marriage and his father had always seemed more like he was still courting Tray’s mother. And in a way, he was. He never forgot to let her know how much he appreciated her.