Free Surrendered Hearts by Carrie Turansky Page B

door leading to the back deck, a frown creasing his forehead as he listened. “Okay. I’ll be right over. We can decide what to do then.” He walked back to the counter and hung up the phone. 
    Jenn set the cups in the sink. “Who’s sick?”
    “Lauren’s been up all night with Toby. He can’t keep anything down. She’s trying to decide if she should take him to the doctor. And Christy, the girl who works with her in the gallery, is late again.” He shook his head. “That’s the second time this week.”
    “So, you’re going over there to help?”
    “Yeah. I can fill in until Christy shows up or give Lauren a hand with Toby.” He sighed and shook his head. “Poor little guy. Sounds like he’s really miserable.”
    Bill walked into the kitchen carrying his backpack. “Morning. You guys about ready to head out?”
    Wes explained Lauren’s call and Toby’s illness. “Lauren and I need to stick around home today.”
    “Sorry Toby’s sick.” Bill pulled his water bottle and a bag of nuts out of the backpack and set them on the counter.
    Jenn sank into a kitchen chair. First Julia had canceled because some people from out of town had called and asked to see properties for sale in Tipton. Now Wes and Lauren couldn’t go.
    Wes grabbed his toast off the counter. “Hey, that doesn’t mean you guys have to cancel the hike.”
    Bill glanced uncertainly at Wes.
    “It’s a beautiful day.” Wes gestured to the sliding glass door. “Why don’t you get out there and enjoy it?”
    Bill shifted his focus to Jenn. “Do you still want to go?”
    Her stomach did a funny little flip. Would that be weird for just the two of them to go? Wouldn’t that be almost like a date? No, she was being silly. She’d been looking forward to this hike all week. The mural was finished, and she wanted to get out of the house and celebrate. She smiled at him. “I’m up for it if you are.”
    Some undefined emotion flickered in Bill’s eyes. “Okay. Let’s get our gear together, and we can head out.”
    An hour later, after dropping Wes off at Lauren’s and making a quick stop at the Green Mountain Bakery for blueberry cake donuts and coffee, they arrived at the trailhead where they planned to leave Bill’s truck and begin their hike.
    “I’m glad you suggested leaving Wes’s car where the trail ends.” Jenn climbed out of the truck and bent to tie her shoelace. “Hiking four miles one-way sounds a lot better to me than doing an eight mile round-trip back here.”  
    Grinning, Bill grabbed their packs from the back of the truck and handed the smaller blue one to her. “Well, I want you to enjoy this hike, not get blisters and sore feet.”
    His comment made her smile, and she felt all the more determined to meet this new challenge head on. She’d show Bill she was not a prissy city girl, but someone who could hike through the woods and enjoy nature with him. She slipped the backpack on and tugged her shirt back in place.
    Bill leaned in closer and helped her adjust the straps. “You want this to ride a little higher on your shoulders or you’ll get uncomfortable.”
    She caught a whiff of his clean, woodsy aftershave and pulled in a deep breath.
    “How’s that?” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. His eyes looked very blue today with little specks of gray around the iris.
    Blushing, she tore her gaze away and silently scolded herself for gawking at him. “It’s . . . fine.” The pack actually rubbed on her sore shoulder, so she shifted it a little, thankful she only carried her lunch and Wes’s camera.
    “Okay. Let’s go.” Bill turned and led the way toward the trail, walking at an easy pace.
    Jenn followed him and shifted her attention to the quiet, shady forest. They walked along in silence for a few minu tes until Jenn asked Bill about a particular tree with a huge, rough trunk.
    He told her it was a red oak and launched off on a two-minute spiel, giving her the all the details. He slowed and glanced