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„Wild asparagus.“
„Tasty.“ She found herself wondering if he actually knew all these plants, or was having fun with her. Testing him, she pointed with her fork. „This?“
„That’s wild mint. And that one is thyme.“
She started to laugh. „Honestly?“
„Would I lie to the woman who saved my life?“ He speared a tuber. „This is orris root. And this is verbena. I’ll use some later to make you tea.“
„You’re trying to impress me with all this knowledge, aren’t you?“
„Guilty.“ He gri
„Yeah.“ She shot him a sideways glance. „How do you learn all this?“
He shrugged. „The same way a city girl quickly learns which restaurant has the best carryout. I’ve spent so much time in the wild, eating from the land has become second nature to me.“
„Is this when you tell me your amazing tale of having been raised in the wilderness by wolves, and that you’re actually an untamed mountain man?“
That had them both laughing.
It occurred to Josh that he was having a grand time, feeling more relaxed and carefree than he had in years. „I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. She used to tell me stories about my dad, and I wanted to be just like him. I was keen for any adventure. I was on skis as soon as I could walk. Climbing mountains when other kids were riding their bikes.“ His tone lowered. Softened. „Gram told me that there wasn’t anything my father wouldn’t attempt. When I was a kid, I thought he could walk on water.“
Grace heard the affection in his tone and felt a sudden ache around her heart at the thought of all she’d missed with her own father. „No wonder you need to get the generator up and ru
„My father died when I was ten. Until then, I was a military brat, moving all around the world. Though my mother hated it, I was having the time of my life.“ He crossed to the fire, retrieving the coffeepot. „I think, if my father had lived, my parents would have gone their separate ways.“ When he’d topped off both their cups, he set the coffeepot aside before returning to the sofa and stretching out his legs toward the heat. „Within a year of my dad’s death my mother remarried, and I was allowed to move in with my grandmother. It was a good move for all of us. My grandmother was an amazing woman.“
Intrigued, Grace turned to him. „In what way?“
He shrugged. „She’d buried a husband, a son. Since I was the only family member she had left, it would have been natural for her to lock the doors and cling to me as tightly as possible.“
He saw Grace’s sudden frown and wondered where she’d just gone in her mind. „Instead of holding on too tightly, she seemed perfectly content to allow me to follow my heart, no matter where it took me. When I was fourteen I told her I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail the way my dad had. She offered to come along, but I told her I wanted to do it alone. And I did.“
„But you were only a kid.“
„I grew up fast. I found out a lot about myself that summer. After that, I spent every summer doing the things my father had done. Hiking in Wyoming. Snowboarding in Colorado. Fishing in Montana.“
„So young. Weren’t you afraid and awfully lonely?“
He smiled, remembering. „There were times when I thought I’d taken on a challenge that was bigger than my talent. But I can’t say I was ever afraid. As for feeling lonely…“ He stared into the fire. „I’ve always felt the presence of my dad in my life.“
Again that quick tug at her heart before Grace nodded toward the gloves in his breast pocket. „Your good luck charms.“
„Yeah.“ His grin was quick and easy as he removed them and set them on the table. „These were the only things left. They arrived in a box with a typewritten note saying my father had been wearing them when his plane went down.“
„A plane crash?“ She was so startled, she sat up straighter.
„Didn’t I mention it? He was a soldier in Special Forces.“
Grace went very still, wondering how he could speak of such a thing without emotion.
„You’re quiet.“ He reached over and caught her hand in his. „I’m sorry if I upset you. But if you’re thinking I was trying to emulate him by crashing my plane, you’re wrong.“
She absorbed a jolt, but when she tried to pull away, she found herself held firmly. She stared at their joined hands, then up into his face. „I wonder how your grandmother found the courage to allow you such freedom after dealing with something so violent and unexpected?“
He moved his thumb along her wrist and felt the way her pulse jumped. Was she feeling it, too? The heat? The adrenaline from this simple touch? „Gram told me that whenever we give in to our fears, the bad guys win. It’s become my mantra. Never let fear rule.“
„I like that. Though I never heard it put into words, it’s pretty much my motto, too.“
„Really?“ He looked at her with new interest. „Most people I know prefer to avoid risks and live their lives quietly.“
„It’s what my father wanted for me.“ Grace’s tone grew pensive. „I was always sorry that I couldn’t be what he wanted.“
„We can’t always be what other people want us to be.“ Josh continued holding her hand. It felt good, he realized, to be co
Was that part of the reason for his wanderlust? Was it because he’d never felt as co
Uncomfortable with the silence, Grace withdrew her hand and got to her feet. „I’d better tackle the dishes.“ As she gathered the plates she smiled. „You were right.“
„About what?“
„That was every bit as good as any big city restaurant. Maybe even better. Especially the weeds.“
„Thanks.“ With a grin, Josh drained his cup and leaned his head back, enjoying the warmth of the fire and puzzling over the fact that he wasn’t feeling any stress over this abrupt change in plans.
Seeing his sudden stillness, Grace called, „I’m sorry about your friend.“
He lifted a brow and turned to her.
„Your passenger.“
„Oh. She wasn’t a friend.“
She. For some strange reason, that simple word had Grace’s full attention.
Before she could ask more his tone became brisk. „In fact, I didn’t even know her name.“
Grace struggled to mentally shift gears. One moment she was thinking that his traveling companion had been someone important in his life, and the next he was telling her his passenger was a stranger. „That doesn’t make any sense.“
„It didn’t make sense to me, either. I was busy flying the plane, and the next thing I knew, she was there beside me.“
„A stowaway?“
He nodded. „Apparently. I certainly didn’t invite her along for the flight. Still, I can’t help but feel responsible. How could she vanish without a trace?“
„There was an explosion on impact. If she couldn’t get out of the plane, she would have been incinerated. Maybe when the ashes cool, you’ll find some clue.“
„Maybe.“
She saw the puzzled frown and decided to pursue an-otiier topic. „You say your friends were right behind you?“
„Yeah.“ Josh ran a hand through his hair. „We were in communication until just before I went down. But even after my systems failed, they had to be close enough to see everything.“
„Maybe there were clouds shielding your plane from view.“
He shrugged. „Maybe.“ But he could remember nothing except a clear, cloudless blue sky before all hell broke loose.
„If they saw the crash, they may have decided to fly back to civilization and bring help.“
„That’s what I’m thinking, too.“ He fell silent, mentally willing his friends to be unharmed. He couldn’t stand to think that if their plane went down, too, they may have suffered a very different fate from his.
Her voice interrupted his thoughts. „You have to be exhausted from your ordeal. Would you like to lie down?“