Just as I think I'm about to be eaten, there's a crash through the underbrush. Then silence.

"Rhea?"

The voice comes from behind me, startling me so badly that I nearly lose my footing. I whip around, and there he is.

Beau.

He stands a few feet away, one hand resting on the strap of a canvas backpack slung over his shoulder, a hatchet strapped to his hip. Even in khaki, he looks annoyingly good. His blond hair is windblown, his sleeves rolled up.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" He asks. His brow is furrowed, his stormy gray eyes scanning the forest around us.

"I—" My words catch in my dry throat. I point to the forest, half-expecting the wolf to appear. "I was hiking. And then..."

Beau raises an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over me. The wet boots. The burrs stuck to my leggings. I realize I lost my jacket that was tied around my waist. My cute little cropped workout top suddenly seems ridiculous. I hug my arms across my stomach.

"And then what? You decided to go bushwhacking for fun?"

"I saw a wolf," I say, the words spilling out before I can think better of it. "It was following me."

His expression shifts, eyes darkening before his mouth twitches in what looks like suppressed amusement. "A wolf."

"Yes," I snap, my nerves already frayed. "It was right here on the trail. Gray fur. Or black maybe. It had yellow eyes and—"

"Rhea," he interrupts. His voice is taught with forced patience. "There aren't any wolves out here."

Frustration starts to bubble within me. "I know what I saw."

"Sure you do." He slings off the bag to pull out a folded map. "But what you thinking you saw was probably a coyote. Or maybe a dog. There haven't been any wolf sightings this far south in decades."

"It wasn't a coyote. And it definitely wasn't a dog. It was huge with yellow eyes—"

Beau looks up from the map, giving me a look. "Right. And I suppose it was also stalking you through the woods, just to make things dramatic."

I blush. "It was," I insist. "I'm not making this up."

He sighs. "Look, whatever you saw, it's gone now. Let's get you back to the trail before you end up twisting an ankle or getting yourself completely lost."

I hesitate, my pride warring with the truth of the matter. I have no idea where I am. My phone likely does not have signal. My phone! I had tried to record the wolf, but when I look through the video there's only the shaky footage of blurry trees and me panting.

Finally, I nod, refusing to meet his eyes.

"How did you even find me?" I ask, begrudgingly following as he starts walking.

"I do some work for the parks department," he says over his shoulder. "Trail maintenance, mostly. I was out here cleaning debris when I heard you crashing through the forest. I thought Crestline was starting up the bulldozers early."

I scoff. "I wasn't making that much noise."

Beau throws a look over his shoulder, smirking. Even though it infuriates me, I still accept his hand when he stops to help me through the creek. I was barely fifty yards from the trail and it felt like miles. The reality of the situation starts to settle over my shoulders. Even if a wolf didn't eat me, I could have been lost out here. I could have died from exposure, or injury. That flare of recklessness could have killed me.

Even so, I stop to look at creek's edge, searching for a paw print of a clump of hair or something to prove that it was worth it. There's not sign that the wolf existed. Just a bunch of bootprints and upturned silt. Beau doesn't say anything, but I still turn away as I blush. Again.

The silence stretches between us a few moments as I gather my things, and I focus on the uneven ground beneath my feet. I want to tell Beau that I can find my way back to my car now that I'm on the trail, but I don't want to be alone. I rub my arms as we walk, wishing I had my jacket now that the nadir of adrenaline has left me chilled in the falling sun.

As if he can see the gooseflesh rising on my arms, Beau stops to rummage in his pack until he finds a space blanket to wrap around my shoulders. I thank him quietly, tucking some of the loose hair behind my ear.

"So," Beau says, his voice cutting through the quiet between us as we start walking again. "No heels today, huh? At least you look like you tried to dress appropriately for getting lost in the woods."

The boots are wet and uncomfortably tight. I can feel my skin starting to blister, and it looks like the right rubber sole is peeling away from the leather. So much for the measure of the journey.

Heat creeps back into my cheeks, but his teasing tone riles me. "I wasn't planning on getting lost in the woods."

"Clearly."

I shoot him a glare. It makes him smile.

"Honestly," I confess after a beat. "I just needed to clear my head."

Beau glances at me. His expression softens the slightest degree. "Rough day?"

I shrug. "It feels like that's the only kind of day I've been having lately."

He doesn't press. Instead he focuses on pushing a fallen branch off the trail.

"My mom loved hiking," I say after while, once we return to walking. The words tumbling out before I can stop them. I am too tired to care what he'll think of me. "She had this thing about finding the perfect spots. She thought there was magic in wild places."

"Sounds like she knew what she was talking about."

"Sometimes she did," I say softly. "She died awhile back. Cancer."

"I'm sorry." His voice is low and sincere.

"Thanks." We continue in silence for awhile. There's a shift in the buzzing of insects, in bird chatter as the sun edges to the other half of the sky. Even though I barely know him, I want to keep talking. Maybe it's because I barely know him. Like therapy. Beau Forrester is a neutral third-party who can shoulder my emotional trauma without it feeling burdensome. I know that it's not the truth, but I focus on the the lie as my mouth runs away without me. "She wanted to have her ashes spread somewhere like here. Somewhere that's both wild and peaceful."

Beau hums in agreement, but doesn't say anything. It doesn't feel strained, the quiet between us. It just feels... steady. Safe. Like he's holding a space for me without trying to fill it.

"What about you?" I ask. A sudden flare of self-consciousness makes me eager to change the subject. "How'd you end up working for the parks department?"

"Family thing, I suppose. Someone's got to take care of the land. My dad always said it was our responsibility to protect the places that take care of us."

I can't help but ask, "You didn't want to do anything else?"

A flicker of something—regret?—crosses his face, but it's gone before I can be sure. "Didn't really have the chance," he says simply.

"Because of your family?" I frown.

"Something like that." He doesn't elaborate, and even though I'm curious, I don't push. Still, the idea tugs at me. Beau doesn't seem bitter, but there's something about the way he says it, the way he looks ahead instead of at me, that makes me wonder about the things he might have given up.

We fall into another comfortable silence as we hike. I find myself stealing glances at him, noticing little things—the way his shoulders move when he walks, the easy strength about him, the way his voice carries a thread of warmth I didn't notice before. He catches me looking at him and grins. I smile too: maybe I caught him looking at me.

The strange little tug in my chest feels different when he's near. It's softer. Warmer.

I like being around him.

The realization startles me. I look away, focusing on the trail instead.

By the time we reach my car, the sun is low in the sky. Relief washes over me at the sigh of it, but it's short-lived.

Two flat tires.

"You've got to be kidding me," I mutter, crouching to inspect the damage. I must have rolled over something on the way in. I have a spare in the back, but I don't think my little hybrid can limp out of here.

Beau is standing behind me, frowning. There's something in his eyes that burns, but when I rise to my feet, his face is calm. He whistles, shaking his head. "Looks like some more bad luck."

I shoot him a glare that makes his lips twitch. Pulling out my phone, I try to search for a local tow-shop or something, but there's no signal. I swallow my pride as I turn to Beau.

"I don't supposed I could borrow your phone," I say. "Or hitch a ride back to civilization?"

Beau crosses his arms over his chest. "I think most mechanics around here will be closed by now," he says slowly. "Let me take you to my place. I know someone who might be able to get this fixed up." He smiles at my indecision. "Or you could sit here and hope that wolf decides to come back and help."

Something sort of like a growl escapes me, half-anger, half-laughter. "Fine. But if you make one more joke about wolves—"

"No promises," he says, smirking, as he points to a truck a little down the road.

I follow behind him, unable to suppress a smile despite the situation.