“Almost there,” I said when I recognized the landmark on the trail that would lead us to the area with some rocky clusters in the water.

  As soon as we came around the corner, nature gave us a show. Some seals lounged in the sunshine on one big rock, with sea lions farther ahead on another boulder in the water.

  Hannah bounced on her toes. “Oh wow,” she breathed. “They’re amazing.” She looked from the seals to the sea lions. “Wow, sea lions are seriously big.”

  I chuckled. “They are.”

  “Are they here often?”

  As we stood there, a curious seal occasionally poked its head out of the water near the shoreline as if checking on us.

  “Pretty often. It’s a good sunny spot, so I assume they like it.” I glanced at my watch. “We should probably go soon. We need to make sure we’re back well before the tide comes in too far.”

  Hannah took a few photos with her phone camera before we began walking back. We rounded a corner in the trail along a rocky section. Hannah took a step and slipped. In a matter of seconds, she had fallen halfway down the gravelly bluff.

  She let out a startled and pained cry.

  “Are you okay?” I called down.

  “I think so. I hurt my ankle. Just give me a minute,” she called up.

  A moment later, she began to climb up before letting out a yelp. “McKenna?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Something’s wrong with my ankle. I think it’s broken.”

  I could hear the tears in her voice. I knew I could get to her. Except the tide would be coming in sometime soon. If she couldn’t walk, I didn’t know how I was going to get her off the cliff with a broken ankle. I slipped my phone out of my pocket and swore when I saw the single bar for reception.

  “Shit,” I muttered.

  “Hannah, you stay right where you are,” I called down in my most comforting voice.

  I crossed my fingers and prayed as I called. The call dropped as soon as I heard one ring. I quickly texted my brothers. I figured Rhys would respond first because he tended to monitor his phone closely.

  Hannah is with me. I took her down to see the sea lions. Check with Tessa about it. It’s the trail near the harbor through the tall grass. Hannah thinks she broke her ankle. I’m not sure I can get her all the way back by myself.

  After I hit send, I made sure my phone was securely zipped into my pocket. It was spring, and we were both dressed comfortably for now, but I knew the temperature would start dropping this afternoon. I hoped my text went through.

  I made my way carefully down the rocky slope. There were bushes here and there for me to grab onto. I stopped beside her, holding the base of a small tree.

  “Can I see your ankle?” I asked.

  She was seated on her hips with one foot propped against a sturdy boulder. She held the other foot up. She had rolled up her pants and loosened her shoe in the time that it had taken me to send that text and scramble down to her. Her ankle was already swelling. I couldn’t tell if it was broken, but the swelling concerned me.

  “I don’t think you should put weight on it.”

  “I know. It really hurts when I do.” She cleared her throat, and I could tell she was trying not to cry.

  I curled my arm around her shoulders. “You can cry. If we have to, we’ll crawl up. I’ll take one step at a time, and you can use your good leg. We’ll get you to the top. It’s not that far.”

  She swiped at her tears as she nodded. I shifted to reach my purse, which I’d looped at an angle over my shoulders when we started walking. I found the small bottle of ibuprofen I always kept. “Take this. It will help with the swelling and the pain.”

  She took those with a few swallows of water from the bottle she carried in her small backpack.

  “I texted my brothers. They’ll find us.” I had faith my brothers would probably all show up.

  “Do you think my dad and Uncle Jack will be upset?” Hannah asked.

  “No,” I said quickly. “Absolutely not.”

  She blinked and nodded.

  “Are you ready to try to move?”

  At her nod, I carefully stood and helped her get her balance. Glancing behind us, I was relieved a strip of sandy shoreline was still visible.

  We began making our way up the rocky bluff. I knew it was painful for Hannah. She was quiet, but her breath occasionally hissed through her teeth. As soon as we made it to the top, she sat down. The lines on her face were drawn tight, and my heart ached for her. She was clearly in pain.

  I sat down beside her in the gravelly flat section of the trail. “We just did the hardest part,” I offered encouragingly.

  She swiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks and took several breaths. “I know. Let’s go.”

  What had been maybe a half-hour walk in was going to take much longer. I worried about the time and cursed myself for not paying better attention. There was no reply to my text. But the reception had gone from one bar to none. I just prayed my text got through anyway.

  As we walked and I tried to support Hannah as best I could, my mind kept detouring to Jack. I missed him, and I knew I loved him. I just didn’t know how to make things right. My old doubts were ready and waiting to strike.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Jack

  When I got the third call in a row from an unfamiliar number, Derek said, “Fucking answer your phone.”

  “It’s nobody in my contacts. It’s probably a scam call.”

  “Is it local?”

  “Yeah, but still. It’s an Alaskan area code, but scammers can spoof local numbers,” I pointed out.

  “Dude, answer your fucking phone.”

  I intended to ignore him, but the next time it rang, I glanced down to see it was Griffin. I had him in my contacts because we were training together for the hotshot crew.

  “Hey man, what’s up?”

  “Hey, I’m calling because my brother Rhys has been trying to reach you. He got a text from McKenna. I guess she went on a hike with Hannah?”

  “Yeah, is that okay?”

  “Of course. But Hannah fell and hurt her ankle. McKenna texted Rhys, and we’re going to head out and try to meet them. The tide may already be blocking a section of their trail.”

  I took a quick breath. A sense of panic initially jolted me. But surely, this would be okay?

  “Where can I meet you?”

  Griffin explained and asked if I would give Derek an update. “Of course.” As soon as I hung up, I glanced over. “You know how Hannah asked McKenna to show her that trail?”

  “Uh, yeah. We were both there,” Derek said dryly.

  “Well, Hannah slipped and hurt her ankle. That was Griffin. McKenna texted them about it. They’re going to get them.”

  Derek stood quickly, wobbling a little on his feet.

  “You can ride with me, but you’re waiting in the car,” I said firmly. Derek opened his mouth to argue. I held his gaze. “Seriously?”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, fine. But I’m not sitting here by myself and waiting helplessly. I’ll wait in the car helplessly,” he muttered.

  My brain was ping-ponging dueling concerns as we drove in silence. I was worried about Hannah and McKenna. When we arrived, Rhys, Griffin, and Wyatt waited.

  “Derek’s staying here,” I said.

  For all my brother’s good attitude about accepting his limitations, he looked beyond annoyed.

  “Have you heard anything more?” Derek asked.

  Rhys shook his head. “No, and that concerns me.”

  We began walking with Rhys leading the way. I couldn’t even focus on the beautiful view. All I could think about was making sure Hannah and McKenna were okay. I tried to tell myself that I would feel this way about anyone.

  My cynicism thought that was a bunch of bullshit. No, you wouldn’t. You miss McKenna every single fucking day.

  We were about fifteen minutes in when Rhys swore. I glanced ahead. “Fuck.”

  An entire stretch of the trail was closed by the tide lapping against the rocks.

  “It’s not far through here.” Rhys glanced at me. “But getting someone through here with a broken ankle will definitely be a challenge.”

  Griffin glanced from Rhys to me. “That’s why I brought these.” He lowered his pack from his shoulders and switched out his leather hiking boots for a pair of tall rubber boots. “I have two pairs,” he offered.

  Conveniently, he and I wore the same size. Minutes later, we were tromping through the water. I could feel the cold temperature from the water seeping through the boots. Although it was still light out and would be for a few hours, the temperature was dropping.

  “I should’ve known,” I said to myself.

  “Should’ve known what?” Griffin asked over his shoulder.

  “I should’ve made sure Hannah had warmer clothes and⁠—”

  Griffin stopped in the water, turning to face me. “This isn’t a dangerous trail. It’s a little rocky in a few spots, but they’ll be fine.”

  He began walking again, and I resumed my ruminations on Hannah and McKenna. I felt a little guilty that I kept worrying about McKenna. But then, I loved her. I needed to figure out what the hell to do about that.

  Only a few minutes later, I thought I heard voices ahead. We rounded a bend in the shoreline and stepped onto dry land again. McKenna and Hannah waited on a fallen-down log nearby.

  “Jack!” Hannah called, starting to move and stand before McKenna grabbed her by the hand.

  “Please wait,” McKenna ordered.

  They were both clearly okay, and the tension bundled tightly in my shoulders and chest eased up a little. Griffin and I approached, and McKenna looked up. “I thought we had plenty of time before the tide came in, but —”

  “I slipped and fell and hurt my ankle,” Hannah interjected. “It really slowed us down.”

  “How much pain are you in?” I asked, kneeling beside Hannah.

  “McKenna gave me some ibuprofen, so it’s getting better. It really hurt at first. It still hurts if I put any weight on it,” Hannah explained.

  “Can I take a look?” I asked.

  Hannah rolled up her jeans, and Griffin and I checked her ankle. “You’ll need an x-ray, but I’m guessing you fractured it.”

  “Do you think?” Hannah’s worried gaze met mine.

  “Probably.”

  “Or a bad sprain,” Griffin offered.

  “How long do we have to wait for the tide?” Hannah asked.

  Griffin grinned. “We’re going to carry you.”

  He glanced toward McKenna. “Your feet will get wet, but it’s only a few minutes, and then you’ll be able to dry off.”

  “I can handle it,” she replied.

  Hannah began apologizing, and the three of us collectively cut her off. “Things happen,” I said.

  “I’m trying not to be any trouble, though,” Hannah said. Her eyes were bright with tears.

  “You’re not any trouble.” I stepped in front of her, kneeling and putting my hands on her shoulders. “Life happens. I promise you don’t need to worry about doing life perfectly. Trust me, I fuck up plenty. Slipping and hurting your ankle is what we call an accident.”

  “I’m a member of the fuckup club,” Griffin chimed in.

  McKenna glanced among us, offering, “I should’ve probably realized that we could’ve come another day when we had more than just a few hours before the tide.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay?” Hannah pressed.

  “Absolutely,” I said with a firm nod.

  Griffin and I got Hannah situated between us with her arms over our shoulders and started walking.

  McKenna pointed out, “If she walks ahead of us in the cold water, it would probably bring the swelling down.”

  Hannah smiled at her, and I was relieved to see her relaxing. I couldn’t help but ponder her worries. I thought back to my shock at learning Derek had a daughter and realizing she had no one but him and me to turn to for family. It felt as if her life and ours had spun sideways with the change in a matter of days. Life was a twisty road sometimes. Her presence in our lives only expanded my heart.

  Occasionally, I looked ahead at McKenna, gamely tramping through the cold water without hesitation. Maybe I wasn’t sure how she felt, but I had missed her. A lot. I knew what lay between us was much more than chemistry. I knew I wanted to face the complications instead of avoiding them.

  When we got back to the parking lot, we determined Rhys would drive Hannah to the hospital, and we would follow since I had my truck. I didn’t want to be separated from Hannah or McKenna even for the short drive to the hospital.

  Derek insisted on going with Hannah, which left no room in Rhys’s SUV. McKenna ended up riding with me.

  On the drive to the hospital, I glanced over. McKenna shivered a little. “You need to change. Let’s stop by your place.”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “McKenna, you’re cold enough to get hypothermic. We’ll meet them at the hospital after you change.” I called Griffin, who quickly agreed that was the smart plan.

  “Oh my God,” she muttered after I ended the call.

  “Look, if you show up at the hospital, they’ll see you’re at risk for hypothermia and maybe keep you for observation. Which option do you want?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

  She was still shivering when we got to her place. I suggested she take a shower.

  “I don’t need a shower,” she tried to argue.

  “The hot water will warm you up fast.”

  I wanted to follow her into the shower, but I didn’t. Minutes later, she came out. She’d changed into warm, dry clothes and was no longer shivering. She gave me a sheepish smile. “Okay, the shower was smart.”

  As I stared at her, my heart kicked hard against my ribs, galvanizing me. I crossed the room to stop in front of her. “I’ve missed you,” I said before I could think better of it. “Maybe this isn’t what we planned, but I love you. You can tell me you never want a relationship, but I think we have a good thing.”

  McKenna stared up at me, her eyes wide before she burst into tears.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  McKenna

  I tried to say something, but the only thing that came out was a messy sob.

  Jack’s worried eyes held mine for a beat before he stepped closer and folded me into his arms. The relief of being held in his strong, protective embrace was so immense that I sobbed harder.

  I buried my face in his chest, murmuring between sobs, “I’m sorry I’m freaking out. I never cry like this.” That was followed by a hiccup.

  He smoothed his hand over my hair and down my back. He simply held me until my sobs stopped.

  When I leaned back to look up at him, which took more courage than I wanted to admit, he said, “I certainly didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  I blinked and took a shaky breath. “I miss you too.” I scrambled for some courage. “I love you. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  Jack’s eyes were warm. “I know. Just like I didn’t plan to fall in love with you. But here we are. What should we do about it?”

  I let my forehead fall to his chest again because I could hear the steady beat of his heart, and the rhythmic beat soothed me. He smelled good, kind of salty and woodsy and, well, like Jack.

  When I looked up again, he brushed my hair away from my forehead, palming my cheeks as he brought his lips to mine. His kiss was soft and lingering. We stood there, our lips barely brushing through several echoing beats of my heart.

  “Are you warm?” he asked.

  The subtle motion of his words against my own lips sent a wash of heat through me. “Yes,” I whispered.

  He lifted his head just a fraction and traced his thumb across my bottom lip. “Let’s go check on Hannah.”

  “Will you stay with me tonight?”

  My heart raced. Asking that question sent anxiety rushing forward. Even though he had told me he loved me only moments ago, putting that out there elicited a sense of raw vulnerability.

  “I was hoping you’d ask,” he murmured. He gave me a fierce kiss before stepping back.

  Moments later, he insisted I wear a jacket and even wanted me to put a hat on.

  I looked askance at him. “I’m fine now,” I insisted.

  He took a breath, letting it out with a sigh. “Okay.”

  He reached for my hand across the console of his truck as we drove to the hospital. It felt good to have his hand curled over mine.

  We didn’t talk on the way over. When we got to the hospital, I glanced over. “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” He turned his truck off.

  “For not thinking about the tide.”

  “Sounds like there would’ve been plenty of time, but Hannah got gimpy.”

  “I know, but⁠—”

  Jack reached over and silenced me with a quick kiss. “You have nothing to apologize for. Now let’s go see how Hannah’s doing.”

  We hurried into the hospital. Derek, Rhys, and Griffin were in the waiting area near the emergency room. “She’s already had an x-ray. It’s a minor fracture,” Derek announced.

  He looked among us and shook his head as he let out a deep sigh. “For fuck’s sake, nobody told me how hard it was to be a father.”

  Jack gave him a back-slapping hug, and Rhys chuckled, offering, “I get it, man.”

  We all waited at the hospital until Hannah was discharged. Even though Derek and Jack pointed out that Rhys was not obligated to wait, he insisted it was best for him to drive since his SUV had more space than Jack’s truck.

  After she came out, a little loopy from some pain meds, and we were all getting situated, she looked from Jack to me. “Don’t be stupid. You better stay with McKenna tonight.”

  My face was on fire. Griffin looked over at me with a lopsided grin. “We all know.”

  Rhys glanced at Jack. “Just don’t make me kick your ass.”