Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

MARK

“ W e going to talk about this?” Chris asked after they were waved through the park entrance.

“No,” Mark muttered.

Figured the woman he’d been tasked with keeping alive turned out to be an enormous fucking pain in his ass.

And they hadn’t even left yet. Not to mention her lack of self-preservation by traveling alone.

He also kicked himself that he didn’t recognize her at the bar.

I’m slipping.

Chris shifted in his seat, facing him. “Drop the silent act. What the hell?”

He blew out an aggravated breath. “I don’t know. There’s something about her that gets under my skin like a fucking splinter.”

“She’s cute, though.”

He glared at Chris. “That’s beside the point.”

“And she’s smart. I had fun talking to her. I think if you get past this you’ll like her.”

“Thank god we didn’t sleep with her. That would have made this all sorts of awkward. May I remind you Dr. Fornier-Thomas personally arranged this? She could easily have us tossed not only out of our cabin but out of jobs with a snap of her fingers. She isn’t the last person I’d want to piss off, but she’s near the top of the list.”

“Yeah, well I irritated the shit out of you when we first met and now you want to marry me,” Chris noted.

“That’s not the same and you know it.”

“No, but it means you can put aside whatever this is and make an effort to reboot with her tomorrow, right?”

Mark didn’t respond because he didn’t know how to respond.

Thankfully, Chris let it drop. When they returned home Chris unloaded the groceries while Mark went to lock his service weapon in the gun safe.

CHRIS

When Mark retreated to their bedroom, Chris surreptitiously texted Jesse, making sure she knew where and what time to meet them for the orientation.

He was tempted to engage her in a conversation, but over text he knew it might be misconstrued and he didn’t want to make things worse between her and Mark.

Although he grew increasingly certain if Mark rebooted with her that they’d likely get along.

And she was adorable. And smart. And made him smile, which was a rare hat-trick.

Maybe after they returned they could coax her into extending her visit and staying with them, at least for a few days.

Then again, she and Mark might hate the very sight of each other by then.

The next morning, they headed to Gardiner for the meeting in Mark’s work truck. Chris had donned a uniform shirt. Mark had acted quieter than usual the rest of yesterday and last night, and even this morning.

The BMW sat parked at the building housing Dr. Fornier-Thomas’ office. Mark didn’t comment but Chris knew from the man’s glare that he was irritated that they’d arrived twenty minutes early and Jesse still beat them.

Oh, I hope I’m right about her.

JESSE

Jesse felt nervous about meeting Dr. Fornier-Thomas because the scientist was well-known and highly respected in the field.

In person, she appeared decades younger than Jesse knew she was, but Jesse quickly forgot about that as they discussed Jesse’s instruments and algorithm.

She also felt smug she’d beat the men to the meeting.

When they arrived, Dr. Fornier-Thomas led them to a small conference room and left them alone. Jesse had prepared a slideshow, so the men would be up to speed. Not that she expected to need their help with that. And she detailed her planned trek to tackle the sensor installation.

When she finished, she closed her laptop. “Any questions?”

“Not a question so much as a correction,” Mark said. “We’re not doubling back. I’ve already amended the permits and we parked Christopher’s truck at the trailhead on the western end, where we’ll exit. It’ll make the trip shorter. We’ll start at the east end and work our way west, then exit the interior.”

She blinked. “I didn’t know there was a trailhead near the last station.” It hadn’t been on her map.

“It’s not accessible to the public by vehicle,” Mark said, “so it’s not on most public maps. It’s for park employees to use for staging, firefighting, et cetera.” Mark arched an eyebrow at her. “If that’s all right with you, doctor .”

She didn’t take the bait. “That’s fine.” It would shorten the journey.

“Good,” Mark said. “Now I have an orientation for you.”

He produced a tablet and detailed a list of wilderness-related topics, a lot of it dealing with bears.

Most of it dealing with bears, actually. Including video.

Jesse did her best not to feel intimidated, but she was.

Truth be told, she was fucking scared. She’d read up on bears but didn’t give them much thought. She knew bears could be an issue, and that one of the men’s jobs was to keep her safe from them, but she’d honestly never thought about bears being…

Well, bears .

She had bear spray, which she’d purchased yesterday in Gardiner, but apparently she needed to obtain more of it.

Based on what Mark said she might want to drag a tanker truck full of it with them.

“Any questions?” he asked.

“Yeah. If bears are such a problem, why are you carrying a gun and Chris isn’t? You just spent an uncomfortably long amount of time warning me about bears.”

“I can,” Chris said. “But bear spray is more effective. Plus, I’m a botanist, not a cop. I don’t need one in town, and rarely need one in the field. I will carry one on our hike.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “I’m not a ‘cop’,” he said, even using finger quotes. “I’m a park ranger in enforcement, not an interpretive ranger.”

“But you carry a gun,” she noted.

“Yeah?” Mark said.

“Can you arrest people?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. Of course. I’m in the enforcement division.”

“That makes you a cop.”

Chris snickered. “I like her even more than the other night,” he said. “She’s gonna twist your panties in a knot, Mark.”

“God, just shut up , dude.”

Jesse suspected that on another day she might enjoy the men’s banter.

Today was not that day. Not with so much on her mind. She wanted to get out in the field and set up her equipment so she could gather data.

She stood. “This is a good place to end things.” They all stopped by Dr. Fornier-Thomas’ office to say good-bye, then headed outside. The men followed her and it turned out they parked next to her.

“By the way, exactly where do we meet and when do we leave?” she asked to derail any further exchanges they might devolve into. “I’m guessing we’ll drive to the trailhead first thing in the morning?”

“After we hit the stables,” Mark said. He pointed at her hiking boots. “Do you have riding boots?”

She blinked. “I’m sorry, do I have what ?”

“Riding boots. Those are great for walking, but not made to fit in a stirrup.”

She was still stuck on that. “I don’t understand. These are for hiking .”

He looked like he was trying to stay patient. “Yeah, and you need riding boots. You know, to ride the horses. Or at least sneakers. I already reserved the horses and mules from our park stock. I suggest you hit a store today if you don’t have sneakers, because first thing in the morning after we pick them up, we’re heading out.”

“Back up. No one said anything about riding horses.” In fact, she’d specifically told Dr. Fornier-Thomas up front that she did not ride, and planned the journey as a hike and needing pack animals.

Mark cocked his head at her in a way she might find adorable on a different day under different circumstances.

In a different universe.

“How do you think we’re supposed to transport you and your gear into the backcountry?” Mark asked.

“Uh, I planned to pack in the equipment on mules or horses. That’s why I told you the crates were designed to strap to a pack harness.”

Chris snorted but leaned against the side of the truck and crossed his arms over his chest.

Mark glared at him but spoke to her. “We’ll need horses. I checked the topographical maps against the GPS coordinates and we can’t get ATVs to the sites. It’d be twice the work, and we’d have to haul fuel, too.”

Jesse fought against the sour, foul taste rising in the back of her throat. “I can’t ride a horse.”

“It’s easy,” Mark said. “Nothing to it. And we’ll give you a gentle one.”

“No, you don’t understand. I can’t ride a horse.”

“Are you afraid of horses?”

“No. I love horses.”

She hated his deliberately patient, borderline condescending and obviously practiced not-a-cop-park-ranger voice he likely used on the public. “There’s nothing to worry about. We can pony your horse behind ours, if you’ll feel more comfortab?—”

“I will violently puke if you put me on a horse.”

His mouth snapped shut as he stared at her, processing her comment. “ What ?”

MARK

Is she fucking serious?

He was seriously beginning to question his career choice.

“You’ll puke ?”

“Violently,” she said. “Motion sickness.”

He didn’t know how to respond. This was a new one, even for him. “I’ve never heard of a person getting motion sickness riding a horse.” During summer, he spent more time on horseback than he did in a truck.

She planted her hands on her shapely hips. “Well congratulations, Ranger Rick. It’s your lucky day to learn something new.”

He clipped the snarky response desperate to escape his mouth and strangle her adorable neck. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Chris struggling not to laugh at the “Ranger Rick” comment.

He knew damned well Mark hated that jab and always had, considering it was something both his step-father and older and obnoxious step-brother—both cops—teased him with.

Because of course in their eyes a park ranger—even one deemed as enforcement and carrying a badge and a gun and with official policing powers—wasn’t a “real” cop, like them. They thought park rangers were “pussies” with cushy jobs and didn’t do anything but direct traffic and check permits.

It was also another reason why he lived in Yellowstone full-time and rarely went home for visits.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you sure?”

“Am I sure I’ll violently puke if you put me on the back of a horse? Uh, yeah. Want to test your obvious belief you think I’m bullshitting you? I encourage you to wear a rain poncho.”

This would be infinitely easier if he wasn’t so damned attracted to her. She was smart, and adorable, and feisty.

And she was a rich, spoiled princess.

At least she hadn’t turned out to be a drug mule.

Then again, if she was, she’d already be arrested and out of his hair and his life could go back to what passed for normal. “Can’t you take motion sickness medicine?”

“Oh, gee, it’s not like I’m an engineer with a doctorate and a functioning brain. Or that five different riding instructors at two boarding schools didn’t try every trick in the book over several years to help me overcome it because I desperately wanted to learn how to ride like literally every other classmate.”

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, held it for a four-count, and slowly let it out again. Without opening his eyes, he asked, “How long has it been since you last tried?”

“Two months ago.”

He looked at her. “What?”

“Yeah. Because believe it or not, I did take horseback riding into consideration. And yes, I took meds. And also yes, it was with a Western saddle. The instructor was very patient, worked with me for three hours, even after I nearly puked on her several times. And also, yes, she was certain she could help me. She admitted at the end of our lesson that while she’d heard of someone getting queasy on a horse walking slowly, she’d never seen someone projectile vomit at a trot or canter unless they were hungover. Which I was not, I can assure you. Also, yes, I did puke at a slow walk.”

He threw his head back and groaned. “It will take us twice as long to do this on foot.”

“Which is why when I set this up with Dr. Fornier-Thomas I scheduled it the way I did and for the length of time. I don’t understand what you don’t understand. If you amended the permits to shorten the timeframe to horseback, I suggest you re-amend them.”

He literally threw his arms up, turned, and walked away.

It was that or he would blow his top, and that definitely wouldn’t be good for his career.

CHRISTOPHER

Jesse focused on him. “You have any smart-assed remarks you want to contribute?”

He slowly shook his head and prayed his erection wasn’t visible from the way he stood leaning against the truck. “Nope. I was thinking I need to pack more socks and an extra blister kit.”

“I can’t help it I get sick,” she added, obviously defensive and feeling she needed to explain, to justify.

She didn’t, though. Not to him.

And Mark’s reaction to her was nearly identical to Mark’s reaction to him countless times during their early days.

Poor neurotypical bastard. He suspected this was his opening and prayed he was right.

“I thought Dr. Fornier-Thomas explained this when she arranged the staffing substitution,” she added, more a question than a comment but obviously it’d been her expectation.

“She did not,” he evenly said. “We were told she needed two experienced backcountry guides to escort a scientist. And that we’d be paid triple time. She’d already set it up with our supervisors before contacting us, and it was a done deal by then. Not so much a request as an ‘FYI, this is what you’re doing.’ Dr. Fornier-Thomas has a lot of pull in Yellowstone. At the state and federal levels, too. Fortunately, she is a benevolent dictator,” he added with a smile, hoping she took it as a joke.

She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, unconsciously mirroring him. “Oh.”

He glanced at Mark, who now stood about thirty yards away with his back to them, his hands on his hips as he stared at the stone arch.

Obviously trying to regroup and not lose his cool.

Any worse than he already had, that was.

Normally, Mark was the most patient, steady man imaginable.

But Jesse was throwing him for a loop. And he could tell Mark was attracted to her, too.

Not that they could do anything about that. This was work and that would be unprofessional.

“Why doesn’t he like me?” she asked, drawing Christopher’s attention.

“Oh, he does like you,” he said without thinking. “That’s part of the problem.”

“He sure doesn’t act like it. He acts like he hates me more now than he did the other night.”

He smiled. “I promise he doesn’t hate you. He acted the same way with me before we got to know each other. Considering we’ve lived together over eight years and are talking about getting married, I don’t think he’s getting rid of me anytime soon. Although he sometimes still gets this frustrated with me.”

“And you put up with him?”

He shrugged. “We put up with each other.” He dropped his voice. “Feel free to tell me to go to hell if you want, but I sense the neurospiciness is strong in you.” He hoped she was a fan of Star Wars or she was about to rightfully hand him his ass.

She cocked her head, her expression guarded. “Why?”

He could finally straighten without obviously adjusting his cock in his jeans. “Because I’m autistic as fuck, he’s about as off-the-chart neurotypical as you can get without creating a whole new class of allistic folks, and he hasn’t got a bead on you yet.”

She visibly relaxed, nodding, her voice dropping. “AuDHD in the house.” She finally smiled, and it was the first time she looked truly relaxed since their contentious third interaction began. Then she held up her hands in front of her and pumped them. “Whoop-whoop.”

He laughed and fist-bumped with her. “Hold on. Noise alert.” He waited until she put her fingers in her ears to put his fingers to his lips and let out a loud whistle, laughing again as Mark’s head snapped around.

Grudgingly, Mark trudged over.

Christopher hooked a thumb in her direction. “I need you to fully reboot and start over with her, Ranger Powell. She’s in the club.”

Mark’s expression twisted in understandable confusion. “Huh?”

Christopher threw jazz hands. “She’s another sparkly unicorn vampire scientist. Deal with it—you’re outnumbered. Congrats! You’re the bland allistic filling in our neurospicy sandwich.”

Mark threw his head back, groaning. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, just kill me now,” he muttered.