Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“Yep, those too.”
Hustling faster, I quickly caught up to him.
“Okay, if anyone asked, I’d tell them I’m in shape,” I said. “I work out nearly every day, but this hiking is kicking my ass!”
Blayze glanced back at me. “Not much farther. Pick it up a bit so we can get there on time.”
I rolled my eyes as I followed him, the light from the headlamp he gave me at the beginning of the trailhead lighting my way. Dawn had appeared just like he’d said it would once we’d started to hike, but it was still dark out. And I wasn’t even going to think about all the things I kept hearing running off and what they could be.
“I’m going to have blisters,” I mumbled as I stumbled up and over a rock. The trail had been pretty easy at first, but this last half mile was giving me hell. I was positive we were going straight uphill.
When I looked up from the trail, I saw Blayze coming up on another couple. I wonder if the guy had dragged her ass out of bed as well. When I looked at her face, I had my answer. She was leaning over, gasping for air.
“You said you hiked!” the guy said.
The young woman shot him a dirty look. “Like around a flat lake, not up the side of a freaking mountain!”
He sighed. “I promise, baby, it’ll be worth it. You’re almost there. We have to keep going if we want to make it in time for the sunrise.”
She stood up, and I was almost positive I saw her look at the edge of the trail where there was a nice little drop off. Probably contemplating if she was going to push him.
“Here, you lean on me, I’ll lean on you,” I said to her. “I think I see the end of the trail. Maybe we can drag each other up the rest of the way.”
The girl looked relieved. “Oh, thank God. Another person just ran by us. They ran! Like this wasn’t the slow climb to death.”
I couldn’t help but giggle.
“Can you push me up?” she asked.
“The trail is wide enough that I think we can pull each other up.”
She nodded, and we started up the trail. When I looked directly at Blayze, he held up his hand to block the light.
“Oh, sorry,” I said, clicking the headlamp off. It was getting lighter outside, and I didn’t need it anymore.
“You didn’t hike up here without a light, did you?” I softly asked my new climbing partner.
“No, he gave me a flashlight. At least your guy gave you a hands-free version.”
I shook my head. “Oh, he’s not my guy. We’re friends. He thought this would be…I guess he thought it would be fun.”
She groaned. “What the hell is wrong with men? By the way, my name’s Candace.”
“Hey, Candace, I’m Georgie.”
“Nice to meet you, Georgie.”
As we came to the end of the trail, Candace’s boyfriend reached for her hand while I took a moment to catch my breath. I heard Candace gasp.
“Oh my God, Lance!”
It was, no doubt, a stunning view of the valley. I just wasn’t sure I really gave two shits by that point. My lungs burned, my legs felt as if they were going to cramp up on me, and I had finished off my water ten minutes ago.
I was clearly not in good shape.
“Come on.” Blayze wrapped his arm around my waist, and we walked the last few feet. When I got to the top, my breath caught.
“Blayze,” I whispered, looking at the bright pink sky with hints of orange. The snow-topped mountains went from pink to white in a matter of seconds as the sun began her climb.
“We made it in time.” Blayze took my hand in his. Butterflies went off in my stomach and I tried not to think about how good his touch felt.
The bright tip of the sun peeked up over the mountains as a burst of light appeared over the mountaintops. Sounds of birds waking, leaves and bushes rustling echoed around me as I heard everything wake up around me and come to life. A flock of geese flew above us. It was beautiful.
Blayze tugged my hand and jerked his head for me to look. When I turned, I saw Lance down on one knee and Candace crying.
I pressed my hand to my mouth and fought to hold back my tears as I watched him asking her to spend the rest of his life with him.
Spinning around to Blayze, I whispered, “I bet she feels terrible for wanting to push him off the trail now!”
His eyes went wide. “Did she say that?”
I shook my head and looked back at the happy couple hugging, both of them in tears. “No, but I saw it written all over her face.”