It didn’t take her long to finish the chocolate bar, and she swigged on her soda, waking up as she felt the sugar and caffeine kick in.
Hope stopped occasionally to get shots of the mountains. The narrow path opened up into a grassy field. She froze as she saw the creek that ran down the middle; the most enormous bull moose she’d ever seen fed lazily along the water. Moving slowly, she watched for any signs of aggression as she shot pictures of the majestic animal with grizzled brown fur and the biggest rack of horns she’d ever seen. She knew the moose had spotted her, but the large mammal ignored her. Its only natural predator was the wolf, so the moose didn’t look too concerned about her, but she kept her distance, lined up shot after shot of the incredible creature as she adjusted her lens and the camera to get different angles.
Her landscape photos and wildlife pictures had grown in demand, even though she was known for shooting extreme weather. As she took each photo with a relaxed sense of awe, Hope enjoyed every moment she spent with the glorious creature before it wandered away, back into the woods.
“You’ll see elk and bear here sometimes, too.” A deep voice commented behind her. “It’s a popular watering hole for wildlife.”
Hope whirled around. Her heart nearly thumped out of her chest as she faced the voice, a man who was only a few feet away from her. With a hand to her chest, she told him breathlessly, “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I didn’t want to scare the moose away,” he answered, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Hope gaped at him. The man was around Jason’s age, with gorgeous blond hair cut short and neat. He was dressed casual in jeans and a long-sleeved pullover, his feet in a very nice pair of hiking boots. He looked at the ground, but when his head rose to glance at her, Hope froze in utter shock. She recognized that face, that pair of smoky gray eyes framed by thick, gorgeous eyelashes. “C-Colt?”
“Hello, H.L. Sinclair,” he responded with a weak grin. “We meet again.”
Hope was speechless, astonished to see the man who she’d only met briefly, yet had played such an important role in her life. She couldn’t quite believe he actually stood in front of her. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but Colt still stood right in front of her.
“How are you?” His expression grew shadowed.
“I’m good. I can’t believe you’re here,” she answered slowly.
“My real name is Tate Colter. I sort of belong here,” he answered teasingly.
“You’re Tate Colter?”
“Last time I checked,” he shot back jokingly. He held out his arms to her as he coaxed her with another small grin that uncovered an attractive dimple in his cheek. “Hug me. You know you want to.”
“Oh. God.” Hope sprang at him and threw herself into his outstretched arms. “I never got to say thank you. I never saw you again.” Tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged the man who had saved her life with a death grip around his neck. “Thank you, Colt. Thank you for everything you did for me.”
He hugged her back and rocked her body slightly. “I was just doing my job, Hope. I wasn’t even sure you’d recognize me. You certainly didn’t a few days ago.”
How could she not recognize Colt? He’d been her savior, and those beautiful gray eyes had been unforgettable. “I was really drunk when we came in,” she admitted. “Did I meet you here?” she asked, confused.
“I flew you and Jason back here to Rocky Springs. I was with him in Vegas. You passed out before we landed, and we didn’t see each other until you were completely wasted.”
“Not one of my finer moments,” she answered, disgruntled. She pulled back to look at him. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Most women are,” he told her mischievously.
Hope smiled back at him. She couldn’t help it. Colt—or was it Tate?—had been cocky as hell, but she’d needed that confident assurance three years ago, had hung onto it with everything she had back then. “Tell me how a billionaire Colter ended up in Special Forces,” she requested curiously.
“I’m a rebel,” he answered nonchalantly. “It probably happened much the same way as a wealthy Sinclair became an extreme weather photographer,” he teased. “My cabin is just over this hill. Want some coffee?”
“Definitely,” she agreed gratefully and followed him as he let her go and led the way. A comfortable silence settled between them for a while, before Tate spoke. “I guess I’m as curious as you are,” Tate mused. “I’m wondering how a very wealthy Sinclair ends up traveling alone in a foreign country without protection. I never connected you with the Sinclairs. It’s a fairly common last name. And I never knew your first name.”
“I didn’t want anyone to know.” She picked her way along a path that led uphill.
“Does Jason know what happened?” Tate asked solemnly. “I recognized you when I saw you in Vegas, but I never said a word.”
She stared at his wide back in front of her. “Thank you for not saying anything.”
At the top of the hill, he turned around and took her hand to help her up a short, rocky incline. “I hacked into your computer when we got back to Rocky Springs,” he confessed, totally remorseless.
“Why?” She looked at him quizzically as she stepped up beside him.
“Because I could,” he said devilishly. “You need to buy better computer protection. I wanted to see what you’d been up to in case you didn’t recognize me. You went back to chasing storms.”
She knew she should be angry because Colt had broken into her computer, but she couldn’t muster any anger. Hope nodded slowly. “I had to go back.”
Tate nodded. “I understand. But I think you need to tell Jason. He was totally clueless, Hope. The guy married you. He cares enough to know. I only outed you about your career. He was going to find out anyway. But it’s not my place to tell him anything else, or even that we’ve met before. It’s your story to tell.”
She followed as he strode toward a large home at the top of the hill. “He was drunk when he married me, and he just wants to get into my panties,” she told Colt, appalled as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She barely knew Colt, even though he’d been an important person in her life for a very brief time.
Tate chuckled. “Here’s a newsflash for you, Hope: that’s what most men want. And they don’t need to marry a woman to get it. That’s not all that Sutherland wants.”