Meant for You (3 page)

“Yoga it is,” she muttered, knowing thirty minutes of it would put her mind and body at ease. Then she'd be able to fully enjoy not only the hot tub in the middle of her makeshift room, but also the outdoor springs, if she decided to take the walk down there.

Being well-prepared was something Summer excelled at. Walking across the space, she pulled her yoga mat from her supplies and decided to set it up right outside her little temporary abode. Getting into position, she took a deep breath and then slowly let it out.

Is
anybody
watching?

I
wonder
if
it's going to rain while I'm here.

I
know
I
brought
my
own
food, but what if I want to go out to eat?

Do
these
pants
make
my
ankles
look
fat?

Relaxing her pose, she huffed with frustration. “Okay, clearly I am not in a good place yet.” Doing her best to clear her mind, she once again got into position and took several deep breaths. Relief hit her when she actually began to hear the sounds of nature and not the voices in her own head. Bending over slowly, she touched the ground and held the pose. Working from her toes up, she felt her muscles begin to relax. Once she had gotten through several basic stretching poses, Summer stood tall and breathed in deeply and finally felt herself reaching the level of peace she had been seeking for over a month.

Unwilling to break the inner peace she had going on, she moved into a series of lunges. She was feeling the burn and scolded herself for taking such a long break since she'd last worked out. From there, she moved into a downward facing dog before deciding she was ready to be off her feet and go to some of her favorite floor poses.

Inversions were always a favorite for her, and it didn't take long for her to twist and bend until she was completely folded in half in a plow pose. One of Summer's yoga instructors had told her this pose would help her sleep. She had never found it to be true but was still hopeful. “I could stay like this for hours,” she said softly, listening to the sounds around her. Birds chirping…water flowing…breezes blowing…car doors slamming. Wait, car doors slamming? What the…?

It wasn't often that Summer made special requests when she stayed at places away from home. This was one of the few times she had. She had asked for a campsite far away from where the general public or other guests were staying. From what she was told, this was sort of a VIP tepee and ensured her privacy. Her eyes were closed, her breathing deep, but there was no mistaking the sound of a car or the footsteps quickly coming her way.

And that's how Ethan found her. Bent in half in a way he didn't think normal humans could be. He nearly tripped over his own two feet and his tongue at the sight of Summer's perfect body folded completely in half.

Without breaking her pose, she said, “Hey, Ethan. What are you doing here?”

Clearly he was being punished for something he must have done in a previous life. It was the only explanation Ethan could think of for how he found himself in the current situation. “Uh…”

Summer gracefully unfolded herself and ended up in a sitting position before rising to her feet and heading into the tepee. She emerged a moment later with a bottle of water in her hands. “So?” she prompted.

“What? Oh, right,” Ethan stammered. “Your brother was a bit frantic when he couldn't get you on the phone. We leave tomorrow night for the climb, and he was flipping out wondering where you were.”

She arched one perfectly manicured brow at him. “Really?”

Ethan nodded.

“Well then, tell me this, Ethan,” she said as she slowly walked toward him. “If Zach was so bent out of shape, why is it that
you're
here and not him?” She stopped just inches from him with a smirk on her face and her hands on her hips.

The temperature seemed to climb at least another ten degrees, because suddenly Ethan was sweating. “Well, he had a lot of things to take care of before we left. You know, we'll be gone for a couple of weeks.”

Summer nodded. “And you don't have a lot of things to take care of, is that it?”

Why
isn't she dressed more appropriately?
he wondered. Skintight yoga pants and an equally snug tank top left little to the imagination. What was she doing…bending all over the place dressed like this? Where was the guy she was supposedly here with? “I…um, I didn't have as much to handle as Zach, so I said I'd come and check on you.”

Disbelief marked Summer's face. “You know, Ethan, I really thought you were different.” Spinning around, she walked back into the tepee. If it had a door, she would have slammed it. Dropping a canvas flap just seemed like a waste of time and far less impactful a way to drive a point home. He followed her into the tepee regardless, and his hand on her shoulder almost made her scream as he spun her to face him.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Summer brushed his hand aside and moved to put some space between them. “I expected you at least to be honest with me. Zach isn't here because he doesn't want to be here. He's hoping I've packed my bags and booked a flight back east. I know it; you know it. It's not that he's curious about where I am; he's mad because he's not in control of where I am. Big, tough Zach Montgomery pitched a hissy fit and so he sent his little minion out to check on me. Big surprise.” She had hoped to come off sounding mean and confident, but in the end it just sounded mean, and she immediately regretted her words. Especially after seeing the look on Ethan's face.

He took a menacing step toward her. “Let's get one thing straight, Summer. I am nobody's minion. Yes, your brother was upset, and yes, partly because he wasn't in control, but my being here isn't because he sent me. I thought it would be better all around if I came and talked to you rather than Zach coming and screaming at you. My mistake.”

Ethan didn't mean to make such a hasty exit, but he was seriously ticked off. Was that really how she saw him? As her brother's minion? What the hell was a minion anyway? He stalked to the ridiculous excuse for a rental car and was about to get in when he heard footsteps behind him. Dropping his chin to his chest, Ethan silently counted to ten and waited for what he was sure was going to be a very angry rant.

“Zach's been yelling at me for over a month and you haven't done anything to stop him,” she said quietly. “Why now?”

The yelling he could have handled. But this? This quiet plea coming out of nowhere was nearly his undoing. Turning slowly, he faced her. He could just tell her the truth: he was tired of Zach bullying her around. He was trying to protect her. He was trying to keep the peace between them.

“Zach needs to have his head on straight for this climb. He's leading our team, and none of us has done something this extreme before. I can't have him climbing while he's freaking out about where you are and who you're with.” The look of devastation on Summer's face nearly had him recanting his words. And yet… “Which brings me to another point of contention. Who are you here with? Who's the guy?”

“What are you talking about?” Luckily Summer recovered quickly from Ethan's disappointing admission. She stiffened her spine, crossed her arms, and prayed he'd be on his way shortly.

“We were told you booked this place for you and a guest. Where is he?”

Summer wracked her brain trying to figure out what Ethan was talking about when it hit her. Bless Gabriella's devious little heart! She almost wanted to laugh out loud, but she held it together just to keep Ethan on his toes for a little bit longer. “I don't think that's any of your concern, Ethan. You can go back and report in to my brother that I am safe and sound at the hot springs and I'll be reporting for duty back in the office Monday morning. Not that I'm needed. Zach made it clear that he wanted me to take a break while he was gone. I guess he doesn't trust me not to get into any trouble. But like it or not, I'm still going to go in and at least review some of the things I've learned so far. I think I'm supposed to be in the marketing department when he gets back.”

They stood facing one another for what seemed like aeons. Finally, Ethan took a step closer. “Look, Summer, I've got to get a flight back to Portland and get myself packed and ready to go. Just let me meet this guy so I can tell Zach he's on the up-and-up, okay?”

She shrugged. “No can do.”

Rage was beginning to build inside him. None of this was damn fair. He was a good friend, a hard worker, and dammit, he deserved to have something go his way for once. The Montgomery siblings were seriously messing with his life right now, and his patience was at an end. He closed the distance between the two of them until Summer had to tilt her head back to look up into his face. “I'm not playing games; I came here for a reason. I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be here. So bring this guy out and I'll be on my way. Now, Summer.”

“I would, Ethan, I really would, except…”

“Except what?” he snapped.

“I didn't come here with a man. My companion is…female.” She purposely put a little sass in her statement and loved the way Ethan's jaw worked like he wanted to say something but didn't quite know what. Who knew teasing Ethan Reed could be this much fun?

“You're…you're here with a…with a…woman?” He understood that girls went on weekend getaways all the time just for fun, but something in the way Summer announced it had him doubting that theory. He knew she dated men; he'd met many of them over the years. Was this why she'd been so out of sorts lately? “So…” He tried to sound casual, but somehow his words came out more like a croak. “So I would still like to meet her.”

Actually, he wouldn't. Hell, it was almost as bad as her being here with a guy because now he'd have all sorts of erotic girl-on-girl images in his head starring Summer Montgomery. Yup, he was definitely being punished for something he did in a former life.

Without a word, Summer turned and walked back to the tepee. Ethan had no choice but to follow. He felt sick to his stomach as he scrambled to figure out how he was going to graciously meet this mystery female and then explain everything to Zach.
Hey, Zach. Things went great. As it turned out, Summer wasn't away with a boyfriend; apparently she's decided to give up on men and is now spending the weekend with her new girlfriend.
Yeah, that's going to go over well. There was no doubt the messenger was definitely going to be shot.

He almost wished someone would shoot him right now.

Walking into the tepee, he was momentarily distracted by the space. To say it was tall would be an understatement, but that wasn't the most impressive thing about it. In the center of the space was a large private hot spring, with a king-sized pallet on one side and a small sitting area on the other. It was rustic, for sure, but incredibly inventive. As outlandish as Summer was known to be, this place seemed a little too far-out even for her.

When he finally returned his attention to her, she was sitting on the corner of the bed. Now there was an image that was bound to mess with him more than all of the others. Ethan cleared his throat and tried to sound more in control than he had moments ago. “So? Where is she?”

“You're looking at her.”

Brows furrowed, Ethan looked from the bed, to Summer, and back again before scanning the room. “Excuse me?”

“I said you're looking at her. Come closer.”

This was both everything he ever wanted and feared all rolled into one. Summer beckoning him toward a bed? He was about to weep with gratitude. Then he remembered why he was here. Summer. Zach. The mystery guest. There was no one on the bed beside her. What was she playing at? All he saw was Summer and some sort of lump beside her. A pillow? A sweater? He took another step forward.
What
the…?

“Ethan, I'd like you to meet Maylene. My dog.” At the sound of her name, the tiny dog lifted her head. “She's a pug and she's only three months old.” Summer turned and scratched the puppy behind the ears before leaning down and kissing her. “Say hello to Ethan,” she said in a voice most people normally reserved for talking to babies.

“So you made a reservation for you…and your dog?” he asked, confusion lacing his tone.

Summer nodded. “No one said I was going away with a man, did they?”

Now he felt like an idiot. All Gabriella had said was Summer had made reservations for herself and a guest. He and Zach had jumped the gun on who they thought the guest was. Running a hand through his dark hair, he looked at Summer with a lopsided grin. “I guess you must be feeling pretty smug right about now.”

“You would be correct.”

There was no way to make a graceful exit, so Ethan just decided to own the blunder and be on his way. “Okay; we screwed up. I'm sure we'll all get a big laugh out of this when we get back.” Summer stood and began walking toward him even as he was walking backward toward the exit. “So…um, I'll tell Zach you're fine and he has nothing to worry about. And you have a…a…dog. When…when did you get her?” he asked, struggling for something to say that wouldn't make him sound as foolish as he felt.

“About two weeks ago,” she said simply. “I was feeling a little homesick and lonely, and it was obvious my brother was tired of entertaining me, so I decided to get a dog. I did a little research, found a breeder, and when I went, I took one look at her and knew she was meant for me.”

I
know
the
feeling,
he thought. “Well, that's…that's great. She seems…cute.”
For
crying
out
loud, Ethan. You had better social skills when you were thirteen!
“I'm sorry for busting in on you like this. We really were just concerned about you.”

“We?” she asked with just a hint of playfulness.

“Yeah. We. I…I hope you have a good weekend, Summer. I'll see you when we get back.”

“Ethan?” she called out to him as he turned to walk away. He turned around and faced her again. “I don't have a good feeling about this. I know Zach thinks I'm just being ridiculous, but I'm not. His leg isn't healed all the way yet. He's being stubborn and impulsive. I know I'm not a doctor, but I am a trained yoga instructor, and I know a lot more about the human body than Zach thinks.”

“Look, I agree with you,” Ethan admitted. “I think he's being hasty too. But because the climbing season is so short, Zach's afraid that if he doesn't do this climb now, he's going to have to wait another year before he has the opportunity.”

“That's the stupidest reason in the world to go on a climb like this! He's not ready for it physically. And besides that, the weather isn't very predictable…well…things can go wrong in the blink of an eye. Please. I really don't want you to go.” Both her eyes and her voice were pleading with him.

“Me?” he asked gruffly.

Summer blushed. “Well, you and Zach. It's too dangerous.” She walked up to him and placed one small hand on his arm. “Promise me you won't go, that you'll talk to Zach and convince him to postpone the climb. I know it will be another year before he can do it and he's been planning this for a long time, but it's just not safe for him.”

In the twenty years they had known one another, they had never touched, not even in the most casual of manners. The feel of her hand on him had Ethan teetering on the edge of control. He looked down at her hand and then to her face. Her dark eyes looked up at him filled with worry, and he slowly felt himself drowning in them. It was sensory overload and he wasn't sure he'd be able to survive it.

“Summer,” he began carefully, “I know you're worried. This is a little out of our usual scope of adventure, but your brother and I have trained really hard for this. I know that Zach isn't in his usual top shape with his leg and all, but he's managed to get a doctor's approval and talked to the expedition company about it. The guides are fine with the medical reports and confident that the weather won't be an issue. They're the experts and we have to trust them. You should trust them too.”

“Even experienced climbers get lost or hurt or even killed on climbs like this,” she said somberly. “I'm begging you, Ethan, as a friend. Please reconsider.”

“Is that why you took off without telling anyone?” he asked. “So that Zach would have to come after you and you could make him postpone his trip?” He hated even asking the question but knew that he desperately needed her answer.

“No,” she said without hesitation. “I left because I couldn't bear to watch the two of you leave. If anything happens…” She broke off as the first tear fell. “Dammit,” she muttered and turned away, but Ethan surprisingly turned her around and forced her to look up at him.