The Ascent To Love

Chapter 1

“The marks humans leave are too often scars.” —The Fault In Our Stars, now in theatres!

Chapter 1

If her father weren’t already dead, she would have killed him. He was the reason she was in this predicament in the first place. Backpacking through the wilderness was not her idea of a vacation. Neither was watching almost all of her hiking party hop into a national forest emergency helicopter. 

It had been an unfortunate accident. One of ladies had rolled her ankle after stepping into a ditch covered by foliage. Immediately, her ankle started swelling.  She couldn’t even put any pressure on it without howling in pain. It had been pure luck that a forest ranger with a walkie-talkie had passed by. Otherwise, they would have been by themselves, alone in the middle of a national park while their hiking guide went for help.

She felt a pang of remorse watching the helicopter disappear into the sky. She would miss the group of middle-aged women. All recently divorced, they’d celebrated their newfound freedom by going on a backpacking trip. They had been friendly to her. Easily accepting her into their folds even though she was half their age.

“Are you ready?”

Alexis looked over her shoulder. Her current crush and hiking guide, Graham Neelson was swiftly snapping his pack into place. His nimble fingers moved with ease that came from years of experience.

He was wearing his usual outdoor uniform. A plain, wicker t-shirt and a pair of waterproof khaki pants, that had several pockets along the sides. They were stuffed with various things like a bag of beef jerky, a compass and sunscreen.    

When she first met the 28-year-old guide, she had been wary. He seemed too young to be leading the seven-day backpacking trip that summited a 14,000-foot mountain. She was not a skilled hiker and didn’t feel comfortable placing her trust in a man who was only a year older than her. It negated the whole reason of why she finally agreed to participate in the first place!

Reach the Top, the company Graham worked for, had a special program catering towards inexperienced hikers. For six months, it was a rigorous schedule of weekly PT sessions, monthly hikes and various wilderness survival classes—all to prepare the mind and body for the task of ascending the mountain.

When she approached Reach the Top about her concerns, they assured her of Graham’s competence. He was an experience hiker and rock climber who had tackled some of the hardest climbs in the world. In the end, despite her doubts, she had agreed to stay.

Now, all these months later, she recognized just what a capable leader he actually was. He handled every situation in a cool, calm collected manner. His knowledge and leadership abilities had earned both her trust and her admiration.

Somewhere along the way, she wasn’t sure when, she’d developed feelings for him. Maybe, when he insisted on walking her to the car after every hike. They would linger in front of the car, talking and laughing till the sky turned dark. Or, maybe the moment came when she’d him about her promotion at work. His face beamed bright, as if her accomplishment was his own. He’d even bought her a cupcake to celebrate her achievement. Either way, she had started to like the young hiking guide. 

Out of the corner of her eye she watched him adjusted a strap. His arm and chest flexed as he gave a short, quick tug. A small sigh of longing escaped her lips. Oh how she wished he wasn’t wearing a shirt! He had a lean, hard body, the kind she found attractive. She hated men who were too bulky. There was nothing worse than cuddling up to a lumpy, mass of muscles.

Strands of mahogany hair spilled over a red bandana tied around his forehead. Her fingers itched to brush the thick locks aside so she could see his face better. Graham wasn’t handsome in the classical sense. His features were too sharp and angular. He had an almost hawk like look. High cheekbones, pointed chin, and a long, thin nose.