Page 33 of Close to Heaven

Eleven

Jax awoke early the next morning, and an hour later, he and Smoky were hiking up the trail to Spruce Flats Falls in the Smoky Mountains National Park. He could have taken the trail on his own property, but he wanted a more vigorous hike, and he’d chosen this one because it was nearby and less crowded than some of the other trails.

It was a crisp fall morning, and the leaves crackled beneath his feet. He passed a few other hikers, but he and Smoky mostly had the trail to themselves.

After dropping off Avery and his siblings the night before, he’d had a restless sleep. He’d kept rehashing the events of the day, specifically those that involved him and Avery. First, there were the hugs in his office, and then the dancing at the bar, but it was more than that. He’d felt a sizzling awareness that had drawn his gaze to her all night long, which was how he’d noticed the creepy guy making a move on her on the dance floor.

He’d hesitated to interfere, knowing she could probably handle it. However, after watching that jerk eye her up and down like he was picturing her naked, Jax had sprung into action. She’d seemed grateful to him for running interference, but he chastised himself for it later.

Avery wasn’t his to protect. Trevor should have been the one dancing with her and keeping the other guys at bay. Her so-called boyfriend had been notably absent, though, and Jax had stepped in on his behalf.

Sometime in the middle of the night, he’d decided he had to stop doing that. She was his employee, nothing more, nothing less. Plus, she was his sister’s best friend, and if Dakota wasn’t already suspicious after finding him and Avery in his office, she might be now.

On the way home from the bar, Avery had told Dakota and Cody what had happened on the dance floor when they’d been otherwise occupied. Avery had practically hailed him as a damn hero, which he wasn’t!

Yes, he’d swooped in and taken care of the creep, but it was partly for selfish reasons. He’d wanted to be the one next to her, dancing with her, holding her. It had been torture, sitting on the sidelines and watching her move her body but not being able to do anything about it.

He shouldn’t have been thinking of her like that, but it was hard not to. It had been so long since he’d been with a woman that he was acting like a desperate fool, and it had to stop.

So, when Dakota had offered to make breakfast for the four of them this morning, he’d declined. He’d told her he was going hiking instead, which was his go-to excuse for just about everything.

“But I’m only here for the weekend,” she whined.

“I’ll see you again before you leave.”

“I’ll come to breakfast!” Cody said.

Jax had glanced at Avery in the rearview mirror and thought she’d looked disappointed, though maybe she’d only been coming down from her beer buzz.

Now Jax was working out his frustrations by climbing a mountain. His leg muscles burned, and his breathing was labored, but he welcomed the feelings. It was almost like he wanted to punish himself for having had less-than-honorable thoughts about Avery.

He’d tossed and turned all night long, with images of her in the red sweater dress and then snug jeans and cowboy boots dancing in his head. You’re a man, and men are visual, he’d reminded himself. Yet no other woman in the bar had caught his attention like she had.

Cody, on the other hand, had bragged about getting the blonde woman’s phone number, which he waved around like a trophy.

If only I could be more like him. Cody found pleasure with a variety of women and seemed content with his single lifestyle. Jax, however, had always envisioned himself a family man. He pictured his cabin filled with a wife, kids, and maybe even another dog someday. He’d grown up that way and wanted the same things for himself. Cody had grown up in the same household, yet he was completely different. Go figure.

Jax had been climbing for some time without paying much attention to the scenery. Suddenly he heard rushing water, which meant the falls were just up ahead. He climbed another rise, and the view opened before him. Water from above tumbled over the cliff and landed in a serene pool some thirty feet below.

Early-morning hikers like him watched with awe from various vantage points along the falls, many of them snapping pictures. Having lived here all his life, Jax never considered taking pictures. The Smokies were simply a part of him, the surroundings as natural as breathing. Still, no matter how many times he’d climbed these trails, he was in awe of the raw beauty.

“C’mon, buddy,” he said to Smoky. He led the dog onto a wide rock ledge where he could get a better view. He was so close to the falls that he felt the cool mist on his face, which was refreshing after the vigorous climb.

This is exactly what I needed, he thought as he breathed in the fresh mountain air.

A while later, he and Smoky hiked back down the mountain. On the return trip, Jax didn’t think about Avery at all. He simply concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and traversing the uneven ground.

When he got back to his truck, he peeled off the extra layers he’d worn over his T-shirt. He couldn’t wait to get home, take a shower, and eat some breakfast, since he’d worked up quite an appetite. All he’d had that morning was coffee and a banana, and now he was starved.

I wonder what the women made for breakfast, he thought as he drove back to the resort. They’d talked about going shopping in Pigeon Forge that afternoon and then to visit Avery’s dad. He was glad his sister was there to keep Avery company and hopefully take her mind off her deadbeat boyfriend.

Before long, he entered the resort, and he slowed down as he neared Avery’s cabin. He saw lights on inside but didn’t see any movement.

Smoky whined as if he knew some of “his people” were inside.

“Sorry, buddy. Maybe later.” Jax drove past and continued up the hill to his cabin.

Soon he’d stripped out of his sweaty clothes and was standing underneath the shower. The warm water sluiced over him and soothed his aching muscles. If he weren’t so hungry, he might have lingered, but his growling stomach reminded him that it was time to eat.