Billionaire Unmasked(37)

Make coffee or not?

She was useless without caffeine, but she didn’t want to linger, so she pulled a can of sugary soda loaded with caffeine from the fridge and, with a smile, grabbed one of the candy bars on the counter.

He’s still a chocolate addict.

She’d rarely seen Jason without something chocolate-covered in his hand when he was younger, and his habits obviously hadn’t changed. For some reason, she found that comforting. She smiled as she wondered whether he’d notice she’d snatched one of his Snickers bars. He’d always shared with her when he was younger, but he was pretty possessive about his chocolate.

The door opened quietly, so she slipped outside and closed it softly behind her. With her camera pulled from its case, she slipped the strap around her neck and quickly adjusted the lens to have it ready in case she ran across any wildlife. As she surveyed the area, she decided to follow what looked like a well-traveled path through the woods, and opened the soda and candy bar as she walked. The strap of the camera case was slung cross-body style to get it out of the way, and she kept walking so her legs didn’t have a chance to get cold. It had cooled off considerably during the night, as it always did at high altitude, but it would warm up as soon as the sun got higher and brighter.

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.