“Morning,” he said. “Hank is making a quick run into town and mentioned that you’d need to eat. I took the liberty of picking up where he left off. There are eggs and bacon over there, pancakes over there, and French toast is coming up next.”
“What about —”
“Coffee is right over there. I hope you like it strong.”
Amy stumbled toward the coffee, but before she could make it, Ethan grabbed her and said, “Hank’s coming in now. Give me a quick kiss.” Amy barely had time to pucker her lips before Ethan had pulled her against himself and kissed her. First, he kissed her on the cheek, brushing his lips against her skin as he leaned in to say something else. “Remember, we’re in love,” he whispered. His voice had a subtle rasp that Amy couldn’t help but find sexy. She tried to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned and met her lips. He placed his hand on her hip and pulled her tight. His movements were smooth and sure, and Amy had to focus on holding in a small moan. She couldn’t hide her delight as Ethan deepened the kiss.
Amy wrapped her fingers around his forearm, tightening her grip as she leaned into his kiss. She would never admit it, but the surprise of his lips against hers had thrown her off balance in the most wonderfully unexpected way. The hint of his tongue against hers only deepened her excitement. She held herself against him, wanting to chase that feeling deeper. She licked and nibbled on his lower lip before he pulled back. As his lips parted from her, Ethan smiled.
“Good morning, dear,” Ethan said. “You’re in danger of making me a morning person.”
Before Amy could reply, Hank walked into the room. He gave them a knowing smile. “Good morning, you two. I hope you’re ready for a full day. Amy, Ethan said you’d love to join us for a hike.”
“Isn’t the snow a few feet deep wherever we’d go hiking?”
“That’s why I went down to the basement to find the snowshoes.”
“Ah, I see. A hike sounds lovely,” Amy lied, “but for now, the bacon and eggs are calling to me.”
“Don’t let me get between you two and your breakfast. I’ll go get everything ready for the hike.”
As Hank disappeared back down the hall, Amy turned to Ethan. “You told him I like hiking?”
“No, I told him you enjoyed a challenge.”
“So you decided to make things hard on me?”
“It will be great,” Ethan replied. “Trust me.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Ethan, I don’t trust anyone.”
“Not even enough to try this French toast?”
“I think I can make an exception,” Amy said. She poured herself a cup of coffee and walked over to the kitchen table. “Now be a good husband and bring me breakfast.”
***
An hour later, after Amy and Ethan had changed into their winter weather gear, they strapped on their snowshoes and followed Hank out through the yard, heading west across the open, snow-covered fields. The sky was a hard, deep blue, and after they had been hiking for a while, Amy could feel herself starting to build up a sweat. She looked over to Ethan and Hank, who were gabbing away and showed no signs of struggle or fatigue. This is going to be a long day, she thought.
Hank's property stretched off beyond sight and was on one side of a wide valley. To the west, hills rose up toward the mountains, but to the east and north, the valley stretched on for miles and miles. It was so wide that it seemed more like a wide plain than a valley. Hank had chosen a day hike up to the top of a bluff with spectacular views of the mountain ranges that rose in the distance. When Amy asked him how long the hike would be, he simply responded, "When we get there, you'll know."
A lot of good that did her. Amy was good at challenges. She was good at pretty much anything she had ever put her mind to, but one thing she was not good at was following someone else's lead. It's what had led her to start her own business. She had to have some control over her situation. Walking off into the wilderness with two rich and powerful men was not her idea of controlling the situation. She thought back to Ethan's words on the plane: "I think this will be good for you." Well, at least she'd have a chance to test her patience.
But the farther they walked across the snow, the deeper they ventured into the quiet of nature, the better Amy began to feel about her problems. Maybe better wasn't the right word. Less concerned would probably work. All of her worries just seemed so small and insignificant compared to the vastness of the snow and the sky. They seemed so trivial until Ethan and Hank began to talk.