Heart of a Hero Read online

  “He didn’t kiss you goodbye,” Tammy said.

  “Why would he?” Charly made herself laugh off the image. She couldn’t indulge in that little fantasy at work. “We’re just friends. And this is a workplace.”

  “Not from where I’m standing, and so what?” Tammy flung a hand toward the spot where Will had been moments ago. “That man wants to sleep with you.”

  “Whatever.” Charly refused to get her hopes up. So far they’d gone out for beer and pool at the pub up the street and gone bowling once, but she knew how this story ended before she turned the last page. The way it always ended—with one more tempting man in the friend column.

  It had been that way her whole life. Part of it was being built more like a boy than a woman, but her business played a part, too. Binali Backcountry, her life’s passion, took up the majority of her energy and time. She enjoyed the mountains, the risk and reward she could find there, and she rose every morning eager to share her passion and knowledge with others as the owner, as well as a guide. Her commitment and drive didn’t leave much room for romance and relationships.

  For as long as she could remember, she’d been drawn to the wild call of the mountains and canyons surrounding the Four Corners Monument. Born and raised just outside of Durango, she’d spent her life exploring until it all felt as personal as her own backyard. Her grandfather often boasted that you could drop her anywhere on the planet and she’d find her way home no matter the weather or resources. She could track and mimic any animal that called this area home and, more importantly, she could find lost people better than any bloodhound.

  Typically, men looking for a good time didn’t put those skills at the top of the list when they wanted a date. Or a girlfriend. It was too soon to tell if Will would be different. She returned to the office to print out the work schedule.

  Looking it over as it came off the printer, she prepared for the inevitable complaints. She required all of her guides to spend a few hours in the shop each week. It wasn’t a popular stance and she’d lost a few good guides to nearby competitors since she’d implemented the policy. No one loved getting out and guiding mountain and canyon tours more than she did. But it was important to her that everyone understood the gear they carried for customers and that selling tours was a group effort. It kept them all invested and focused on the overall success of Binali Backcountry. As she’d explained it—again—at last month’s staff meeting, no one sold a tour better than the guide who loved to lead it.

  The reverse was also true, and it was past time for Tammy to get out and away from the business district. “Have you decided which tour you’ll join next week?”

  Tammy cringed and busied herself with a sudden interest in the day’s few credit card receipts. “I’m not sure my boots are broken in yet.”

  Charly glanced at Tammy’s feet and noted the cute Western boots better suited for line dancing than hiking. “So start small. How about something down around Lake Nighthorse or along the river trail?” Those routes naturally had a slower pace, more photo opportunities and generally left people delighted rather than exhausted.

  “Maybe.” Tammy popped her gum while she flipped through the appointment book. “Clint only has openings on his two-night thing into the canyon.”

  Ah. Now Charly had the clear picture. Tammy was crushing on Clint. The girl had good taste, but Clint Roberts wasn’t the one-woman kind of guy, and she didn’t want Tammy’s feelings getting hurt in the bargain.

  “I know the tents are rated to thirty below or whatever,” Tammy said, “but I can’t believe that material is really effective.”

  “What you should believe,” Charly said, her voice calm but stern, “is that your job here depends on you getting outside by next week.”

  Tammy’s eyes went wide, shimmering with tears. “That’s not fair.”

  This kind of thing was exactly why Charly preferred working with men. No emotional games, just the occasional posturing, and she knew how to shut that down. Charly took a calming breath, reminded herself the tears were an act, a tool Tammy had probably learned to wield early in life. “That was the deal when I hired you. Do I need to pull out the paperwork you signed?”

  “No.” Tammy’s tears evaporated instantly. “I’ll go with David on the river trail tomorrow. Unless...”

  Charly was half-afraid to ask. “Unless what?”

  “What if I took over the office stuff? All that computer crap you hate is a piece of cake for me.”

  “Really?”

  Tammy nodded, hope clearly bubbling over as she laced her fingers and bounced a little.

  Charly glared at her. “Why didn’t you say something when I was ready to put a tent stake through the computer last week?”

  “And miss a chance to stare at Will’s ass?”

  Valid point. The girl had priorities, even if they were different from Charly’s. “You still have to take the tours.” She held up a hand, cutting off Tammy’s protest. “At least the ones close to town. It will help you sort out what treks appeal to what type of person.”

  “Okay, okay.” Tammy shook back her cloud of perfect, bottle-blond hair. “But if I fall in the river you’ll be on your own with the computer stuff.”

  “I’ll tell David to be extra careful with you.”

  “Thank you.” She tapped her fingernail on the counter. “You know, I could even put the tour schedules into a calendar app and then all of you would know what’s what out on the trails.”

  She and her guides already knew that, but Charly appreciated the effort. “I’d go with that in a heartbeat if—”

  “Right,” Tammy interrupted. “Cell reception is crappy in the wild. One more reason to appreciate the city.”

  “Takes all kinds to keep the world turning.” Charly flipped through the mail, finding an official envelope from the park service between the catalogs and handing the rest of the stack to Tammy. She ripped it open, pleased to find a check for her latest consulting work. “I’m going to run this over to the bank.”

  “I’ll hold down the fort.”

  Charly breathed deep of the clear, crisp air as she strolled down the block. It always felt good when a consulting job had a happy ending. This time around it had been a weekend hiker who hadn’t come back on schedule. At the twenty-four-hour mark, his wife had insisted the park service start a search and they in turn had called Charly. When they reached him, they’d found the poor guy had taken a tumble and lost his radio. Easy enough to do this time of year when the weather couldn’t decide between winter and spring.

  Up ahead, she saw Will on his route, but he was chatting with the owner of the pub where they had shared their first beer. The man was too easy on the eyes, and she purposely looked away, just to prove she could. It wouldn’t do her any good to get attached to the idea that he would see her as more than a pal with breasts. She glanced down at her chest. Her barely B cups might not be big enough to meet the general definition. They certainly had never been big enough to change the way the local guys saw her.

  Tammy might be right about the raw chemistry between Charly and Will, and Charly was definitely ready to see where pheromones and attraction could lead. How could she find out if Will was on the same page? She was darn sure ready for more than another buddy to talk beer, guns and trails.

  She yanked open the bank door and stutter-stepped to avoid bumping into the police officer walking out. “Whoops. Sorry, Steve.”

  “No problem. How are things?”

  “Can’t complain,” she replied. “How are the kids?”

  “Good.” He stepped back inside with her. “I’m thinking about taking my youngest down into the canyon when it warms up a bit.”

  Steve had worked part-time for her father during their senior year. They’d gone to the homecoming dance—as friends—because both of them had been too busy that season to find real dates. Suddenly she felt seventeen and awkward again, remembering the time they’d driven out to prep a campsite in the canyon and stayed long into
the night, watching a meteor shower from the back of his pickup truck. She’d wished for a kiss as the stars fell, but Steve didn’t oblige.

  Thank God, she thought now. It would’ve been weird. More of an experiment than romance, even under that endless sky.

  Steve waved his hand in front of her face. “Charly? You okay?”

  With a little jump and a self-conscious smile, she apologized. “Just lost in thought.” Steve’s youngest daughter had recently discovered a new fascination with photography. “Take her into the canyons southeast of town and she can get some amazing sunset pictures.”

  “That’s a great idea. She’ll love that. I’m glad I bumped into you.”

  “Me, too. Have a great time.”

  They went their separate ways, leaving Charly feeling half a step out of sync with the rest of her world as she made the deposit. It irritated her. She had exactly what she wanted. More. With the business she had freedom and plenty of time in wide-open spaces, challenges of every variety. She had exactly what she needed, sharing the world she loved from mountaintop to river to canyon with new people every day.

  “Living the dream,” she reminded herself as she walked back up the block to the Binali Backcountry storefront. This was her heritage as well as her dream come true.

  So why did it feel as though something was missing? Determined to adjust her attitude, she tipped her face to the snowcapped peaks kissing the horizon. This happened to her when she spent too much time in the office and not enough out in the field. Four days was about her tolerance for the city life, and she hadn’t led a tour in over a week. Well, easy enough to fix that. She’d just make time for an early hike tomorrow morning since she had plans tonight. Plans with a man she definitely wanted to know better. In the biblical sense rather than strictly as a friend. Maybe she should ask Tammy for pointers on how to stage a seduction. Heck, she needed pointers in how to tell if a guy was open to being seduced.

  She was laughing at herself, her balance somewhat restored, when she strolled back into the store.

  “Must have been some check,” Tammy said.

  “Every little bit helps,” she admitted.

  “I opened the fan mail while you were gone.”

  “We got fan mail?”

  “Sure.” Tammy spun a handwritten note card around for Charly’s inspection. “Take a look.”

  Charly read it aloud, happily recalling her time with the Ronkowski family. “‘Thanks again for making our vacation something we’ll remember forever. The kids are still talking about it with anyone who will stop long enough to listen. We’ve been camping and taken tours through all kinds of places, but Charly, your expertise and passion for the area made all the difference. We’re already planning to return to Colorado and take another tour with you this summer.’”

  The note went on, elevating Charly’s mood with every word. She’d led the parents and their three kids on a camping excursion through the canyon she’d recommended to Steve earlier. “Wow. We can pull a few of these lines for the website,” she said. In fact, she wanted to upload the new quotes right this second. “They were a fun family.”

  “They sure think the world of you.”

  “It’s easy to share what you love best.” An idea dawned, one she thought might be a good compromise for Tammy. “Want to go hiking with me tomorrow?”

  “What? And close the store?”

  “No. Before we open. Before breakfast.”

  Tammy’s jaw dropped open. Then she snapped it shut and glared at Charly. “This is some kind of test.”

  “Not at all.” Charly gathered up the mail as she rounded the counter, smiling again at the note from the Ronkowskis. “I just need to get outside.”

  Tammy pointed at the door with her perfectly manicured finger. “You just came in.”

  Charly laughed. “I meant the big outside, away from sidewalks and storefronts.”

  “You’re a nature addict.” Tammy shook her head, as if the diagnosis were fatal. “I have plans for tomorrow before breakfast.”

  “You do?”

  “Yup.” Tammy nodded emphatically. “Sleep.”

  “Fine.” Unable to argue with a confirmed city girl, Charly ducked into the office to deal with a few remaining administrative details. If she lingered, she knew she’d ask Tammy for advice about men and that just felt too...needy, she decided.

  She’d let the mysterious chemistry work, and whatever happened with Will happened.

  * * *

  WILL TOOK A final look around his apartment and decided he had everything set for his movie date with Charly. The clutter was gone, the kitchen and bathroom spotless. The beer was cold, he had microwave popcorn ready to go, and he’d bought a pack of cupcakes for dessert. Yeah, he had everything except the movie.

  Binali Backcountry had quickly become the high point on his postal route each day. During his first week on the job, chatting up so many strangers all at once had left him drained and craving nothing more than hours of quiet at the end of the day. Then he’d met her. There was an ease about Charly that smoothed him out. He blamed it on the absolute confidence that hovered over her like a cloud. That particular trait wasn’t something he saw in most civilians.

  Casey expected Will to get involved here, so sticking to his hermit tendencies wasn’t an option even for personal time. Following orders, Will had jumped in with both feet and asked her out, telling himself it was all part of burrowing deep into the cover story.

  Being a mailman came easily enough. The tasks were so different from his military career, he appreciated having the mental space to assess the community. The people were nice and generally took pride in the area as a whole. He’d been right about the mile-wide streak of independence out here. While it had been hard work denying the part of him that needed solitude and quiet, he was making the adjustment.

  I’m dating, he thought, checking his watch. Charly would be here in ten minutes. He picked up the remote and started scrolling through his extensive movie library. He’d picked up most of the titles during his time on bases where the troops had created dedicated servers packed with entertainment for relaxation between missions. Still, he couldn’t make up his mind about what they should watch tonight.

  This was the first time they were staying in, which felt like enough pressure, but he didn’t know her tastes well enough to make a confident choice. Will decided to narrow the list to three and let her make the final call.

  While he skimmed through the long list, his cell phone sounded with the old-school telephone ring he’d programmed for contact from Director Casey. The familiar anticipation of a mission shot through his system as he answered. “Chase here.”

  “This is a high-alert notification.”

  Thank God, some action. He was more than ready for a challenge bigger than movie selections.

  “We have confirmed reports that a device known as a Blackout Key, a cutting-edge cyber weapon, has been stolen,” Director Casey explained. “It’s reverse-engineering software. I’m told the damn thing can breach everything from bank systems to nuclear weapon launch codes.”

  Will took a slow breath and waited for more details. Software could hide anywhere, on anyone.

  It could be as sexy as a tube of lipstick or as unassuming as a car key. Hell, something like that could hover up in a technology cloud, just waiting for the right bad guy to access it. He fought the immediate disappointment. He couldn’t hunt software. Not the way he hunted bad guys.

  Still, he wondered how it tied in to Durango. Every business on his route relied on software security and the internet in some capacity. Thinking of the businesses on his route, he automatically prioritized them, starting with the prime targets. The two banks for sure, but he could see the value in targeting the investment group and a nationally recognized architectural firm, too.

  “Three suspects were under surveillance,” Casey continued, “but one suspect, a man we believe was instrumental in the key’s development, has suddenly disappeared from the Lo
s Angeles area. The files and everything related to the program have vanished from all databases in the DC lab.”

  “Am I being relocated?” The flicker of regret at leaving Durango—and Charly—surprised him. His SEAL training had made him innately qualified for action in this kind of rugged terrain.

  “No. You sit tight. This is a nationwide alert. What we don’t have yet is hard intel on the location of the key. Photos of the missing suspect and full details will be emailed to you. Keep the information secure and notify me at once if you spot anything that relates to this alert.”

  “Sit tight,” Will echoed. “Does that mean you don’t want me to act?”

  Casey hesitated. “You are authorized to take whatever action is necessary to protect civilians or recover the Blackout Key. This breach cannot go public. We can’t allow it to reach the black market, either.”

  “Copy that.”

  The line went dead, and a moment later a knock sounded at the door. He set the phone to vibrate and pushed it into his back pocket. When he opened the door, the rich aroma of hot pizza spiced the air.

  Charly smiled at him over the big square box. Her long hair, usually pulled back from her face in a braid or ponytail, was down tonight. It fell like a thick midnight curtain across her shoulders and lower, brushing the gentle curve of her breasts highlighted by the deep V of her light green sweater. His breath caught and his stomach growled.

  “Sounds like I’m just in time.” Her lips gleamed with a soft sheen, and she’d added some subtle touch that made her big brown eyes wider, more... It hit him suddenly—she’d applied makeup. For him. He liked it.

  “You look great,” he said, stepping back so she could come inside. She looked more delicious than any meal. He reminded himself they were friends. The smart play was to take it slow. His assignment was long-term and he didn’t want to make the wrong move and alienate her—or anyone else.

  While she settled the pizza in the kitchen, he pulled down plates and offered her a choice of the locally crafted beers he’d picked up.