“Milady.” Chase handed Cecily a paper travel cup. “Coffee regular. New York style. Cream, two sugars.”

She took the cup and lifted the plastic tab on the lid, breathing in the hot brew. “Smells amazing.”

“I scored two crullers as well, but you have to promise to eat yours like a lady, unless you want me to hike with an enormous hard-on.”

“Hmmm.”

Not fun, Cecy, and not funny.”

She snickered, lifting three fingers in salute. “I promise. Scouts honor.” Taking a sugary donut from the bag, she licked her thumb before taking a bite. “Mmmm, so good. To be honest, I’m surprised the lodge was open this early on a week day.”

“You’ve really never hiked before.” He chuckled, opening the tab on his own coffee. “Eight am is considered late, especially for dawn brigade diehards.”

Donut in hand, she cupped the warmth from her coffee, shoulders bunched. “Dawn? Yeah, no thanks. Shifters are supposed to run hotter than humans, but I was absent the day they handed out that gene. Or maybe running hot relates to how often you shift. Either way, I’m freezing my nips off. I can’t imagine what it’s like before the sun comes up.”

“I think you’re pretty hot on your own.” He grinned. “Especially with hard nips.”

She smirked. “Ha, ha.”

“You’ll be fine once your blood gets moving. It’s why we dress in layers. By this afternoon, you’ll be doing a strip tease.”

She chuckled again. “That sounds a lot like wishful thinking for someone who doesn’t want to hike with an enormous erection. Maybe I should deep throat my donut just to give you a head start.”

“Good morning, honeymooners!” Dan interrupted, coming up to greet them. “Brisk and bright this morning, eh? You guys ready for the hunt?”

Chase slipped his arm around Cecily. “As ready as we’ll ever be, chief.”

“Good. Charlie and Louise are already up the mountain, about an hour ahead of us. Linda and I decided to let you two sleep in.” He winked. “She’s grabbing us a couple of water bottles.” He gestured toward the lodge. “I hope you thought to bring some, if not, last call at the lodge. Same for a real bathroom.”

Chase turned to show Dan the larger of the two backpacks they brought. “All set.”

“Ready to head out, then?” Linda asked, walking up behind them to hand Dan his water. “Better let us take the lead. We’ve done this more times than I can count. It’s not too bad a hike. Daisy’s even done it with us.”

Cecily fell in step with Chase behind them. “Where is she today?”

Linda smiled over her shoulder. “She’s still with grandma. We got home too late from the bonfire last night, so she made it a sleepover.” Her grin slipped to a crooked smirk. “You two left pretty early. Decided to make your own fireworks, huh?”

“Linda, cut them some slack. You yelled at me last night and you’re just as bad.”

She blew her husband a razzberry, but let it drop.

“Did you tell the others about what happened?” Chase asked.

Dan nodded. “Yes. You weren’t the only ones to notice them at the bonfire last night. No one knows who they were, but Mitch said he picked up on a definite bear scent. He and Gayle stayed behind to consider the matter. We’re all aware and on alert.” He turned with a wink. “We’ve got your back.”

“Same,” Chase replied.

They climbed, stepping over rocks and roots. The path wound, and the temperature rose the later it got. As the elevation increased, the four fell in a natural single file line with Dan in the lead and Chase in the rear. Cecily was breathing hard, and Chase hung back, giving her a chance to catch her breath.

“Go on, we’ll catch up,” he called.

Dan stopped to adjust his pack, pulling his bucket hat from his head to wipe the sweat. “It’s okay. We should all take a break. At least we’re conquering the hard part now. Linda and I hiked the Grand Canyon last year and going up took twice as long as going down.” He drank from his water bottle, handing the last half to Linda.

“How far until we get to the claim?” Cecily’s hands were on her knees as she leaned against a boulder. “If it gets much steeper, I might turn around and let you guys go ahead. If I had known this was going to be a workout, I’d have gone into training.”

Linda grinned. “Stop that. This isn’t a race. We get there when we get there. The climb is half the fun of it.”

“Fun. Right. I forgot.” Cecily held out her hand for Chase to help her to her feet.

“Babe, if you don’t want to do this, we don’t have to,” he whispered.

Dan waved them forward. “I heard that, big guy. No quitsies. Besides, it’s only another hour or so up the mountain. Charlie and Louise figured you guys weren’t used to the altitude, so we’re meeting at the bottom edge of their claim. They brought lunch. Great views and a mountain picnic. What’s better than that?”

“A lazy morning in bed with my sexy husband, that’s what,” Cecily murmured.

Chase winked. “Back atcha, babe. We can always have a lazy evening in the hot tub later.”

She stretched her neck, grimacing. “Promise?”

The four hiked the rest of the way in relative silence. The terrain was rocky but evened out effort-wise as the path wound around the mountain, rather than up.

“Look at the view, Cecy,” Chase scanned the horizon.

The trees created a valley of green between craggy intermittent peaks. From this vantage, the lake and its feeder streams looked like zig-zag squiggles.

“Beautiful,” she replied. “Just promise me you won’t get the hiking bug. I’m not exactly a nature girl, though I wouldn’t mind a cabin up here, provided we put in a road.”

He brushed her lips, letting his hand skim to the back of her head as they looked at the expanse. “I promise.”

“Hey, you two! See that next curve?” Dan called, gesturing up the path. “Beyond that the path plateaus to a gorgeous open clearing. Lots of trees and places to pitch a tent for the afternoon. It’ll be basecamp for today, so get a move on. We’ll meet you there.”

Dan and Linda went ahead, so Chase took the lead for him and Cecily. “You okay, love?”

“Without Sherpa Dan and his military pace? You bet.” She chuckled. “Remind me again why we decided to do this?”

“It wasn’t we, it was me, babe…and trust me. Lesson learned.”

Cecily grinned. “Good.”

“Still, we’re no closer to finding out who attacked us yesterday and why. I haven’t taken my eyes off either side of the path, and I don’t care if Dan likes it or not, I’ll use my rifle again if needed.”

Cecily glanced at the sleek weapon slung over Chase’s shoulder. “Do you think Jackson had me followed, and yesterday was a botched hit?”

“Don’t even joke about that.” Stopping mid-step, Chase turned. “Why? Do you?”

She lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know anymore. If you’d raised that possibility right after we met, I’d have said no. I never thought Jackson capable of hurting me to get what he wants. But now?”

“So, you think it could be him, or not him per se, but someone sent by him,” Chase pressed.

Cecily shook her head. “Jackson plays dirty, but not that dirty. He colors within the legal lines, if you know what I mean. Coming at me with lawyers, like he’s already doing.”

“Still, Cecy. A bear attack in the woods would be cut and dried. An accidental death would leave him wide open to claim your father’s fortune”

“Maybe.”

They wound around the curve toward the plateau, and the vista that opened into the valley below was more breathtaking than they’d seen. “Oh, man. Forget gemstones. This is what’s priceless.”

“It’s beautiful,” he murmured. “It looks like Charlie and Louise already set up the day tent. Everyone’s dropped their packs.” He pointed toward a group of shade trees near the edge of the clearing.

They walked to the tent, settling their packs beside the others.

Cecily sighed. “This is where I’d want to be if I could.” She lifted a hand toward the scenery. “Looking at that vista every morning with you.”

The other four were already up the side of the foothill, amid mountain scrub and rock. The plink and scrape of small pick axes and shovels sent a trickle of tiny stones and dirt down to the base.

“Hey! I got one. A turquoise!” Louise laughed, holding up a blue-green rock. “Not bad for a morning’s work!”