Romancing the Boat (Survive the Romance #3) - Cami Checketts Page 0,1

no-shoes thing.” If he could stop her and somehow get her turned around, hopefully Chet would keep going up the path and wouldn’t come back anytime soon.

She grinned. “It feels wonderful being in touch with Mother Earth. You should try it.”

Tagg laughed. “But your poor feet. Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Oh, no.” Something in her eyes said she was lying. “And I feel so much better knowing I’m not hurting the earth.”

Was she serious? He had no idea, but she was intriguing to say the least. Tagg had spent his growing-up years with good-old-boys from Montana and his adult years with tough men and women in the military and trafficking battle. He’d never encountered a woman like this.

She turned to go and he said hurriedly, “Do you always skip instead of run?”

“Skipping makes me happy. Like I’m a child playing again.” Even as she said the light words, darkness flitted across her face. She waved both hands and muttered, “Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.” Her bright smile slowly returned and then she tilted her head and asked him, “What makes you happy?”

Tagg blinked at her. She was some new-age, earthy girl. Odd might be the word he would’ve used to described her if he wasn’t so enchanted by her. He was a farm boy raised to fight, protect, and be tough. Could they have anything in common? He wanted to find common ground with her, talk with her, make her laugh.

Then he remembered he was only trying to keep her safe from Chet, not line up a date. He tried to focus on her question. “Um …” What made him happy? He rescued untold women and children from the worst situations imaginable. It was rewarding and horrifying at the same time. Happy? He used to laugh a lot, but who had time for happy as an adult? “Home. My mama and my little brothers. They make me happy.”

He wished he could say his dad, but his dad was too hard-nosed and strict to make anybody happy. He’d sure taught Tagg hard work though.

“What about you?” he asked, stalling for time. He scrambled for an idea to convince her to turn back to the safety of the resort. “What makes you happy?”

Her full smile came out and she gestured around. “This gorgeous world we live in, light, and love.” Her smile got almost … sneaky. “Who do you love?”

Tagg had deep concerns about this woman’s lack of guile. She had no idea who he was or what she’d have run into if he hadn’t stopped her. She didn’t seem to have an ounce of trepidation about being alone on a jogging path. “I love my family, and my best friend. What about you?”

“The list is too long to share.” She spread her arms wide. “I love the world and the world loves me back.”

He laughed. Was whimsical the right word to describe her? Innocent? Beautiful? Maybe slightly zany or crazy? His dad would hate her and his brothers would call her a “tree hugger.” Tagg couldn’t help but want to protect her. That was a natural inclination from a lifetime of protecting his mom and brothers from his dad’s sometimes harsh words and treatment. He had served ten years in the Navy, his last four as a highly-trained SEAL. Protection was his life’s work.

“I’m sure the world does,” he said, hardly recognizing his own voice. “I have a huge favor to ask.”

“Sure. Anything,” she said brightly. She was so genuine and open it was refreshing. He wanted to spend more time with her, but getting to know a beautiful woman wasn’t his purpose this week.

“Could I talk you into skipping back down the trail?” He tilted his head down toward the lodge. “There’s been a … bear sighting up ahead and I’m going to investigate. You know how angry those bears can get when they’re hungry and just waking up from hibernation. I’d hate to see an innocent beauty like you in danger.”

Her brow wrinkled and she blinked at him. Man, those eyes were a beautiful shade of deep brown, so big and innocent. But it almost looked as if she knew he was lying. He’d had to lie so often in his line of work that even with his strictly religious background it only brought a slight twinge of guilt. The lies were always to protect the innocent, usually in much more extreme situations than right now, so he knew it was justified.

“Are you with natural resources?”

He shook his head. “Independent company hired