“You look great,” James said when she made it downstairs. Hope glanced down at her dark wash jeans and black knit sweater.

“Thanks,” she shrugged.

“I made breakfast,” James said as he pulled a plate from the cupboard. “You like your eggs scrambled, right?”

Hope nodded.

In a blink she was staring down at a plate of bacon, toast, and eggs. She smiled. “You even sprinkled—.”

“Cheddar on top of the eggs; just the way you like,” James finished. “Here’s your coffee; light cream, heavy sugar.”

Hope felt a lump forming in her throat. What was it about him remembering her food specifications that had her ready to confess her undying affection for him? He was a doctor; he was supposed to pay close attention to detail. They’d had breakfast together thousands of times over the years. “Thanks, James. This looks great.”

He shrugged. “I thought we could go for a walk in the woods when you’re done.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “I’m not much of a nature person.”

“I know.”

“Really?” Hope said, forkful of eggs pausing half way to her mouth.

“I believe you once said you’d rather have oral surgery without anesthetic than commune too much with nature.”

Her cheeks flushed. “That was practically a direct quote.”

James shrugged. “I remember just about everything you say. I promise it’ll be fun. I won’t let any bears get you, I promise.” He put his forearms on the island and leaned closer. “Come on, Hope.”

“What if I say no?” she questioned.

“Then I’ll go for my usual morning run and I’ll ask you again tomorrow.”

“Fine, I’ll go, but I’m holding you to that bear thing. If I get eaten out there, I’ll haunt your ass forever.”

“Sounds fair,” he said holding up his hands in surrender.

***

“I should have known!” Hope groaned as she grabbed a tree branch to help haul herself up the side of an incline.

James turned around and laughed. Her hair was coming out of the ponytail and her cheeks were flushed, either from the chill in the September air or the exertion of their walk. He couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what she looked like during sex. He leaned down and held out a hand.

Hope glared at him, but allowed him to help her up.

“You should have known what?” James questioned when they were side by side.

She frowned. “I should have known those formative years you spent on that ranch in Texas were going to come back and bite me eventually.”

James laughed. “Living on my grandparents’ farm taught me the value of hard work, made me who I am today.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “Every summer I got letters from Val talking about how much fun she was having, but that was a lie wasn’t it? She was bailing hay or mucking stalls or some shit, wasn’t she? Is that why she’s so damned skinny and you’re so damned muscular?”

James cocked a dark eyebrow. “Muscular?”

Hope swiped a wisp of hair from her cheek, leaving behind a streak of dirt. “You know you’re in good shape. Between all the marathons and sports you play I’m surprised you even have time to run your practice, much less volunteer.” She let out a harsh breath, winded from her rant. “You know what? If this is what being in shape is all about, I want no part of it! I hurt in places I didn’t even know I had!”

James grabbed her hand that had been on the way back to that errant lock of hair. “I’ll give you a massage when we get back to the cabin,” he all but whispered.

Hope was shocked into silence. He let go of her hand and used his thumb to brush away the dirt from her cheek.

“Just a few more feet and we’ll be back to the cabin,” James said with a smile. Hope watched as he started back up the terrain. She wished intently for a tractor beam to teleport them back to the cabin so that massage could be instantaneous. When no light beams broke through the branches above them, she started following James to complete the journey on foot.