had decided that the entire project, from production on down, should be run by women. The pair had produced an award-winning PBS special on the all-women’s America’s Cup racing crew several years before and were certain that it would be a positive message to send to the public and a good way to market the show to the networks when it came time to sell it.
“What do I need?” Lucy continued. “A few extra lanterns for the very dark mountain nights. Another pair of long underwear. Some heavier socks. And a new washboard to do laundry. I could also use some chocolate, but I didn’t put that on my list as I’ve decided to go cold turkey.” She paused. “Turkey. I’d also love a turkey sandwich. Canned meat has already lost its appeal.”
Riley’s bark caught her attention and Lucy trained the lens on the meadow, hoping to catch Annalise as she approached. In the distance, she made out a lone figure moving toward her. She tried to make out the details of Annalise’s face, then sucked in a sharp breath.
It wasn’t the slender figure of Annalise, but a tall, lanky man who approached. She noticed the rifle slung over his shoulder. He also carried a large frame pack, yet moved as if it weighed nothing.
Lucy had been in the wilderness for an entire month and this was the first visitor she’d had. Though she felt a small measure of excitement, this wasn’t the person she’d expected. Calling for Riley, she motioned the dog to her side and he sat down, his attention now fixed on the stranger. As the man approached the cabin, Lucy observed him more closely.
He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing hiking shorts and boots, a faded T-shirt, sunglasses and a cap that shaded his eyes. Thick, dark hair curled out from under the cap and the shadow of a beard darkened his face.
A tiny tremor raced through her. There was a reason why the production company had hired Annalise Montgomery to make the monthly visits, beyond the show’s premise. After a month of solitude, a single man—hell, any man—caused a riot of unsettling feelings inside of her, even if he might be a backwoods ax murderer.
Lucy suddenly realized how vulnerable she was, out here all alone. She set the camera down and grabbed the rifle from its spot just inside the door. Nestling the butt into her shoulder, she got the man in her sights. “Stop right there,” she shouted across the twenty yards that separated them. Riley growled softly.
Startled, he did as he was ordered, slowly raising his hands and watching her suspiciously. “Are you really planning to use that?” he shouted.
“I will if I have to.”
“Then nestle the stock into your shoulder and raise the muzzle up. Unless your intended target is the dirt five feet in front of me. Don’t tell me they didn’t even teach you to shoot properly.”
“What are you doing here?”
“The more appropriate question,” he muttered, starting toward her again, “would be what are you doing here?” He dropped his hands to the straps on his pack and hooked his thumbs beneath them.
She narrowed her gaze. “Who are you?”
“Annalise sent me,” he said. “I’ve brought some supplies. And I guess I’m supposed to make sure you haven’t done anything stupid, like starve to death or get eaten by a bear. You look healthy and I don’t see any teeth marks, so I assume you’re all right so far?”
Lucy stifled a smile as she set the gun down beside her. She stepped off the porch, suddenly curious about the man who’d wandered into her orbit. He slipped the pack off his back, then stretched his arms above his head. Then, in one smooth movement, he pulled his T-shirt over his head and used it to wipe the perspiration from his face.
Lucy bit back a moan as she took in his finely muscled chest and impossibly sculpted abdomen. Her fingers twitched as she imagined running her hands over the tanned skin, pressing her lips to the smooth expanse of naked skin.
This was crazy. She’d gone far longer than a month without a man in her life before. Why was she reacting so strongly to this guy now? Yes, he was gorgeous. And she hadn’t had any human contact for a month. But she should be able to control her reactions much better than this.
He cleared his throat and when she met his gaze, Lucy realized she’d been caught staring. “You shouldn’t be here,” she murmured. “Annalise agreed to come.”
“She thought I’d enjoy the fresh air and a good, long hike.”
“We had an agreement,” Lucy said.
“Well, if you knew anything about Annalise you’d understand that she’s rather flexible when it comes to promises and agreements.”
“We have a contract. This entire project is supposed to be run by women. Women producers, women editors. We want to make a statement. Exactly how Trudie would have wanted it.”
“How do you know what Trudie wanted?” he asked. “You never even met her.”
“And I suppose you did?” she asked, arching her eyebrow and leveling a cool gaze at him.
“I used to spend summers here with her,” he said. “I helped her put up the addition on the cabin and I built that outhouse all by myself.”
Her breath caught in her throat. Annalise had mentioned that she had a son, but she said he was away a lot and that they didn’t see much of each other. Cursing beneath her breath, she strode up to him and held out her hand. “You must be—”
“Eli,” he said after studying her for a long, uncomfortable moment. “Eli Montgomery. I’m Annalise’s son.”
“I’m Lucy Parker,” she said, sending him an apologetic smile. Of course the son of a woman like Annalise would be as handsome as she was beautiful. And he’d have to love the outdoors.
He took her hand in his and gave it a shake.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said.
He took off his sunglasses, letting them hang from the strap around his neck, and she found herself transfixed by eyes so blue, they rivaled the sky above. They stared at each other warily, like two wild animals deciding between fight or flight.
“You must have left very early to get here before noon,” she said.
“I move fast,” he said.
A shiver skittered down her spine and she drew her fingers from his.
“For most people, it’s a four-hour hike,” he explained. “I can do it in three. And if I’m going to make the round trip before sunset, I wanted to be here by noon.”
“You’re going to leave right away?”
He frowned. “Yeah. I guess I didn’t think you’d want me to stick around. Why? You need something? You want me to stay?”
“No, no. You’re right. You really should go. The whole point of this project is for me to live life like Trudie did.”
“Trudie had lots of visitors,” he said.
“In that case, maybe you could you stay for lunch?” She gave him a tentative smile. “To be honest, it would be nice to have some company. Even for just an hour. And as long as you don’t do any of the cooking, I guess it won’t break any rules.”
“There are rules?”
“Guidelines, really. An entire notebook filled with them. I can’t accept any outside help, beyond the monthly check-in.”
“All right,” he said. “I’ll stay. Under one condition.”
“What would that be?”
“You let me show you how to handle that rifle.”
“I know how to handle it. They gave me lessons at a shooting range in LA.”
“Even so, I’d like to show you myself.”
Lucy sighed. “All right. We’ll do that