Obsession Falls (The Haven Brothers #1)

“Ew. Good call, thanks.”

I gave her the bug spray and we got out. Max was eager to explore but to his credit, he stayed close. She sprayed her arms and legs and I went ahead and sprayed my arms. I was dressed in long pants but my arms were bare and being attacked by biting insects had a tendency to ruin an otherwise enjoyable evening.

“Ready?” I asked, slipping the backpack on.

“Yep. Where are we going?”

I pointed toward the trail. “That way. It’s an out and back, only about a mile.”

“What’s at the end?”

“You’ll see.”

She smiled again. Damn, I liked making her do that. Her whole face shined.

“Okay, then lead the way.”

We started off down the trail. It was wide enough to walk side by side and I was glad for the work my brothers and I had done to keep it open. Of course, given that we were still a bunch of single guys, I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one who’d use it for a date. Especially with the spectacular scenery at the end.

“How did you know about this trail?” she asked. “I didn’t see any signs.”

“There aren’t any. It’s private property.”

“Are we allowed to be here?”

“Yeah, it’s my family’s property.”

“Wow. This is amazing.”

“It’s nice. Actually if you went up the hill behind your house and kept going, you’d come out over there somewhere.” I gestured vaguely in the direction of the hiking trail that ran along the river.

“Does anyone live out here?”

“No. We kind of inherited a bunch of land about six years ago. We sold a lot of it but kept this parcel. That’s how Dad and I got started with our business.”

“It’s so neat that you work with your dad. You must have a good relationship with him.”

“He’s a good guy.”

“What about your mom? What’s she like?”

“She’s great. Technically, Marlene is my stepmom, but I think of her as my mom.”

“Has she been with your dad for a long time?”

“Yeah, I was pretty young when they got together.”

“Is it okay if I ask what happened to your biological mom?”

I was quiet for a moment, as our feet crunched on dry debris, wondering how to answer. Or whether I wanted to answer.

“She pretty much just left.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you have any contact with her?”

“No.”

“That must be hard.”