Fin giggled as she scrawled across her notebook, capturing her character's sass. "Dude." Still laughing, she snapped the book shut and opened the door. She slid the book under the seat—her hiding place. Alex, her brother, had yet to find her stashes, and just the thought of him reading her erotic stories inflamed her cheeks.

She ducked behind the Ford Bronco to close the dual zip on the last hiking backpack amid the raucous laughter of seven virile men. Each one had appeal, tall, handsome, charming, the-boy-next-door vibe. If she was looking for romance, she might flutter her eyelashes and thrust out her breasts in the hopes of a date.

She snorted. Not after Bryce. Shoving thoughts of her ex-ass aside, she marched to her dad who kept the group laughing, and their enthusiasm levels up. She wanted to be writing, gathering the stories into words, onto paper she spent the season creating in her mind. Excitement added a bounce to her step. Just one more hike. Drawing a deep breath to fill her lungs with the fragrances of pine and soil, she rubbed her palms down her camo-covered thighs and over curves she hadn't had a year ago. Bryce would have berated her for her extra poundage. He could drown in an alligator-infested swamp for all she cared.

Shyness consumed her like it always did, with a new crowd, a new day, and a trip up her beloved mountain. She spun on her heel and blew a kiss at the snow-capped looming shadow covered in pine and oak trees. Time to start the hike. "You got me, big mama?" she whispered, love for her home flooding her chest with warmth and contentment.

Looping her arm around her father's waist, she tossed a beaming smile at the gathered men, praying they didn't notice her blush. This had been her brother's brilliant idea, to lure citified males on a quest to find their inner-caveman-lumberjack. His marketing plan had worked with trips booked months in advance.

Investors rolled in. Their interest forced Dad to upgrade their cabins to chalets where needed, driving them from a three to a four-star rating. Hence the renovations he wanted completed before the weather turned.

"Hi, I'm Fin, and I'll be your guide on this trip." She gestured to the row of backpacks. "Choose your color, and we'll get started."

They blinked at her, smirked, or ran their gazes over her figure. Sure, she was short and plump, but her knowledge of the mountain was on par with Dad's. If she was one of her sassy characters, she would shove out a hip, flick her hair aside, and giggle. Then on a breathy sigh, say how delighted she was to escort them into the dark, dangerous woods. Alas, she wasn't so bold in real life.

"Come now, boys. This isn't my first rodeo, but it is yours." She clapped her hands. "Chop, chop. We have a river to cross."

They hesitated and cast worried glances at her dad. He ignored them and kissed her temple. "Alex is bringing the last of the group. Try to have fun, Finny." He jogged to the Bronco they had shared on the trip up.

Fun? She raised her gaze to the sky. Dark clouds on the horizon hinted at rain past or to come. A wet four days was not what she wanted to endure. Glancing at her white T-shirt, she grimaced. Perhaps a change in the uniform might be wise. Chuckling, she imagined her nipples peaking her drenched shirt in the face of seven sex-crazed werewolves. Focusing on the group, she tried to imagine them with fangs and fur. Right, like they would hunt her, exposed nipples or not.

"But, Eli..." A tall, gangly man trailed him, a whining twang to his voice.

She ignored their whispered conversation peppered with Whiny-butt's wild arm swings. The hike wouldn't end if she didn't start it. She had to help the men strap on their chosen backpacks. They grunted and huffed under the awkward weight, their muscles bulging as they adjusted the packs to sit snugly. Their brows furrowed as if the pack meant life or death like they were about to plummet out of a plane.

"What's in these?" a blond grumbled, rolling his shoulders and jarring the backpack. He was cute in a boyish way with plump lips and a crooked nose that added to his charm.

"Everything you'll need to survive without me." She winked. "Not that I'm planning on abandoning you. Unless there's a bear, then we'll sacrifice the slowest."

"You've done this before?" Another man met her gaze, and to his credit, didn't ogle her breasts stretching her T-shirt.

"Every four days. This is the last hike of the season." She bounced around him to help the next man. "Now, I'll learn your names during our time together, but it will help if you say your name when speaking to me."

"Jase. You do this on your own?" The boyish-blond tugged on his shoulder strap tangled with his T-shirt.

She nudged his hand away to untwist the two, enjoying his sandalwood cologne rising off him. "It varies. Sometimes Dad and I share the role, sometimes my brother and I spend the time together. That's a miracle right there. He's a smart ass." She chuckled. "I love him, though."

"I love you too, sis." Alex smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Go easy on these guys."

Having not heard him pull up, his hug drew a yelp and earned him a poke in the ribs. "I'll try." When he didn't release her, she tapped his shoulders until he dropped her, jarring her vision. "Git. Enjoy them strippers." She shoved a roll of one-notes into his hand, wiggling her eyebrows and laughing at his blush.

"I plan to. Dad says he's escorting you to Matacona." Alex flipped his blond hair off his temple, looking strange in his dark-blue T-shirt and jeans. The only time she saw him out of his ranger uniform was at family dinners. The same applied to her. They lived and breathed Chibougate Tours.

Biting her inner cheek, she tried to keep her smile in place. Thanks to Whiny-Butt! That men doubted her abilities was par for the course, still, it stung that her father had caved. The river was half a day's walk, so she shouldn't complain. He could have agreed to do all four days. Tossing her arms around Alex, she hugged and released him, then focused on the task at hand. Whiny-Butt returned and struggled with his backpack. She dipped her chin to her chest to hide her grin, the temptation to let him struggle summoned a delicious bolt of pleasure.

Beside him stood the latecomer.

Mother of pearl! Ice swept through her, raised shivers and goosebumps along her skin, and pebbled her nipples. She hurried to fold her arms across her chest, resisting the urge to look for fangs in his wicked smile. Never had such a reaction gripped her. Tall, broad-shouldered with brown hair curling over the collar of his black T-shirt stood a man too gorgeous for words. He had a sharp jawline, a wide sensual mouth that added to his sex appeal with the bottom lip pouting a little, and big baby blue eyes, as if what he had wasn't enough. Mother Nature was a mean-assed...um...cow? Fin winced.

Her heart leaped to choke her, and she scurried to the man on the far right. With the hopes her cheeks would stop burning before she had to speak to the GQ model, she checked each backpack. She bounced on her toes, a little intimidated by the taller men around her. At five-foot-four, she had to accept that God hadn't been generous in that area.

Yet as she worked along the line toward the waiting Adonis, her senses heightened. Every pinch of a strap she adjusted, the burn of a cord she tugged on was made more intense by her nervousness. With a huff at her silliness, she squared her shoulders to face him. What could he do? Sweep her off her feet, toss her over one shoulder, and run through the forest to make wild passionate love to her? Clenching her thighs against the unwanted heat, she pictured her cousin Patrick instead, hoping to calm her ardor. Damn, she missed him.

"Ready?" She scanned the newcomer's backpack, checked where it needed tightening until it rested snug against his back. He had to bend a little for her to reach the higher buckles. She smiled her thanks but refused to meet his gaze. This close, his spicy cologne tantalized her nose, so she breathed through her mouth. A faint would lead to a canceled hike when all eight males panicked. Giggling, she was tempted to fake it, just to see their reactions. The man who prevailed would be the alpha, in control, booming orders, claiming damsels. She shivered with anticipation, despite the dark spot on her heart that had Bryce's fingerprints all over it.

The Adonis was warm, with heat pouring off him, made worse when she stopped an inch from touching him. In her peripheral vision, snapshots of his pecs and bulging biceps burned into her memory banks. Spots circled her vision, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Get a grip, Finny.

Whiny-Butt poked his face into her line of sight. "Are you sure you can—?"

Meeting his gaze, she lifted the remaining backpack as if it weighed nothing. She arched her brow at him while she clipped herself in.

"She's sure, Mike." Adonis grinned, and his dimples shattered her heartrate.

Shaking her head to clear the daze, as if floodlights pinned her to the spot, she skipped to the front and started the hike, aware that the men stared at her thick thighs. And of course, her left butt cheek itched.

Her wider ass hadn't bothered her on previous hikes, but today, with them, she added a little extra sway to her hips as if to say, 'take that.' She leaped to the side of the footpath, careful not to crush too many wilted flowers. Assessing the group, she checked their backpacks sat well and that they followed like ducks in a row. They chatted away as if nature wasn't the great silencer. She shrugged. They would soon quieten when the full weight of the packs and the increasing incline affected their ability to breathe.

Alex's disappearing Bronco drew her focus, then she smiled at Dad buckling his backpack on as he hurried to catch up. His wink summoned a smile, and she skipped ahead to lead the men again.

Sure, they watched her, and about half of them would flirt with her as the only female in a hundred-mile radius. But, as she had said, this wasn't her first rodeo, and arrogant men like these led to heartbreak and a minor addiction to pancakes. She huffed. Minor? Now who was she kidding?

Did she long for her days in the city as a girlfriend to a surgeon? Sometimes, but then a crisp breeze would cool the tears on her cheeks and remind her where her broken heart lay. No, she was where she belonged...under the welcoming arms of her mountain.