Trust by Viola Rivard Read Free Book Online Page B

crouched down, taking her foot into his hand. He moved to unzip her boot.
    “Don’t!” she cried, jerking her foot back. “It’s okay, really.”
    In truth, she’d been sweating a lot, and she’d rather walk on a broken ankle than have Alder smell her feet, let alone see her blisters.
    Alder ignored her and pulled off her boots one by one. He left her socks on but rolled one down to scrutinize her ankle.
    “It’s not broken, but you’re better off losing the shoes.”
    Taylor didn’t argue. She was so over those boots.
    Alder stood, only to pick her up a second later.
    “This really isn’t necessary,” she huffed, trying to squirm out of his grasp.
    “I’m carrying you until we get past these rocks,” he said, punctuating the statement with a stern look that left no room for debate.
    Taylor relented, relaxing in his hold as he climbed. After a few minutes, she grew bold enough to rest her head against his shoulder.
    Alder was sweating as well, though he smelled a hell of a lot better than she did. Maybe it was just… pheromones .
    When she was in high school, she’d read a book on sexual attraction in her effort to find a scientific means of getting a hot boyfriend. Instead of helping her, it had made her situation seem all the more hopeless.
    Men were unconsciously attracted to specific physical aspects. Full breasts, wide hips, and facial symmetry were all considered desirable qualities in a potential mate. Then there were those vague qualities like voice pitch and pheromones, things that were hard or impossible to control.
    While she no longer had acne or the figure of a small boy, Taylor hadn’t blossomed into a swan. Everything about her was kind of average. She was short, but not too short. She wasn’t really overweight, but she wasn’t exactly skinny either. Her face was nice enough, but there wasn’t any one thing about it that stood out as particularly pretty.
    Alder, on the other hand, had all of the qualities a woman could possibly want in a man. He was strong, handsome, kind, and loyal, and for some reason he seemed to want her. It had to be pheromones, because she really didn’t have much else going for her.
    She closed her eyes, getting a bit too comfortable in Alder’s arms.
    “I’m not as useless as I probably seem,” she informed him. “I just have a different set of skills than you.”
    “Oh?” Alder said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
    “Mhm. I’m good at a lot of things. Magic tricks, card games, hide and seek, and I can make a mean omelet.”
    “I’ve never had an omelet.”
    She cracked open an eye. “Really? Well, when we get back to your place, I’m going to make you an amazing omelet.”
    “I’ve never had a woman cook for me, either,” he told her.
    “I’ll cook all kinds of things for you.”
    Taylor recognized afterwards how that had sounded, but she decided not to take it back.
    She realized Alder had stopped walking, and she glanced up at him questioningly. He was giving her one of those intense looks, like she was some sort of puzzle he was trying to solve.
    “What is it?” she asked.
    “We’re past the rocks,” he said. She felt disappointed, and it must have shown on her face because he soon added, “I can keep carrying you, if you’d like.”
    Her face warmed. “No, I’m good.”
    Alder carefully set her down on the ground and they resumed their trek. She noticed that Alder kept glancing down at her feet, and she realized that he was checking to make sure she was walking okay. Taylor made a point not to wobble, even though it did still hurt. Eventually, he seemed satisfied.
    As they ascended the mountain, she wondered what it would be like to have a man like him caring for her every day. Could she possibly be selfish enough to let him?

Chapter Ten
    “ N o way ,” Taylor said, pushing Alder’s hand away. “Frog legs are one thing, but that’s just wrong.”
    Alder felt his jaw clench. It was nearly evening and Taylor’s