hold him up if he slipped. Jamie was attached to Mark by the climbing rope, so he’d hold her up if she slipped.
She didn’t mention that she’d hardly bothered to use the anchors until today. Oh, she’d set them up properly when she arrived, taking every precaution in the book. But that constant, restless itch that had been her constant companion since the wedding had made her too impatient to use them day-to-day.
Jamie stepped back as Mark began to climb.
“Where were we … Right. Ugly little birds, and I was their ugly mommy! It was amazing. I had only been there for two weeks, and my boss started training me to feed them. We used this puppet condor head, so that the chicks wouldn’t know it was humans looking after them and not a real Mommy Condor.”
“Wait.” Mark was frowning, as though he was trying to dig up something from deep in his memory. “Don’t birds feed their chicks by, uh, vomiting on them?”
“I wish!” Jamie cackled. “I would love to see how Chris—she made the puppets—how she would have put that together. No, condors eat carrion, so we just used the puppet to pick up bits of chopped meat and guts and feed it to the birdies.”
“That … Sounds exactly as gross as the vomiting thing. Sorry.”
Jamie snorted. “See, this is why I don’t tell guys this stuff. You are just so dainty .”
She looked across at Mark. He had stopped climbing. Had she offended him? He was anything but dainty, even though he was climbing the tree with the grace and ease of a far less heavyset man.
Mark cleared his throat. “Uh, do you often talk about feeding chopped guts to baby birds when you go on dates?”
Jamie’s mind cleared. Oh . She hadn’t offended him—he was just … Jealous?
The idea of Mark—tall, broad-shouldered, face-like-a-movie-star Mark—being jealous of any of her previous boyfriends almost made Jamie laugh. Then it sent a warm glow all through her body. She decided to put his mind at ease.
“Sure. If I ever went on any dates. It’s been just me and the condors for a few years now. Do you think I could have followed Coco and Louie out here if I was busy on the dating scene?”
“Anyone who was worth your time would have come with you.” Mark’s voice was dead serious.
A thrill of desire cut through Jamie like a knife. Mark had just said out loud what she had been telling herself for years—and had begun to think was a foolish dream.
Jamie’s previous boyfriends, through college and those first few awkward years of her working life, had been fine with her passion for conservation—but that was all. They hadn’t understood it, hadn’t supported it, hadn’t made the barest effort to know how important Jamie’s work was to her. Her dating experiences had made it clear to Jamie that a steady boyfriend would mean spending less time at the conservation center and less time in the field.
“Thank you,” she said softly. She wasn’t sure Mark had even heard her until he reached out one hand and gently touched her shoulder. She bit her lip.
Remember that you are hanging onto a tree twenty feet above the ground , she told herself sternly. Any attempt to jump his bones right now will end up in both of you going SPLAT.
“Come on,” she said quickly, her voice just slightly rough. “If we get up to that branch there, we’ll have a great view down the river to the condor nest.”
Jamie double-checked her harness as Mark climbed ahead of her.
Calm down, girl. You’re still not going to risk throwing yourself at him, no matter HOW secure those anchors are.
She clambered up to the crow’s-nest branch, carefully making sure she always had at least three touch points on the tree. Mark moved out of the way to let her sit on the solid branch.
“You don’t want to sit, too?”
Jamie twisted to look at him. She didn’t want him to tire himself out literally holding on to the tree with no support while they watched the birds. But he had found a secure perch,
She didn’t mention that she’d hardly bothered to use the anchors until today. Oh, she’d set them up properly when she arrived, taking every precaution in the book. But that constant, restless itch that had been her constant companion since the wedding had made her too impatient to use them day-to-day.
Jamie stepped back as Mark began to climb.
“Where were we … Right. Ugly little birds, and I was their ugly mommy! It was amazing. I had only been there for two weeks, and my boss started training me to feed them. We used this puppet condor head, so that the chicks wouldn’t know it was humans looking after them and not a real Mommy Condor.”
“Wait.” Mark was frowning, as though he was trying to dig up something from deep in his memory. “Don’t birds feed their chicks by, uh, vomiting on them?”
“I wish!” Jamie cackled. “I would love to see how Chris—she made the puppets—how she would have put that together. No, condors eat carrion, so we just used the puppet to pick up bits of chopped meat and guts and feed it to the birdies.”
“That … Sounds exactly as gross as the vomiting thing. Sorry.”
Jamie snorted. “See, this is why I don’t tell guys this stuff. You are just so dainty .”
She looked across at Mark. He had stopped climbing. Had she offended him? He was anything but dainty, even though he was climbing the tree with the grace and ease of a far less heavyset man.
Mark cleared his throat. “Uh, do you often talk about feeding chopped guts to baby birds when you go on dates?”
Jamie’s mind cleared. Oh . She hadn’t offended him—he was just … Jealous?
The idea of Mark—tall, broad-shouldered, face-like-a-movie-star Mark—being jealous of any of her previous boyfriends almost made Jamie laugh. Then it sent a warm glow all through her body. She decided to put his mind at ease.
“Sure. If I ever went on any dates. It’s been just me and the condors for a few years now. Do you think I could have followed Coco and Louie out here if I was busy on the dating scene?”
“Anyone who was worth your time would have come with you.” Mark’s voice was dead serious.
A thrill of desire cut through Jamie like a knife. Mark had just said out loud what she had been telling herself for years—and had begun to think was a foolish dream.
Jamie’s previous boyfriends, through college and those first few awkward years of her working life, had been fine with her passion for conservation—but that was all. They hadn’t understood it, hadn’t supported it, hadn’t made the barest effort to know how important Jamie’s work was to her. Her dating experiences had made it clear to Jamie that a steady boyfriend would mean spending less time at the conservation center and less time in the field.
“Thank you,” she said softly. She wasn’t sure Mark had even heard her until he reached out one hand and gently touched her shoulder. She bit her lip.
Remember that you are hanging onto a tree twenty feet above the ground , she told herself sternly. Any attempt to jump his bones right now will end up in both of you going SPLAT.
“Come on,” she said quickly, her voice just slightly rough. “If we get up to that branch there, we’ll have a great view down the river to the condor nest.”
Jamie double-checked her harness as Mark climbed ahead of her.
Calm down, girl. You’re still not going to risk throwing yourself at him, no matter HOW secure those anchors are.
She clambered up to the crow’s-nest branch, carefully making sure she always had at least three touch points on the tree. Mark moved out of the way to let her sit on the solid branch.
“You don’t want to sit, too?”
Jamie twisted to look at him. She didn’t want him to tire himself out literally holding on to the tree with no support while they watched the birds. But he had found a secure perch,
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