Series: Little Cakes Series by Pepper North
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45110 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
With a dramatic sigh, she nodded.
“Coral will need to stay here with the car so the gophers are safe,” he said as he plucked the dragon she’d forgotten she still held.
“Oh!”
“I have water and snacks in my backpack so let me know if you get thirsty.” He opened the pack to take out a can of insect spray. “Did you put some of this on?”
“I already did it!”
“Good job.” Evan took time to spray himself, doing a much more thorough job than she had done that morning.
Tori almost asked him to spray her as well but didn’t want to slow them down any more. She tried to disguise her impatience, but her sneaker toe tapped on the gravel parking lot. Turning slightly to look around the area, she lifted her hand from the car.
“Paint!” he snapped sharply.
Instantly, she slapped her palm against the car. When he turned back to get his camera, she muttered as she twisted to face the other direction with her hand in place against the metal, “I was just looking around, jeez!”
Smack!
“You spanked me!” she accused, rubbing her bottom as she turned back. “I didn’t do anything.”
“That was an attitude check. More will follow if you don’t settle down.”
Snorting, Tori stood quietly.
“Almost there,” Evan promised, shrugging into his backpack and putting his camera case over his shoulder. As he put on his hat, Evan scanned her to make sure she had everything she needed. Finally, he locked the car and extended his hand.
“I can let go of the car now?” she bratted.
“Yes.” Without saying anything else, he led her to the trail, and they followed the pattern of hundreds of footprints on the beaten path over the small hill.
Tori was glad her Daddy didn’t charge up the hills as they walked. The powerful muscles of his thighs and calves—revealed by the shorts he wore—climbed each challenge easily. He helped her balance as they navigated obstacles in the path. She felt very comfortable with him. He could handle anything.
She peeked up at him at the thought that she trusted him to negotiate any stumbling block whether it would be physical or mental. In a lot of ways, he was like her brother—supportive but drawing a line not to cross—just a lot hotter, of course.
“Look, Curls. They’re waiting for you,” Evan said, pointing to the flatter land that spread out in front of them.
“I see them,” she whispered, hopping up and down in excitement. “Let’s go faster!” She tugged at the hand that Evan held tightly.
“Stay with me and look where you’re stepping,” he warned. “They’re not going to run away. The gophers’ homes are here.”
Evan led her forward and stopped a distance away. “We’ll get the best view here,” he said, shrugging out of his backpack and swinging the camera case over his neck. He set the pack on a grassy spot and squatted down to rummage inside.
Holding out a fancy pair of binoculars, he asked, “Do you know how to use these?” When she shook her head, he looped the strap around her neck and gave her a brief lesson, teaching her to focus on an item and then lift the lenses before her eyes to make it easier.
Carefully, Tori adjusted the focus until she pulled back quickly as a gopher popped up right in front of her. With a gasp, she dropped the binoculars and saw that the creature was a fair distance away. “He looked like he was right here!”
“They’re naturally curious. Who knows? Maybe one will come a bit closer to investigate us?” Evan suggested as he spread out a small blanket. He sat down and patted the fabric to invite Tori to join him.
“I’d love it if they’d come to visit,” Tori said, sitting down on the cover next to him. Immediately, she raised the binoculars back up to peer at the antics of the gophers.
When she heard a click, click, click, Tori looked up to see Evan pointing a sleek camera with a longer lens than she’d ever seen at the animals. His lips curved in a smile as he captured the scampering creatures’ antics.
“What does it look like through that?” she asked.
“Take a look,” he suggested, holding the camera forward so she could see the screen.
“It’s as close as the binoculars!”
“Want to take a picture?” he asked.
“No, I’d mess it up,” she answered immediately.
“You’ll do a great job. Look, I’ll take a picture of the ground and then, we’ll know the next picture is yours when we go through the images on the computer,” he suggested as he took a photo of the grass in front of them.
After carefully removing the binoculars and setting them next to Evan, she reached for the camera. “Whoa! That’s heavy,” she exclaimed as her hands dipped down under the weight.
“With that lens it is.” Evan helped her change her grip slightly so she could reach the button.