A movement behind caught her attention and she stopped. It was Yancey, clad in boots, Jeans and a light blue polo shirt. She stopped to wait for him, unsure whether to be happy about his presence or annoyed. If her pulse were any indication, she should be happy - and cautious.
He joined her and grinned. "This would be a lot easier on my ATV."
"Probably, but I wouldn't be working off that cake and ice cream, either."
"Well, if that was what worried you, I'd have told Mom to bring a steak."
Did he actually tell his mother to get the cake, or had she decided on her own? More likely the latter. It sounded more like something a woman would think of. Besides, she was present when Sarah learned about her birthday and until he left the house. Unless he called her, he hadn't said anything to her. But then, he didn't actually say he told her. He simply said he would have told her to bring something else. He was good at deceptive conversation - too good. Or maybe she had a suspicious mind.
She turned and started up the trail. Only an occasional sound of brush being pushed aside indicated he was still behind her. Maybe he didn't like to walk, but he was certainly good at it - and capable of stealth. That was something to keep in mind. She stiffened. Had he been stalking her the day she fell off the bluff? Was that how he found her so quickly? But no, he had Diablo with him - or did he? After all, that area was in his pasture.
At the top of the trail she paused to catch her breath. Yancey was barely breathing hard. Apparently he did a lot of walking. And yet, every time she saw him, he was on his horse, ATV or in his car. With the exception of the trail, of course, but he never appeared to be in any hurry - coming or going there.
After examining a rock for ants or other insects, she leaned against it, drawing in the clean smell of the forest. Yancey stopped beside her and looked back down at the house.
"It's a long way down."
She followed his gaze. They had climbed about fifty feet.
"When we first came here," he began in a quiet voice, "I used to walk all over these hills."
"So why did you stop?"
He shrugged. "Other things occupied my mind, I guess."
"Do you miss it?"