“She is. Agatha is a retired school teacher. In fact, it’s her idea that we turn this place into some sort of welcome center. She’s been gathering posters of the local fauna and flora to put on the walls.”
“I love it, but the place is kind of small for a welcome center.”
Zach held up a hand. “Just give us time. I plan to raise some money to help expand the building. Eventually, we want to have an educational center to show videos of the area, as well as have a gift shop. But that won’t happen in a day.”
“You really are committed to this forest, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I grew up here.”
Cassidy looked at one of the photos of the Pink Beds mountains in summer and sighed. “Are you going to walk the trails today?”
“I am, which means you’re in luck. I will be taking my gas powered chainsaw to remove any limbs that have fallen across the trails. With the snow we’ve had lately, many trees have toppled.”
“The park is lucky to have you. I look forward to hiking with you.”
He smiled. “Tell me that in a few hours.”
“If I’m cold, I guess you can always shift, and I can hug you to get warm.”
That would never happen. “That would definitely raise more than a few eyebrows if anyone saw you do that.”
“I could always walk around with you on a leash.”
Now she was being silly. “I’d like to see you try.” She grinned. “Ready to do some exploring?”
“Yes. Where are we going today?”
“I thought we’d take a trail that's in the photo you just looked at. It’s call Pink Beds.”
“Pretty name.”
“In summer, the Rhododendron are in full bloom. We’re lucky that the plant grows well in Montana, due to our cold climate and acidic soil, though I imagine it’s the same in Wyoming.” He sighed. “When the season is over, their petals fall, and it’s like walking on a pink and white carpet.”
“Sounds magical.”
"It is." And romantic too. As much as Zach wanted to talk about their future, he had the sense Cassidy would clam up if he did. “I’ll be happy to show you.”
"Great."
Zach had many favorite spots in these mountains, but one place was particularly special, and he wanted to take Cassidy there now. The hike would start out fairly flat, crossing a few streams along the way. Once they reached the signpost for Overlook Mountain, however, it would be a climb upward.
“Ready to see the vista?”
“I am.”
When they left the ranger station, he pointed to the correct trail and motioned she lead. In the summer, it would take no more than an hour to reach the top, but in the winter, the trail was often slippery and needed to be taken slower. From all the traffic, the dirt had worn down to the granite, which often proved dangerous.
Partway up the mountain, an eight-inch-thick tree branch had fallen across the trail. While it would be easy to step over it, he might as well do some clearing. It was his job after all.
“You might want to cover your ears. The chainsaw can be noisy,” he said.
She smiled. “I’ll deal, forest ranger Zach.”
He loved how easy going Cassidy was in the woods. He fired up the saw and was done in a few minutes. “Onward and upward.”
They came across a few other branches, but he was able to toss them off to the side. Luckily, no large trees blocked their way.
She stopped when they neared the top and lifted a few leaves from a bush. “These are blueberry bushes.”