Mandy checked the time. Breakfast officially started in less than five minutes. “Are you mad at that policeman for making you go into the army? If you hadn’t, your hand wouldn’t be injured.”

“True, and I catch myself blaming that cop even now. But I was headed in a dark direction. Joining the army turned me into a man instead of a future ex-con while I was young enough to change. God knew I needed the discipline. I needed to leave my pain behind and start fresh, where nobody knew me. At some point in your life, you have to let go of the past. I carried the anger for my parents’ deaths for almost a decade. That’s a long, long time to be mad. I don’t want to live like that anymore. I want to move forward.”

“I know what you mean.” Mandy shot him a look. All she wanted was to get through this next year. After that, she’d be relatively certain Nathan couldn’t harm her family.

And apparently, moving forward meant blathering about his emotions like he was a guest on Oprah or some shit. Is there anything else you’d like to share about your pathetic life? Ten months of therapy, and he was sliding into the touchy-feely zone like it was home base.

Danny carried the eggs to the dining room and lit the burner. A trio of pretty college-age girls chattered as they took a table. Two brunettes and a blonde. They were dressed for the trail in thick boots and expensive-looking synthetic pullovers in bright pink and yellow. A trio of backpacks was stacked on the extra chair.

“Coffee?”

They nodded. Three ponytails bounced. “Yes, please.” One of the brunettes answered with a flirty smile that made Danny feel a thousand years old. “I’m Ashley. These are my friends, Victoria and Samantha.”

“I’m Danny.” He filled their cups and nodded to their packs. “Big plans today?”

“Just the usual.” The tall blonde shrugged. “We always carry extra provisions. It’s important to be prepared.”

“You never know what can happen in the wilderness,” Ashley added. “We’re always equipped to spend at least one night in the open.”

“That’s smart.” Danny smiled. He’d had survival training in the army. He’d learned the basics, but he hadn’t liked it. In fact, all those training exercises made camping about as attractive as torture. Sleeping in the open, eating bugs, and freezing your nuts off sucked. “Where are you headed?”

Victoria added cream to her cup. “We’re hiking the Klimpton trail today. We already wrote it in the book.”

“The book?”

“Uh-huh.” Victoria nodded and stirred her coffee. “The inn has a book to log your plans. That way if you get lost, they know where to start looking for you.”