Jessica grinned. She’d been doing a lot of that since she was paired with Sophie for the infamous cooking challenge. Sophie wasn’t sure she cared for it—her outdoor capabilities weren’t that bad—but at least the other woman didn’t seem to hold her lack of skills against her. “It can be. Did you happen to bring your own rod and tackle?”

Sophie sighed. “I’m assuming that’s not a fun euphemism for a date, is it?”

Jessica shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. And even if you didn’t bring that kind of rod and tackle, there are plenty of extras to go around. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is something of a boy’s trip.”

Oh, she’d noticed all right. Derek hadn’t been lying when he’d said that a few of the men brought their significant others on this trip, but the ratio skewed decidedly male. And not just the ordinary kind of male—these guys were intensely masculine, flannel-clad outdoorsmen.

She didn’t mean that in a bad way. Harrison was an attractive man, there was no doubt about that, but the amount of scratchy-bearded overgrowth and well-sculpted swagger out here was nothing short of miraculous.

Dawn would have loved it.

Unfortunately, Sophie was less prepared. She could appreciate Harrison hoisting firewood with the best of them, but as for the rest… Well. She was both unequipped in terms of outdoor gear and severely underdressed for adventure. Jessica had been introduced to her as one of the summer volunteer firefighters, a fact that was not only evident in the ease with which she pitched tents and carried a backpack the size of a large child, but also in her clothes. The curly-haired redhead could have been a walking advertisement for an outdoor catalog. Cargo pants that were mostly pockets, a vest that she’d been informed doubled as a floatation device, and a pair of rugged hiking boots were just the start of what she had to offer.

Sophie, by comparison, wore a pair of worn jeans and one of her dad’s old dress shirts tied in a knot at the waist. Her Converse shoes, which had seemed like a good idea at the time, were already muddy up to the ankles and making her feet ache.

“Sorry,” she said, looking down at those shoes with an apology. “What you see is pretty much what you get. This isn’t my usual scene.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Jessica said. “It’s not mine either.”

Sophie swept a doubtful look over her new friend, what with her dangling compass and water pouch strapped to her waist. “What is your usual scene?” she asked. “Foraging on Mars?”

Jessica shook her head, her curls bouncing playfully. “I’m a kindergarten teacher. You can usually find me knee deep in finger paint and parent-teacher conferences.”