you close your eyes and hear me? If I whisper something here, will it travel to your heart there, so many miles away? Close your eyes. Am I there? Do you hear me? Or have I waited too long? I love you.
Charlee’s hand landed on his. “Ian, that’s beautiful. Beautiful and tragic. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Ian nodded, folded the page and slipped it back into his front pocket. “Yeah.”
“So much love in that letter.” Her gaze fanned to the mountains before them where evergreens reached to the sky, their branches stretching upward, searching for sunlight.
“Do you think the person who got the letter knew how much she was loved?”
Charlee’s shoulder tipped up. “How could she not? It’s so evident.”
“Some people have a hard time coming right out and saying things.” Careful, here. He knew he needed to tread lightly.
Charlee turned to face him. “You’d have to be an idiot not to know how that person feels.”
Ian nodded and made the decision, now was the time for Charlee to know. Everything. Right now.
“Okay.” She turned to him with a smile. “Enough deep talk for one day. Let’s go have some fun. I hear your boss is a complete slave driver.”
He could push, maybe even should, but fear kept him from it. “Don’t forget she’s also a control freak.”
She squeaked and put a hand to her heart.
“And a complete narcissist.” He looped a finger through one of the small holes in her tank top. She glanced down at it, shrugged.
Charlee pinned him with a finger. “You better take off those nice jeans, Pretty Boy. You’re going to get dirty today.”
Those words—innocent as they were meant to be—wrapped around his gut. He should drag her into his cabin. Instead, Ian disappeared inside. Alone. He hollered through the closed screen door, “She’s bossy too. Orders me around like I’m her personal servant.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah.” He slipped out of his jeans and found a pair of gym shorts. Ian inspected his T-shirt in the mirror, decided all his shirts were old and left it on. “If it gets any worse, I may need combat pay.”
Through the window, he watched her fold her arms and drop her weight against the doorjamb. “I don’t give combat pay, soldier.”
He brushed past her, stepping into the fresh sunlight and shaking off the heaviness of earlier. “You should.” After tromping through the mud, Ian jumped into the Jeep and waited.
Charlee climbed into the driver’s seat and gave him a wicked smile. “Anything you’re scared of?”
His eyes widened. “I’d prefer to not have a bucket of snakes dropped on my head; other than that, I can’t think of anything.”
She pushed the clutch and revved the motor as the Jeep lurched forward. “Good. I’d hate to make fun of you if you’re a chicken. But I’d do it.”
“Hit me with your best shot, little girl. I think I can handle anything you’ve got.”
After climbing the first mountain and half sliding, half driving down the next, Ian wished he’d added a few things to his list of fears—death, for one. Charlee was a daredevil. Or crazed. Or had a death wish. Or all of the above. When he finally became confident in her mountain driving off-road ability, she was on to blasting through mud puddles and creek beds. Okay, so it was fun. More than fun, great. Adrenaline-pumping, heart-hammering great. Their flesh and clothing were spotted with enough mud they could easily camouflage themselves if need be by disappearing right into the ground.
After a couple hours, they stopped for lunch. Charlee dragged a cooler out of the back of the Jeep and tossed a blanket to Ian. They were along the creek where the water rushed down a four-foot waterfall and landed in a pool at the base. They were in a lush green valley and all around were mountains reaching to the sky. “We can clean off at the creek.” Charlee sat the cooler in the center of the blanket. She had dried mud on her hands, making them
Charlee’s hand landed on his. “Ian, that’s beautiful. Beautiful and tragic. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Ian nodded, folded the page and slipped it back into his front pocket. “Yeah.”
“So much love in that letter.” Her gaze fanned to the mountains before them where evergreens reached to the sky, their branches stretching upward, searching for sunlight.
“Do you think the person who got the letter knew how much she was loved?”
Charlee’s shoulder tipped up. “How could she not? It’s so evident.”
“Some people have a hard time coming right out and saying things.” Careful, here. He knew he needed to tread lightly.
Charlee turned to face him. “You’d have to be an idiot not to know how that person feels.”
Ian nodded and made the decision, now was the time for Charlee to know. Everything. Right now.
“Okay.” She turned to him with a smile. “Enough deep talk for one day. Let’s go have some fun. I hear your boss is a complete slave driver.”
He could push, maybe even should, but fear kept him from it. “Don’t forget she’s also a control freak.”
She squeaked and put a hand to her heart.
“And a complete narcissist.” He looped a finger through one of the small holes in her tank top. She glanced down at it, shrugged.
Charlee pinned him with a finger. “You better take off those nice jeans, Pretty Boy. You’re going to get dirty today.”
Those words—innocent as they were meant to be—wrapped around his gut. He should drag her into his cabin. Instead, Ian disappeared inside. Alone. He hollered through the closed screen door, “She’s bossy too. Orders me around like I’m her personal servant.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah.” He slipped out of his jeans and found a pair of gym shorts. Ian inspected his T-shirt in the mirror, decided all his shirts were old and left it on. “If it gets any worse, I may need combat pay.”
Through the window, he watched her fold her arms and drop her weight against the doorjamb. “I don’t give combat pay, soldier.”
He brushed past her, stepping into the fresh sunlight and shaking off the heaviness of earlier. “You should.” After tromping through the mud, Ian jumped into the Jeep and waited.
Charlee climbed into the driver’s seat and gave him a wicked smile. “Anything you’re scared of?”
His eyes widened. “I’d prefer to not have a bucket of snakes dropped on my head; other than that, I can’t think of anything.”
She pushed the clutch and revved the motor as the Jeep lurched forward. “Good. I’d hate to make fun of you if you’re a chicken. But I’d do it.”
“Hit me with your best shot, little girl. I think I can handle anything you’ve got.”
After climbing the first mountain and half sliding, half driving down the next, Ian wished he’d added a few things to his list of fears—death, for one. Charlee was a daredevil. Or crazed. Or had a death wish. Or all of the above. When he finally became confident in her mountain driving off-road ability, she was on to blasting through mud puddles and creek beds. Okay, so it was fun. More than fun, great. Adrenaline-pumping, heart-hammering great. Their flesh and clothing were spotted with enough mud they could easily camouflage themselves if need be by disappearing right into the ground.
After a couple hours, they stopped for lunch. Charlee dragged a cooler out of the back of the Jeep and tossed a blanket to Ian. They were along the creek where the water rushed down a four-foot waterfall and landed in a pool at the base. They were in a lush green valley and all around were mountains reaching to the sky. “We can clean off at the creek.” Charlee sat the cooler in the center of the blanket. She had dried mud on her hands, making them
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