cabin.
When he reappeared he was in fresh pants and a fresh shirt. He had an old canvas hiking pack with him and while I ate he loaded the pack with food and other supplies.
He set a gruelling pace through the trees and I was almost jogging to keep up with him. I was huffing and puffing and he hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. We stopped twice for short snacks and once for lunch and before I knew it the sun was disappearing behind the trees. He set his pack down and said, “We’ll have dinner and then camp here tonight.”
I dropped to the ground, breathing hard, while he built a fire and pulled out some dry ration bars. He tossed one to me and I scrambled to open it. It was bland and dry but it was food.
I scooted closer to the fire, holding my hands out to feel the warmth of the flames. It was nice here, quiet, I could hear the birds. We had scared off most of the birds around our campsite, aside from the crows. The river sounded distant through the trees, a gentle bubbling, like a quiet brook and not like a powerful river capable of sweeping a person away. I glanced around seeing beauty in the way the fading light and deepening shadows shifted around us. As my gaze passed over Ryker I realized he was staring at me. I looked back down at the fire.
“You’re stronger than you look,” he said.
I looked up, startled.
“Most people wouldn’t have survived. It’s easy to drown, it’s hard to survive. Most people don’t have enough fight in them anymore.”
“Oh, I …” What could I say? I didn’t think of myself as particularly strong.
“Civilization takes that out of a lot of people, they can’t survive without their luxuries, they have no fight in them, they’re always afraid.”
“Doesn’t this place scare you?”
“Of course it does, I’m not stupid. But it’s a respectful wariness, it’s knowing that something bigger and tougher than me is likely to leap out and try to eat me and I have to be prepared and alert.”
I shivered.
“You’re cold. Here, it’s not much, I had to pack light.” He came over, handed me a light blanket and sat down next to me.
“I could have helped you carry stuff.”
“Who would have helped me carry it back?”
“Oh. You know I am sorry I’m causing you so much trouble.”
For a long moment we both just stared into the flames.
“I’ve never met someone like you,” he said. “You’re from the city and yet you respect this place, I can see it in the way you look around.”
“Yeah, I don’t really fit in anywhere,” I said. The blanket wasn’t doing much so I scooted closer to the fire again.
“You’re going to catch on fire,” he said, “And then you’ll be complaining that you’re too warm.”
“I’ll take that chance.”
“Come here.”
He was holding his arm out, offering me the spot right beside him.
“Body heat is a powerful thing,” he said. “We’ll keep each other warm, that’s all.”
“I wasn’t complaining,” I said.
“Come on, you don’t want to be cold and neither do I. Come here.” His gruff manner actually made me smile, and it was easy to tease him because of it.
But I slid back and over and let him wrap an arm around me. He smelled of man and wild and real, none of those fake smells that came with colognes and aftershaves, just fresh air and pine trees. I snuggled in closer and rested my head against his shoulder, relaxing against his body. He was stiff, his arm rigid, but he stayed. I needed one hand to hold me up but the other I draped over his stomach and I sighed.
Slowly he relaxed and settled a little.
I tipped my head up so I could see the side of his face. The firelight played over his rugged features. I wonder … I sat up taller and kissed him.
He pulled back as if I had slapped him.
I started to pull away, I knew I was blushing and I was thankful for the deep shadows. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m …”
He roughly pulled me close and kissed me so hard and so
When he reappeared he was in fresh pants and a fresh shirt. He had an old canvas hiking pack with him and while I ate he loaded the pack with food and other supplies.
He set a gruelling pace through the trees and I was almost jogging to keep up with him. I was huffing and puffing and he hadn’t even broken a sweat yet. We stopped twice for short snacks and once for lunch and before I knew it the sun was disappearing behind the trees. He set his pack down and said, “We’ll have dinner and then camp here tonight.”
I dropped to the ground, breathing hard, while he built a fire and pulled out some dry ration bars. He tossed one to me and I scrambled to open it. It was bland and dry but it was food.
I scooted closer to the fire, holding my hands out to feel the warmth of the flames. It was nice here, quiet, I could hear the birds. We had scared off most of the birds around our campsite, aside from the crows. The river sounded distant through the trees, a gentle bubbling, like a quiet brook and not like a powerful river capable of sweeping a person away. I glanced around seeing beauty in the way the fading light and deepening shadows shifted around us. As my gaze passed over Ryker I realized he was staring at me. I looked back down at the fire.
“You’re stronger than you look,” he said.
I looked up, startled.
“Most people wouldn’t have survived. It’s easy to drown, it’s hard to survive. Most people don’t have enough fight in them anymore.”
“Oh, I …” What could I say? I didn’t think of myself as particularly strong.
“Civilization takes that out of a lot of people, they can’t survive without their luxuries, they have no fight in them, they’re always afraid.”
“Doesn’t this place scare you?”
“Of course it does, I’m not stupid. But it’s a respectful wariness, it’s knowing that something bigger and tougher than me is likely to leap out and try to eat me and I have to be prepared and alert.”
I shivered.
“You’re cold. Here, it’s not much, I had to pack light.” He came over, handed me a light blanket and sat down next to me.
“I could have helped you carry stuff.”
“Who would have helped me carry it back?”
“Oh. You know I am sorry I’m causing you so much trouble.”
For a long moment we both just stared into the flames.
“I’ve never met someone like you,” he said. “You’re from the city and yet you respect this place, I can see it in the way you look around.”
“Yeah, I don’t really fit in anywhere,” I said. The blanket wasn’t doing much so I scooted closer to the fire again.
“You’re going to catch on fire,” he said, “And then you’ll be complaining that you’re too warm.”
“I’ll take that chance.”
“Come here.”
He was holding his arm out, offering me the spot right beside him.
“Body heat is a powerful thing,” he said. “We’ll keep each other warm, that’s all.”
“I wasn’t complaining,” I said.
“Come on, you don’t want to be cold and neither do I. Come here.” His gruff manner actually made me smile, and it was easy to tease him because of it.
But I slid back and over and let him wrap an arm around me. He smelled of man and wild and real, none of those fake smells that came with colognes and aftershaves, just fresh air and pine trees. I snuggled in closer and rested my head against his shoulder, relaxing against his body. He was stiff, his arm rigid, but he stayed. I needed one hand to hold me up but the other I draped over his stomach and I sighed.
Slowly he relaxed and settled a little.
I tipped my head up so I could see the side of his face. The firelight played over his rugged features. I wonder … I sat up taller and kissed him.
He pulled back as if I had slapped him.
I started to pull away, I knew I was blushing and I was thankful for the deep shadows. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m …”
He roughly pulled me close and kissed me so hard and so
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