Desire in the Arctic by Stacy Hoff

wanted to remain aloof to her. The more attractive she became the more he knew he’d be tempted to open up to her—an unacceptable outcome.
    Stiffening his back, he forced himself to concentrate on what was important. He had to admit, their campsite looked pretty good for last-minute construction with limited tools and equipment. The dome-like tent was built. Small, not much bigger than the two sleeping bags that were inside, resting on the cloth groundcover.
    Having such a small tent space was both good and bad. The good news was that smaller square footage would be easier to keep warm. The bad news was that it would place him in direct proximity with her. With no escape. Where would he go? Sleep under the stars, exposed to the elements? Not. Awkward was definitely better than dead.
    Speaking of deadly, he had loaded the shotgun and put it next to his sleeping bag. But since they hadn’t eaten at the campsite yet, the threat of bears this evening was low.
    “I can’t believe it’s almost ten o’clock at night,” Ana said, looking up from the wristwatch she’d borrowed from Devon. “I’m exhausted but don’t know if I can sleep with all this light.”
    “Sure you can. The tent will block out the sky. The hood of the sleeping bags cover most of your face. They’re mummy-style.”
    Ana burst out laughing. “Excellent. I want my mummy!”
    It was hard for him not to laugh along with her. He tightened his lips to stop himself. “Unless your mummy carries a shotgun, the bears won’t be too impressed,” he said in a serious tone.
    “Is it safe to go to sleep?” she asked more soberly.
    “We’ll be fine tonight.”
    “Okay. Then I guess we should go to bed.” A streak of red stained her cheeks. Redd felt himself get hot too, although not from embarrassment. He shook off his inappropriate thoughts and returned to business-mode.
    “Um, maybe it’s time for me to test out the bathroom situation,” she said tentatively.
    “Take the packet of disposable wipes and find a nice place. Don’t worry about me seeing you, I’ll be in the tent.” He almost laughed again as her cheeks were now totally red. “You said you could handle it.”
    “I said that when the cameras were rolling. I lied. So sue me.”
    “You’ll be fine. It’s simply a fact of life out here. Unless you can find a nearby Seven Eleven?”
    “Funny,” she said tightly.
    “Oh, and don’t forget this,” he said, handing her the pepper spray. “And this,” he added, handing her a Ziploc bag.
    “If I keep the pepper spray in the Ziploc, won’t it slow me down if I’m attacked?”
    Redd shook his head. “Nope. The plastic bags are not to hold the spray.”
    “I don’t get it.”
    “You’ve got to leave no trace behind.”
    When she still gave him a blank look he tried explaining again. “You’ve got to carry out everything you carry in.”
    “Oh my. You don’t mean used toilet paper has to be carried out, too?”
    “Yep. Or you could burn it in the fire.”
    “But won’t that, you know, smell?”
    “There’s no way to get rid of our waste that’s ideal. Try one way, and the next time try the other if it makes you feel better. Oh, and don’t forget, don’t relieve yourself near the streams. It pollutes them. And for anything really nasty you need to do, be sure to dig a hole a couple of inches deep first.” He handed her one of the big sticks but she shook her head.
    “Er, thanks, but I won’t have to dig a hole now.”
    Redd decided to be kind and leave her to her horror in peace. If she got any whiter she’d blend right into an Arctic blizzard. He bent low to enter the tent and made himself at home. Somehow he doubted she could ever feel that way here. It was a helluva long way from New York.
    This had to be a joke, Ana thought sourly. It had to be. She couldn’t believe she’d have to carry out her own used disposable wipes. She didn’t consider herself prissy, but man , this was reaching a whole new level of