far enough for her to scramble from its confines. She tumbled over him, both of them falling to the ground in a jumble of bare legs.
“What in the hell?” he barked in a hoarse whisper, but she’d already jumped to her feet and run toward the river.
Chapter Eight
Tyler grabbed the flashlight and followed Julie as she disappeared down the sloping bank to the water. Hearing a splash, he flicked on the light and found her submerged up to her chin, brushing at herself, dipping her head beneath the surface.
The water was cold this time of year and he was startled by her behavior. What had gotten into her? He walked down to the water’s edge and stood there in his bare feet, watching her.
When she started toward the shore, his heart dipped into his stomach at the sight of her emerging like a beautiful lake nymph, her face and shoulders pale next to her dark hair. She was as good as naked in this light, her breasts generous rounded globes, her hips slightly flared. His reaction to the sight of her made his voice sound cross as he said, “What in the hell are you doing?”
She came up close to him and spoke in a low voice that was hard to understand as her teeth were clattering from the cold. “Spiders, Tyler. In my bag. I was almost asleep and I felt something with my foot.”
“You felt spiders?”
“Not at first. At first I felt something made of paper or cardboard. I thought maybe the cleaners had left something in the bag by mistake. It was way down at the bottom—well, you know how long these bags are so they’ll work for all sizes of people. I kicked it, I guess, and then a minute later, I felt something crawl up my leg.”
“Are you sure it was a spider?”
She shuddered. “I’m pretty sure.”
“Come on,” he said and led the way back to the bags. Tyler could see nobody else around, so apparently they hadn’t made as much noise as he’d thought. “Stay back a little, I’m going to take a look,” he said, taking a minute to hand her his jacket from the pile on the ground. He pulled on jeans and boots as she stood there trembling in her wet underwear and his jacket.
Using the flashlight to illuminate the bag, he pulled it open. The lining was a pale blue color, so it wasn’t hard to see the small darting forms of several dark spiders scampering out of the light. Tyler managed to step on one before it got away. He took the light from Julie and sitting on his heels, bent down to look at it. Then he looked at the rest of the bag including the object Julie had hit with her foot.
When he stood up, he took a long look at her. “Come with me,” he said and took off back to the river, she following behind.
“Where are we going? I’m cold,” she said, her voice soft.
He addressed her from over his shoulder. “Back to the river. Remember I took that arachnology class in college?”
“Yes. Do you know what kind of spider it was that you stepped on? How did that box get in there? Don’t you always launder the bags between guests?”
“Yes, we always do,” he said. “Julie, take off your clothes. I’m going to make sure you haven’t been bitten.”
“What?”
“That’s why I brought you down here—for a little privacy. We could wake another woman to help you if you insist—”
“No, that’s okay, there’s no part of me you haven’t seen a thousand times. But, really, I’d know if I was bitten, and so what if I was?”
“The spider I killed could have been a hobo spider. I don’t think we should take a chance you would feel a bite, especially after your dip in cold water.”
“You mean the kind of spider that’s related to the brown recluse?”
“Yeah. I can’t be certain with the naked eye, but we can’t take a chance. Hand me my jacket and strip off your clothes. I’ll be quick about it.”
“This is not how I expected to spend my time as a camp cook,” she grumbled as she took off the jacket and handed it to him. “And this is not exactly keeping you out of my
“What in the hell?” he barked in a hoarse whisper, but she’d already jumped to her feet and run toward the river.
Chapter Eight
Tyler grabbed the flashlight and followed Julie as she disappeared down the sloping bank to the water. Hearing a splash, he flicked on the light and found her submerged up to her chin, brushing at herself, dipping her head beneath the surface.
The water was cold this time of year and he was startled by her behavior. What had gotten into her? He walked down to the water’s edge and stood there in his bare feet, watching her.
When she started toward the shore, his heart dipped into his stomach at the sight of her emerging like a beautiful lake nymph, her face and shoulders pale next to her dark hair. She was as good as naked in this light, her breasts generous rounded globes, her hips slightly flared. His reaction to the sight of her made his voice sound cross as he said, “What in the hell are you doing?”
She came up close to him and spoke in a low voice that was hard to understand as her teeth were clattering from the cold. “Spiders, Tyler. In my bag. I was almost asleep and I felt something with my foot.”
“You felt spiders?”
“Not at first. At first I felt something made of paper or cardboard. I thought maybe the cleaners had left something in the bag by mistake. It was way down at the bottom—well, you know how long these bags are so they’ll work for all sizes of people. I kicked it, I guess, and then a minute later, I felt something crawl up my leg.”
“Are you sure it was a spider?”
She shuddered. “I’m pretty sure.”
“Come on,” he said and led the way back to the bags. Tyler could see nobody else around, so apparently they hadn’t made as much noise as he’d thought. “Stay back a little, I’m going to take a look,” he said, taking a minute to hand her his jacket from the pile on the ground. He pulled on jeans and boots as she stood there trembling in her wet underwear and his jacket.
Using the flashlight to illuminate the bag, he pulled it open. The lining was a pale blue color, so it wasn’t hard to see the small darting forms of several dark spiders scampering out of the light. Tyler managed to step on one before it got away. He took the light from Julie and sitting on his heels, bent down to look at it. Then he looked at the rest of the bag including the object Julie had hit with her foot.
When he stood up, he took a long look at her. “Come with me,” he said and took off back to the river, she following behind.
“Where are we going? I’m cold,” she said, her voice soft.
He addressed her from over his shoulder. “Back to the river. Remember I took that arachnology class in college?”
“Yes. Do you know what kind of spider it was that you stepped on? How did that box get in there? Don’t you always launder the bags between guests?”
“Yes, we always do,” he said. “Julie, take off your clothes. I’m going to make sure you haven’t been bitten.”
“What?”
“That’s why I brought you down here—for a little privacy. We could wake another woman to help you if you insist—”
“No, that’s okay, there’s no part of me you haven’t seen a thousand times. But, really, I’d know if I was bitten, and so what if I was?”
“The spider I killed could have been a hobo spider. I don’t think we should take a chance you would feel a bite, especially after your dip in cold water.”
“You mean the kind of spider that’s related to the brown recluse?”
“Yeah. I can’t be certain with the naked eye, but we can’t take a chance. Hand me my jacket and strip off your clothes. I’ll be quick about it.”
“This is not how I expected to spend my time as a camp cook,” she grumbled as she took off the jacket and handed it to him. “And this is not exactly keeping you out of my
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