problems either,” she added. Facing away from him, she removed her bra and stepped out of her panties. “I’ll check my front,” she said, and he passed her the flashlight while he stared out at the river and tried to think of something besides the fact she was standing stark-naked eighteen inches away from him, examining her own breasts.
Finally, she handed back the light and he used it to go over her backside. He didn’t touch her; it wasn’t necessary, but God, he wanted to. The smooth, rounded cheeks of her butt just asked to be fondled and kissed, and as he gently lifted her hair to look at her shoulders he thought of the hundreds of times he’d done the same thing right before kissing the nape of her neck. He shone the light down her legs, wincing when he glimpsed the scabs and bruises on her knees that must be the result of hitting the pavement in front of that city bus.
The healing wounds brought home the danger she was in just like the quivering arrow had; it was all he could do not to fold her in his arms and whisk her away to safety whether she wanted it or not.
But where was safety if not out here? If he sent her away she’d be alone to face whoever was after her. If he kept her with him, she was in danger. Someone had gotten to her twice and both times, he’d been literally right by her side.
“Okay,” he said at last, handing her his jacket again which she held over her chest. “I’ll go get your clothes and shake them out for you.”
He spent a moment checking the bag once again, fighting alarm as he noted that things had changed from just a few minutes before. He used the flashlight to scan the camp. It looked as peaceful as a camp always did this late in the night, but someone was out there, watching him. He was sure of it. He grabbed Julie’s things and the rest of his stuff, shaking everything vigorously as he ran back toward the river. His breathing calmed down when he detected her willowy silhouette among the shadows.
“Here you go, guaranteed spider-free,” he said, but she insisted on using the flashlight to check every inch of fabric before she dressed. He shrugged on his shirt and started buttoning it.
“I just thought of something,” she said as she pulled her jeans up over her hips. “If my bag was infested, maybe the others are, too. We have to wake people—”
“No, don’t worry about it,” he interrupted. “That box you felt was an egg carton.”
She pulled the sweater over her head and stared at him. “An egg carton?”
“And it wasn’t a brand we have on the ranch, so someone had to bring it with them. But there’s more. Someone cut a little vee shape on the lid over about half the cups.”
“Tyler, it’s like you’re speaking Greek. Why was there an egg carton—”
“I think someone used it to transport the spiders to the bag.”
“But the cuts—”
“Were probably how they managed to fill the cups without the spiders skittering away. Think about it, you’d have to carefully insert each spider with tweezers or something, one at a time. It’s not like the others would just sit there and wait for you to close the lid.
She stared at him as though he was crazy. “Then you think someone put that egg carton half full of spiders specifically in that bag?”
“Yes. And I don’t have to tell you that the bedrolls are all clearly labeled.”
“But my label says Rose Hunt.”
“And everyone knew Mom had convinced you to take her place.”
“But even if I’d been bitten, it wouldn’t have killed me straight away unless I’m allergic. I would have had time to return to the ranch—”
“Maybe. If you’d been asleep and suffered multiple bites, who knows?”
“I don’t understand, Tyler,” she said. “Show me—”
“I can’t. The carton is gone now. So is the dead spider I stepped on.”
“Gone!” she said in a whisper, turning to peer into the dark. Her eyes were huge as she looked back at him and then toward the camp.
He put
Finally, she handed back the light and he used it to go over her backside. He didn’t touch her; it wasn’t necessary, but God, he wanted to. The smooth, rounded cheeks of her butt just asked to be fondled and kissed, and as he gently lifted her hair to look at her shoulders he thought of the hundreds of times he’d done the same thing right before kissing the nape of her neck. He shone the light down her legs, wincing when he glimpsed the scabs and bruises on her knees that must be the result of hitting the pavement in front of that city bus.
The healing wounds brought home the danger she was in just like the quivering arrow had; it was all he could do not to fold her in his arms and whisk her away to safety whether she wanted it or not.
But where was safety if not out here? If he sent her away she’d be alone to face whoever was after her. If he kept her with him, she was in danger. Someone had gotten to her twice and both times, he’d been literally right by her side.
“Okay,” he said at last, handing her his jacket again which she held over her chest. “I’ll go get your clothes and shake them out for you.”
He spent a moment checking the bag once again, fighting alarm as he noted that things had changed from just a few minutes before. He used the flashlight to scan the camp. It looked as peaceful as a camp always did this late in the night, but someone was out there, watching him. He was sure of it. He grabbed Julie’s things and the rest of his stuff, shaking everything vigorously as he ran back toward the river. His breathing calmed down when he detected her willowy silhouette among the shadows.
“Here you go, guaranteed spider-free,” he said, but she insisted on using the flashlight to check every inch of fabric before she dressed. He shrugged on his shirt and started buttoning it.
“I just thought of something,” she said as she pulled her jeans up over her hips. “If my bag was infested, maybe the others are, too. We have to wake people—”
“No, don’t worry about it,” he interrupted. “That box you felt was an egg carton.”
She pulled the sweater over her head and stared at him. “An egg carton?”
“And it wasn’t a brand we have on the ranch, so someone had to bring it with them. But there’s more. Someone cut a little vee shape on the lid over about half the cups.”
“Tyler, it’s like you’re speaking Greek. Why was there an egg carton—”
“I think someone used it to transport the spiders to the bag.”
“But the cuts—”
“Were probably how they managed to fill the cups without the spiders skittering away. Think about it, you’d have to carefully insert each spider with tweezers or something, one at a time. It’s not like the others would just sit there and wait for you to close the lid.
She stared at him as though he was crazy. “Then you think someone put that egg carton half full of spiders specifically in that bag?”
“Yes. And I don’t have to tell you that the bedrolls are all clearly labeled.”
“But my label says Rose Hunt.”
“And everyone knew Mom had convinced you to take her place.”
“But even if I’d been bitten, it wouldn’t have killed me straight away unless I’m allergic. I would have had time to return to the ranch—”
“Maybe. If you’d been asleep and suffered multiple bites, who knows?”
“I don’t understand, Tyler,” she said. “Show me—”
“I can’t. The carton is gone now. So is the dead spider I stepped on.”
“Gone!” she said in a whisper, turning to peer into the dark. Her eyes were huge as she looked back at him and then toward the camp.
He put
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