Nothing But Trouble by Lisa Mondello Page A

erecting it on a flat grassy section.  Stoney knew what she was thinking.  The bent grass would be a soft cushion beneath her sleeping bag and provide a better night’s sleep than sleeping on the flat boulder he insisted they sleep on last night.
    He wanted to go to her.  Not to tell her not to set the tent up on the grass and leave a print on the untouched earth.  He wanted to go to her and take back all his harshness, all his anger.  And he wanted to kiss her full lips until she smiled like she had that day in the meadow.  He didn’t think he could ever get enough of her sunshine face.
    Instead, he turned in the direct of the wood pile and began pulling out small pieces of wood to add to the camp stove.  He had to keep his mind focused on something other than Melanie.
    She held on to her anger all through dinner, not giving him so much as a cursory look.  Stoney figured it was just as well.  He was liable to make things worse.  They were only four days into this month-long trip and already he felt like he’d spent a lifetime trying to contain his urges.  He’d been a horse’s ass, but it was better than letting himself fall into manure. 
    When dinner was through, Stoney built a fire out of kindling and the paper goods that packaged their rations.  It was a good way to get rid of the lingering smell of food so as not to attract animals to the camp.  Melanie filled a pot of water and set it on the camp stove, still hot from cooking dinner, to heat water to wash their plates and cooking utensils. 
    The sounds of the night filled the air around them.  He could hear the music of crickets and frogs calling nearby.  This was the time of the day he loved the most, when everything was calm and serene.  But inside Stoney was anything but.
    “I’ll do the dishes,” she said, dropping dishes into the warm water she’d prepared.
    “Make sure you don’t dump the water-” he started to say, but Melanie cut him off.
    Melanie threw down the pan and propped her fists on her hips.  She’d had enough of Stoney’s arrogance to last ten lifetimes.  “Are you through?”
    Stoney lifted himself from his sitting position on the ground and took a step closer.  Four days ago she would have been intimidated by his presence.  Right now, she was boiling over too hot to care.
    “I’ve been doing the dishes for four days.  I think I know by now not to toss the dirty water back into the stream.”
    His face was hard, but his eyes belied his scowl.  In them, she saw something softer.  She’d caught him staring at her more than once, his features calm and serene, only to have his expression turn to stone when he realized she was looking.  It was if he was angry with her, and he didn’t want to be. 
    “What are you talking about?”
    “I’m done being your punching bag.  If you didn’t want to take this job, you should have told me and saved us both a whole lot of grief.  Whatever reasons you have for deciding to take my offer are your own.  But you don’t have to take your foul mood out on me.”
    “Is that what you think I’ve been doing?”
    “That and a whole lot more.  Stoney Buxton you’ve pushed me, prodded me, barked at me until I can’t stand it anymore.  I’m tired.  Not only from the long ride, cold baths, and bugs swarming everywhere, but of trying to keep up with you long enough to get you to believe that I can really hack this.”  She took a fortifying breath and brushed her hair away from her face with both hands.  She charged forward and poked him in the chest.  “Well, I’m tired of it.  You can push me all you want, but as of this moment, I’m pushing back.  You don’t have to like me to get through the next month.  I don’t care if you detest the site of me.  But I was hoping that at least we could find some common ground long enough to have a peaceful evening.”
    She heard the loud pounding of her heartbeat in her ear as she waited for the backlash.  With her