23. Dawson

Dawson crept out of a deep sleep only to sink back in. Everything was warm and cozy–perfect conditions for sleeping.

Three knocks from somewhere nearby had his brow furrowing. Not ready to adult today, thank you.

Something moved against him, and he tightened his hold.

Louder knocks jerked him out of the slumber, and his eyes flew open. The dawn light was faint in the forest, shining into the cab of his truck as he blinked back the remnants of sleep.

Olivia shifted in his arms, and the events of the night came back to him. Camping, wolves, Olivia.

Olivia.

"Dude!"

Dawson tightened his hold on Olivia and met Beau's accusing stare out the window.

Uh-oh.

Beau threw his hands in the air, clearly irritated.

Dawson pressed the button to lower the window, but it didn't budge.

Oh yeah. Dead battery. He held up a finger to Beau and tried to shift Olivia's back away from the door.

She lifted her head and wiped at her eye.

"Good morning, my queen."

"Morning," she whispered.

"Your brother is here, and he wants an explanation."

Her head popped up at that. "What?" She turned around in Dawson's lap to find Beau waiting with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Shoot. What time is it?" she asked.

"Time for a reckoning."

Olivia opened the door and didn't bother to smile at her brother. "Hey."

"You decide to have a party for two?" Beau asked, looking back and forth between Dawson and Olivia.

Dawson kept an arm around Olivia's waist, hoping she'd relax. "Where to start?"

"We got trapped by wolves," Olivia said. Her ponytail was hanging to one side, and she had red marks on her face from sleeping against him.

Beau made a show of looking left then right before facing his sister again. "Wolves?"

"Yeah. We came back to the truck to get my medicine, and there was a pack of wolves."

"And my truck battery is dead. Any chance I could get a jump?" Dawson asked.

Beau shook his head and headed back toward his truck. Two mattresses wrapped in plastic rested in the truck bed.

Olivia pressed her hands to the sides of her head. "I can't believe he saw us cuddling."

"I know. It's awful," Dawson said with all the sarcasm he could muster.

"I mean, we haven't even figured out what this is yet, and he's going to think things." She gestured with both hands to where Beau had been standing.

"He's not going to think anything bad. Come on, Liv. He knows both of us. It's not like we're hooking up in my truck."

The wrinkle between her brows smoothed, and she looked at him like he was the source of her happiness. The darkness had hidden everything last night, and seeing that smile drove all his doubts away.

"We're in this together," he reminded her. It didn't really matter what problems came their way. He'd stand beside her through anything. This woman could drive him to the edge and make him jump, and he'd do it all with a smile on his face.

She snuggled back into his lap, burrowing her face in the crook of his neck. It was a moment he'd imagined millions of times, but no dream could ever touch this reality.

Olivia was in his arms, and he was never letting her go.

Beau's truck pulled up beside Dawson's, and Olivia crawled out of his lap. "Time to face the other wolf," she announced.

Her brother didn't really fit the description of a wolf, but he was snarly a lot of the time. Still, he'd face any predator if necessary.

Dawson stretched his aching muscles as he followed Olivia out of the truck. So it hadn't been the most comfortable sleep of his life the way he'd imagined a few minutes ago. His right leg was numb, and his back was protesting all movement.

"What are you doing here so early?" Olivia asked Beau as she stretched her back from side to side.

"Delivering the mattresses. I thought I was going to have to walk to camp to get some extra hands, but I guess the two of you will work."

Olivia held up a hand. "I'm all yours, but I need to use the ladies' room first."

Dawson spread his arms out. "The forest is yours."

She chuckled and pointed to a spot behind the other trucks. "I'll be that way."

Dawson slid an arm around her as she walked past and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Morning."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. "Morning."

Man, he could get used to this.

"Open the hood, lover boy," Beau said.

Dawson walked around and popped the hood of his truck.

"So, I take it things changed?" Beau asked.

Dawson clicked behind his teeth. "I never took you for the girl talk type."

Beau grumbled. "Is this an official thing?"

"Yes, it's official. As official as it can get without a ring."

Beau stopped, and his eyes widened.

"Okay. Not that official. Though, I wouldn't be against it."

"Liv isn't as impulsive as you are," Beau reminded him.

"I know. I know. I'm not asking her to marry me tomorrow, but let's be real. That's where this is heading if I have anything to say about it."

"Liv isn't–"

"I know what you're saying," Dawson interrupted. "I know her. I know her better than I know anyone in this world, including you. I've been patient, and I'll continue to be patient. I've got this."

Beau had no way of knowing, but Dawson had gone over every scenario of how things could go when he finally got the nerve to lay it all on the line for Olivia. He'd predicted at least a little of her freak-out, and they'd come through that with flying colors. Gold stars for both of them.

Dawson had been taking Olivia's thoughts and feelings into consideration for longer than he'd been legally driving, so he kinda had a handle on it by now.

Beau turned back to the battery under the hood and clamped the cables to it. "I won't say another thing about it."

Good. Now that the big brother talk was behind them, they could get to work.

Olivia walked around the side of Dawson's truck and leaned on the frame. "What can I do?"

Dawson tossed her his keys, and she caught them in the air. "Can you start it up?"

She slid into the driver's seat and started the truck. The engine roared to life as she revved it. She let out a whoop that scared more of the woodland creatures than the roaring of the engine.

"Looks like we're back in business," Dawson said. He turned to Beau and slapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, man."

"No problem." Beau jerked his thumb at the truck. "Leave that running for a little bit."

"Thanks for the jump too, but that's not what I meant," Dawson said lower.

Beau nodded and scratched his jaw. "I know you'll be good to her."

"You better believe it. If she's giving me a chance, I'm not gonna waste it."

Olivia stepped out of the truck and pushed her hands into her back pocket. "Listen, Beau. Can you maybe not–"

Beau held up a hand, carefully not meeting his sister's eyes. "I won't say a word."

A grin lit up her face, and she let her hands fall to her sides. "Thanks. I haven't figured out how to explain it to…everyone yet."

Dawson would be freaking out a little bit if he didn't know about Anna's feelings. But he knew Olivia wasn't really trying to hide their relationship. It was okay if most people knew, but it would be too easy for word to get back around to Anna if everyone was in on it.

Beau pointed toward the back of his truck. "Grab an end."

Dawson snagged his gun from the console, turned off the truck, and turned to Olivia. "You have everything you need?"

"Yep." She pointed to her coat pocket where she'd stashed her medicine.

"Let's roll." He pressed another kiss to her head and met Beau at the back of his truck.

"Liv, can you guide us?" Beau asked.

"Sure. I'll be your eyes for the next half hour."

Carrying a mattress through the woods was an event, but Olivia was great about letting them know if fallen trees or holes were coming up. Lucas had created a bridge across the creek, so that obstacle was easy.

When they reached the rise leading to the camp, Olivia ran ahead to make sure the cabins were open. Maddie and Lauren darted out of the women's cabin and ran straight for Olivia.

"We were so worried!" Lauren said as she wrapped Olivia up. "Lucas got a call out on the satellite phone last night, and search and rescue was ready to deploy this morning."

"We need to let them know we're okay," Olivia said. "We made it to the truck, but wolves surrounded us and we couldn't get back to camp."

Maddie shuddered. "Lucas has a bad history with wolves. I'm glad he didn't go out there."

Olivia rubbed a hand on Maddie's back. "Me too. We were so worried you'd venture out and run into the pack."

Dawson repositioned the mattress in his hands to look over his shoulder toward the women. "Which cabin?"

Maddie sprinted toward the first one and propped the door open. Dawson and Beau guided the mattress inside and rested it on the box springs.

Lucas jogged into the cabin as soon as they had the mattress positioned. "I'm sure glad to see you," he said, slapping a hand on Dawson's shoulder.

"Glad to be back in one piece. We got cornered by some wolves."

Lucas's eyes widened, but he contained some of his shock. "Wolves?"

Everyone in town knew Lucas's cousin, Hunter, had been attacked by wild dogs when they were younger. The scar on his face was hard to miss. I guess an event like that left a mark on everyone around.

"We hid out in the truck until Beau showed up this morning."

Lucas shook his head slightly and turned to Beau. "Thanks for bringing these. I don't think Lauren and Maddie enjoyed the air mattress too much last night."

"No problem," Beau said. "We'll go get the other one after breakfast. I'm starving."

Lucas hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Lauren is working on some sausage and eggs. It smells like it's almost ready."

Dawson rubbed his hands together. "You don't have to tell me twice. I hope she made extra."

"Aaron and Noah are on their way, so I'm sure there's plenty," Lucas said.

Maddie and Olivia burst into the small cabin with their arms overflowing with sheets and pillows.

"Get out of the way, boys. We've got work to do," Maddie commanded.

Dawson held up his hands and headed for the door. "I'm out."

Betsy bounded up the steps, meeting him on the porch with Levi on her heels.

"Dawson! You're back!"

Betsy jumped into Dawson's arms, and he barely had time to shift the dog to the side as Levi crashed into him.

"I thought you were a goner," Levi mumbled against Dawson's shirt.

Patting Levi's back, he swallowed the lump in his throat before speaking. "It'll take more than a pack of wolves to get me down."

"Wolves!" Levi shouted, looking up at Dawson with wide eyes.

Yikes. Probably shouldn't have mentioned that to the kid. "They didn't hurt us. We stayed in the truck. And they won't venture into the campsite. We're a little too loud for their tastes."

Levi looked over his shoulder and scanned the tree line. "You sure?"

"Pretty sure. Plus, you've got us. We'll protect you."

Levi straightened. "I can protect us too."

"Maybe don't venture out of the camp area. Just to be safe."

"Yeah. I won't. Trust me."

The terrified look on the kid"s face said he wouldn't be anywhere near the trees for the rest of the trip.

After they ate breakfast, Dawson and Beau brought in the other mattress with Levi's help this time. By mid-morning, the cabins were cleaned and spotless. Dawson and Lucas had a wood-chopping competition that served as the after-lunch entertainment. Aaron and Noah showed up just before dinner and started cleaning up the brush that had crept into the clearing.

Dawson did an excellent job keeping his hands and lips off Olivia, but she had all of his attention. Every time a cabin door opened, he had to see if it was Olivia. It was easy to keep tabs on where she was in the camp because he felt her. There was a radar that pulsed from her, drawing him toward her at all times.

Having mountains of chores to do helped him stay on track, but his focus was divided. It was day one of life with Olivia 2.0, and ideally they'd be cuddled up by a fireplace kissing the day away.

He'd always gotten a good dose of satisfaction about a job well done. He was usually the first to volunteer to help if someone needed a hand. But as much as he loved working, nothing could hold his attention like Olivia.

As soon as the sun started dipping below the trees, Lucas and Maddie started cooking up supper, and everyone else headed to the creek to wash up. Dawson walked carefully behind Olivia, watching her movements more than his own as they made their way down the hill.

Olivia stepped, and her heel slid on the wet leaves. Dawson reached out and grabbed her arm before she went down.

As he wrapped her in his arms, all thoughts of keeping his distance in front of people flew out the window. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just slipped." She turned to look over her shoulder at the incline ahead of them. "That would have been a bad fall."

Dawson held her tighter, unwilling to let thoughts like that take up any space in his head. "Do I need to carry you?"

Olivia laughed and slapped his chest as she straightened. "Thanks, but I can walk."

She might have thought it was a joke, but he was more than willing to wrap her up if it meant protecting her from harm.

He kept a hold on her hand as they continued toward the creek. He was careful with every footstep as he led them down the slope. Was she moving slower than usual?

He stopped and turned to look up at her. She was standing higher on the hill, and he pulled her to his chest until they were face-to-face "Hey, you okay? Did we work too hard today?"

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, then rested her head on his chest. "No, I'm fine. Maybe just tired."

He brushed her hair away from her face and whispered, "Good news. A bed is waiting at the campsite."

She chuckled, but the sound was cut short. "I'm ready for it."

"Let's get you cleaned up, and you can eat a quick bite before catching some Zs."

"Sounds like a good idea." She took his hand and walked the rest of the way to the creek by his side. Dawson loosened his hold as they caught up with everyone else, and she let their hands fall.

"You okay, Liv?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah. Just tired."

Lauren grinned. "Oh? Didn't sleep much in Dawson's truck last night?"

Olivia laughed but didn't look up at their friend. At least she wasn't acting like she'd never be caught dead snuggled up to him in the passenger seat of his truck.

They washed up and made the trek back to the campsite. The burgers smelled amazing, and everyone practically licked their plates clean, including Levi and Betsy.

The group moved to the campfire where they toasted marshmallows and talked. Dawson was all too aware of Olivia sitting beside him–too far away for his taste. She made little movements like she was uncomfortable–stretching her neck to the side, rubbing her temples, and hunching her shoulders. He'd done more than a little staring as the sparks from the fire matched the ones in her eyes.

Levi was telling everyone about something Baby Annie had done, and Olivia stood up.

Dawson was on his feet in an instant. "What's wrong?"

Olivia shook her head, but the shadow from the fire revealed a deep crease between her brows. "I'm going to the restroom."

"I'll come with you."

Lauren laughed beside them. "‘Fraid she doesn't want an audience, Dawson."

"I just meant to the tree line," Dawson said. "I want to be close-by in case she needs something."

"Sit back down on your nest, mother hen," Beau said without taking his eyes off the marshmallow he rotated on the end of a stick.

Olivia chuckled. "I'll be right back. I'll take Betsy with me. I'm sure she'd love to walk around."

Olivia waved for the dog to follow, and Dawson swallowed a comment about Betsy's inability to protect a shoe much less a grown woman.

Dawson sat back down on the log by the fire, but he watched as Olivia and Betsy disappeared into the darkness.

"Are you in love?" Lauren whispered beside him.

Dawson whipped his attention back to Lauren. Sure enough, she was looking at him.

"I'm not blind," Lauren said.

"Um, yeah. I don't think Olivia is there yet though." He held up a finger in front of his lips, asking her to keep a secret.

Lauren nodded. "I won't tell anyone."

He knew she wouldn't. Lauren wasn't the gossiping type. If anything, she'd probably get Olivia talking about it and hopefully they'd work through how to tell Anna. If that was the only thing holding Olivia back, he wanted it cleared up as soon as possible.

Betsy ran up to Dawson, propping her front paws on his leg and barking rapidly. He looked up to find Olivia lagging a few steps behind with her head hanging.

He'd known something was wrong. Having Betsy call for help was all the confirmation he needed.