Chapter 21: John

Chapter 21 – John

I guess it’s official. Gabrielle Hunter and I are dating. I haven’t dated in years—not since before the accident. Now that Hannah and Killian know about us, I guess it’s public knowledge. This is a small, tight-knit community; everyone will know before the week is out.

“Are you mad?” Gabrielle asks me as she joins me at the buffet.

I hand her a plate. “Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“Because I told Hannah and Killian we’re dating.”

I find myself smiling. “That’s fine. They should know. Then, when I do this—” I lean over and kiss her cheek “—they won’t freak out.”

We’re almost done filling our plates when I see Chris Nelson dressed in his sheriff’s uniform walking our way. “Well, look who the cat dragged in,” I say, nodding to Chris as he joins us at the buffet.

“Mornin’, guys,” Chris says. He’s too busy mooning over Gabrielle to pay me any mind.

All right. It’s time to nip this in the bud. “Chris, have you heard the news?”

Finally, he tears his attention away from her long enough to ask me, “What news?”

“Gabrielle and I are dating.” Damn, that feels good to say out loud.

Chris’s eyes widen, and his jaw actually drops. “You’re—” He looks to Gabrielle for confirmation, as if he thinks I just pulled that out of my ass. “You’re what?”

“Day-ting.” I draw out the syllables. Shit. Do I have to draw him a picture?

Chris narrows his eyes on me. “When I asked you before if you guys were dating, you said no.”

“It was true at the time,” I say. “But now it’s not.”

“Huh.” Chris looks back to Gabrielle, again for confirmation. I think he’s havin’ trouble wrapping his mind around this. Or maybe he’s hoping she’ll flat out contradict me—that it’s all a big joke.

“That’s right,” she says, smiling apologetically at Chris.

Now I wish I hadn’t told her he’s sweet on her. She’s going to feel bad for him.

Chris nods vigorously. “That’s great. Really great. I mean it. I’m happy for you guys.” Then he steps aside to grab a plate and get in line.

Gabrielle and I carry our plates over to Hannah and Killian’s table and sit.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m stealing Gabrielle away for a couple of days,” I tell Hannah. “We’re going camping up at Pine Lake for one night. I’ll have her back tomorrow by supper.”

“If that’s okay with you guys,” Gabrielle adds, smiling hopefully at Hannah and Killian. I’m guessing she hasn’t had a chance to talk to Hannah about it. I figure it won’t be a big deal as Betty and Nelle have been managing fine on their own for months now. I think they can live without Gabrielle for a couple days.

“Of course, it’s okay,” Hannah says, practically giddy with excitement. She takes a bite of her food, nods as she chews, and swallows. “You guys have fun.”

After we finish eating, I lay my arm across the back of Gabrielle’s chair. I’d do more, but we have a rapt audience. “I’ll go saddle the horses, honey. Come to the barn when you’re ready to leave.”

“I will,” she says.

Then I lean over to kiss her cheek, audience be damned. When I pull back, the smile on her face tells me all I need to know.

* * *

When I reach the barn, I find Zeus already saddled and ready to go. Nora’s currently saddling Odin. Sal, our resident pack mule, is also ready to roll. All of the supplies I packed earlier this morning are strapped in saddlebags placed on Sal. I packed light because we’ll only be up there one night.

“Have fun,” Nora says as she cinches Odin’s saddle.

“Thanks. You’ll take care of things here while I’m gone?”

She nods. “Will do, boss. Don’t give it another thought. Just go, relax, and have fun. You’re long overdue.”

Once Nora is done saddling the horses, I check all the fittings and gear to make sure everything’s secure.

Not long after, Gabrielle arrives carrying her overnight bag, a bag of nonperishable food, and a small soft-sided cooler. She holds up the bag. “Lunch and dinner for today, and breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. I brought as little as possible. Water bottles in the cooler.”

“Here, let me take those,” I say. I add her packs to Sal’s panniers and test the balance of the weight. “Really to go?” I ask.

Gabrielle nods. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” She glances at Zeus and notices the rifle I have packed in a scabbard. Then she notices the handgun holster around my waist. “Guns?”

“They’re just a precaution. This is the wilderness, honey. We may not be the only ones up on that mountain.”

Her eyes widen, and I swear her face pales. “Are you referring to other human or non-human company?”

“Could be either. Don’t worry; we’ll be fine. But it pays to be prepared, just in case we run into a hungry bear or a mountain lion.”

“There are bears up there? And mountain lions?”

“Could be,” I say. I walk over to her and cup her face so I can gaze down into those gorgeous pools of green. Damn. I could stare into these eyes forever. “I would never let anything happen to you. And I wouldn’t take you up there if I didn’t think it was safe. But I’d be a fool not to be prepared.”

She nods and swallows hard. “I know.”

“Here let me help you mount.” I walk her over to Odin, cup my hands to give her a leg up, and help her onto the saddle.

She wriggles her butt just a bit to get comfortable.

“All good?” I ask as I hand her the reins.

She nods as she pats Odin’s neck. “Good morning, Odin. Let’s go camping.” She chuckles. “I wish my parents could see me right now.”

“So, here’s how this is gonna go,” I say. “I’ll ride first, and Sal will follow behind me. You’ll take up the rear. If you have any problems at all, just holler, and we’ll stop. It’s a three-hour ride. Just like before, we’ll stop halfway to stretch our legs and drink something.”

Gabrielle nods, smiling like the trooper she is.

I lay my hand on her thigh. “Are you sure you’re a city girl?”

“Born and raised. But I grew up watching reruns of Bonanza and TheRifleman with my dad. I’ve always liked watching westerns. And I always liked cowboys.” Her smile widens.

“Well, then I guess you picked the right fella.” I wink at her before patting her leg. I move up the line to mount Zeus, and Nora hands me Sal’s lead. “All right, let’s move out.”

“Have fun,” Nora says as she waves. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Hey, boss, did you remember to pack the sat phone?”

“Yes, missy,” I say as I nudge Zeus forward. “I packed it.”

* * *

Gabrielle is a good sport, riding along quietly as we head up the trail. I keep glancing back at her to make sure she’s okay, and she always gives me a reassuring smile and a thumb’s up. There’s one moment of drama when a rabbit runs across the trail in front of her. She makes a bit of a startled squeak, but Odin, like the dependable gentleman he is, traipses along as if nothing happened.

About halfway to the lake, we stop in a small clearing beside a stream to let the horses rest, drink, and graze on some lush grass.

Gabrielle and I grab water bottles and protein bars from our pack and find a fallen log that makes a nice park bench. We have a perfect view of the rushing stream.

“I can see why you like it here so much,” she says between bites of her protein bar. “It’s beautiful.”

I swallow a gulp of water and nod. “Indeed it is.” But it’s Gabrielle I’m lookin’ at, not the stream. You’ve seen one stream, you’ve seen them all. I’m used to them. But I don’t think I’ll ever get used to looking at Gabrielle. She lights up the place, wherever she goes. She practically glows.

I finish my protein bar and water and stow the trash in one of the packs. Whatever we bring up here with us, we carry back to the lodge. We’ll leave no sign of our presence.

“All done?” I ask Gabrielle.

She polishes off the last bite of her protein bar and balls up the wrapper. I hold out my hand to take it, and then I dispose of it with my trash.

“Do you need a potty break?” I ask. “If you do, now’s the time. It’ll be another hour and a half before we reach the lake.”

She seems torn, and then finally she nods. “I’d better go.”

“Don’t wander far from the trail,” I remind her. “Keep me in your sights at all time, got it? And watch for poison ivy. You don’t want a rash on your ass.” I wink at her.

Grinning, she salutes me. “Yes, sir.”

I guess I do get bossy at times. But I can tell from the impish smile on her face that she enjoys teasing me. I enjoy it, too.

A few minutes later, Gabrielle emerges from the woods washing her hands with hand sanitizer. “No ass rash,” she says with a grin.

As she passes me on her way to Odin, I reach down and palm her pert little ass. “Maybe I should double check when we reach camp. You know—just to be sure.”

She pauses and turns back to me. “Maybe you should.”

The temptation is too much to pass up, so I lean in and kiss her. I just meant for it to be a light kiss—nothing hot and heavy. But when our mouths touch, it’s like fireworks.

She opens her mouth to me, and I can’t resist the invitation. I seal our mouths, and my tongue finds hers. Her arms go around my waist, and mine go around hers. I pull her close and revel in the feel of her soft breasts pressed against my chest. I’m sure she’s fully aware of my sudden erection, which is nudging her belly.

“We’re sleeping in a tent tonight?” she asks, breathless from our kiss.

“Yeah.”

“One sleeping bag or two?”

“I brought two, but we can zip them together and make one big one, if you like.”

“Oh, I like,” she says. “I’ve never had sex in a tent before.”

“There’s a first time for everything.” I don’t think I’ve ever looked forward to sleeping on the ground as much as I am right now. I brush my lips close to her ear. “You’ll have to be on top this time so I don’t grind you into the ground. Our sleeping arrangements will be comfortable enough, but it won’t be like having a real mattress beneath you.”

Gunshot reverberates through the air, cracking like thunder.

Gabrielle jumps, and her startled gaze locks with mine. “Was that gunshot?”

I nod. “Probably someone’s hunting.”

“I thought we were on McIntyre property.”

“We are. But in these parts, folks hike all through these mountains. There aren’t any property lines or borders.”

“Will we be alone at the lake?” she asks.

“Most likely. It’s a bit off the beaten path. There’s no other way to get up there other than to hike or come on horseback. We don’t see a lot of folks up there, which suits me just fine. I don’t like people.”

She laughs. “Don’t be such a grump.”

“I was born grumpy. Just ask my parents.”

We mount our horses and resume our journey. Right on time, we reach the lake around lunch time. I unload the gear from the horses, remove their saddles, and tie them to a highline stretched between two trees. Each horse gets a bell around its neck, just in case one gets loose, and I have to go searching for it in the woods.

While the horses rest, I begin setting up a dark green nylon tent in a grassy area out in the sun. It’s a small, two-person tent. Nothing fancy. But setting it in the sun will help heat up the interior and keep us warmer at night. At this elevation, the temperature dips down at night. Once the tent is up, I roll out a sleeping pad, and then I combine the two sleeping bags into one and inflate two pillows.

Gabrielle slips her jacket on. “It’s chilly,” she says as she rubs her arms.

I nod. “At this elevation, you’ll feel the temperature difference.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Do you know how to start a fire?”

“With what?” she asks. “Did you bring a lighter? I have no experience rubbing two sticks together.”

I laugh. “Yes, I brought a lighter. The goal here is not to reenact stone age living conditions. I’ll collect some kindling and firewood. Once we get a fire going, we can make coffee and have lunch.”

“I brought some burgers to cook on the grill,” she says.

After a lunch of burgers, chips, and soft drinks, I collect the bag of nonperishable food and the soft-sided cooler and hoist them both until they’re hanging from a high tree limb.

Gabrielle watches me. “That seems a bit inconvenient, don’t you think?”

“You have a lot to learn about the wilderness, young lady. One word—bears.”

“Oh. Are you serious? They’d come right into our camp?”

I nod. “Yep.”

“What about the horses? Are they safe from the bears?”

“The bells help with that. The bears will hear them and hopefully move on to avoid a confrontation. And the horses will let us know if any predators are nearby. But honestly, I’ve never had a problem with predators here at the lake. If one shows up, I’ll handle it.”

“That’s what the guns are for,” she says.

I nod. “And bear spray. That’s probably the most effective deterrent in case one shows up.”

“Would you like to hike around the lake?” I ask when we’re done with lunch.

“What about the horses? Is it safe to leave them alone?”

“We won’t be so far away that we can’t see and hear them. If they get spooked, we’ll know.”

After we remove all traces of our meal, we start off around the lake. The path is a bit difficult in places, with fallen logs and branches barring our way. When Gabrielle steps up to cross a log, I offer her a hand, steadying her when she loses her balance.

We see all sorts of wildlife on our hike—rabbits, snakes, lizards, and deer. Gabrielle jumps every time something slithers across the path, or when we hear loud splashes coming from the lake.

“It’s just the fish,” I tell her.

Turtles bolt at our approach and disappear into the reedy shallows. Bullfrogs serenade us with their deep croaks.

We take our time, pausing periodically to stand and gaze at the mountain peaks in the distance.

“I didn’t realize I was so out of shape,” Gabrielle says when she notices she’s having to stop to catch her breath a lot.

“It’s the elevation,” I say. “You’re not accustomed to it. The air pressure is lower up here. Hey, if you start to feel sick, let me know, and we’ll take it easy.”

We hold hands the last leg of our hike. Here the ground has evened out some, and it’s easier going.

When we reach camp, I feed the horses while Gabrielle heats up a pot of beef stew and wraps some rolls in foil and sets them on the grill to heat. Looks like we’re having stew and warm rolls with butter for supper, along with chilled soft drinks.

“Why does everything taste better when you eat it outside?” Gabrielle asks as we sit around the fire and eat.

That evening, after we clean the dishes, I stoke the fire and check the animals to make sure they’re safe and comfortable. They all seem pretty relaxed, which is reassuring. Horses can smell predators from quite a distance, and these three seem at ease.

I stroke Zeus’s neck. “You let me know if there’s any trouble, all right? And keep an eye on the others.” Odin and Sal are both asleep on their feet.

Zeus whinnies as he butts his nose against my chest.

As darkness falls, we sit by the fire, quietly relaxing, while the insects serenade us.

Gabrielle holds my scarred hand on her lap and gently strokes it. Linking our fingers, she sighs. “I’m sorry you were hurt.”

“Thanks, honey. But look on the bright side. If it hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met you.”

She smiles, but it’s a sad smile. Then she cups my face and leans in to kiss me.

Her lips are soft and cool on mine, gently coaxing them open. Immediately, my body responds, and I have to shift in my seat to make room for a growing erection. Is it too early to suggest we go to bed? Right now, all I can think about is getting her onto that bedroll.

When Gabrielle yawns, I suggest we call it a night. I bank the fire, and then we both get ready for bed.

“I’m not going in there alone, not even to pee,” Gabrielle says, staring into the pitch-black woods.

I bite my lip to keep from smiling. “Do you want me to go with you?”

She contemplates that idea for a moment, balancing privacy with safety. “I think you’d better.”

“Okay.” I bring a flashlight with me, stand a few yards away, and give her some privacy while she takes care of business.

She returns to camp while I pee, and then we wash up and crawl into the tent. I turn on a small battery-operated lantern and set it on the floor in the corner. It provides just enough light that we can see what we’re doing.

She’s sitting on our sleeping bag, her legs crossed, watching me. “What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” I ask.

“You.”

I sit beside her on the bedroll and stretch out my legs. “How so?”

Without another word, she runs one of her hands slowly up my right leg, not stopping until she encounters the hard-on pressing against my zipper. She rises up on her knees and unsnaps my blue jeans, pausing long enough to look me in the eye, as if asking permission. Ah, bless her heart. As if she needs to ask permission.

I lie back on the padded bedding, my head on a pillow. I stretch my arms out to my sides. “I’m all yours. Do with me whatever you want.”

She grins. “I plan to.”

It’s already several degrees warmer in the tent now, just from our combined body heat. Gabrielle’s on her knees, facing me. She removes her jacket, then her long-sleeved T-shirt. I stare in fascination at the soft flesh of her breasts practically spilling over the cups of her pale, peach-colored bra. She starts removing her jeans, but nearly loses her balance in the process, falling forward. I catch her, and she laughs. I do, too. She finally gets her jeans off and lays them aside. Her panties match her bra, little peach-colored panties that beckon me to put my hands on her. When I reach for her, hoping to relieve her of her underwear, she pushes me onto my back.

“It’s my turn,” she says.

I’m all for fair play, but right now I’m torn between wanting my mouth on her and having her mouth on me. I guess the decision is made for me when she takes my erection in her hand and squeezes.

I see stars, literal stars, as light bursts behind my eyes. I just know she’s going to be the death of me.

But, man, what a sweet way to go.