“Okay, I hope you’re right.”
“Trust me.” He said, taking her hand.
When the car pulled up and they stepped out of the car, Garrett and Sabrina came out of the show of the trees. Sabrina and Leslie looked at each other and then burst out laughing. “I guess we know for sure that they are brothers.” Sabrina said, taking her hands in hers.
“I was worried Garrett would care that I‘m African American. I shouldn’t have worried.”
“Sebastian didn’t tell you about me?”
“Well, not everything.” She said, and they burst into laughter again.
“I wish we had more time to get to know one another, but you two had better get going. The sun sets early in the winter, it’ll be dark before you know it.”
“It’s freezing out here. I need to put on the new stuff we got in town before I freeze.”
“I’ve got three layers on and I’m still cold. I hope you two will be okay up there. They’re forecasting more snow tomorrow night. Are you sure you don’t want to stay at the ranch? There’s plenty of room.”
“It’s not really safe for you to be here. I’m sorry you guys got pulled into this. It’s really my problem.”
“Is that a wedding ring?” Sabrina asked, grabbing Leslie’s hand.
“Yes, Sebastian thought it would convince some of his other friends to protect me. You know family and all that.” Leslie said, blushing.
“You believed that?” Sabrina said, laughing.
“I...” Leslie couldn’t finish because right then the heard Garrett shout. “You got married.”
They both looked over to where the men were standing. “I guess Sebastian told Garrett about the marriage. He doesn’t sound happy.”
“He’s fine, that’s not his angry voice. When he’s mad, you’ll know it. My daughter calls it his growly voice. You better get changed, I’ll be the look out.”
“This might take a while, I’ve never worn some of this stuff before. We don’t need long underwear in California.” Leslie said, putting on one the three pairs of silk long underwear Sebastian had insisted she buy.
As the layers accumulated Leslie was finally beginning to get warm, she’d never felt cold like this. “Okay, I think I’m ready. I feel like I just gained twenty pounds.”
“You’ll get used to the cold, and once you get a camp set up, it won’t seem so cold. Let’s go find the boys.”
They found Garrett and Sebastian looking at the horses and getting packs ready for the trip. Between the four of them they had the pack horses loaded and were ready to go in a little over an hour. Garrett had been nothing but kind to her, he even welcomed her to the family with a big hug.
“See, I told you he wasn’t mad. He just thinks that he should always know everything. It drives his brothers crazy. One last chance to ditch all this and let us hide you at the ranch.”
“No, you guys have already done more for me than I should have asked for. We’ll be okay. Sebastian seems to think this is our best plan and I trust him.”
“You’re not wrong to. He will keep you safe. I’ll see you when you come down. Sebastian has a satellite phone. They can’t be traced, so don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything.”
Garrett came up as she was giving Sabrina a hug. She could tell that he wanted to talk to her. “I’m sorry we had to meet under such terrible circumstances, but anything you need let me know.”
“I’m sorry to have dragged you all into this, but...”
“You don’t have to tell me, Sebastian explained that he didn’t give you any choice. We’ll be fine. We’ve had threats at the ranch before, it comes with being as wealthy as we are. Everyone knows how to shot a gun and we’ve already got a guard rotation going. Nobody minds all that much, this time of year we get a little bored.”
“Glad I could give you something to do.” She said, shrugging her shoulders.
“You’ll be fine and so will we. You’ve got Donovan working the Fed’s so no worries there. That man is as fierce as a mother bear with cubs. Go enjoy your honeymoon.”
“About our getting married...” Again Garrett interrupted before she could explain that it would be annulled as soon as possible.
“Don’t worry I understand. I knew Sabrina was perfect for me the first time I saw her jump on a horse. But don’t think we’re not going to have a huge party when this is all over. You still have to get past my mother too.”
Leslie had just opened her mouth to try to explain, but Sebastian came up and joined them. “As much as I’d like you two to get to know one another, we really better get on the trail.”
“Where are you headed? I never asked.” Garrett said.
“I’ve got a couple places in mind, it’s going to depend on how much snow we find when we get up there. But I’m not going to tell you any more than that.”
“Like I couldn’t find you if I wanted to.” Garrett said, slapping him on the back.
“Are you ready?” Sebastian said, taking her hand and leading her to the horse Garrett had brought for her.
“I haven’t been on a horse for a while, and never with all these clothes on.” She said, letting him help her mount the horse.
“The trail is pretty easy at first, so you’ll have some time to get used to it. This is a really nice horse, he’s strong enough to get us where we need to go, but he’ll obey your commands no problem.” He said, mounting his own horse.
“Lead the way, I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
They waved to Garrett and Sabrina who had been waiting in the car, then headed into the woods. She hoped that they wouldn’t have to travel after dark, it was cold enough with the sun shining brightly.
The rode in silence for a long time, Leslie getting use to her horse and learning how to lead a pack animal, something she’d never done. As they climbed, the snow got deeper, increasing in depth as they rose in elevation. After a few hours of steadily climbing, they reached a fork in the trail and stopped.
“If we go to the right, there’s a cave we can use for shelter. Or we could go to the left and find one of the line cabins we use in the summer.”
“Which one do you think would be better?”
“I think it would be easier to stay warm in the cave. The line cabins have no insulation since we only use them in the summer, once we get the cave warm it will hold that heat. We used to camp there during the summer when I was a kid.” He said, taking the fork on the right.
“It won’t be as clean and we won’t have a stove, but we’ve got all the supplies we need and I can cook over an open fire.”
“I’ve been camping before, just never in the middle of winter. I can help with the camp chores as long as I don’t freeze in the process.”
“If we get too uncomfortable, we can always move. It’s not like there’s going to be a lot of people up here running around. This is actually our land, but we leased it to the forest service a few years ago. It seemed like the right thing to do.”
They rode on in silence for a long time, the trail getting more difficult and the snow deeper as they went. Several times the pack horses got bogged down in deep snow and they had to dismount to help them out. It was exhausting, but those horses were the key to their survival, not only with the supplies they carried, but Sebastian had explained that he would use them to help him gather firewood.
“You’ll find that by the end of our little adventure, you’re going to hate fire. It’s a constant battle to keep warm, but having the two extra horses is going to make all the difference in the world.”
“What are they going to eat? Did we bring food for them?”
“Garrett put in a few sacks of grain, but they will mostly eat whatever growth they can find. You’d be surprised what they can digest.”
They continued up the side of the mountain until they came to an opening in the rock. Leslie could see a trail leading into the rock and assumed that there was a small canyon there. It was beg
inning to get dark and it was getting hard to see, but Sebastian led his horse into the opening and she had no choice but to follow.
The canyon was wider than it looked, but once they were inside it got darker. Luckily, after only a few minutes the canyon opened up and Leslie found herself in a perfect little clearing. They continued on about a half an mile and there the canyon ended.
Sebastian continued to plow through the snow, which was now up to the middle of the horse’s legs, and Leslie finally saw a cave. It was blocked by some low growing bushes but once they were removed, it would be easy to get in and out. She was pretty sure that there would even be sun in the morning.
“This is it. What do you think?”
“I’m glad to be here. Hope there’s nothing living in there.”
“The cave isn’t really that big, bears like bigger caves and we can evict anything smaller.”
They got the horses as close as they could, then Sebastian cut back the bushes with a big knife he pulled from his saddle. She wondered what other weapons he had, but decided she was too cold to care right now.
Once in the cave, Leslie decided it wouldn’t be such a bad place to spend a few weeks. There was a little trickle of fresh water coming down the side of the cave way in the back, but other than that it was dry and much warmer inside. While Sebastian began getting a fire started, Leslie started unloading the horses.
Several hours later, Leslie collapsed onto the ground next to the fire, exhausted but definitely warmer. She’d generated enough body heat to keep her warm, but knew that she’d get cold again soon, if she didn’t stay by the fire.
They were sitting by the fire, looking at the huge piles of supplies that almost filled the cave up. “I don’t think I have the energy to sort all this out tonight.”
“No, it can wait until tomorrow. I’ve got the horses staked out and ready for the night. Tomorrow I’ll build them a more permanent corral and we can unpack, but for tonight let’s just get something to eat and make ourselves a bed.” He said, getting to his feet and rummaging around in one of the packs.
“I know where the sleeping bags are.” She said, pushing herself to her feet.
By the time Sebastian had heated some canned stew on the fire, Leslie had made a little bed next to the fire, she could have done better, but for tonight this would work. She didn’t think that either one of them would have any trouble sleeping after the last few days.”
She’d been correct, once their stomachs were full, they both fell into an exhausted sleep and slept until morning. It was the cold that finally woke Leslie up, and the need to use the bathroom. She hadn’t thought of that little inconvenience when she’d agreed to this plan. It wouldn’t be easy to get all these clothes off without freezing.
When she finally got back to the cave, Sebastian was awake and had a big fire going. Best of all she could smell coffee, taking a cup silently, she took the first scalding sip and felt it warm her from the inside out. After a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit from a can, they made their plan for the day.
“We’re going to need a lot of firewood and I want to set up some kind of warning system at the head of the canyon. Then if anyone tries to approach us, we’ll know. Will you be okay here on your own for a while.”
“I think there’s plenty to keep me busy.” She said gesturing to the mess spread around the cave.
“I know I probably don’t have to tell you this, but stay close to the cave. The snow can make the landscape look safe when it’s not. Once we get set up, we’ll go exploring. We might even find some things we can eat, it’s not too late in the year.”
“How can anything still be growing in this cold and snow?”
“I forget you’re not used to our mountain. This isn’t really cold yet, the snow can provide enough insulation for some of the hardier plants to keep growing. Not enough to live on, but we might be able to spice up our diet a little.”
Sebastian began putting on his layers, then gave Leslie a long, wonderful kiss. It had been days since they’d done much more than kiss, both had been too exhausted, but now they had three weeks together, plenty of time to explore one another. Just the thought of it made her heart begin to beat faster.
“Keep the fire going as high as you can, there’s plenty of wood for the whole day and I’ll be back with a bunch more.” He said, as he gathered the tools and equipment he would need for the day. “I’m taking all but your horse with me today, so don’t panic if you only see one out there.”
As soon as Sebastian was out of the cave, Leslie set to work, unpacking the supplies and making piles around the room. By lunch time, she’d unpacked everything and had a plan. Using a big pan she’d found in the supplies, she made a mini igloo outside and put all the perishable items in it. They wouldn’t last the whole time they were here, but it was nice to have milk, eggs and butter for now.
Then she set up a kitchen on one side of the cave, storing all the food, pots and pans away in the packs so it looked neat and clean. As she worked she could hear trees crashing in the forest and worried a little about Sebastian. Once she even went to the front of the cave to see if she could see him.
He was across the meadow working on an especially large tree, as she watched he hooked it up to one of the horses and together they dragged it up to the cave. He’d already managed to accumulate a large pile of logs not far from the cave. He spotted her as he got closer and waved.
“Lunch.” She yelled, wondering when it had begun to feel so normal to be with Sebastian.
Chapter 11
He waved in agreement and she went back inside the cave to find something for them to eat. She found some bacon and fried that up with a couple of eggs. She added more coffee to the pot and put that on to boil. They ate quickly, both hungry from a long morning of work.
“You’ve made good progress. Did I see an igloo outside?”
“I thought that we might be able to make the fresh stuff last longer in there.” She said, taking his plate over to the kitchen area. Then refilling his cup.
“Good thinking. I’ve got a good start on fire wood, and I already set up a trap at the head of the canyon. If you hear what sounds like a gun shot, that’s our warning that someone is coming.”
She shivered a little at the thought of meeting one of those guys out here. Seeing her distress, Sebastian got to his feet and took her in his arms. “If those guys come after us up here, they are going to be way out of their element. They won’t have a chance of getting us. Don’t worry.”
“I know, but I’d actually forgotten why we were up here for a minute.” She said, burrowing deeper in his arms.
“I wish we were just here for fun, but we can still enjoy it. After today, it won’t be so much work. But I better get back out there, I still need to finish the firewood and get something better set up for the horses. It already feels warmer in here, we should be able to shed some layers by tonight.” He said, giving her a long hot kiss.
As she watched him walk out of the cave, she promised herself that no matter what, they would have a proper bed tonight. It had been much too long since she’d felt Sebastian’s arms around her.
By the end of the day, Leslie had the cave arranged just the way she wanted it. She’d created a little home away from home. The kitchen was clean and organized and she’d even created a little table out of some rocks and pieces of wood she’d found outside.
For their bed, she’d cut branches from the pine trees right outside the cave, then covered them with the tarps they’d brought. Once she’d spread the sleeping bags and extra blankets on it, she was pleased to find that it was pretty comfortable.
But of all the things she’d managed to create, the latrine was the one she was most proud of. She’d watched Sebastian build a lean to for the horses and used that knowledge to create a little cover around a hole she’d managed to dig. The ground wasn’t frozen, so it had been easy.
She’d kept the fire blazing all day, in fact the c
ave was so warm she had been working in her shirt sleeves for most of the afternoon. For the last few hours, Sebastian had been working on the fire wood, the pile getting larger as the day wore on. It seemed like a lot of wood, but she knew how much she’d already burned today.
When he finally came in, half frozen, icicles actually hanging from his hair, she handed him a hot cup of coffee and sat him down by the fire. As he warmed up, she helped him remove layer by layer. She was quickly becoming aroused by the action of helping him remove his clothes.
Before long, he was sitting by the fire in his shirt sleeves, finally warm and cozy. “Nice job on the cave. It smells good in here too.”
“I made us some dinner, that roast we brought should feed us for a few days.”
“That’s not what I’m smelling.” He said, getting up to walk around the cave.
“I bet it’s the bed. I put pine boughs down to give us some cushion.” She said, walking over and laying down on the bed.
Sebastian needed no more invitation than that and joined her on the bed. “You must be tired. That’s a lot of firewood out there.”
“I’m not that tired.” He said, beginning to unbutton her shirt.
“Oh, yeah. What if I’m tired?” She asked, grabbing his hand.
“I’m sure you can find a little bit of energy, I’ll do all the work.” He said, working at the buttons again.
“Well, I guess I might have a little bit of energy.” She said, reaching for the buttons on his shirt.
“Thought you might.” He said, capturing her mouth in a gentle kiss. Then moving down to nuzzle her neck. “This is our honey moon, and we’ve already spent way too much time working.”
“Hmm.” She said, his mouth preventing any comment.
He covered her with his body and she was immediately on fire, every nerve responding to the electricity shimmering around them. He slid her shirt off her shoulders, then unhooked her bra and removed that as well. She shivered a little when the cold air hit her skin, so he quickly removed the rest of her clothes and pulled a blanket over her.
Be Mine Forever (Brothers From Money #2) Page 11