by Hoff, Stacy
Redd looked at the horizon. Yes, the sky had a pinkish cast. “Are you worried about a storm?” he asked. He felt his face scrunch up as he recalled the smoke from the morning fire fanning out flat instead of rising up in a vertical column. It had been a sure sign of a storm coming and yet he’d missed it. How come? Was Ana now the astute wilderness expert and he the clueless tagalong? What parallel universe was he in?
“Worrying is what you do,” she said with a soft laugh. “But I thought I read in the survival book that a pink sky could mean a storm is coming in. Crazy, right? I mean, we are in early June.”
Redd felt his stomach tighten. “You know there are snowstorms out here this time of year. Things don’t really warm up until July. And even then a snowstorm isn’t entirely out of the question.”
“What are we going to do?” Ana asked quietly. “Try to find more wood? There wasn’t a whole lot more where I found this batch, but I could look.”
“No,” Redd said, squinting at the sky. “You won’t find any more. I’m amazed you even found what you did. I think we should pack things up and move into the tree belt. The pines will give us some protection from the wind if a storm kicks up. Before we go, we should gather more food. I’ll try to get some more fish. You try to get some berries.”
“Berries? There are berries out here?”
“Off to the side over there,” he said, pointing. “I saw some low-bush cranberries. Some of the berries might look very red since it’s early in the season. Pick the ones that look ripe enough to eat. Like their name says though, they grow low to the ground so look down to spot them.” He tossed a Ziploc bag at her. “Gather as many of them as you can and put them in here.”
Ana grabbed the bag from him and scurried off.
About two hours later, Redd had managed to catch four fish. He’d been able to achieve a great bounty in a short amount of time. How he’d pulled off such successful fishing with such primitive supplies was nothing short of dumb luck. How long his supplies would even hold out he didn’t know. The lure he had made was partially broken now and it was just a matter of time before it fell apart. He was glad he had secretly stuffed a flip-tab from one of the inn’s soda cans in his pocket to use as an even more primitive back-up. Fortunately the summer weather had apparently made the fish active and hungry. The limited supply of low-lying cranberries would not have fed the both of them for too long.
Redd wrinkled his nose as he cut the fish into several horizontal pieces. When he was done butchering, he stuffed the slices into the Ziploc bags. He stashed all of them in the bear-proof case. With luck, they’d have enough food to last them for a few days. There wouldn’t be any fishing in the tree line and that’s where they were headed to take shelter.
By the time Redd got back to the campsite he found Ana had packed up all of the camping equipment, videotaping herself doing it. They were now ready to go.
“See?” she said, face beaming. “I told you I could be useful out here.”
“Good job.” Redd found himself getting more and more impressed with Ana by the minute. “Are you sure you’re from New York? And not the Yukon?” he teased.
“Pretty darn sure.” She laughed. “I won’t be able to put any of this camping stuff back together, mind you. But taking it apart was easy enough.”
Her laugh was lighthearted. He liked the sound of it. It had been a long time since he’d heard carefree laughter from a woman. It was very attractive. Heck, she was very attractive. For someone who must be scared to death, Ana was making every effort to hide it and actually be helpful. Qualities he deeply admired. It reminded him of his days back in the military. A Marine had to be strong, even in the face of adversity, in order to survive. Ana would have been an asset to his unit.
Then again, seeing the happy look on her face, the sunlight glistening off her hair, he was viewing her presence as an asset all the way around. In fact, staying in the tent last night gave him more peace than he ever would have expected. Not easy to accomplish, especially since parts of him had been focused on staying awake . . .
Redd felt himself frowning. He didn’t like the direction his thoughts were taking. He needed to get back on track, and quick. “How’d it go with the berry picking?”
“That went well, too.” She held up two Ziploc bags and beamed even brighter.
“Excellent. We’ll need them.” He checked the fire pit again for any remaining embers, and then put on his backpack. “Ready to go?”
Ana reached for her backpack and he stopped to help.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No problem,” he answered gruffly, ignoring the little shot of pleasure zooming through him when he briefly touched her shoulder. What is happening to me?
Redd’s mood was getting as dark as the sky. The tree line had taken hours to reach. The temperature had plummeted. The air around them seemed to have taken on weight, the feeling outright heavy on their skin. A brief wind periodically kicked up, the scent of pine filling his nose. The wooded area had brought a dead silence. The atmosphere seemed ominous.
Ana was apparently no longer happy, either. Albeit for different reasons. “I’m going crazy trying to hold up this stupid camcorder while doing all this hiking. Not to mention carrying this bookbag, I mean backpack, around. For equipment that’s supposed to be light, this is getting very heavy.”
“Then stop recording and put it in your backpack. It’ll feel lighter on your back.”
“Might as well. It’s not like we’re saying much. Or even saying anything at all,” she grumbled. “Endless hours of silent, shaky, hiking footage won’t help me.”
“I think this long trek is getting to you. You’re finally getting grumpy.”
“I am not.” Then she paused. “All right, maybe I am. A little.”
“A lot,” he corrected. “But it’s understandable. You’ve got a lot on your shoulders. Literally and figuratively.”
“You do, too,” she conceded. “You’re stuck dealing with me, and I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“You’re doing fine.”
She let out a sharp laugh. “Women hate the word fine. It means either average or terrible.”
He laughed. “Hailey told me that once.” As soon as he said those words, he froze. What would make him say such a stupid thing? To deliberately bring up a topic he had no desire and no intention of talking about.
“Who’s Hailey?”
Ah, the inevitable follow up question. Man, am I dumb. “Nobody. Forget about it.”
“I’m not recording right now, so it’s okay to tell me. I won’t repeat anything you say off camera. I wouldn’t betray you that way.”
“I said, forget it.”
“Now who’s grumpy?” she chastised. The sky went a shade darker and she looked up to see more clouds gathering. Considering they were in the land of the midnight sun, things were getting pretty black. “What I need to forget about is the weather. Things are taking a turn for the worse.”
Much worse. It was already quite cold. Soon it would be snowing. Or worse.
“Put your backpack down and take the parkas out,” he ordered. “We won’t need to worry about getting sweaty from the extra layer because we’re not going to hike for much longer. We’ll stop soon to make camp.”
“Do you think these trees will be enough shelter from the storm?”
As if God heard her comment, a loud boom and crack shot out of the blackening sky. Lightning flashed and snow came down fast and heavy.
Chapter 13
“That’s just great,” Redd said through gritted teeth. “Thundersnow. Perfect timing.”
“Yup. I’m not sure how things could get much worse.” Ana put down her backpack and took out the parkas. “Here you go,” she said, handing one to him. She slid into hers, surprised to find it fit, albeit a
little large. The dark-brown coat’s material was thin, seemingly waterproof, and could be unzipped into lighter weight components or even a vest. It also had a detachable duckbill hood. Large flaps on the side of the hood would easily cover her ears and lips if she closed the Velcro clasp around her face. “Glad they gave us useful coats,” she commented, zipping the coat closed but leaving the hood to hang loose on her back.
He was zipping his parka up, too. “I was expecting worse.”
Ana pursed her lips. I guess that’s Redd-speak for “Yes, these are good.” She shoved her hands into the gaping, bulging pockets and found matching gloves. Hastily she shoved them on, relishing the feel of the warm fleece against her cold fingers.
“Close your hood,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir,” she quipped, clasping the Velcro together.
Now that her hands were warm enough to move again she picked the camcorder back up. When the red light lit up, Ana talked into the lens. “It’s snowing out, as you can see. It’s also gotten horribly cold.” She paused. Should she sound like an average survival documentary commentator or sound like Ana Davis? She opted for the later. “Worst. June. Ever.”
“I told you, this is not uncommon in June.”
“You are so not helping, Mr. I-told-you-so.”
“I am merely pointing out the correction for the audience’s benefit.”
“How about benefitting us? What are we going to do now?”
“Make camp. There’s nothing else we can do.”
A howl from some animal sounded in the distance.
We can pray.
“Here?” The high-pitched tone of Ana’s question clearly showed her incredulity. “You want us to pitch the tent here?”
Redd nodded. “Yeah, pretty much. Camping on the moon is out of the question. I’m out of rocket fuel.”
He saw Ana almost put the camcorder down in annoyance. To her credit, or perhaps simply to annoy him, she held it back up. “Ladies and gentlemen, William Redd Redding throws a steaming pile of sarcasm into the face of adversity.”
Redd didn’t know whether to laugh, feel insulted, or mark up the comment to off-beat Ana simply being herself. He opted to ignore it and move on to more important issues. He wasn’t on a social mission; he was on a survival mission. If they didn’t make camp soon, he wouldn’t even be accomplishing that. “Instead of bantering, I suggest we make camp.”
She surveyed the area doubtfully. “What do you need me to do?” she asked, placing the camera on a rock, though leaving it on.
“You don’t have to do anything. I’ll do it all.”
“Can you act less Special Ops and more like a normal teammate?”
He felt himself stiffen. “Marines always act the best way. We know how to do the job right.” If the woman doesn’t know this, she doesn’t know anything.
“Wouldn’t that mean letting me help?”
“Help, yes. Hinder. No.”
“Damn, Redd, what’s your problem? I’ve been trying to impress the hell out of you, but you just won’t let me. Let me pull my weight around here. Please?”
She sounded like Hailey. He pictured her tiny frame, her flaming-red hair flowing behind her. “I can take care of myself, Redd. Can’t you let me? Please?” He tried to shake off the painful image, but it was tough. He had trusted her to take care of herself. And what happened? He left to go into the military. And when he came back, she was dead. No, Ana could not be trusted to take care of herself. If something happened to her, he would blame himself for the loss.
“Redd?” Ana prompted.
How can I say no without sounding like an even bigger jerk? “I’ll tell you what, I’ll break off the tree branches we need, and I’ll let you start setting up the tent. Okay?”
“Super,” Ana said, sounding like she meant it.
Good. Dodged a bullet.
Redd set off to find pines with low hanging branches. He needed limbs thin enough to break off but were dense with needles. Better if the branches were long, too, because then he’d need less and they’d knit together better.
By the time he’d gathered what they needed and headed back to Ana, he saw she had managed to mostly set up the tent. Biting back a smile, he had to admire her tenacity. When Ana set a goal she wasn’t going to be put off easily. Fighting with her was going to be scary, his military background be damned. Her tenacity was one for the Marines.
She noticed him and stood back, gesturing to her handiwork. “Almost done,” she declared. Obviously she was trying to bite back a smile, too. “I thought I couldn’t do it, but I was determined to try.”
“I can see that. I can also see you can’t be dissuaded easily.”
“Nope.” Her arms were crossed over her puffed out chest, her nose a good inch up in the air.
“Scary as hell,” he muttered.
“Hey, what did you say?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
Obviously she hadn’t believed her ears or she would have been completely pissed. “I said,” he responded calmly, “we’ll make our camp here as secure as hell.”
“Oh. All right.” Her face brightened.
“I’m glad you helped out. You managed to get the base of the tent down before the snow got too high. Let me finish it for you.” He snapped the remaining rods into place and threw the branches over the outside of the tent.
“Why are you doing that?”
“The pine needles will act as insulation. I want to see if these branches can be knit together. The more we’re under cover, the better. We’ll need to retain all the heat we can.”
The urge to make sure she stayed safe gave him a new vantage point. Maybe he should let her help out. Two people could work faster than one. “Ana, can you give me a hand with them?”
Her brightest smile yet emerged. “I’d be happy to.”
Ana marveled at the polar opposites of her experiences. On the one hand, the weather was worsening. On the other hand, her relationship with Redd was improving. Maybe her experience out in the wild would improve, too. Although the weather was doing its best to make the outcome doubtful. The wind had died down but the snow kept falling with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
At least she was pulling her weight. With a smile, she twisted around to see if the camera was still on. Yep. Not only proving her worth to Redd but to her “friends” back in Brooklyn and possibly the executives at Teleworld. The ones who thought she was too flighty to do much of anything. She had videotaped all of her tent making and had more than enough footage of their hike to prove her chops.
“Ana.” Redd’s voice sounded not too far away but with the heavy snowfall it was impossible to see him.
“Yes?”
“Can you clear a spot in front of the tent? Push the snow away with one of the pine branches. I want to try to build a fire. Oh, and if you see any rocks when you clear the snow, be sure to gather them up.”
“No problem.” I am Ana, wilderness goddess.
Checking again to see if the camera was still taping, she grabbed a branch and began swatting at the snow. Clearing off the ground wasn’t easy. Especially with rocks in the way. Her gloves were starting to get wet, despite the allegedly waterproof fabric. Maybe Teleworld decided to cut costs. Ana shoved the thought away and pulled off the gloves to continue tackling the clearing job.
The exertion was more than anticipated. A thin sheen of sweat dampened her brow. Her mouth turned pasty. A desert inhabited her throat. Water. I need water.
Forcing a smile on her face she turned to the camera. “I wonder if this is what people mean when they say they need a drink,” she joked. Grabbing a pile of snow with her hands, she slowly lifted it to her lips. The cold sensation against her teeth and tongue stung until it dissolved in her mouth. A shiver, worse than before, shot through her when she swal
lowed.
Feeling somewhat hydrated she turned her attention away from the camera and back toward clearing the campsite. She was almost done when Redd reappeared.
“What the hell are you doing?” he boomed, louder than the crack of thunder had been.
Hmmmm. So much for our getting along. “What does it look like I’m doing?”
“I know what you’re doing. What I’m asking is how you can be so stupid doing it?”
“Hey—”
He picked up her gloves from the ground and held them under her nose. “These are off.”
Ana bit her lip to stop the words she wanted to retort. “They weren’t helping me anymore because they’re wet.”
“Are you trying to get frostbite?”
Ana dug deep within herself to find inner patience. Avoiding an argument with him was not easy. “Frostbite is not my goal, no.”
“Then why aren’t you in the tent?”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Because the job isn’t done yet.”
“It’s done for you.” His tone left no room for discussion.
Couldn’t he understand she was trying to help? Why did he have to be so ornery and dictatorial? What was wrong with him? “Fine,” she snapped and headed off into the tent. She crawled inside and immediately shut off the camcorder. Five more minutes of footage to definitely be edited out.
The tent was only marginally warmer inside than outside. The air still, thick and quiet. She curled into herself for warmth. Breathing hot air on her fingertips, which were ghostly white, was not helping. Plus, a headache was setting in. They had hiked for hours to get to the tree line. They hadn’t rested much. Nor had they eaten since breakfast. And now she was cold. The outer layer of her parka was as wet as her gloves. At least the water hadn’t seeped all the way through. Or did it? Her whole body felt damp. If they were lucky enough to get a fire going, she could at least put her gloves on a stick and hold them above to dry out.