by Kate Gilead
I can’t keep the grin off my face. “Getting nest-y already?”
“Heh, I guess so. Is this…am I going too fast for you, Jack?”
Standing up, I cross the room, put my hands on her shoulders and turn her to face me.
Clasping her hands, I say, “Molly, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life is short. People can be here today and gone tomorrow.”
I pull her into my arms, enjoying how her own arms instantly wrap around my waist.
“Still,” I continue. “We have time. There’s no rush. Neither one of us is going anywhere for the next four months. Right?”
“Right.” Her arms tighten around me. “When we left the mess hall earlier,” she says, looking up into my eyes, “I wanted to get into my car and get out of here. But now…nothing could make me leave. Unless…unless you want me to.”
Putting my hand under her chin, I bend my face close to hers and…wait for it…wait for it…there! Her lowered eyes focus on my mouth and her chin rises of its own accord.
Now, I touch her lips with mine. Gently, then back off. Then again, and again, until both of our hearts are beating fast and my cock is stiff as a hardwood log.
With my woody knocking on her belly, I break the kiss. “Does that seem like I want you to leave?”
She shakes her head, then buries her face in my chest. “Thank-you, Jack.”
Thank-you, she says.
I hug her close to me, hard.
Jesus! This sweet, spunky, vulnerable girl is doing what I didn’t think was possible: Melting my heart like an iceberg in the desert.
I kiss the top of her head and we stand holding each other until my computer finally sounds the inter-office email notification.
Chapter Six
Molly
The next Monday when the crew arrives, the first thing they do is clean up the tree that fell on the bunkies.
Me, Sven and Travis watch as one guy uses a harvester equipped with a grapple arm and a saw attachment. Using the grapple arm, the operator picks up the entire tree and quickly strip the branches away. Then, the saw attachment cuts the trunk into lengths.
The clean, pine-y scent of the freshly-cut wood fills the air.
Another guy with a skidder uses the grapple arm on that to load the trunk lengths onto a flatbed. The branches, debris and what’s left of the squashed cabins are quickly cleared away after that.
By the end of that first day, all that remains are the concrete pads the bunkies were built upon, ready and waiting for new construction to begin.
I’m amazed at the efficiency of the big machines in use here, and frankly, quite intimidated by their noise and power.
I’m glad most of the machines will be used on harvesting sites well away from the camp.
And also, I’m very impressed by the way the crew works together. They’re in tune with each other like a clockwork dance, one performed with powerful machines.
The way they go about their work, with such good cheer, and down-to-earth, matter-of-fact caring for each other, does something good to my soul.
With this blossoming romance with Jack and the positive energy surrounding me, coming from everywhere, these men, the lush, life-filled forest and the sun and sky…my heart fills with happiness and contentment.
I’m ready. For whatever’s coming, I’m ready.
* * *
In the weeks that follow, Jack and I settle into a routine. And it’s a demanding one, he was too right about that.
We don’t actually get a lot of alone time, even after the work is done.
Our days consist of both of us rising at four o’clock a.m., while the sky outside is still in darkness.
We each do our sleepy tooth-brushing and washing up-thing, share a kiss and a cuddle, then I get down to the mess hall to help Sven and Travis do prep and get ready to serve breakfast.
Once the men have eaten and gone off to the harvesting site, Travis–who turns out to be a very quiet guy about my age–and I clean up the dining room, load the dishes into the dishwasher and complete lunch prep tasks assigned by Sven.
We all take a break, Sven and Travis going outside to smoke, and me, checking Facebook and email for new messages from my brother.
Then it’s time to clean the bunkhouse. I make beds, tidy up, gather laundry. The men’s shared bathroom with showers gets a good cleaning, during which I discover an interesting fact: Men don’t make half the mess women do in their bathrooms. At least, these guys don’t.
Lunch is usually a light meal, with most guys taking theirs with them to eat on the fly. After lunch clean-up, I get my longest break of the day, during which I read up on tree types and logging practices so I can be more interesting for Jack to talk to. And I write emails to my brother, telling him about my life here.
Then, it’s dinner prep time.
Dinner is busy, served at six sharp, with all crew in attendance and ravenous. Once that’s done, it’s clean up, and more prep for the morning.
Around eight o’clock, I head up to the cabin where Jack, more often than not, is neck-deep in paperwork and completely absorbed.
While he’s doing that, I shower and get ready for bed.
Bedtime is no later than nine o’clock, most nights.
I’ve never slept so well in all my life.
Life in the cabin together is mellow. We’re light and playful, teasing and pleasing, but he never lets things get too far.
He’s so sweet!
One night, I take a shower after he’d gone up to his loft.
Finished, I go into my room, put on my jammies and robe, and comb my hair out to let it air dry around my shoulders.
Back out in the living area, I grab a bottle of water from the fridge, open it and drink.
Glancing up at the loft, there he is, laying on his tummy on his mattress, one beefy arm hanging over the side, peering down at me.
With the most intense expression in his dark eyes.
“Your hair is beautiful.”
He smiles, a big sunshine-y smile, then rolls over and goes to sleep.
In the weeks that follow, there’s a lot of discovering things about each other.
During some kissing and making out like teenagers, I see that he has golden flecks in one eye, and green flecks in the other.
I find out that he always stops the making out before it gets too far.
Which is, usually, right around when he gets hard.
One week, it got so humid outside, he takes to parading around shirtless, his glorious torso gleaming with sweat.
Oh Mama what a man! And that’s when I see that he has a nipple piercing, which he usually takes out.
I ask him to put it back in, which he does.
Now I run my hand over it when we’re making out, to see if it affects him.
It does. And the way it affects him, makes me weak in the knees.
It’s tough, but he’s so smart to make us wait like this. The anticipation is putting a real fine edge on the time we do have together.
And taking our time is allowing us to get to know one another better, as well.
But I want to, and I know he wants to as well.
Another night, I stand behind him as he’s seated in his desk chair, rubbing his shoulders. After a few minutes, he lets out a deep, pleasurable growl that’s so sexy, my nipples perk and my lady parts instantly moisten.
“Mmm,” he says, “that feels so fucking good.”
“Does it? Good.” I rub along his shoulder blades, getting my thumbs in there. “I like you a lot, you know that, Lumber Jack? And I want to make you feel good…really good.”
He reaches over his shoulder and grabs one of my hands. Bringing it to his mouth, he kisses it.
“Mmm, I know sweetie. I’m looking forward to it, too.”
I lean against him, so that the back of his head is pillowed on my boobs.
“Especially when you do that,” he adds.
“But…?” I prompt, pushing to see what he says.<
br />
“But we’re both exhausted.” He turns his chair on the swivel and pulls me into his lap. “Feel that?”
Oh yes. I can clearly feel his erection under my butt. Enormous and rock-hard. God I can’t wait to…I reach for it, but he stops me, his eyes intense.
“There’s nothing I’d rather do than throw you on the bed and fuck the living daylights out of you.”
Swoon.
“But…?” I already know but…dammit! I’m horny.
“But, like I told you a millions times already,” he slaps my butt playfully, “I don’t want our first time to be wam-bam-thank-you-ma’am. I wanna have some energy for you. I wanna make it special. We’ll know when the time is right.”
Among so many other things, Jack’s wisdom, and forbearance, and willingness to do the right thing, demonstrated in so many ways, makes me fall more and more in love with him every day
The atmosphere in the cabin is calm and peaceful. We’re getting used to each other’s ways, each other’s presence and soon, we’re so comfortable together it’s like we’ve known each other forever.
Blessed.
Someone Up There likes me, maybe. Because I’m feeling pretty darn blessed right now.
And the good thing about being so busy is how it makes the first month fly by.
And the much-awaited, first four-day holiday weekend finally arrives.
* * *
Thursday’s the end of the work week this week. A lot of the men have already left for home, so dinner is early, soup and sandwiches for the remaining crew. After they eat, Sven lets me leave the kitchen early. “Ko, relax, tek rest. You vork hart, you earn breck.”
“Travis left early too, you sure you don’t mind finishing up yourself?”
“Nup! You ko,” he says, kindly.
It’s not quite four o’clock when I get to the cabin. Jack’s not back from the harvesting site yet.
I take a shower, get changed, then get a soda from the little fridge.
Outside, the sky is deep blue and beautiful, with the sun still high and casting its golden light on the valley below.
It’s been a hot day and I’m looking forward to the cooler temperatures of the coming evening.
I sit on one of the deck chairs and put my feet up on the rail.
I’m just getting comfortable when I notice a smudge rising from the trees, in the bush just beside the valley.
It’s smoke. I’ve never seen smoke or any activity of any kind coming from that area.
Odd. I hope it’s not a forest fire. As I watch, sipping my soda, the smudge thickens and turns into a column.
Jack’s truck pulls up the dirt road. He parks, gets out and as he walks towards me, I see he’s looking at the smoke.
“Hi babe,” he says. “How long’s that been going on?” He nods towards the smoke.
“Just started.” He comes over and bends to kiss me, then stands with his hands in his pockets, looking at the smoke.
“Forest fire?” I ask.
“Nah. That’s a campfire, by the looks of it. It’s either within, or very close to, the area of Claude’s property that’s been designated environmentally sensitive. There’s crown land down there the public can use, but no one does anymore because of the sensitive area. The government has signs up everywhere.”
“Hmm. Well I hope they don’t start a bush fire.”
“Me too.”
Jack sits down next to me and I offer him a sip of my soda. He takes it, and we share the rest of the drink, watching the column of smoke silently.
After about ten minutes, the smoke wafting upwards into the sky thins out, then disappears.
“Huh. Who ever is down there must have put the fire out. Could it have been some rangers? Cal told me they’re allowed by law to be on private property.”
“Could be,” he agrees. “But they usually just patrol, move through, not stop to make campfires.” He turns to me, smiling. “Hey, listen. That gives me an idea for what we could do tonight, if you’re interested. You like camping?”
“You mean, real camping? Not living in the lap of luxury like we’re doing here?”
He laughs. “Yes. We could go down there ourselves. There’s a real pretty spot not too far from where that smoke was. It’s a meadow, it’ll be full of wildflowers now. And there’s a stream flowing though it, perfect for skinny-dipping.”
“Oh, skinny-dipping now, are we? That’s quite presumptuous.” I say it primly but I cut my eyes at him so he knows I think it’d be fun.
He smiles. “There’s a not-bad road too, we could drive there in maybe ten minutes. We can take some leftovers from dinner and some water, a couple cold beers. We won’t even have to cook.”
“I’ll get the sleeping bags!” I jump up. “And the food! And the towels for skinny-dipping! And…and…a change of clothes for us both!”
“Awesome! I’m glad you’re so into it.” His smile widens with delight.
Be still my heart!
He kisses me. “I’m gonna have a quick shower and then we’ll load up the truck and go.”
* * *
By five-thirty, we’re driving down a road that’s so full of bumps and potholes, the truck keeps bottoming out.
“A not-bad road, huh?” I tease him. “If my teeth clack together one more time, I think they’re gonna shatter.”
“Heh, sorry. The frost does this to all the roads around here. The township doesn’t grade it very often because hardly anyone uses it. We’re almost there, anyway.”
He turns the truck into an opening between some trees, going forward very slowly now. We appear to be driving on an old trail of some sort, the trees looming close and scraping the truck as we pass.
“Was this a cow trail or something?” I ask.
“No. This was never farmland. This is a moose and deer trail. Hunters used to use it years ago but no one ever comes here now. Well, me and my brother used to. And whoever started that fire.”
“I didn’t see any sign of anyone else on that road.”
“They could have come from the other direction. This is all crown land here, right up to Claude’s property line, which actually starts at the stream where we’re going. So anyone could camp on it, theoretically.”
After a few minutes, the trees recede and Jack pulls the truck into a secluded meadow.
“Oh it’s beautiful!”
True to his word, the meadow is full of wildflowers, purple and blue, orange and yellow, with wides swathes of white flowers among them.
“Daisies!” I say. “That’s the only kind of flower I recognize here.”
“I don’t know much about them either,” he says, coming up behind me and bending to hug me and kiss my head, “but I recognize foxglove and bluebells. And the daisies, too, of course.”
Jack gets the tent from the back of the truck and we take it down to pick out a spot under a tree next to the stream.
“Claude’s property starts on the other side of the water,” Jack says, pounding a tent-stake into the ground. “From this point onwards, there’s about two thousand acres that he’s not been allowed to develop.”
“I keep meaning to ask what they’re conserving here, but I’ve been so busy, it slipped my mind.”
“A lot of animals live here. Bears and wolves are the big predators…” He stops to laugh at my expression. “But they don’t like people, so don’t worry. We won’t leave food out, same rule here as we have at camp.”
“Okay. But wolves and bears aren’t endangered, are they?”
“No. But there are lots of other species that are. Quite a few birds, from barn owls to bald eagles, and a lot of amphibians, from toads to salamanders. Once they’re gone, they’re gone, unfortunately.”
“I doubt Claude cares about that,” I say, quietly.
“I know he doesn’t,” Jack replies. “He’s taken the government to court about it a couple of times, trying to get the land re-classified. So far, he’s failed, but he keeps trying. He wants the hardwood here, a
nd the minerals, too.”
“I didn’t know that! How much money does he need for crying out loud?” Helping Jack pull the nylon shell over the frame of the tent, I ask, “Minerals? What kind of minerals?”
“There’s gold here. No one knows exactly how much, but there are plant indicators like horsetail ferns, and rock indicators like quartz all over the place in that area. I’m sure that’s why he’s made our logging camp semi-permanent like that.”
“Because he intends to keep raping the land for every penny he can,” I say.
“Well, he’s not pushing for the land to be re-designated just to make jobs for people. Although that’s how he’s trying to sell it. And that’s not totally wrong, either.”
I consider this. “No, I guess not. Nothing’s ever that black or white, is it?”
Jack shrugs. “Not really. But the animals will suffer, and maybe become extinct. That’s pretty black and white.”
“So, what would…how would he go about finding out if there’s gold here?”
“Professional prospectors and assayers, and if it looks promising, mining. Which would bring more jobs, but, also, more people, and…you see the dilemma.” The tent set up, he stands back to survey our work, wiping some sweat from his forehead. “No question, the environment would never be the same.”
Watching him while he’s speaking, I see that’s he’s given these things a lot of thought. He cares about the land. And I see why he’s conflicted about it.
Going to his side, I slip my hand into his and lean my head on his shoulder, running my other hand up and down his arm.
After a moment, I say, “I wonder if my mother knows about this side of him.”
“You’d have a better idea about that than I would,” he observes.
“I know she’d hate destroying the environment. She’d want him to give up. Hey…I bet she could make him!”
“Don’t count on it. But let’s not let old Claude ruin our first date, okay?” He smiles and kisses me.
“Our first date! Aww! I guess it is our first date, isn’t it?”
While I spread the sleeping bags on the nylon floor of the tent, Jack retrieves the cooler and an LED lantern from the truck.