by Ann Gimpel
“Well.” A slow lazy grin made him heartbreakingly gorgeous. “We got the me showing you mine part over with. I’m waiting for the quid pro quo.”
Chapter Six
He stood by the pump watching her. Did she have any idea how striking she was? Now that her body wasn’t covered with layers of cold-weather clothing, the lines of her full breasts were outlined beneath her stretchy top. Her uniform pants fit snugly over a trim waist and slender hips. He’d bet her legs were shapely with muscle.
His cock stirred to life. He moved back to his chair to hide the errant part of his anatomy.
A lovely rose color crept up Sara’s face. Thank God her gaze was above his waist. “Um, okay.”
“Not used to talking about yourself, either, huh?”
“Uh-uh. Goes against the grain.”
“I’m a patient man. Take your time. Too bad we don’t have snifters of brandy. We’ve got the roaring fire and the dog.” He angled his chin at Jake, curled up between his dishes and the woodstove and twitching in his sleep.
“Not sure about brandy, but there is booze here.” She cast a sidelong look his way. “Are you picky about what kind?”
Jared snorted. “Once upon a time, yeah, but I’ll take whatever’s available.”
Sara got to her feet and plucked a headlamp from where it hung on a nail next to the cellar door. “Give me a minute. Stuart liked his liquor. Said it helped him pass the time.”
The sounds of her rooting about beneath the cabin’s floorboards were interrupted by the clink of glass as she set bottles on the floor in front of the opening. He stood and moved to the growing pile of liquor bottles.
“Hey, Sara. That’s plenty.”
“There are other varieties down here.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’d rather have your company. There’s more hooch here than we could drink in a month.”
“Good.” Her head appeared as she climbed up the ladder. “Guess it’s one thing we won’t run out of.”
“It’s a good disinfectant too.” He offered his hand to help her up the last few steps. She clasped it briefly before turning to close the cellar door.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that.” She glanced at the collection of bottles. “Pick your poison.”
“Scotch okay?”
She shrugged. “Sure. Not much of a drinker.”
“Neither am I, but I do appreciate brandy of an evening. Are there cups?”
Sara walked to the cupboard on the wall cattycorner from the stove and opened it. Cups, bowls, a first aid kit, and tools came into view. She handed him a cup and took one for herself before shutting the cupboard.
Armed with the scotch bottle, he joined her at the table. A cot was pushed against one wall. He’d already decided to offer to sleep on the floor. No way he’d take her bed, even if she offered it. Once they were settled, he poured a couple fingers of amber liquid into each of their glasses. “Your turn.” He repeated his earlier words.
She took a contemplative sip from her mug and made a face. “Geez but that shit burns going down.”
“You’re stalling.” He drank from his own mug.
“Probably so, but there isn’t all that much to tell. My dad was a Park Ranger in Yosemite. Mom died when I was about ten, so it was just the two of us. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, so I majored in a field that was likely to get me a job—”
“What field was that?” he cut in.
“Ecology and wildlife management. Ranger jobs were scarce, so I did a stint in the military, mostly to learn to fly helicopters. Once I got out, the Park Service hired me, and it’s where I’ve been ever since.”
He waited, but she didn’t say anything further. “Well?” he urged.
She took another drink. “Well, what?”
“Same questions you asked me. Is your dad still alive? Are you married? You don’t wear a ring, but that doesn’t always mean anything.”
She glanced at her hands as if to corroborate the absence of a wedding ring. Color stained her face again, and she blew out a breath. “Dad is alive, but he has Alzheimer’s and is in a home in Fresno. No husbands. No kids.” She glanced away from him. “I’m gone too much for relationships. No one would put up with it.”
He almost blurted, Hey! That’s really good news, but managed to keep the words inside.
“Nothing more to tell,” she went on. “Not really. I own a house in Three Rivers and Dad’s house in Fresno is deeded to me. It’s worth a lot, and I don’t guess I really need to keep working, but I love it back here.” She spread her arms expansively. “To get paid to do something I love is such a plus. I figured I’d hold onto my post until they tossed me out.”
He reached across the small space between them and captured one of her hands with his. “I understand that part because I love the wilds too.” He paused, thinking. “Not that I don’t appreciate my state-of-the-art lab, but out here is where I feel truly alive. Connected to something bigger than myself.”
She raised her gaze to his and smiled warmly. “I feel the same, and that might be a good note to turn in on. While you were taking care of Lonnie and Stuart, I pitched my tent out back, and my bag and pad are there. You take the cot, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Oh, hell no.” He sprang to his feet. “I’ll bring your bag back inside. I can sleep in your tent, but it’s better if I lay my foam mat on the floor in here.”
“I already decided—” she began, also on her feet and moving toward the door.
He didn’t consider his next move. He just closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “So did I.”
He expected her to pull away from him. Instead, she turned in his arms and laid a hand on each side of his face. “You’re a pretty man, Jared. Too pretty. We need to get to know each other a whole lot better before—”
He closed his mouth over hers, cutting off her words. He had no idea where his sudden burst of courage came from. He wasn’t generally forward with women, usually waiting to be damned sure they were interested before he made a move.
She tightened her fingers on the sides of his face and opened her mouth beneath his. She tasted of the liquor they’d shared as she teased his tongue with her own. He ran his hands down her back and snugged her against his growing erection. Though his cock had subsided earlier, arousal returned with a vengeance. Her nipples pebbled where they pressed into his chest, and her breath quickened.
Evidence of her arousal stoked his own, and he explored the hard, muscled planes of her back and buttocks with his fingers.
Time dribbled past. He drew away, stroking strands of dark hair away from her face. “You’re beautiful.”
“So are you.” She smiled softly. “But this is enough for now. I really am going outside to my bed now.”
“No. You’re not.” He stepped back, aiming for a return of rational thought. “It’s not safe. What if someone comes looking for Lonnie and Stuart?”
“They’re not going to show up in the middle of the night,” she protested.
“How do you know? We have no idea how their physiology operates. For all we know, they could have exceptional night vision.”
“How?” she countered. “Reptiles are cold blooded. They go into a kind of stasis at night. The other half—or whatever percentage it is—is human. How do you get sharp night vision out of that combination?”
He bit back a laugh. “I thought I was the scientist.”
“Then think like one.”
“I am. I’m also going outside to retrieve your sleeping bag.” At the look on her face, he stopped and moved his hands to her shoulders. “I promise to behave, and we truly are safer inside.”
From his place near the hearth, Jake whuffed as if he agreed.
“What if I don’t trust myself not to behave?” She ducked from beneath his hands and shot an impish grin his way.
“We can take turns being strong.” He blew out a breath. “And we can talk about what we’re doing next. The alien invasion is a
s good a libido dampener as we’re likely to come across.”
Sara snorted. “No kidding. Okay. I suppose it would make sense for us to be together, along with a couple of loaded weapons. I’ll go outside and collect my stuff. You can get your bag and pad out.”
He watched her walk out the door, captivated by the swing of her hips. He tried to focus on what he’d told her. They had bigger problems than the attraction growing between them. He hoped there’d be a time to draw Sara into his arms and make love to her, but that time wasn’t tonight.
Pushing his cock to a more comfortable position, he bent to his backpack and opened the lower compartment to extract his sleeping bag and inflatable foam pad.
* * * *
Sara welcomed the chilly night air on her overheated cheeks. She hadn’t meant to let him kiss her, or to kiss him back. It just sort of happened, and it had felt so good, so right, in his arms, she’d gone with the flow. She hadn’t made love with anyone for over a year, and her body clamored for more of what she’d just walked away from. Her panties were damp with wanting him, and her breasts felt heavy, their nipples puckered with need.
Ignoring all of it, she unzipped her tent and grabbed her bag and mat. They were the only things she’d put in the tent, so there wasn’t anything more to clear. She thought about taking the tent down, but figured morning was soon enough. Still feeling warm from Jared’s embrace, she let herself back inside and latched the door. It wasn’t much of a lock, but it would buy them time.
Jake would alert them if anyone was outside.
Jared had laid out his things near the stove, so she dropped her bag on the cot and rolled her sleeping pad. She wouldn’t need it since the cot had a thin mattress.
“I didn’t notice before.” His voice caught her by surprise. “But there’s a hell of a mess in the far corner that looks like it used to be a radio.” He rattled a sheaf of papers. “Are these the dispatches?”
“Yeah. I figured out something was fishy before Lonnie and Stuart showed up with the bird. Jake and I traded the cabin for a vantage point where we could keep an eye on it, but not be seen. I wasn’t certain, but I suspected if I waited, something would happen.”
“Good instincts.” He nodded approvingly.
“Thanks.” The unexpected compliment pleased her. “Back to what happened to the radio. After I shot Lonnie and Stuart, I didn’t want anyone else trying to contact me, so I took the axe and decimated it. Did you get a chance to look at the dispatches?” She sat on the cot and drew her legs beneath her.
“I skimmed them, but I’d like to do more than that. Thought I’d take them to bed with me. Not quite as scintillating as a novel, but knowledge is our friend. The more we can glean from the information we have, the better we can plan.”
“All true, but reading them now isn’t a good idea if you want to get any sleep.” Sara screwed her face into a moue remembering the tears she’d shed reading those same pages.
“Noted. If I have nightmares, I’ll move closer to the dog.”
She laughed and bent to unlace her boots, wondering just how much she’d take off. Normally, she slept in her long underwear and down booties. She was already down to her long john top, so all she needed to do was remove her trousers.
For chrissakes, what am I fussing about?
Mentally rolling her eyes at her misplaced modesty—after all, she’d been locked in his arms not half an hour ago—she slithered out of her pants and got into her sleeping bag. The cabin was plenty warm, so she didn’t zip it.
“Nice.” His dark eyes twinkled. “I was wondering if you’d undress.”
“Well, now you know.” She was having a hell of a time not beckoning him to her cot for a goodnight hug. To reduce the temptation, she shifted to her side and slitted her eyes watching him unobtrusively. “Good night.”
“Night, Sara.” He crossed the cabin to her side and bent to kiss the tip of her nose. The gesture was so sweet and spontaneous, it touched her. “If my light bothers you, let me know.”
Before she could say anything, he moved to the far side of the cabin. He fiddled with the stove, damping it for the night and stripped to his long underwear before crawling into his bag, using folded clothing for a pillow. Settling his headlamp in place, he flicked it on before turning his attention to the dispatch sheets.
She let her eyes close. She’d watched him almost as closely as he watched her when he removed his shirt and climbing pants and boots. He had exactly the type of body she expected with broad, muscular shoulders and slender hips. His long legs probably ate up trail miles.
He’d mentioned coming over Glacier Divide. She wondered if he was a climber as well as a backpacker. There weren’t any easy routes over the divide. They all required guts and skill.
Her eyes felt heavy, gritty. It had been a hell of a day. She almost couldn’t believe it was the same one when she’d killed Lonnie and Stuart, but it was.
Yeah, but it’s also the day I met Jared and found out it wasn’t just me and Jake against the aliens.
Jake made little noises in his sleep, the ones that meant he might be dreaming about killing small rodents. She fell asleep between the dog’s yips and the gentle bob of Jared’s headlamp.
* * * *
A growl punctuated by one short, sharp bark slammed her awake, heart beating fast. Sara bolted upright, feeling for her headlamp.
Jake nosed her arm, still growling low in his throat.
“Hush. Quiet.” She kept her voice low. Jake quit snarling, but he stood right next to her, tension pouring off his furred form.
“No lights.” Jared was by her side in an instant. He whispered the words near her ear before moving away.
Probably a good move to keep things dark. Lights would alert whoever was out there, make them cautious. She pulled on clothes by feel. Rustling from across the room told her Jared was doing the same.
It was still black as pitch outside. She held a hand over her watch to shield the luminosity and clicked a button to check the time. Four in the morning. What was out there? Had Jake overreacted?
Not likely. He’s trained as a guard dog.
She hadn’t heard rotors, but maybe she wouldn’t have since she’d been asleep.
Jared settled next to her on the cot and placed an arm around her, positioning his mouth near her ear. “I’m going out there. I didn’t hear anything until the dog barked, and I wasn’t asleep, so that means whoever’s here came on foot.”
Sara gripped his upper leg. “No.” She whispered back. “We go together.”
“Too dangerous. I’m bringing a gun. It’s dark. I don’t want to shoot you by mistake. Keep Jake inside too.”
She squeezed his leg harder. “Jake is trained for shit like this. He and I are used to working as a team—”
“You are not going out there without me.” Even in a whisper, his voice thrummed with determination.
Sara rotated her shoulder blades, trying to move the iron bar of tension that had dropped between them. What the hell had alerted Jake? “Okay. We’ll both go.” She got to her feet and walked to the door, pulling the latch as quietly as she could. The dog hugged her side like a shadow.
The minute the door was open, he shoved his muzzle through scenting the air. He’d chase whatever he scented if she gave the command, but she didn’t. God only knew what he’d run into, and she wanted to keep him safe. She held perfectly still, listening intently, but didn’t hear a thing.
Jake wasn’t pulling against the hand she had around his collar. “It’s odd,” she murmured, “but I don’t think anyone’s out here.”
“I was going to say the same thing. Call it a sixth sense or something. Let’s just check around the cabin, though. Maybe we’ll see footprints that don’t belong to us—or some evidence of something.”
“Think the headlamps are okay?”
“Yeah, I do.”
She glanced at his boots and clicked on her lamp to see better. “Asolo. Maybe elevens?”
“Close.
Twelves. Good eyes.”
“I’ve done a lot of tracking. Need to sort out which prints belong to you.” She turned her attention to the dog. “Track but stay close.”
Tail pluming, Jake bounded off the porch and down half a dozen steps into the yard. Sara followed him, rounding the corner of the cabin. At first, it didn’t register, but when she saw the dog circling, she froze.
Her tent was gone.
“Jared.”
He came at a dead run. “What?”
She pointed. “Someone was here. They took my tent. This is where I had it pitched.” She bent, examining the ground. “Look.” She extended a hand. “Here. And here. Two sets of boot prints. No. One of them are tennis shoes.”
“What the hell?” He bent to examine the areas she indicated. “Should we follow them? They have to be human. Those things I burned walked upright on hind feet that looked like they belonged on a small dinosaur.”
Sara considered it. “Whoever it is, they’re scared, or they would’ve just knocked on the door. Maybe they’ve been watching the cabin. Backcountry travelers do that sometimes. They hang around and wait for the ranger to come back—except whoever it is, is probably scared shitless because of what happened.”
“And keeping a very low profile.”
Jake barked softly, probably hoping she’d loose him to track whoever had stolen her tent.
“How about a compromise?” she suggested. “Let’s go back to bed. Once it’s light and we’ve had some breakfast, we’ll let Jake follow their tracks.”
“Good enough for me. At least it’s not the fucking aliens. I’ve been worried they’d come hunting for two of their own.”
Sara exhaled sharply. “They still might. It’s been less than twenty-four hours since Lonnie and Stuart showed up here.” She led the way back inside, clucking to the dog. Jake followed her in, but the set of his tail told her he’d rather be on the prowl.
She pulled her gun from its holster and thumbed on the safety. Jared did the same, but with far less ease. “How long since you’re fired one of these?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe fifteen years, but it’s like riding a bicycle—”