“You guys want separate beds or one big one?” Ricky asked as they worked.
Cord exchanged looks with Stacey then decided, “You should make it one big one, I guess. We’ve only got one blanket each. Put it right in the middle, in case the rain blows in.”
“Yeah. We’ll stay warmer that way and I’m calling dibs on the middle,” Don agreed with the decision.
After a few more minutes, Ricky asked for the blankets. Stacey unrolled them and passed them to him. When it got colder earlier, she had given Don her flannel shirt to put on. Now, she shivered as the temperature dropped even more and the night breeze began to have a damp feel to it.
Cord surprised her when he handed her his sweatshirt. “It probably doesn’t smell very good, but it will help keep you warm.”
“Thanks.” She took the shirt slipping it on over her head. Totally lost in the size of it, she was definitely warmer. Moving closer to Cord, she whispered, “About the sleeping arrangements—I—well, I can’t sleep next to Ricky.” She was terribly embarrassed by the situation. “He’s—sort of getting this crush on me and I...”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” Cord assured her, softly. “I won’t hurt his feelings, I promise. I remember how tender an ego can be at that age.”
Stacey reached up to touch his face gently, “Thank you.” She pulled her hand away as she heard one of the boys coming out.
“All done. Can we eat now?” Don crawled out from under the hastily constructed shelter.
“Sure thing. I’ll get it sorted out,” she turned to her pack and dug out their food.
“Parker, I’ll be fine with a power bar. You should get each of us one out of my pack,” Cord insisted.
Ricky crawled out and they sat in a small circle to eat.
Stacey handed each of the boys a power bar, some trail mix, and half a chocolate bar. She and Cord made do with a power bar and half a chocolate bar each. They passed the canteens back and forth as they ate.
Ricky cautioned Don a couple of times to eat slower so the food would fill him up.
Don grumbled at his brother, but did as he was told. “What about the berries, Stacey?” Don asked when he finished his portions.
“Saving the best for last.” She reached into the outer pocket of her pack and took out a bag. “Don’t eat too many, okay? They really might give you tummy troubles.”
“I’ll just take a handful. Want some, Ricky?”
“No, squirt. I think I’ll wait until breakfast. Give me something to look forward to. How about you, Cord? Want some?” Ricky asked.
Cord stretched his hand toward Don. “Just give me a good mouth-full. If they turn out to be awful, I don’t want to have to eat many.”
“Did your mother make you finish whatever you put on your plate, too?” Don asked grinning at him.
Only Stacey realized that the question was probably a difficult one for the tough ex-soldier. She was going to say something when Cord answered.
“No, but my drill sergeant sure did,” he answered casually as he popped a berry into his mouth and sampled the taste. “I hate collard greens. Always reminded me of something a cow has already chewed at least once.” Both boys laughed in agreement. Cord ate a few more berries. “My third day of Boot Camp, we had greens. The cook slopped this big spoonful on my plate before I could tell him not to. I ate everything else, but left the greens to throw away when I finished. Suddenly this big, mean drill sergeant was standing over me. He had a voice that you could hear a mile away. He leaned down and got right in my ear and yelled, ‘Something wrong with our greens, boy?’ I said, ‘No, Sir. I just don’t like greens,’ real polite like I had been taught to do. He told me, ‘But they’re on your plate, boy. We don’t waste food here.’ I was embarrassed because everybody in the mess hall was looking and acting like they weren’t.” Cord stopped to take a drink of water from a canteen.
“What did you do?” Don asked nodding as if he understood that feeling.
“I explained it was a mistake. He ordered me to drop and give him fifty push-ups. When I was finished and back in my chair, he yelled, ‘The Army don’t make mistakes, boy. Them greens are on your plate. That means you eat them. Understand?’ So I did what any new recruit that had just done fifty push-ups would do. I said, ‘Yes, Sir,’ and I started eating the greens. I really hated greens and after forcing down a few bites I had to stop. The Sarge yelled at me again, ‘So you still think this is a mistake?’ I managed to get out, ‘Yes, Sir,’ then I threw up all over his spit & polished shoes.”
“Oh, man. What did he do, Cord?” Don eyes were wide and he couldn’t wait to find out.
“Well, he looked at his shoes then he looked at me and then back to his shoes. Everybody in the place was quiet as a mouse waiting to see what would happen. Finally, instead of yelling all of the terrible things I could imagine, he said, ‘I think you might be right, Private. You eating greens was definitely a mistake.’ Then he did this smart military quarter-turn and left. We heard him in the kitchen yelling at the cook not to ever put greens on my plate again. The cook had to shine his shoes and brass for a month.”
The boys laughed out loud, relaxed and sleepy when Cord finished his story. They all sat quietly for a little while longer then Cord suggested, “It’s time to bed down for the night. We have to start as soon as we can see in the morning.” He stood and took the boys with him off into the darkness.
Stacey moved both packs under the shelter and checked their bed. The boys did a good job making the pine needles thick and cushiony. Cord had really surprised her by making a funny story out of his answer to Don. He would be good with kids, if he gave himself the chance. But she didn’t think he would believe that. When the guys returned, she took her walk. As she returned and got near the makeshift shelter, she heard Cord talking to Ricky in front of the tree. She stayed out of sight a few more minutes.
“Ricky, I think you and I should take the outside positions, just in case. I’ll be slipping out during the night to check around. If Don has to get up during the night, I think it would be a good idea for you to go with him, so I’m going to put him next to you. You know if there is any trouble, your first priority is to take care of Don, right?”
“Right. That should work okay. He’s kind of used to me being close. I should probably hit the rack before he starts hunting me. Thanks for getting us away from those crooks,” R icky shook hands with Cord before crawling under the shelter and into the nest of pine needles.
Cord pulled his weapon from his holster and was checking it when Stacey reached him. “I have to scout around. Why don’t you get some rest?” He both dreaded and looked forward to lying beside her during the night. The boys’ presence would insure nothing happened, but it wouldn’t stop him wanting her. If it became too much, he would slip out under the pretext of making sure they weren’t in danger. Then again, it might be kind of nice just to lie near her and soak up her womanly warmth and smell.
Stacey interrupted his thoughts by agreeing with him. “I think I’ll try to rest. If I’m hogging the blanket when you get back, just tug on it,” she patted his arm and slipped under the shelter.
He stayed out longer than really necessary hoping they would all be asleep when he got back. Very quietly Cord entered on the side where Stacey lay. Removing his holstered weapon, he eased down facing away from her. After placing his gun near his head within easy reach, Cord tugged gently on the blanket they needed to share. Personally, he preferred a blanket each, but the boys had spread two blankets side by side to cover the pine needles and left two for cover. It was warmer this way with the shared body heat and Stacey’s closeness definitely kept him warm.
Mentally tearing down an M-16 and reassembling it, he finally forced himself to doze. At midnight Cord crept out to make another patrol of the area. The air felt damp with the coming rain and the wind blew harder. He shivered, remembering Stacey still wore his sweatshirt, as the combination chilled him all the way through. Walking quickly and no
t seeing anything out of the ordinary, he hurried back to the camp.
Both boys snored softly, huddled together under their blanket. When he lay down on his share of the blanket near Stacey, he felt her moving around. A soft, warm bundle slid over his shoulder followed by a soft whisper in his ear, “I’m sorry. You should have asked for it back. You must be freezing.”
Cord hastily slid on the sweatshirt still warm from her body. Aside from the smell of his body, it now carried her scent as well. He almost groaned as his shivering stopped and other sensations came to life. Cord decided he would give the shirt back to her when she got up, but with him on the outside she should be warm enough for a while. Keeping his back turned toward her, he heard her breathing become steady and even as she went back to sleep. Letting out a sigh of relief, Cord closed his eyes and worked on his M-16 again.
Near two a.m. Cord grabbed his gun, instantly awake. Lying quietly, he waited to see what wakened him. Stacey shifted again and pressed warmly to his back. Her hand moved restlessly over his side until it finally stopped on his warm stomach. Nothing else moved and the normal night sounds continued.
Cord relaxed slightly and put his weapon back. She instinctively sought out his warmth in her sleep. The night grew colder. They didn’t really need that at this point, but would have to deal with it. Cord knew he should make another circuit around camp and tried to decide how best to disentangle Stacey without waking her. She felt so good snuggled trustingly against him. As he tried to force himself to move away, the first raindrops splattered on the tarp over his head. Deciding another patrol could wait, he lay still and enjoyed the feel and smell of her very warm body next to him. Just for a little while. He placed his hand over hers on his stomach.
CHAPTER 9
Stacey was warmer and more comfortable than at any other time on this entire trip. She fought opening her eyes for as long as possible. If this was a dream she wanted it to continue. Finally though, she groaned as reality began to force its way in. When she opened her eyes, Stacey saw a broad black form right in front of her nose and felt a warm body under her left hand. Rain was pouring down.
Drawing back carefully, she felt for the rain jacket she rolled up and used for a pillow. Then she crawled to the end of the blanket she was sharing with Cord. The boys slept peacefully as she stuffed her feet into her boots and slid on her jacket.
Cord shifted restlessly as if missing her warmth. Stacey ducked under the moving branches and out into the cold night for a quick walk. She was wet and shivering when she returned. Stopping at the end of the blankets, Stacey slipped off the rain jacket and hung it to drip. Her boots were wet and dirty. Nudging them off, she placed them under an edge of the tarp safely out of the rain.
The large ex-soldier had turned over while she was gone and lay facing the boys, wrapped in the blanket they were supposed to share. Carefully, on hands and knees, she crawled between Cord and Don as her teeth chattered from the cold. She lay down with her back to him. Gently she raised the blanket edge and tugged slowly. Cord’s body heat felt wonderful coming from under the cover, but she didn’t dare snuggle into it. With just a tiny share of the blanket and shivering uncontrollably, she was about to reconsider her decision when his arm snaked around her middle to pull her back tightly against him. His breath blew evenly across the side of her face and he didn’t move again. Thinking him asleep, Stacey finally relaxed. It felt amazing to be held and warmed by him. As she drifted off to sleep, she unconsciously snuggled into his body.
Cord was enjoying holding Stacey immensely until she moved against him with her firm, curved hips. Laying spoon-fashion with her became a type of torture that he never before endured. Since reaching maturity, holding a woman this close was for one reason only and his body reacted accordingly. He hadn’t foreseen a problem because of the nearness of the two boys. Forcing his body to ignore its natural impulses, Cord listened to the sounds of the rain and the wind then finally to the faint sounds of her breathing. Surprisingly, he found himself watching her sleep.
This woman changed him, affected him deep inside, and it scared him more than facing an armed assassin. In a few days he shared more with her about himself than he ever told men he served with for months. She made him laugh, made him mad then made him want her all in the space of a few minutes. Not sure how to deal with it and knowing he shouldn’t touch her, he smoothed back the wild tangle of strawberry-blond curls tickling his chin. She possessed a delicate shell of an ear with a simple heart shaped earring in the lobe. He wanted to take it into his mouth to see if it tasted as sweet as it looked. Instead, he stroked the curve of her cheek gently with the tip of his index finger.
“Hmmm? Is it time to get up?” She whispered sleepily.
“No, not yet. Go back to sleep,” he answered, huskily.
She turned onto her back and blinked up at him. “Is something wrong?” Then Stacey felt his physical reaction to her closeness as she lay with the right side of her thigh pressed to him. “I didn’t mean to—well—to make you uncomfortable.” She shifted away self-consciously and yawned. Quietly she asked, “Did you sleep at all?”
“Yes. Do you have a boyfriend, Stacey? Since we’ve slept together I think I should know, don’t you?” He whispered in her ear.
“Well, there’s sleeping and then there’s sleeping with,” she answered curtly. “I sleep lots of time near lots of men, but I don’t sleep ‘with’ anyone.”
“So, I take that to mean there’s no boyfriend.”
“I have a friend I go out with, not that it’s any of your business. He wants to—um—get more serious, but I don’t think I’m ready. What about you? Any girlfriends or maybe a wife waiting at home?” Once again she turned his questions back on him.
“No,” he answered briefly. He broke off with his latest a few months ago when she wanted to move into his apartment and began making possessive noises. “What’s the name of this friend?”
“Derek Watkins. He works at the Lodge,” she answered and decided it was time to change the subject. “Has it rained like this long?”
“A while now. That’s very convenient, him being around your place all the time. Or does he just work the ski season?” Cord wasn’t ready to let it drop. He knew it was needling Stacey and couldn’t help pursuing it.
“He works there year-round, is twenty-six, six foot tall, weighs one-eighty, has blond hair and blue eyes, is the recreational coordinator and ski-instructor, and we’ve dated for a year or so.” She sat up and hissed, “Anything else you want to know?”
Cord smiled and glanced over to make sure the boys were still asleep before asking, “Do you kiss him like you kiss me?”
That did it. Stacey threw back the blanket, crawled to the bottom of the pile of pine needles, and roughly pulled on her boots. He could almost hear her teeth grinding. After grabbing her rain jacket, she stomped off in the mud. Chuckling softly, Cord slid out and clipped his holstered gun inside his waistband at the center of his back. Stretching his stiff muscles, he stood up and looked over his surroundings. Just before daybreak, it was the quiet time when the night animals went home and the birds had not yet come out. In spite of the cold wind and the rain, he meant for them to start at first light.
If Stacey came back, he grinned. Cord wasn’t sure why he kept on until he made her angry. He didn’t start out with that in mind, but finding out there was a man in her life rattled him. He wanted to get a reaction from her, to make her take note of him the way he noticed her. To make
her pay because he couldn’t sleep with her? Maybe, he admitted honestly.
In the pre-dawn darkness, Cord heard her before he saw her. Stacey muttered as she came toward camp. He thought he caught the word, ‘jackass,’ and the phrase, ‘pin his ears back,’ before deciding it would be prudent to scout out the area to make sure no one followed them. Slipping away into the trees, he told himself it would be better to let her calm down and even wake the boys before he returned to camp.
Ten minutes later Stacey s
at under the shelter, wrapped in a blanket, sipping coffee when she saw him walk toward her. Staring into her cup, she said quietly and solemnly, “I never felt with him what I feel when you kiss me.” Passing him the cup without meeting his eyes, she turned to shake the boys and call their names until they woke up.
Don pushed at Ricky complaining, “Get off me. I think you had your feet on me all night.” Together they crawled out of the shelter and stood, stretching and squabbling. “Would you heat another cup of water for the boys? I’ll get them some food.” She tried to sound businesslike.
“Take some food for yourself. You can’t last if you don’t eat,” Cord ordered. He wasn’t over the shock of her admission and wished she had waited to wake the boys. But what else was there to say? He kissed better than her boyfriend. Big deal. He’d probably had more practice, and he was definitely older. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t be anything to him, anyway. But she seemed sad and unhappy about it. Well, she’d have to deal with it. He couldn’t do it for her.
“I could tell you the same,” Stacey said as she tossed him a packet of coffee and laid out the food.
Realizing she was talking about him eating, he agreed, “Okay. We each take a power bar and half a bar of chocolate. If we have to, we can skip lunch better than breakfast.”
“Alright, I guess so.” Stacey was inventorying their meager food supplies. “There are two apples, four nutrition bars, one bag of trail mix, half a bag of raisins, six power bars, and the berries we picked. These are the last two chocolate bars and there are only four packets of coffee. I should have set some snares last night. We’re going to have to supplement our food supplies.”
“Give the boys a nutrition bar, half an apple, and some berries each. Save their chocolate for lunch. If you see anything edible or a stream with fish, we’ll just have to take the time to stop and take advantage of it. Okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed as the boys tumbled into the shelter. They were in fairly good spirits after a long night of rest.
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