"Lena, I need to check on the ones fishing farther down the river. You won't wander off, will you?" Walker looked down at her from a boulder nearby.
"Nope, I'm good right here, thanks." Gosh, do they all think I'm a moron? "Going to keep reading my book." She flashed the cover of the paperback romance at him.
At least that was her plan. Lena watched Walker jump from a boulder then walk off down the river. Everyone except Derek must have hiked downstream, looking for a better place to fish.
Derek remained a little way upstream, his line tangled in a bush. With a snicker over his jerking and thrashing about, Lena rolled over to stretch out, belly down, on the large flat rock to continue reading.
But the snake she faced stopped her in mid-roll. It slithered right up onto her rock, soundlessly gliding toward her. Its tongue flicked left and right.
A scream hung in her throat as Lena flung her body in the other direction, rolling off the rock to smack the ground. She scrambled up then made it halfway to Derek before the first sound escaped.
When Derek heard her screaming like something wild, he looked up. Instead of waiting on her or coming to help, he threw down his fly rod and bolted the other way like a scared rabbit.
She kept running, tearing after him in an effort to put as much distance between herself and that snake as possible. Then something grabbed her from behind. Lena whirled with every intention of fighting free.
"Lena, stop! It's me, Walker. You're safe now. What the devil happened? Where's Derek going?"
Gasping for breath, Lena leaned into Walker. She'd never been so glad to see anyone in her entire life. "A sn... A snake! It was after me. On the rock."
"Did it strike at you? Were you bitten?" Walker carried an anti-venom kit with him in case someone had a run-in with a poisonous reptile.
"No, I'm okay. I got away in time. But it crawled right up on the rock. It was after me. Ugh... Just the thought..." Lena shuddered and tried to crawl into his shirt.
Walker grasped her upper arms and urged her back from him. She felt entirely too good nestled against him. "The snake wasn't after you. They lay on the rocks to sun. If it had known you were there, it would have gone the other way. Now, stay here while I go find Derek."
"Oh, no you don't. You're not leaving me here alone," she told the guide as she clutched his arm. "Where you go, I go." And he would never convince her that the snake didn't have her picked out for its lunch, either.
"Okay then, keep up," Walker briskly told her as he headed toward the spot where Derek disappeared into the trees.
Not needing to be told twice, Lena stayed close on Walker's heels.
They caught up with Derek several minutes later. He lay facedown on the ground with his left foot tangled in a tree root.
"Derek, are you hurt?" Walker squatted near the boy and reached out a hand to touch his shoulder. "What happened?"
"I-I don't think so. Knocked the...breath...out of me is all. What are we running from? Is it a bear? Rabid wolves?" Derek turned over and sat up. He swiped his face and spit out dirt.
Walker helped untangle his foot from the root. "A snake. You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
"I think I'm okay." Then Derek self-consciously looked up at Walker. "She scared the gee-willies out of me. Come running at me, like that. I thought we were being invaded or about to be eaten."
Lena couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up. "I must have made quite a picture, running at you, screaming like a banshee. I'm sorry." She didn't sound too contrite as a flood of giggles overwhelmed her.
"All I saw by the time I got there was the back of you two as you high-tailed it into the woods." Walker grinned at them and helped Derek to his feet.
The young man favored his left foot a bit, but insisted he could walk back to the river. "Do me a favor, Lena. Next time you take off, yell out whatever it is you're running from, okay?" He accepted the walking stick Walker cut for him and they made fairly good time back to the riverbank.
By the time they returned, the rest of the group were gathered around the large flat rock, waiting. Water and sandwiches were passed around as they all laughed at Lena and Derek's tale about running from the snake. Derek stood up well to his share of ribbing for taking off.
Lena ate standing up while several feet away from the rock. She kept a wary eye out for the snake and any of the friends it might bring back with it.
Walker examined Derek's ankle then had him dangle his foot in the cold, rushing water for twenty minutes. He wrapped it before helping Derek get his boot back on. "Nothing seems to be broken. Baby it a bit and you'll soon be good as new."
Rob sidled up to where Lena stood a bit apart from the others. Not sure of his reception, he asked, "Are you really okay? I mean... By the time I got here, Walker had already come after you. I thought it best to stay with the others."
"I'm fine, Rob, honestly." Though she felt no anger toward him now, Lena knew for sure she didn't want their relationship to go any farther. And she sensed he felt the same way. They needed to clear the air and move on. She'd have to search for the right opportunity to talk to him.
Chapter Four
The afternoon passed quickly for the ones fishing, but dragged for Lena. She alternately read her book and watched for snakes. Refusing to sit on the rock again, she stood in a cleared patch of dirt near the water. When her legs grew tired, she sat on the bare ground for a while but couldn't rest for fear of the snake coming back.
Walker checked with her often to be sure she stayed put. His concern would have been touching if it didn't make her feel like a kid. Of course, he also checked on Derek, so she tried not to let it get to her.
By the time Walker called a halt to the fishing, everyone except Derek had caught and released several fish. With faces sunburned and feet wet, most of the hikers looked tired but content as they filed past Lena to start back to camp. She brought up the rear and helped Derek as much as she could. It had sort of been her fault he got hurt and she felt responsible.
As they neared camp, Derek's limp became more pronounced. Lena wrapped his arm across her shoulders and insisted he lean on her. They didn't take more than a few steps when Walker dropped back to see about them.
"Go on ahead, Lena. I'll help him." Walker took her place. Then he almost regretted it as he watched her nicely rounded derriere swaying along in front of him. A good butt got him going every time, and Lena's looked exceptional in her tight-fitting, stylish jeans.
He cleared his throat and struck up a conversation. "So, Derek, what are you going to major in at college?" By the time they reached camp, Walker knew more than he wanted to about advanced computer engineering classes versus a business degree. The bad thing was he still couldn't get Lena off his mind.
While Walker started dinner, with the help of Helen and Janie, Eileen taught Lena the joys of pan bathing. Feeling like she just relocated the soil from one spot to another with a damp cloth, Lena didn't really see the point. But she soon realized she did feel better and more refreshed after the effort. Clean clothes helped her disposition a lot too. She joined the others in gathering fallen limbs for the campfire and sat chatting until the food was done.
No one had to encourage her to accept a full plate after this crazy day. Rob laughed at her as she wolfed her food like a farmhand, but then he attacked his and gobbled it down just as fast. The great outdoors and hiking made the food irresistible.
"Walker, that's the best steak I've ever put in my mouth," Clark declared. "You could work at a five star restaurant."
"Glad you like it. And thanks, but I'll just keep my job here." Walker joined them, his own plate piled high with food.
"How long you been doing this?" Rob wanted to know.
Lena stopped chewing to listen to the answer. Despite her original feelings over Rob's hero-worship, she found herself fascinated by this guide and wanted to know anything she could learn about him.
Between bites, Walker told them a little about himself. "My grandfather was a
logger and a woodsman. I grew up taking wilderness trips with him, scouting out timber stands. Then I went to college and stayed away for a while. Got a job in a big company, but I began to miss those trips with Papaw. I started hiking and fishing on long weekends, but dreaded leaving the woods for work. One day, about five years ago, I just didn't go back. A buddy and I started a guide and whitewater rafting business. Three years ago, we went our separate ways – he took over the whitewater part of the business – and I relocated up here to become a full-time guide."
Walker took a long drink of water then asked, "What about you, Rob? What brought you up here?"
The conversation continued with all of them telling why they were on the trip and where they worked. Then everyone looked to Lena.
"I'm a shopper. And I came because Rob surprised me with the trip. Sorry, but I have no interest whatsoever in the great outdoors or fishing." She gave a shrug and a small smile of apology.
Everyone but Derek stared at her, surprised by her open admission.
"You're actually a shopper? You mean, like you buy things all the time?" This was from Derek as he shoved a large hunk of fire-roasted potato into his mouth.
"Yes, and it's not as easy as it sounds. I shop for people who are too busy, too old, or too sick to do it for themselves. They keep me pretty busy, especially around the holidays. Now, if someone will tell me how to go about it, I'll help with the dishes." Lena stood and carried her plate toward the area used for cooking. Let them make what they want out of that.
Kevin joined her and soon had her elbow deep in a metal dishpan of warm, soapy water. "I think it's great you help people out by shopping for them. With my landscaping business, a lot of my customers are seniors or the disabled."
Chatting about their clientele and the problems of running a small business, they worked until the last pot was scrubbed and stacked to air dry.
Walker gathered up food supplies and packages then added them to the pile on a tarp. When done, he carefully raised the edges of the tarp to form a large bundle, hooked it onto a rope, and raised it high into the tree.
Curious, Lena walked over to watch. "What are you doing?"
"If I don't secure the food, the night critters will help themselves and make a mess of our supplies."
She swallowed hard. "Night critters? What kind of critters are we talking about?" Lena uneasily looked at the ground around her. "Not more snakes?"
With a chuckle, Walker tied off the rope to keep the supplies secured in the tree. "No, not snakes. We have our share of raccoons and possums that love to steal food. Even an occasional coyote will wander through." He didn't dare mention the bears, wolves, or wildcats.
"Do they bite?"
"Only if you corner one and try to make it a pet," he laughed.
Kevin wiped his hands on a dish towel as he walked over and looked up into the tree. "Yeah, that should keep the bears and the mountain lions out of it."
Walker groaned as he shot Kevin a pained look.
"B-b-bears?" Lena rounded on Walker. "You didn't say anything about bears. And mountain lions? Tell me he's joking. There aren't really bears and mountain lions? Tell me!" Her voice grew shrill and she almost shouted.
"Calm down, Lena. I just didn't want you to worry. The large animals are afraid of the fire and of people. They very rarely bother a camp unless we carelessly leave food out. The smaller ones are much more likely to become brave and get to be a nuisance coming around looking for handouts."
"I am not sleeping out here with bears and lions." Lena crossed her arms and stared defiantly up at Walker.
Kevin shook his head and, backing away, left Walker to it as he returned to the campfire. He had a sister and knew when retreat provided the smartest option.
"Okay," Walker calmly accepted what she said.
"Okay. Okay? What does that mean?" she demanded as she braced her hands on her hips and glared at him.
Walker stood there looking down into her angry, heart-shaped face. Her brown eyes snapped at him in the glow from the campfire and her short brown hair brushed her jaw-line with every movement of her head. He fought off the unaccustomed urge to haul her up against him and kiss her senseless while promising to keep her safe from whatever frightened her.
"It means you don't have to sleep if you don't want to. But you slept last night and nothing bothered you. You've walked around out here and eaten several meals with nothing bothering you—"
"Except the snake," she interrupted.
"Okay, except the snake." He grinned at her. "You can keep watch all night, or you can go get some sleep like the rest of us – your choice."
Lena gave him a final deadly look then turned to head for the tent. "Fat lot of choice... Men! What did I ever do to deserve this?"
Walker laughed again when he heard her muttering as she stomped away. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. What was it about the city gal that had him so tied up in knots? It had definitely been a while since a woman got under his skin this bad – and never this fast. Maybe that was the trouble. He'd been too long out in the woods, alone.
When he took this group back to town, he'd spend a few days there and socialize a bit before his next trip. With that decision, he rejoined the remainder of the group who sat around the campfire, talking about the day's fishing.
Chapter Five
Lena's head felt like the pot Walker banged on when she sat up the next morning. In spite of being worn out, she didn't sleep well at all. She spent the long night hours expecting a large grizzly bear with huge claws or a wolf with dripping fangs to tear through the side of the tent any minute. She wondered just how much it would cost her to have someone take her back to civilization. No way could she take three more days of this vacation. Her nerves just couldn't take it...
As soon as breakfast disappeared, everyone began preparing for their trek back to the river for another day of fishing. Lena waited until Walker raised their supplies up into the tree then went to talk with him in private.
"Walker, I want to leave. I'll pay extra if you'll have your friend with the mule or somebody take me back to civilization."
"Sorry, Lena. Calvin is on another trip." He turned to look down at her. Walker took in the slight shadows under her eyes then softly asked, "You didn't sleep much last night, did you?"
"No, I didn't, and my head is splitting. What if there were an emergency and someone got hurt? Surely you have a way to get them out of here, don't you?" She sounded desperate even to herself.
"Yes, but this doesn't qualify as an emergency. It's only a few more days, Lena. I'll try to see that it's easier on you. You did really well yesterday. You even helped out last night. And what about Rob?" he tacked on.
"Yeah, what about Rob?" she sighed, accepting she was well and truly stuck with the status quo. "Okay, I'll get ready to go. Got any aspirin?"
After three aspirins and a large cup of coffee, Lena actually managed to keep up with the rest of the hikers. She suspected it had to do with Walker stopping often to point out birds and plants along the way. It seemed to be his way of making the group slow down for her, she realized with a smile. Then she actually began to enjoy the walk and listen to what he said. He proved very knowledgeable and entertaining about the area and the wildlife.
At the river, Walker led the group farther downstream than the day before. He pointed to deep pools below the white water.
"The larger trout are smart. They hang around in the deep spots at the base of the rapids. The water is cooler and brings their food right to them. They don't have to work as hard. The perfect cast will settle your fly on top of the white water and let it roll down into the pool with the flow. A bad cast will get you tangled in the rocks. But if you want a trophy trout, this is your best bet."
"I'm for that," Clark spoke up. "Which lure? Then point me to my spot."
Everyone laughed at his little boy eagerness.
Lena noticed that as the group paired off, Rob and Eileen seemed to be getting chummy. They paired
off leaving Kevin and Clark to fish together. Derek was odd man out again as Helen and Janie teamed up. Then, surprisingly, Helen called to Derek, asking him to join them and learn to fish with a couple of old ladies.
"If you'll walk with me while I help them all find a good fishing spot, I'll show you something special afterward," Walker bribed Lena. He really did have something to show her, but most of all he didn't intend to leave her alone to get into any trouble.
"It'll cost you a candy bar."
"Now where would I get a candy bar?" he asked, laughing.
Lena pointed to his pack. "I saw you stash them in there with the sandwiches. I'll skip mine at lunch so you won't be short one."
"Deal, but you have to wait until we get down river a ways."
Watching Walker point out the best places for fishing and drop off one small group at a time, it took them a while to work their way down the river. Rob and Eileen were the last two dropped off. Walker left his large pack hanging in a tree near them and slid on a much smaller one before he and Lena continued down the vague trail alone.
"Does that bother you?" Walker asked once they rounded a bend in the river, leaving Eileen and Rob behind.
"What? Oh, you mean Rob and Eileen?" Lena thought about it a minute then answered honestly, "No, it doesn't. Rob and I aren't... Well, our relationship has turned into a friend thing, nothing more. Eileen is much more his type." She picked her way around a large boulder, keeping an eye out for snakes and wildlife.
Walker reached back and took her hand to help her down a steep section of the trail. "Is it because he brought you here? Do you hate it that much?"
Lena enjoyed the feel of his large calloused palm cradling her small smooth one as he steadied her. She stopped at the bottom of the hill to look around her. The birds sang and the green trees and blue sky were truly spectacular. The water splashed and gurgled as it swept by, heading for a distant ocean.
Finding Love the Hard Way Page 2