by Vella Day
Acacia did the best she could and was fairly happy with the result. Sure, she had to duck to move under the tarp, but it would keep the rain and falling leaves off her food.
Not wanting to sit on the ground when she ate, she dragged over a log to sit on. Once she unpacked the stove, she had to figure out how to assemble it. After many attempts, she managed to attach the propane tank, but when she held the lighter to the ring under the burner, it wouldn’t light.
“Why is this so hard?” she shouted to anyone willing to listen.
To give her brain a chance to figure it out, she hoofed it to the river and gathered some water in the one pot she’d packed. Her oldest sister had clued her in about what was in the river water, so Acacia was more than willing to let it come to a rolling boil for a few minutes to kill everything inside.
After setting the pot full of water on the stove, Acacia tried ten different ways to light the dang thing. In the end, she decided this new piece of equipment must be defective. Several times during her ordeal, she was highly tempted to pack up and go back home.
“Hello,” came a shout from up on the path above her campsite.
Startled, Acacia jumped up, hitting her head on the tarp. Really? While she hadn’t wanted to be interrupted on her mini retreat, these two fine looking men coming toward her changed her mind. The taller one had short dark hair, the beginnings of a beard, and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. Be still my beating heart. It didn’t help that her body was tingling from just being in his presence. The shorter of the two had very broad shoulders, a nice physique, and a classically attractive face.
“Hi,” she said as she moved toward them.
They ended up running down the incline into her campsite. The taller one glanced over at her tarp. “You arrived late yesterday, right?”
She straightened. “I did. You?”
“Yesterday morning.”
The same man with the pretty eyes held out his hand. “I’m Will King, and this here is my friend, Lucas Deland.”
“I’m Acacia Faiten. Nice to meet you.” When she shook Will’s hand, energy surged through her. What was up with that?
Will nodded to her kitchen area. “I heard a few curses. Everything okay?”
Conflicting emotions assaulted her. She didn’t want to appear to be some helpless female. After all, she could have started the fire using magic, but Acacia was determined not to use her powers. If they offered to help and she turned them down, she might be eating some pretty nasty, cold food. While she had wanted to be by herself, after meeting these two, she decided she wouldn’t mind some company.
“Not really. I think my stove is defective. Maybe you can take a look at it.”
“Let’s see what we can do.”
Will squatted down in front of the device, pulled out a knob she hadn’t even realized was there, and began to pump. After a few seconds, he screwed it back in and lit the stove. Voila! Flames.
He twisted back around and smiled. “Works just fine. Have you used this brand before?”
“No.” She hadn’t used any brand before.
“You have to put your thumb over the hole here. That’s the trick.”
Acacia doubted she’d ever have figured it out on her own. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem.” He glanced around. “Are you here by yourself?”
The small single tent might imply that. “Yes.”
She debated making up a story about how she’d come here to scope out the area for an upcoming high school hiking trip, but after the fiasco with the stove, she doubted he’d believe her. “Just getting away for a couple of weeks. Time to reflect and all that good stuff.”
“Well, this is a great place to do that.” He stood. “You’re good to go. Lucas and I are just on the other side of those trees if you need any more help.”
When Will smiled, something strange tumbled inside her once more. If she had to label the emotion, she’d call it lust, but she had no intention of being with someone who she’d never see again. Sex was one thing, but after sleeping on the ground last night, she didn’t feel up for that in the least.
“Will, we should be going,” Lucas said. “We have a long hike ahead of us.”
“Right.” He turned back toward her. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other again.”
“Thank you for your help, and have fun on your hike.”
“We plan to.”
Acacia smiled, and then they were gone.
Chapter Two
“That was one hot woman!” Lucas exclaimed once they were out of earshot of Acacia’s campsite.
Will didn’t like the shot of jealousy that was coursing through him—not to mention the confusion. He didn’t want to believe that the beautiful woman whose soft brown hair was braided down her back was his mate, yet his bear was telling him she was. He figured his conversation with Lucas about finding that once-in-a-lifetime woman had caused the reaction. “She is.”
Lucas chuckled. “I can’t believe she came out here not knowing how to pump the stove. If we hadn’t stopped by, she might have starved to death.”
“I imagine she would have packed up and hiked out of there. Our neighbor didn’t exactly act scared.”
“No, she didn’t. I have to admire her for that. Her kitchen tarp was stretched flat though. If it rains, the weight of the water will collapse it.”
“That would suck for her.” Will debated suggesting they return and fix it for her, but Acacia probably wanted to figure things out for herself. A broken kitchen tarp wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to a camper.
Will and Lucas headed out on their hike. They trekked side by side until the trail narrowed, forcing them to walk one behind another. When they reached Billy Goat Trail, the guys carefully crawled up and over the boulders until they reached Pine Ridge West, a large granite rock face, perfect for scaling. While steep, it didn’t require a rope to climb—just some ability to balance on a one-inch ledge.
Carefully finding finger holds and places for their feet, they made it up the rock. Seventy-feet later, they stood on top and gazed at the impressive vista. Will and Lucas had hiked together long enough to know when to talk and when to enjoy the grandeur of the mountains. This scene required silence. While Will was once more taken by the majesty of the hills and the grace of the hawks circling overhead, his thoughts weren’t completely on the distant landscape. They were on Acacia.
What if she really was his mate? He’d love to believe he’d finally found her, but what was the possibility of coming all the way out to Hearndon Province and running into her? Hell, he should have asked where she lived at least. Not that it really mattered. Their paths would never cross again. Then where would he be?
“You look pensive,” Lucas said.
If he told his friend he thought that Acacia was his mate, he doubted Lucas would understand, despite them having the conversation about mates a few times. “Just enjoying the view.”
Lucas laughed. “You’re full of shit. You’re thinking of her, aren’t you?”
There was no use denying who she was. “If you mean Acacia, then yes. She intrigues me, though I can’t pinpoint what it is about her that I find so fascinating. I mean she can’t even light a stove, and yet she ventured pretty far from where she parked. That takes guts.”
“I can tell you why you’re intrigued by her. She has a hot body—though it was a bit hard to tell under her camping clothes. That and she had the face of an angel.”
“Aren’t you the poet today?” Will shook his head. “No, it’s more than her looks. She seemed a little lost to me—in need of comfort.”
“Oh, and you’re going to designate yourself as the comfort giver now?” Lucas asked, sounding a bit disapproving.
“I was just stating my observation.”
“People often come to the woods to figure things out. She said she was here to reflect.”
“Very true.”
They sat on the rock face enjoying the view for another hour. Wi
ll would have been content to stay there all afternoon, but when he glanced at the sky, he didn’t like what he saw. “Seems like the afternoon showers will be coming through sooner rather than later. We should head back down.” Hiking on slippery rocks was never fun.
“You plan to check up on her?” Lucas asked.
“Nope.” He needed to do a bit of thinking first about how to approach her without insulting her abilities.
The trek back down the hillside and then over the rocky terrain was harder than going up, but they made it without slipping. Dark clouds had moved in by the time they reached their camp, which meant a fire probably wouldn’t be in the cards tonight. Will wanted to start dinner in case it poured later, even though their rainfly would protect them and their stove. “I’m going to start dinner. Tacos okay?” Will asked.
“Sounds great. I’ll gather some wood and keep it under a tarp for our next fire, whenever that might be,” Lucas offered.
They were a well-oiled team, understanding what needed to be done to have a good camping experience. Unfortunately, Acacia seemed way out of her element. Will was happy they’d introduced themselves and told her where they were staying. If she became scared or had some other issues, she knew where to find them.
He would have considered acting the helpful neighbor, but for all he knew, the human already had a boyfriend. Acacia might not appreciate them interfering with her vacation. Besides, she wouldn’t have any idea about mates and how much she could affect a randy bear shifter.
Will hoped he was wrong about Acacia being his mate and that it had been a case of wishful thinking on his part. He, of all people, understood that just wishing for something didn’t make it come true.
Acacia was torn between checking out her new neighbors and remaining by herself to work things out. After all, she’d come here to think—but that process had definitely been short-circuited the moment the men showed up. Lucas seemed really sweet, but not exactly her type. Will, on the other hand, appeared to be the boy-next-door, though she had a feeling he was anything but sweet. He was definitely a bear shifter, but beside that, Acacia couldn’t get a read on him. He wasn’t particularly flirty, so he probably had a girlfriend. Actually, it would be next to impossible for someone that hot not to have one. But the big question was whether this girlfriend was his mate?
It didn’t matter. Getting involved when they’d be parting ways in two weeks was dumb. Not only that, she couldn’t exactly hook up with Will when Lucas was camping with him. For all she knew, they shared a tent.
It was time for Acacia to get her shit together and organize her campsite and tent. When the water for her morning tea eventually boiled, she tossed in two teabags. Once it steeped, she dipped her plastic cup into the water to scoop out the hot liquid. After it was cool enough to drink, she headed over to the river, found a nice rock to sit on, and enjoyed the morning view.
As much as she needed to reflect on her life, that was next to impossible at the moment. All she could think about was Will. Acacia didn’t like that her body would tingle and throb at the mere thought of him. In fact, it confused and frustrated her more than it soothed her. Sure, he was sexy, but so were a lot of guys she’d met. Or was she trying to convince herself of something?
After she finished her drink, her butt was numb from sitting on the rock for so long. Except when she was working on her art at the wheel, she was up and about for hours on end. Enough procrastination. It was time to rearrange her possessions in the tent by putting everything she’d need at night within reach. Now that it was daylight, she could unpack and place her clothes in a semi-organized fashion. She’d brought rope, clothespins, and biodegradable soap. Doing laundry would be a must if she wanted clean clothes for the entire vacation.
By the time she finished sprucing up the place, it was time for lunch. The sliced meat wouldn’t last more than a few days, so she made herself a sandwich. That saved her from having to dump out her pot of tea so she could use the pan to cook.
The next order of business was gathering wood for a fire. It took over an hour, but when she was done, she had a stack of twigs in one pile, medium sized sticks in another, and in a third pile were two logs she’d found near the stream.
If only her sisters could see her now. Acacia was turning out to be quite the camper, if she did say so herself. With several hours before dinner, Acacia was content to stretch out in her tent and read. She’d almost dozed when a clap of thunder sounded in the distance and startled her. Crap. If she didn’t fix something now to eat, she might have to go all night without food, and that wouldn’t be pleasant.
Slipping on her raincoat just in case it did rain, she hurried over to the kitchen area located fifteen feet from her tent. She’d already made up a list of meals and had written the instructions on how to make them on notecards. While she was slightly better in the kitchen than Poppy and Primrose, she wasn’t nearly the cook that Magnolia was. Tonight’s fare was spaghetti with sauce along with a side of green peppers and carrots.
She emptied the remainder of the now cool tea into her water bottle. After cleaning the bottom of her pot, she sliced the veggies on it, using a knife one of the Guardians had given her as a present. The problem was with only having one pot was that she would have to eat in stages. That was okay. She wasn’t in any hurry—or so she hoped.
Once she finished cutting up the food, she put some butter in the pot, set it on the burner, and successfully lit the stove after only three tries. Quite proud of herself, she sautéed the veggies until they were cooked to perfection. She then dumped them onto her plate. Next, she made a trip to the stream to fill up the pot with water. Just as she returned to her kitchen area, it started to rain. Great. Under the tarp though, she’d be dry.
After she boiled the water and dumped in the spaghetti, she waited for the pasta to cook. Wind whipped her tarp around, and water pooled in the middle of her plastic shelter, making the structure sag. Trying not to become discouraged, she lifted the cloth from below, sending the water crashing to the ground. What Acacia hadn’t anticipated was for the water to splash, coating her legs with mud.
“Just great.”
Whatever. She would deal. This trip was about patience and perseverance, not anger and frustration. When the spaghetti finished cooking, she realized she had no way of draining the water from the pot. It wasn’t as if she’d packed a colander. Acacia had to think back to what she and her sisters used a long time ago. Of course! The lid would keep back the water while she drained it, but that meant leaving the shelter of the kitchen tarp.
Using a towel to keep from burning her hands when she lifted the pot, she trudged out of kitchen area and emptied the water, losing only a few strands of spaghetti. Too bad she became mildly drenched in the process. Once back under the protective tarp, Acacia added the sauce into the pot. Because the vegetables were now rather cold, she emptied them into the pot too.
Sitting down on the log she’d dragged in, it was time to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Just as she dug her fork into her evening meal, the rain let up. “Really? Now you stop?”
Acacia told herself she was not going to let this ruin her dinner. As if someone from above wanted to mollify her, the first swallow made her believe in a happy ending. The food tasted good—really good. Either her culinary skills had suddenly improved or she’d been hungrier than she thought.
Laughter floated toward her from the direction of Lucas and Will’s campsite. She bet they were toasty warm and had been able to make a meal without getting wet. Next time—if there ever was a next time—she’d invest in a good raincoat and not use the light plastic one she’d purchased online.
She wondered what they had made for dinner and if it had been as simple as hers had been. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to go over there and check on them. Nope. She was here to reflect, not engage in sexy chitchat.
Once she more or less cleaned up, she wasn’t sure what to do with her pot and the rest of the food she had yet to cook. Because the
area under the kitchen tarp was rather muddy, she placed her unused food in a trash bag and then hung it on a branch about three feet from the kitchen area, hoping some animals didn’t bother it. She could have kept it in her tent, but something told her that might not be a good idea.
As her reward for working hard all day, she decided to light a fire and toast marshmallows. With her lighter in hand, she walked over to the fire pit only to realize the wood was wet. Damn. She had a notebook with her to write down her thoughts. If she used a few pieces of paper from it, she might get a fire going though. It wasn’t as if she’d never lit a fire. She had—once—maybe fifty years ago.
Squatting down, she placed the twigs in the shape of a teepee. After stuffing two pieces of paper into the mini tent, she lit it. When the flames shot to life, pride filled her—until they went out a minute later. Clearly, the wet wood was the problem and not her technique.
More laughter sounded in the next campsite over. Through the trees, she could make out large flames. Really? They were able to light a fire? That was so not fair. She had a bag of marshmallows, so perhaps the men would let her use their fire to cook her dessert. Naturally, she was willing to share.
Will had lost track of the number of times he’d been tempted to check on Acacia. Her kitchen fly hadn’t been set up well, and it didn’t look as if she had put up a rain fly over her tent, not to mention not having a ground cloth underneath. She’d been crazy to come out here alone and so unprepared.
Lucas looked up. “I hear someone.”
Will was the one with the good hearing. He must have been too lost in thought to notice. Rays of light were weaving their way back and forth on the path coming toward them. “Looks like Acacia has come for a visit.”
Will had to tamp down his desire. Shit. His nails extended, and he could feel his teeth sharpen the closer she neared. What was up with that?