Four Steps

by Wendy Hudson

  A familiar feeling of peace settled over her as she took picture after picture, even knowing she would never quite capture the scale and beauty of her surroundings. It was cathartic. It was her therapy.

  The light began to fade fast, and ominous clouds building in the west were her cue to get moving again. Deciding the descent would be easy enough to take pictures along the way, she stuffed the camera in her jacket pocket, threw on her hat and rucksack, and set off back toward home for the night.

  Chapter 2

  Lori picked up the pace, crossed the rock mine without incident, and watched as the clouds drifted closer. From her altitude, she had the surreal visual of watching the rain fall in the distance whilst the sun still shone low behind her. She took out her camera, snapping photos of a rainbow spanning the glen that the rain had left in its wake.

  It wasn’t long before she reached the crevasse, stopping briefly to rest her thighs from the downward impact. Drinking the rest of the her already doctored tea to take on some sugar, she continued to zigzag down the narrow dirt track until she was low enough to eventually pick out the bothy from its vast backdrop. She aimed her camera in an effort to capture its insignificance and squinted as her eyes picked up movement. Given the royal blue colour, it couldn’t be any animal she knew of.

  Human.

  “Verdammt,” she swore aloud in the direction of her fellow hiker, watching the bright dot close in on the bothy as it stood out so easily against the dull hillside. It was exactly what she didn’t want.

  Company.

  She quickly threw on her waterproof trousers in case the rain caught up with her, and continued the descent. It was relatively quick and, in less than half an hour, all that stood between her and the bothy track was one last careful river crossing.

  Safely on the other side, it was then the heavens chose to open, raining the only way it knew how to in Scotland.

  Hard.

  She knew the bothy was only another quarter mile away, and the thought of hot food and a warm sleeping bag motivated her into a light jog despite the burn in her thighs.

  Hood up and head down against rain, she didn’t spot the dog until it was under her feet barking. He jumped up and around her with such excitement, she couldn’t help but laugh when the rucksack on her back coupled with the springer spaniel at her front, toppled her back onto the sodden track. Her reward for a muddy arse was an enthusiastic face licking that had Lori shrieking worse than at the river crossing. She couldn’t move and was relieved when she heard a female voice in the distance shouting, “Frank!”

  Lori freed her face long enough to shout back, “Over here!” before “Frank” resumed his assault on her face.

  Two blue arms suddenly wrapped around his body, lifted and unceremoniously plonked him aside. “The blue dot in the distance” now hovered above her, peering down at her through mischievous eyes. They shone against her flushed cheeks and the way she bit on her lower lip, Lori could tell she was torn between guilt and laughter.

  The stranger’s gaze was so enthralling that it took a moment before she realised she was still lying in the mud getting rained on. “So are you here to lick my face too or are you going to help me up?” she said, and laughed.

  Relief flooded the woman’s face. She stepped back, and offered Lori a hand. Lori was pulled to her feet and couldn’t help but notice how soft and warm the young woman’s skin was.

  “Oh no.” The woman surveyed the damage Frank had done. A panicked look slid across her lovely features and darkened a pair of stunning green eyes. “I’m so sorry. Let me see what he’s done to you. Oh God, your rucksack is covered and your arse…” She made a swipe at the mud with her jacket sleeves. “Do you have spare clothes? That flipping dog, honestly I’m really sorry—”

  Lori raised a filthy hand to stop her. She wiped it on her trousers then held it out in front of her. “Lori Hunter, nice to meet you.”

  The woman smiled again, visibly relieved, revealing a ridiculously cute dimple in her left cheek. She wrinkled her nose and held up her own filthy hands.

  Lori shrugged, grabbed hold, and shook one anyway. “Alex Ryan, same here.”

  She was half a head shorter than Lori and, although petite, the ease with which she had pulled Lori to her feet showed she was strong. After a moment Lori realised she was still holding her hand and staring. She quickly dropped it and looked toward Frank, who was now chasing something unseen near the river.

  She nodded in his direction. “Frank, I presume?”

  “The one and only,” replied Alex with a grimace. “I’m so sorry again for what he did. He’s good as gold at home, but once he’s released into the mountains, all manners go out of the window and he’s unstoppable. Not that he would hurt anyone, or anything for that matter, he just likes the chase and meeting new people. It’s so remote out here I let him have his fun.”

  Lori waved her apology away. “It’s the mountain air. It can get to the best of us.”

  As they both turned to head in the bothy’s direction, it seemed Lori’s initial thought had been right. She wasn’t going to be alone in the bothy tonight. “So I take it you’re my bothy buddy for the night then?”

  “Oh!” It had obviously just dawned on Alex. “Aye, I hope that’s okay? I hope you don’t mind sharing with Frank too? He is an outdoor dog but normally has a barn and the company of other animals, and with the rain and…”

  Lori placed a hand on her arm for reassurance and stopped her mid-flow. “So long as he doesn’t want to share my bed, I think I’ll cope.”

  Alex offered her a cheeky smile and turned toward the river. “Why not? I thought you’d already fallen for him?” Alex glanced back over her shoulder, a grin covering her face.

  Lori returned her smile. “He certainly has a way with the ladies.” She looked across the water and the last known location of Frank.

  Alex craned her neck clearly looking for her pooch.

  The rain had let up so Lori freed herself from the restrictive hood and took the opportunity to properly survey the woman she would be sharing her evening with.

  She couldn’t have been more than five feet five and clearly took care of herself. Alex was obviously comfortable in outdoor clothes and boots. Wisps of black hair had escaped the hood of her jacket, sticking to her rain-soaked face. Only a few small freckles high on a cheek bone seemed to interrupt a perfect complexion, now tinged from the wind with a pinkness to match her lips. Her left cheek maintained the slight indent of the dimple Lori had already seen.

  Lori saw Alex’s lips moving, but it wasn’t until those shining eyes caught hers again that she realised she was staring. “Uh, sorry, in my own little world there,” she said, quickly dropping her gaze before looking across the river, scanning the area for Frank. A tingle crept up her spine and she shivered involuntarily. Suddenly aware that she was soaked and covered in mud, she gave Alex a nudge and nodded toward the bothy. “C’mon. Let’s go get warmed up.”

  “Aye, you must be freezing! He knows better than to stray too far and I’m sure will come back when he’s hungry. He always does.”

  Chapter 3

  Lori stepped into the bothy with a sigh of relief just as the rain picked up again. Alex looked around some more for Frank but soon closed the door, blocking the wind out along with him when there appeared to be no sign.

  “Look at the state of us.” Alex yanked down her own hood and pulled her hair back. The tendrils sticking to her face earlier, too short to be caught in her ponytail, were quickly drying, going wispy around her face. She took her outer jacket off, followed by waterproof trousers and a thick outer fleece, and hung them on the nails by the door.

  Lori found herself suddenly conscious of her own appearance. She pulled off her hat and quickly ran her fingers through her hair in a vain attempt to make it look respectable. Next she stripped off her own muddy jacket and waterproof trousers, but, kept the warm fleece on as she was feeling chilly.

  “Dinner?” asked Alex.

&nbs
p; Lori was already digging in her bag when her stomach rumbled. “You read my mind.”

  “Okay, what have you got? Mine is boil-in-the-bag mince and tatties. Sorry, minced beef and potatoes,” she corrected herself.

  It was a nod to Lori’s soft English accent that told Alex she wasn’t even northern, never mind Scottish. “Don’t worry. I’ve spent enough time in Scotland to know what tatties are. I even know what neeps are too,” she said, referring to the common name for turnip.

  “Phew,” said Alex, dramatically wiping a brow, “I don’t need to translate myself then?”

  “No, don’t worry,” said Lori, laughing as she talked, “I’ll tell you if I don’t understand. If you were from Aberdeen we might have a problem, but your accent isn’t too strong, so I think we’ll be fine.”

  Alex chuckled. “Aye, even I struggle with the Aberdonian folk. I spent the first year of University sitting next to a girl from Mintlaw. Let’s just say I spent a lot of time nodding and smiling when she spoke. I only started understanding her when we became pub buddies. I find beer is a great language leveller.”

  Lori waggled two miniature bottles she pulled from a side pocket in Alex’s direction. “As is red wine.”

  Alex’s eyes widened in obvious delight. “I think you’re my new best friend. I can practically taste it already.”

  “Well my bag has a questionable version of chicken tikka masala so I find the wine necessary to wash it down.”

  Alex crinkled her nose as she caught the silver pack Lori threw towards her, eyeing it suspiciously. “I personally don’t need a reason for wine but that’s as good as any.”

  They busied themselves gathering pots, gas canisters, water, and sporks, until all that was left was to wait for the water to boil their dubious dinner packs.

  Lori broke the silence as Alex added another layer of clothing. “So is this your first time here?”

  “No it’s a bit of a favourite spot of mine that I discovered quite a few years ago with my ex. It’s my first time here on my own though.” Her head popped through the top of her fleece. “It’s been a while.”

  “Oh right.” Lori was mildly surprised to get such a candid answer. “Trying to get rid of the ghosts by making some memories of your own?”

  “Aye, something like that.” Distracted, she poked at the bags in the pot. “I decided I gave up enough for that relationship and places like this are far too special to forget.” Alex went quiet at that, her eyes darkening like rain soaked moss. She blew on to her chilled hands, her eyes still on the bags bobbing in the boiling water.

  “We kind of made it our place. We came back loads of times. But what started out as a great adventure to be shared together, huddled on one bunk, talking and kissing the night away, soon became more of a chore. Our last time here was also the last few days of our relationship.”

  Lori raised her eyebrows as Alex took a breath. The words had seemed to tumble out of her in a rush. “Wow. I’m not sure what to say apart from I’m really glad to be sharing with only you and not some giggly, smooching couple.” She stifled a smile, hoping her humour wasn’t misplaced.

  Alex seemed taken aback for a moment, but then threw a smile her way to Lori’s relief. “Don’t worry, you’re safe. It was long enough ago that I can laugh about it now.”

  Lori watched her continue to absentmindedly poke at their dinner bags and hoped it was true. “So it just didn’t work out then or did something happen?”

  Alex seemed to size her up before speaking again. “Okay, let’s get the morbid talk out of the way before our delicious dinner is served. Something did happen and that something was somebody else. For my ex, not me.”

  Lori drew out a long “Oh,” leaving it open for Alex to carry on if she wanted. She studied Alex’s face, her eyes had glazed, and she stood still with her hands over the steam from the boiling water. Clearly, Alex had drifted away, slipped into her memories. She wanted to bring her back, ask what had happened or say something reassuring. But she didn’t think Alex would appreciate a stranger prying any further into her business, particularly out here where there weren’t many distractions if things got uncomfortable between them.

  Suddenly Alex blew out a long breath and blinked at Lori. It was clear she had forgotten someone else was there with her. “Oh is right.” She sheepishly rubbed her hands together. “Sorry, not sure where I went there.”

  Lori smiled reassuringly and joined her at the stove. “Funny how an ex can do that to you, eh?”

  Alex nodded. “Aye. I was just thinking I’d come a long way since we split up. It’s taken me a while to feel as if I could spend a night here alone without getting scared, sobbing into my whisky, and becoming a snotty mess. It would have been a terrible time for Frank.”

  Lori gave her a wry smile, appreciating her attempt at humour despite the hurt she could see written all over Alex’s face. She reached past her and turned off the gas, satisfied the food was heated well enough. “So I should be bracing myself for a potentially snotty time then?” She opened the packs and started spooning the mushy food into mess tins.

  Alex shrugged. “Listen at this point I can’t promise anything but good intentions. I’ll admit it helps having someone else here so you’re probably safe. Frank will be most grateful.”

  Lori took her opportunity to find out more. “You don’t seem the type to scare easily and need someone around for protection, well apart from Frank obviously.”

  Alex settled on the bottom bunk. “Ah, well you would have me pegged right, then. Her name was Rachel and she was a bigger scaredy cat than me. Scared of spiders, scared of the dark, and as it turned out, scared of commitment.”

  Lori’s hands stilled at Alex’s words, unsure why her stomach had just done a small flip-flop. She was glad she had her back to Alex. She poured the wine into their tin cups and finished serving, and then turned with the steaming mess tins and a smile. “Dinner is served,” she announced and handed one to Alex before setting the wine at her feet.

  She was about to sit on the wobbly milking stool when Alex patted the space on the bottom bunk next to her. Her legs engaged before her mind and, suddenly, she was sitting next to her, close enough to feel the warmth radiating from Alex’s thigh.

  She felt Alex glance sideways at her, obviously waiting for a response about Rachel. She picked up her drink and held it out in a toast. “To sharing wine and secrets with strangers.”

  Alex’s shoulders seemed to drop in relief. “Cheers to that.” She toasted and took a large gulp. “I should say I’m not normally so quick to out myself, but I figured sharing with a lesbian surely can’t be worse than getting dripped on in a soggy tent on your own?” She winked at Lori with a half-smile.

  Lori returned the smile. “Hey, I’m a big city girl, Alex, you’re not the first lesbian I’ve ever met. Besides, Frank seems like a good judge of character, I mean he likes me, so I’ll trust him on this.”

  Alex held her eye. “You have one of those faces.”

  “Those faces? I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not?”

  “It is. It’s the kind that makes someone want to spill all their secrets.”

  Lori peered at Alex over the top of her cup and watched her take another sip of wine. “Well after tonight, you never have to see me again so what’s the harm? Spill.”

  Alex shuffled back in the bunk. “You better get comfy if we’re doing this.”

  Lori hesitated a moment, conscious already of their proximity, but joined her leaning back against the side of the bothy. “So why would being alone out here have you worried if spiders aren’t a problem?” she asked, turning slightly to face her.

  Alex stared at her wine before giving her what was obviously the short answer. “Because being alone meant time to think about how unhappy I was.”

  The sadness written all over Alex’s face made Lori want to pull her in to a hug. She had even started to reach out an arm when a loud bang on the door made them both jump. Wide eyed, they looked at ea
ch other in panic until frantic scratching indicated that it was just Frank trying to get in.

  Alex got up to let the dripping wet and muddy mad dog in. His tail wagged uncontrollably, but he obviously knew better than to jump at them in his current state. He instead waited for Alex to unroll a thin, padded mattress from her rucksack that turned out to be a makeshift dog bed. He circled twice in the middle of it and then collapsed in an exhausted heap.

  Alex pulled a small towel from a pocket and then gave him a rough rub all over to help warm him up. Pouring water into another mess tin for him, she returned to the bunk promising to feed him just as soon as her own now lukewarm mush was finished.

  The moment now passed, Lori decided it was best to leave the ‘ex’ subject, not wanting to see Alex upset again and not really wanting the tables turned. She’d come up here to get away from the ex-not-ex question after all. She finished her dinner and decided to play it safe instead. “So what are your plans for tomorrow?”

  “My, my, aren’t you forward. I haven’t even finished this delicious dinner you made me and you’re already planning our second date,” she said, smirking, “I mean, I was planning on climbing a mountain, but, you know, if you want to take me out, I could be persuaded,” she winked.

  Lori couldn’t help the heat that crept up her cheeks at the flirty words and the deep dimple that creased Alex’s cheek. To hide her embarrassment, she picked up her mess tin and started tidying up after their dinner. Her mind whirled. One wink from a girl she’d known an hour, half a cup of wine, and she was acting like a bloody fool. In her mind she chastised herself, it’s just because she’s a she, and you’re not used to girls flirting with you that’s all. She’s just having fun with you. Get over yourself and have a laugh.

  Her back to Alex, she laughed and decided to play along. “Wow, well who knew a solo trip to a bothy in the middle of nowhere would get me a date with a hot local.” She turned and returned the wink. “If I’d known, I’d have done something with my hair.”

  Lori calling her hot was obviously not what Alex had expected, evident by her own blush. “So it’s a date then? Seafood is my favourite, in case you’re wondering.”