by Wendy Owens
Rachel leaned in close on the hand that rested between them, her face hovering only inches away from his. He could smell the jasmine she used in the water that she washed her hair with. Her tongue slipped briefly from her mouth, moistening her full lips. Though he tried not to stare, he couldn’t look away. Breathless, he was consumed by her beauty.
“Am I confident, or am I right?” Rachel whispered, not budging.
Gabe’s stomach dipped with the sensation like he were on a roller coaster. Rachel’s face was now bathed in the soft glow of the late afternoon sun. Their hearts beat heavily and with each passing second, quickened in pace. Rachel’s confident stare quickly turned to one of helpless desire. As he drew closer her eyes closed, lips parting slightly. Each second that passed before their lips touched felt like an eternity.
At last, his warmth brushed up against her. Placing a hand on the small of her back, Gabe pulled her in tight, their lips colliding. The time when he had been that cold and icy mystery to her was long gone.
She hadn’t given much consideration to his flirtations up until that point, assuming they were just that, simply flirtations. Ever since the night Uri had returned and Gabe asked her to stay with him rather than go to Iron Gate, he had behaved differently towards her, more tenderly. In the moment, there by the water, contemplating the idea that her end may be near; realizing she would likely never experience the simple pleasures life had to offer, such as a good book, she wanted to feel something. She wanted to feel just one of those pleasures slipping away from her, not caring what it might mean for their friendship. She wanted to embrace a first kiss for what it was, pure and tender.
Pulling back, Gabe stared at Rachel who said nothing. He cupped her chin, stroked her hair gently, and pulled her close again to plant a kiss on top of her head. Rachel turned and pressed her body into Gabe’s shoulder. They laid back on the ground to watch the sun dance across the leaves above their heads, Gabe’s arm firmly wrapped around her.
“What are we doing?” Gabe whispered.
“I don’t know,” Rachel replied, hoping Gabe would reveal more of what he was thinking.
“I’m supposed to be the protector. How can I be getting involved with you?” Gabe said, almost as if he were questioning himself.
Rachel was fed up with being hunted and being robbed of her life. She decided she had had enough. “Gabe, do you like me?”
A silence lingered between them before she asked again, “it’s as simple as that. Do you like me?”
Gabe said nothing, contemplating the question and what it could mean for them both if he answered it honestly. “I think I could love you, and it scares the heck out of me.”
“Just stop! Stop worrying about what might happen one day because of this ridiculous prophecy. I like you ... a lot. I don’t know, maybe I could be falling in love with you, too. All I know is right now, right here, this feels good, it feels right,” Rachel said, and then have a slight smile before closing her eyes, and nuzzling in close to the man who had made her feel something she hadn’t in a long time.
Gabe took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, as well. He envied Rachel and her ability to live so care free. So much time had passed since he left Rampart Manor. He left there a boy, full of hurt and hate. He let the world harden him, make him bitter and angry. Rachel took that pain away somehow, revealing a piece of his humanity he thought he had lost a long time ago.
This moment may have been all there was for them. They may get up from under those trees and never again speak of the kiss they shared. He didn’t know what was in store for them, but they were content just breathing in that moment.
Rachel awoke, the sunlight peeking through the cracks of the cabin wall. Sitting up slowly she realized she was alone. As she thought of Gabe and wondered where he could be, she couldn’t help but smile. She envisioned his strong jaw, brilliant blue eyes, the way his lip curled slightly when he smiled. Rachel wasn’t looking for love, but she had found life always seemed to work that way.
Gabe had been a mystery for her at first. She remembered the night she first arrived. he hadn’t even seemed to notice her and then the attention seemed to shift into a mere annoyance. It was obvious to her from the get go that Gabe was the guarded type. When he yelled at her in the mines and basically abandoned her to fend for herself, she hated him. She was prepared to write him off as a complete and total waste of a human being at that point.
She shuddered as a memory washed over her of that night months ago, when the sirens blared and his bludgeoned, unrecognizable body came crawling into camp. She had come so close to not even meeting the real Gabe Harwood. He could make her laugh until her sides ached. He could tell stories that would make her toes curl.
Even though Rachel was an outgoing and positive person, the type of individual people were drawn to, she was guarded when it came to love. After her mom died she went into overdrive family mode. She wanted to be everything her brother needed her to be. Somehow, if she could help him to hurt a little less it would somehow lessen her own pain. The few dates she did manage to find time for always seemed to be doomed from the start. Perhaps it was the men she was choosing to go out with; she already knew it wouldn’t work when she picked them. Is Gabe the same way? Is it going to be over before it even begins? she wondered.
She had never grown close to someone so quickly and Rachel worried she might, in fact, be repeating her same destructive relationship patterns. Perhaps not though, she hoped instead it was due to their almost petri dish-like environment. All day, morning until night, it was just the two of them. They were the only source of conversation for each other, the only human contact period. It seemed reasonable to Rachel that the focused exposure had a way of speeding up the process of getting to know one another.
Rachel didn’t want to think about it anymore, after all, Gabe may have already changed his mind about her. She pulled the cabin door open, squinting as she peered out, her eyes taking time to adjust to the light. Glancing from side to side she saw no sign of Gabe. Rachel walked back into the cabin and pushed the door closed behind her. She assumed Gabe must be gathering water or be involved in some other various chore; after all, he rarely wanted to sit idle.
Rachel recalled the kiss once again; frustrated she couldn’t shake it from her thoughts. She didn’t want Gabe feeling like he had to return her interest, she also didn’t want him to think she wasn’t interested in return. How could she relay so much depth and complexity of emotion to him?
Breakfast, she decided. She would make the best breakfast she could with what she had on hand. Rachel set out like a woman on a mission. Pulling the harvest baskets from under the make-shift prep counter, she did a quick inventory to determine what she could prepare.
A bag of flour and sugar sat nearby, but Rachel noticed they were both running low. She wondered when Gabe would journey to the village he had been telling her about to restock. She hoped she would be able to accompany him, but knowing Gabe, she doubted he would think it was safe enough.
Turning and searching the baskets, Rachel pulled out a plump, large potato. She searched the nearby counter where she found only two eggs. Grabbing an apple, she placed both the apple and potato near the eggs. The feast came together in her mind. She would prepare country hash browns with an omelet that was grilled with roasted tomatoes and spinach. To finish off her feast she would make a little pan seared bread with a homemade apple butter spread across it. Her mouth was watering just thinking about it.
To begin, Rachel would need to gather more eggs from the hen house, some spinach and a ripe, off-the-vine tomato from the garden. Rachel could barely contain her excitement. She was confident Gabe would be surprised by the elaborate meal. Her only concern was she had no idea where he was or when he would be back; she hoped she could complete the dish before he returned.
Rachel ran from the cabin, gathering her natural, homegrown, supplies as quickly as her feet would carry her. Her heart began to race, her smile continuous as she worked. Ra
chel hadn’t seen any sign of Gabe outside and now even more determined to finish the meal before he returned, she took off towards the cabin in a sprint. Without slowing, the eggs bouncing around in her skirt that she had folded in half and was using like a basket, she burst through the door. What Rachel didn’t know was that Gabe had already returned while she was preparing her ingredients. As she entered the close quarters, without warning, she smacked right into Gabe, the eggs crushing in her skirt from the pressure of their bodies colliding.
“Oh no!” Rachel screeched, almost crying as she pulled the gooey fabric away from her body.
“Oh my God, Rachel, are you all right?” Gabe gasped.
“No, I’m not all right. Dang it! I was going to prepare this fantastic breakfast for you and now it’s ruined. Look at me, I’m a mess. It’s all ruined,” Rachel rambled staring at the disaster, nearly trembling in frustration.
In an instant, Gabe burst out in a thunderous laugh. Rachel stared at him, her mouth hanging open wide in disbelief that he was laughing at her blunder.
“Why are you laughing? Everything is ruined!” Rachel cried.
“Come here,” Gabe said pulling Rachel close to him by her wrists. She dropped the skirt and the mess flopped to the floor onto their feet. She was still struggling to find the humor in the situation.
“Nothing is ruined. Can’t you see everything is perfect?” Gabe added pulling her into an embrace, the egg covering the front of his jeans.
“How can it be perfect, now we’re both a mess and we can’t eat any of that?” Rachel argued.
“Because my dear, you’re a very lucky lady and I’m going to save the day,” Gabe answered, pulling away from Rachel he walked over to a chair, ignoring the egg matter splattered across him.
“What?” Rachel asked intrigued. “What do you mean?”
“Ah, I see I’ve piqued your interest.”
Rachel was at the end of her rope, her amazing gesture had blown up in her face and she was not in the mood to be toyed with. “Come on, let’s hear it.”
Hidden in a chair tucked under the table, Gabe revealed a brown paper bag. Setting it on the table he pulled out two bundles, wrapped in wax paper. She watched as he carefully unfolded the edges to reveal what was hidden with in. Rachel gasped when she saw the pastry, they looked so delicious she imagined they could grace the cover of a Bakery Monthly magazine. She watched in amazement. “I believe these shall work great for breakfast madam. Hmm … what else do I have in here?”
Gabe reached into the bottom of the bag and pretended to root around for a moment before pulling out and revealing a deep blue, leather bound book. “I thought some reading material for after breakfast was in order.”
Rachel’s mouth fell open a little wider as she continued to watch. Gabe pulled out one book after the next, stacking them on the table.
“Oh, Gabe! How did —” Rachel grabbed a nearby rag. Wiping her hands off as best she could, she rushed over to the table and began reading the titles on the spines of the book. Mansfield Park, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Each title she read made her giddy with excitement.
“I wasn’t sure what type of stuff you liked to read, so I told the guy to give me a variety,” Gabe explained, looking at Rachel with an intense anticipation.
“I don’t understand, where did you get them? How did you get them? It’s not safe is it?” Rachel rambled off the questions, never looking away from her new treasures.
“Don’t worry, I have ways to avoid being detected. People are used to me wearing a helmet when I go out,” Gabe laughed, proud of the story he had weaved for the locals, “I have them all convinced I was in this horrible fire and I was left hideously scarred.”
“Are you serious? How did you convince them of that?” Rachel asked, stopping to look up at him, momentarily more amazed by his tale.
“I use an enchantment spell; they see what I want them to see,” Gabe replied.
“I don’t think I will ever get used to all this magic stuff. Wait …” Rachel looked intensely into Gabe’s eyes, “do you ever use that stuff on me?”
“Never,” Gabe replied mischievously, a grin plastered across his face.
“I’m serious, Gabe,” Rachel barked. “If I ever catch you using your hocus-pocus crap on me we are going to have a problem. Got it?”
“Yes, yes, I promise, no magic on you. I don’t need to use my magic on you anyways; you fall so easily for my handsome ways that I don’t even have to bother,” Gabe laughed as he jested.
“Whatever you say,” Rachel gave Gabe a slight push and then devoured the corner of her pastry before plucking Mansfield Park from the pile and settling into the corner.
“You’re going to start reading now?” Gabe asked a little shocked.
Rachel could hear the disappointment in his voice, but she couldn’t deny that all she wanted to do at that exact moment was dive into the intricacies of Fanny Price’s life and the romantic entanglements happening all around her. Sheepishly, Rachel peered over the pages of the book and asked, “Do you mind?”
“I suppose not,” Gabe lied, looking at his uneaten pastry.
“How about you come lay down here with me and we can read to one another?” Rachel requested.
“I don’t know,” Gabe replied, hesitating. While the idea of being close to Rachel was quite appealing to him, reading a book aloud to one another seemed more like punishment. “I don’t really think I would be very good at that.”
“Nonsense,” Rachel said patting the spot next to her on the bedding, motioning for him to join her. “I’ll start.”
Gabe looked at her long, bare legs that poked out from beneath her skirt. All he wanted to do was run his fingertips along her silhouette, exploring all her luscious curves and deep valleys along the way. If reading a book is what would make her happy, he was willing. At least somewhat.
“Can we at least read something not so—” Gabe wondered what word would be least offensive to Rachel.
“Not so what?”
“Umm, I don’t know,” Gabe struggled, unsure what words might rescue him. Thinking quickly, he grabbed another book and rushed to Rachel’s side. “How about Journey to the Center of the Earth? I’ve actually never read it. Would that be all right?”
“But you have read Mansfield Park?”
Gabe stammered, “Well, no— but— “
Rachel smiled; she knew exactly what Gabe was trying to say. She simply enjoyed seeing him squirm a little, but she didn’t have the heart to torment him any longer. “Sure, let’s read that one.” Setting the book aside that she held in her hands, she sat up in order to make more room for Gabe’s broad frame.
Nestling in close to Rachel, Gabe handed her the book, the pages of which were heavily worn from years of use. Rachel flipped through the first few pages before beginning, “It was on Sunday, the 24th of May, 1863, that my uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, came rushing suddenly back to his little house in the old part of Hamburg, No. 19 Konigstrasse ...”
The cabin was unseasonably warm. The uncomfortable weather however didn’t phase the young couple. Gabe and Rachel had the entire day planned out. It had been exactly six months to the day since Rachel had come to the valley. Gabe hadn’t seen any sign of Uri since his visit months ago. Their life in the valley had become one they were used to. Their life together; one they were comfortable with.
Fall was upon them, the leaves were changing, and the two spent most of their days preparing for the winter months. Gabe would go to town soon to load up on supplies. It would be his third trip since Rachel arrived, and once again, he would be making it alone.
To celebrate the momentous occasion of her six month stay, the two decided to take the day off from chores and instead enjoy a picnic together. Much to Gabe’s surprise he had quite taken to reading aloud to one another, without a doubt this would be included on the day’s agenda with a hike around the valley. In addition, Gabe had high expectation
s for their evening, as well. Rachel had informed Gabe of her track record with relationships and making poor decisions. As a result, they had been taking things slow physically, but she hadn’t been secretive of her desires to move things to the next step recently. He was more than happy to oblige.
Gabe had been longing to hold her, from hints Rachel had been dropping, this could be the night she allowed him to do just that..
“Ready?” Rachel shrieked, bursting out of the cabin door to greet Gabe who was strapping up his shoelaces.
“As I’ll ever be. Do you have everything we need for our day?” Gabe questioned, leaning to one side as if to try and catch a glimpse of what Rachel hid in her pack.
“Please, have we met? I haven’t forgotten a single thing. Anything and everything we need to make this a perfect day is accounted for in this bag,” Rachel confidently stated.
“Of course, I should have never doubted your skills m’lady. Get one last look at home sweet home; we won’t see her until tonight,” Gabe said with a smile.
Since Rachel first arrived she had made many efforts to turn the little cabin into a cozy home. Thanks to a few fabrics Gabe picked up on one of his trips, the single window was trimmed with checkered curtains, the spare scraps used for a table runner. Rachel had been keeping Gabe busy these days by asking him to build a bench for the front porch, as well as a proper bed for inside the cabin, up off the floor.
Perhaps the newest addition to their little home that Rachel loved the most was a proper outhouse. Though Gabe had no problems peeing in the bushes, Rachel had never been fond of squatting in front of the number of forest creatures who enjoyed watching . While indoor plumbing would have been a dream, an outhouse was enough to make her giddy.
“Shall we?” Gabe said motioning towards the path that led around the side of the tiny cabin and into the forest. Soon they would be seated along the water’s edge, enjoying the sun dancing across the wet pebbles.
