It was undeniable and unsettling that she was drawn to him. So who was she really upset with? It just might be herself. And she should set things straight with him, as who knew how long they might be stuck out here alone together.
They could be rescued within hours or it could be days.
It was even more annoying that the thought of being alone with Alex for days, caused a flutter of excitement inside her instead of dread. It didn’t seem to be a rational reaction either, because what if they were never found at all?
She shuddered, and tried to push the thought away.
“Okay, it’s unfortunate, but I need you,” she said. “I need you because I was never a girl scout, or a campfire girl, or whatever. I don’t take hikes, or cook over open flames.”
She went on, “But I’m not out of shape - I do work out. But despite appearances, I’m really a bit of a nerd. I mean my favorite thing is to read.” Melanie stopped, feeling herself blush. Why was she going on like this?
“I’m just saying... I’ve been camping exactly twice with my husband, and my plan after that, was not to ever go a third time. So, as much as I hate to admit it, and probably unfortunately for you, I am going to have to depend on you more than some more outdoorsy woman might.”
The whole time she was talking, Alex stood looking at her with a small half smile.
When she was done, he nodded. “That’s all right.”
Melanie wasn’t sure she’d made her point.
“Since we don’t know how long we’ll have to be together, I suggest we treat each other with respect,” she said.
“Yes.” Alex wasn’t smiling anymore, but she did see the corner of his mouth twitch, and he regarded her with just a hint of amusement.
“So, you understand?”
“Yes, I understand. You need me, and you respect me. Oh, yeah, and you’re a bit of a nerd.” He grinned at her. “Now, can we get going?”
She glared at him. “Fine. I’m ready, I guess.”
It hit her that she had nothing with her but the clothes on her back. Too bad she hadn’t thought to at least grab her purse, or even just her cell phone.
“Damn,” she said under her breath.
Alex raised his eyebrows, silently questioning her.
“Do you have your cell phone?” she asked. He dug into another pocket and pulled it out.
“I don’t think it will work out here, but say another prayer.”
He turned on his phone, shading it with his hand so he could see the display face in the bright sun. “Sorry, no bars...and it looks like I need to charge it.” He gave a small shrug. “Maybe it will work higher up, like near the plane. And I’m hoping the tracking devise I have is still operating.”
Melanie watched Alex’s hands as he worked with his phone. He had an athletic build with toned, strong arms that were tan and covered with fine hairs that shone gold in the noon sun. His hands looked strong too, but beautifully capable and sensitive. They look like surgeon’s hands, or a musician or an artist’s.
Her thoughts were troubling because her attraction to this man had made her feel weak in the knees. It occurred to her that she hadn’t felt like this since she’d first met Sam, over seven years before.
She tried to shake it off. She told herself that intense emotions were natural in this situation. Plunging out of a plane and such a close call with death, must have given her quite a jolt of adrenaline.
And it didn’t matter how gorgeous and exciting he was, nothing could induce her to get involved with another man who liked to dance with danger. Not another firefighter like Sam and not a pilot either.
She would never again lay her heart open like that.
“It’s fine,” she said, this time a little sharply. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be stumbling around the wilderness in the dark.”
“You’re sure that you’re all right?”
She shook her head, but started off ahead of him. “I’m good. Let’s go!”
They walked in silence for a long time. Alex soon took the lead. She was grateful because the tall grass and weeds brushing against the cuts on her legs hurt, and he broke a trail for her to follow.
After the first half hour, she walked lost in her own thoughts. Her mind kept wandering back to how it had felt to be in Alex’s arms, and how she had felt such an overwhelming sense of recognition when looking into his eyes the first time.
It was disturbing though because Martin was waiting for her right now probably pacing back and forth at the airport on his cell calling every authority he could think of to try and find her.
She knew her focus should be on getting back to him, but thinking of Martin wasn’t making her feel better. Instead, she found her irritation growing. This whole situation was so absurd! She should be at the airport by now. Why did her mother have to live on that God-forsaken island anyway? Soon Melanie felt angry again, but now it wasn’t directed at Alex but at fate.
Still, the emotion made her feel strong so the walk to the wrecked plane didn’t seem half as far as it had.
The last time she had seen Martin seemed like a long time now, but it had only been a week.
He had made her dinner at his place, a nice enough condo although obviously furnished from one shopping trip to a big box Scandinavian furniture store, and afterward they’d had sex, and it was all good.
He was a capable lover, at least he seemed to care that she had a good time too. But it wasn’t anything like what she’d had with Sam.
But then nothing was ever again going to be like it was with him.
Almost two years had passed since the accident, and a year since Sam had died. The pain had lessened to something manageable. She was ready to move on, and someone like Martin could give her the part of her life that she could never have had with Sam even if he’d lived because of his injuries. Martin was someone she could see herself with; he would be good to her, and someday he would be a good father. She wanted to be a mother someday.
And she would grow to love him, she was sure. Not the way she had loved Sam, but that was fine too. It hurt too much to love a man like that when you lost him.
That last night lying together amidst tangled, mint-green sheets, Martin had leaned over and kissed her lightly. “Let’s do it,” he’d said.
“We just did ‘do it’,” she’d answered, surprised. “Are you ready to go again so soon?”
He’d chuckled. “Well, give me a few... no, I mean, let’s get married.”
The memory she had now was somehow connected to the scent of him that night. It was minty, like his sheets. His breath, and even the lingering essence of his soap had smelled clean and fresh. Melanie considered now. Maybe that was why she had said almost said yes. Could you, or even should you, pick a mate because you like the way they smell? Probably not.
They had only been seeing each other for a few months, but even after so short a period of time, she felt like she knew Martin fairly well, he wasn’t particularity complicated. And it was mostly good. He was very intelligent without being neurotic, he was thoughtful- in short a safe bet as a husband and a father.
And he wasn’t in a dangerous profession like Sam and her father had been as wildfire fighters. Martin had a safe profession as an accountant.
She’d never heard of an accounting-related accident anyway.
It did surprise her when he’d proposed so soon. Almost as much as when she’d heard herself say maybe.
She had thought about saying yes right then, but when she began saying the word something had stopped her. A word in her head shouted “Wait!” In that moment she’d pushed the feeling aside not willing to analyze it. Instead, she’d said that she would think about it while she was at her mother’s.
The next morning before she’d left for her mother’s, Martin’s eyes shone with excitement as he told her his idea for a destination wedding.
“What do you think about having it in Greece, like in Mama Mia? I’ll bet I can Google where that movie was made.”
She’d had to laugh at his excitement, but she’d known she wasn’t feeling the same. She’d brushed it off then, telling herself that it was because she’d been married before and he never had. They made plans to get together the night she got back.
If she ever did get back, Melanie thought, coming back to the present with a flash of fear. She glanced up at Alex who walked a few feet ahead, and he, as if feeling her eyes, turned and nodded.
“Not much farther, maybe another mile or so.”
“Good.”
She could handle another mile but then what? She wasn’t going to mention it, but besides getting very weary from the walk and everything they had been through, she was really thirsty and her stomach had started a dull empty ache. He must be feeling the same, but maybe not, he looked very strong and vital and not at all tired.
She watched him as he walked ahead, admiring his sleek but strong back, his powerful shoulders, and his, she had to admit, quite beautiful backside. She shook her head, told herself to stop and forced her eyes, and her mind, away from Alex and his many physical charms.
During her visit with her mother, Melanie had told her about Martin’s proposal, truly expecting her to be happy. After all, Martin was successful, good-looking, intelligent, and she’d seemed to like him the one time they had met. But her mother said very little at first. Then she’d got them both a refill of coffee, sat back down and nodded.
“Okay, I get it. But do you really love Martin, sweetheart?”
Even though she’d known her mother would ask questions, she hadn’t expected that one. She had to admit, it was a damn good question and perhaps the most obvious. The truth was that she didn’t know. Or did she?
“He’s a good man, and he seems to love me. I think we could make it work,” she’d said tentatively. “I don’t suppose I’ll ever love anyone the way I loved Sam.”
Her mother was silent for a moment; she’d taken a sip of coffee and looked out the window, then she’d looked at Melanie with sad eyes.
“I understand you better than you think,” she’d begun, “It’s not that you couldn’t love again. You’re afraid to love the kind of man you are attracted to. Risk-takers like your father and Sam.”
When Melanie began to object, her mother had held up her hand.
“Let me finish. I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did. After your father was killed, I wrapped myself in a cocoon, and I didn’t let any man in close enough to love me. I didn’t want to love someone and then lose them, Melanie. But it’s been hard to be alone, and there was one man I pushed away that I think I could have loved. Now, I’m getting older, and I don’t know if I’ll have any more chances at love.”
“I’m sorry, mom,” Melanie said. She’d felt a quiet sadness in response to her mother’s admissions.
Then her mother had shaken her head. “Don’t be sorry for me. I had many wonderful years with your father. And, I have you. And who knows what life has in store for me?” She’d smiled. “I’m still pretty cute.”
Melanie had been too stunned to say much during that breakfast. She’d never thought of her mother as unhappy, or lonely, and she had a new perspective on this woman who’d sat across from her in the sunny kitchen, cheerfully reading the small island’s weekly newspaper. She had always been just her mother, the person who was always there for her.
She’d studied the woman she resembled so much.
They had the same small frame, delicate features, and thick, wavy, almost black hair. Their mouths were the same, featuring full lips and smiles that changed their faces from simply good bones and attractive, to lit with life and dazzling. Her mother’s hair was weaved with a few strands of grey, and her eyes were blue and laughing, while Melanie’s were dark the color of black coffee, and sometimes brooding. Her eyes were like her father’s.
Her father had died on the job in a wildfire eleven years earlier when Melanie was only fifteen, and her mother, she’d realized suddenly, was only thirty-five.
She had never wondered why her mother never got involved with anyone after her father’s death. As a child, her parent’s marriage had always seemed perfect, and she’d just assumed no one could ever replace her father.
Even now, it was hard to imagine. She saw now how lonely her mother had been all these years. Another man may have helped fill that empty space, which she knew from her own experience, must be in her mother’s heart.
But as she’d sat there in her mother’s kitchen that day, she hadn’t thought her mother’s argument, or warning, made much sense. After all, if she married Martin, how was that the same mistake as her mother not getting involved with a man she’d thought she might love? One of the reasons she’d been seriously thinking she might accept Martin’s proposal, was that she didn’t want to be alone.
Her mother’s words had nagged at her though and Melanie didn’t bring up Martin, or her possible engagement, for the rest of her time there.
CHAPTER 3
By the time they reached the plane, Melanie’s mouth felt like a desert and her feet were hot and bruised from treading over the rough terrain. Even Alex looked a bit worn.
The plane itself was very bent, but still in one piece. Its engine had apparently been on fire, but the smoke had mostly dissipated, leaving a gassy, oily stench that for the last quarter of a mile, had led them to the crash site.
Alex moved his hand absently over the wing, looking forlorn.
“Sorry about your plane.”
He sighed. “Thanks.”
The plane was crumpled in such a way that it was not possible to use it as any form of shelter. However, Alex managed to pry open the door and pull himself inside. Soon, he was tossing things out.
Melanie ran forward when he held out her purse. “Oh, good! I have a bottle of water in here!”
There were a lot of useful things in the plane. There was Melanie’s overnight bag, and Alex had a duffel bag. He handed her a heavy plastic bin filled with emergency supplies and food, flares, a first aid kit, a sleeping bag and even a small pillow. She was impressed with how prepared he’d been.
When he crawled out, there were beads of sweat across his forehead from the trapped heat inside, so she handed him her water bottle watching in amazement as he downed it in one long gulp. Then he lifted his t-shirt to wipe the sweat off his face and she couldn’t help but notice the tan, flat stomach, and the abdominal muscles that were carved out of the same piece of granite as his back. Her eyes widened in appreciation.
When he saw her expression, Alex grinned and pointed to the plastic bin. “It’s okay; there is more water with the emergency supplies.”
Grateful that he’d misunderstood her expression, she unsnapped the top of the bin, sighing deeply when she saw the case of bottled water and the wide variety of packaged foods. For the first time since the plane’s engine had made that funny noise, she began to relax. She took a bottle of water, twisted off the cap and drank deeply. As her body rehydrated, she began to feel more hopeful.
“Feel better?”
Alex seemed to be studying her. He sat a few feet away, resting in the shade, and his back against a tree trunk. Melanie brought her water, and sat near with her legs crossed.
“I do feel better. How long do you think it will be before we’re rescued?” She smiled into his eyes, until she realized that he looked worried. “What is it?”
He raked his fingers through his hair, and smiled back weakly. Melanie noticed suddenly, that his white t-shirt read Al’s Aviation in blue letters right over his heart. Glancing over at the plane, she saw the same design with his name, painted on the side. She felt a little embarrassed, remembering his surprise when she’d asked his name. Alex followed her eyes to the plane.
“I don’t know why the engine malfunctioned. I guess the good news is that we have some supplies, about enough water for three or four days, if we’re careful, and enough food for, well as long as we make it last- but no more than a week. But I don’t think the tracking devise is working,
and the radio was destroyed.”
“That is bad news,” she said.
“But, we should be rescued. I had a flight plan and when we don’t show up...They’re probably already searching,” he said. He sounded almost hopeful.
“Do you think they’ll see the plane?” she asked.
It was a good question as the wreck was surrounded, and from the air would be partially hidden, by large fir trees.
“I think so- the problem is that there’s so much area to search.” He stopped for a moment as if he was searching for the right words. “Melanie, I’m sorry. Maybe if I had kept trying to reach someone, we’d be found already.”
“Why didn’t you?” she asked.
“When no one answered, I had to focus on bailing out of the plane,” he said. “I didn’t have time.”
For some reason, one that she didn’t understand right then, Melanie’s eyes filled with tears. She tried to swallow them back, but one spilled over and ran down her cheek. Alex stared at her for a moment, then leaned forward, took her hand and cupped it into both of his. “I’m really sorry,” he said quietly.
“Stop.”
She pulled her hand free, and gave his shoulder a gentle push. “You’re making me cry, and I hate that! Don’t you know that you saved my life? And I wasn’t really in the mood to die today; I’m very, very grateful.”
As her words seemed to have some effect, in that he was now looking at her intently with a slight upturn to one corner of his mouth, she went on. She grinned through her tears.
“You’re my hero. You saved my life.” She looked at all of the supplies piled up. “And we have food, water and shelter.”
Melanie wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
She was tempted to laugh at the whole my hero bit. It wasn’t really her style, but, she realized, she really did feel sincere. He was her hero, and she felt grateful.
“And I have something in my bag that will cheer us both up.”
She stood up, wincing at the pain from the cuts on her legs, sore muscles, and bruised feet. Now that they had stopped moving her body was rebelling, throwing out warnings, trying to keep her still.
Unintended Love: A contemporary romantic novella Page 2
