Backwoods

by Jill Sorenson

  Yes, her mom definitely approved of his...hygiene.

  Leo caught them both staring and smirked. Brooke hadn’t really meant what she’d said at the lake. His dad was pretty hot for an old guy, but she only had eyes for Leo. He had a beautiful body, smooth and strong. Although he resembled Nathan, he had his mother’s skin tone and jet-black hair. He’d also inherited her blend of ethnicities. Brooke knew he had a mix of Latin, European and Asian blood.

  When they were finished at the washbowl, Brooke dumped out the water. Leo, who was still shirtless, hooked his arm around her neck. “I have some sexy body hair for you,” he said, putting his wet armpit in her face.

  “Eww, Leo!” She pushed him off, laughing. He smelled nice, but it was disconcerting to have her nose shoved into a semiprivate place. She knew he meant to be funny and brotherly. Even so, the contact thrilled her. This was the problem between them. His humor wasn’t quite appropriate. They both had boundaries issues.

  “Quit messing around,” Nathan said, throwing Leo his shirt.

  He put it on while Brooke tucked the bowl into her backpack, glancing at her mother. Abby hadn’t missed the exchange. Brooke lifted her brows to communicate her dilemma. See? He’s touching me first.

  The thought struck her as childish, bringing to mind some of the squabbles she’d had with Ella when they were younger. If she wanted Leo to treat her like a girl, instead of a friend or a sister, she had to change the way they interacted. Maybe Leo hadn’t gotten the message. She wasn’t being obvious enough.

  Brooke started down the trail, taking the lead again. No one complained. The gory image of the dripping deer had faded, along with the fear that those dudes would sneak up on them. They were long gone.

  She set a difficult pace, hoping to reach the hot springs early enough to enjoy an afternoon soak. It was a beautiful hike along the mountainside, climbing steadily in elevation. Although the day was overcast, rather than sunny, the temperature felt warm. The cool breeze and cloudy skies kept them from overheating.

  When Abby started to lag behind, her cheeks flushed, Brooke checked her watch. It was time for a lunch break.

  She stopped in a nice shady area by the creek, shrugging out of her pack. They snacked on peanut butter crackers and banana chips. Her mom took off her shoes and put her toes in the water, making a sound as if her feet hurt. Brooke was itching to keep going, but she hopped across a few rocks and explored the opposite bank instead. Maybe Leo would follow her and give their parents some alone time. She glanced over her shoulder and found his eyes on her. Hiding a smile, she continued into the trees.

  “What are you doing?” he asked when he caught up with her.

  “Nothing.” She flattened her palm against the bark of an oak, feeling its rough texture. “My mom saw us this morning.”

  “I figured.”

  “She asked if we were having sex.”

  His brows shot up. “What did you say?”

  “I said yes, we’re doing it every chance we can get. In the tent, behind the outhouse and on the back of your motorcycle.”

  Although she was clearly joking, he didn’t laugh. “You shouldn’t talk like that.”

  “To you, or my mother?”

  He just stared at her, his lips pressed together in disapproval. For a pothead, he was sort of uptight. Maybe that was why she felt so compelled to brush up against him when he was near, to arch her back a little when he was watching.

  “Did you talk to your dad?” she asked.

  He looked away, scowling. “Yeah.”

  “How did it go?”

  “Fine.”

  “You didn’t argue?”

  “No. He said he was sorry for telling me to pull it together.”

  “When you were puking?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That was kind of jerky,” she said, thinking back. “It’s cool that he apologized. See, Leo? He’s trying.”

  “I guess.”

  “We should totally get him together with my mom.”

  He grimaced. “Why are you so obsessed with that?”

  At the cabin, she’d been pushing them together because Nathan seemed like a good guy. They’d make a cute couple. Now there was a different force driving her. The idea of her dad and Lydia splitting up bothered Brooke. She’d grown attached to Lydia. She didn’t want to lose Leo. In her experience, the only way to hold on to someone was through family connections, and even those were tenuous.

  “If they fell in love, my mom would be happy again...and we could still see each other,” she said softly.

  His eyes lit up with an emotion she couldn’t identify. It was happy and sad at the same time, lost in a strange space between pleasure and pain. She suspected that he was uncomfortable with her affection, but also flattered by it. Maybe he didn’t discourage her advances because he liked having his ego stroked.

  She dismissed the notion as quickly as it popped into her mind. Leo cared about her; she was certain of this, if nothing else. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings by rejecting her. So he played along and endured the push/pull between them, as if any move forward or back would send them both toppling over the edge they’d been balancing on.

  He was afraid to let go of her, too.

  “I won’t stop seeing you, Brooke.”

  “You stopped seeing your dad.”

  His gaze narrowed. “That’s different.”

  “Why?”

  “He left me.”

  “Not by choice.”

  “He chose to drink.”

  “You choose to smoke.”

  “Goddamn it,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. “It’s not the same. I’m not hurting anyone!”

  Brooke dropped the subject. She felt like a hypocrite because she’d asked him to share a joint with her at Mavericks. He’d never offered her pot or smoked it around her before. She’d caught him getting high in his room once when her dad and Lydia weren’t home. He’d been drowsy and distracted, unable to concentrate on their conversation.

  Her reaction to the drug wasn’t what she’d expected. Instead of feeling mellow, she’d become jumpy and hyperaware. Sounds and sights were magnified. She was confused one moment and giggling the next. Leo had laughed with her when she was laughing, calmed her when she needed calming.

  Hours later, she’d clung to him dreamily, lost in a trance. She’d pressed closer, touching her lips to his neck, and...

  A flash of movement on the ground distracted her. She searched the leaves at her feet and located the source leaping onto a nearby boulder.

  “Look,” she said, grasping Leo’s arm. “A frog.”

  He cupped his palm against the boulder, lightning-fast. Grinning, he turned his hand over, careful not to crush the tiny creature. It was about the size of a quarter, with a round body that was the color of speckled sand. When Brooke leaned in for a better look, it jumped again. She tried to find the frog among the scattered leaves, to no avail.

  What she did find gave her pause.

  Leo reached down and grabbed the arrow before she could pick it up. “This is from a crossbow.” It was longer than his forearm, with yellow feathers at one end and a wicked-looking metal point at the other.

  Covering the sharp tip with his thumb, he closed his fist around the point and brought it to the hollow of his throat. He lolled his head to the side, eyes dull. “Wouldn’t it be funny if I stumbled out of the woods, pretending I’d been shot?”

  “No,” she said, appalled. “My mom would have a heart attack.”

  “So would my dad.”

  “Maybe this is the same kind of arrow they found in that dead boy.”

  “Nah,” he said, taking the point away from his neck. “There’s more than one hunter with a crossbow around here.”

  Brook
e glanced around the woods, chilled by the thought.

  “Not right here, by the trail,” Leo said. “In this forest.”

  “If they don’t shoot near the trail, why is this arrow here?”

  “Good question,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s legal to shoot close to the trail or not. We could ask my dad.”

  She wrapped her hand around the shaft. “Let’s just leave it here and not say anything.”

  “I want to keep it.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “To hunt with later. I can catch a fish for our dinner, Pocahontas.”

  Smiling, she released the arrow. “Okay, Captain John.”

  “I’m not Captain John.” He held the arrow over his head like a spear. “I’m fucking Crazy Horse.”

  She laughed at his warrior pose. “Don’t let my mom see it.”

  He tucked the arrow into the waistband of his shorts, sharp end up, before they returned to their parents. Her mom wasn’t flirting with Nathan, to Brooke’s disappointment. She was brushing the sand off her perfectly manicured toes while he stood nearby, his arms crossed over his chest. Leo wasn’t the only one who seemed reluctant to make a move. Brooke was going to have to up her matchmaking game.

  Time for a full-court press.

  At the hot springs, Brooke and Leo could go exploring while her mom and Nathan soaked in the tubs. Leo’s dad liked women in bikinis. He liked her mother in a bikini. He also seemed protective, so maybe Brooke could exploit that.

  They resumed hiking at a moderate pace. Brooke didn’t want her mom to get too tired for romance. She focused on the sights and sounds of the forest, enjoying the pleasant burn in her muscles. Physical exercise always put Brooke in a peaceful state of mind, sort of an altered consciousness. It was so much better than the type of high Leo preferred. Brooke didn’t have anything against other people smoking pot, but she’d rather stay sharp. The woozy mixture of paranoia and hilarity had unsettled her.

  About two hours later, Brooke could tell they were getting close. A hint of sulfur tickled her nostrils, and ribbons of steam threaded through the trees in the distance. She grinned at Leo over her shoulder, excited.

  “Are we there yet?” he asked in a monotone.

  “Almost,” she said, walking faster. As she rounded the next corner, a naked woman sprinted toward her, dripping wet and screaming her head off. She was dark-haired and slim, her eyes wide with panic.

  “Nay,” the woman yelled, glancing behind her. In her hysterical state, she didn’t see Brooke and Leo on the trail. Making a sound between a shriek and a sob, she continued running and almost collided with them.

  The scene went from frightening to bizarre in two seconds flat. A tall blond man crashed through the bushes, holding a snake. He was naked and wet, like the woman, but neither small nor slim. Thor had a wide chest, thick arms and a very impressive piece of male equipment between his legs.

  Brooke didn’t have the faintest clue how to react. While she stood there, dumbstruck, Leo sprang into action. Moving in front of Thor, he brandished the arrow he’d tucked in his shorts. The terrified woman collapsed on the path, whimpering. Leo held the impromptu weapon in a challenging manner, as if ready to charge.

  Nathan caught up with them a second later. When he saw the cowering woman and buck-naked giant, he did a double take. Thor had six inches and at least fifty pounds on Leo. “What the fuck is this?” he asked, gaping.

  Thor tossed the snake aside and cupped his junk, flushing. It was a harmless little water snake, nothing compared to his manhood. One hand didn’t even cover him. Brooke didn’t mean to stare, but she couldn’t help it.

  Her mother crouched down next to the nude woman. “Are you all right?”

  The woman answered with a rush of foreign words, her teeth chattering. She didn’t look scared anymore, just angry and cold.

  “I play,” Thor said. “She is friend. Girlfriend.”

  Leo relaxed his stance. “Do you speak English?” he asked the woman.

  She continued to scold the man in her native tongue. Brooke couldn’t guess what it was. Leo tried Spanish, which she seemed to understand. Finally she said, “I am okay,” in heavily accented English. “Sorry.”

  Thor apologized also, seeming chagrined. Leo exchanged a few more words with the woman in Spanish. Brooke guessed that she was afraid of snakes, not her boyfriend. Thor had been chasing after her as a joke.

  Leo turned around to give them some privacy, gesturing for his dad to do the same. Brooke and her mom followed suit. As the woman scampered away with Thor, Brooke peeked at his retreating backside. Not bad.

  When the couple was out of sight, the four of them exchanged incredulous glances.

  “I think we found the nudists,” Nathan said.

  They all burst out laughing. Brooke felt dizzy from a mixture of tension and relief. She’d assumed the woman was being attacked, but she’d just stood there. Leo was the one who’d stepped forward to protect her. He was still holding the arrow.

  “Where did you get that?” her mother asked.

  “In the woods,” he said, tucking it away again.

  The couple returned, covered with beach towels, a moment later. They must have left their belongings by the hot springs. The man said they were visiting the U.S. from Croatia. Their names were Jakov and Petra.

  “Do you have a cell phone?” her mother asked, cupping a hand to her ear.

  Jakov nodded. “Ya.”

  “Can I use it? Por favor?”

  They followed Jakov and Petra to a nearby campsite. Jakov found his cell phone and handed it her mother. Although she couldn’t get a voice call through, she was able to send a text message to Ray detailing their whereabouts and asking him to report the theft to the local authorities. Leo communicated with the couple in a combination of languages, explaining that they’d been robbed at Echo Lake.

  Her mom returned the cell phone with a profuse thank-you. Instead of staying in the campsite, the couple got ready to leave. They waved goodbye and set off down the trail.

  “Do you think they understood you?” Nathan asked.

  “I don’t know. Their Spanish wasn’t much better than their English, and they didn’t speak Portuguese.”

  “What were you going to do with that arrow?”

  “I have no idea,” he replied, smiling.

  “He could have swatted it away from you like a fly.”

  Leo arched a brow. “I think he could have beaten me up with his dick.”

  They all laughed like crazy at this exaggeration, unable to pretend they hadn’t noticed Jakov’s male endowments. Brooke almost died. Nathan doubled over and staggered sideways. Even her mother joined in, giggling until she cried.

  “I don’t blame her for running away,” Brooke said, sending them off again.

  “Remind me not to go to Croatia,” Leo added. “I can’t compete.”

  Brooke hadn’t laughed so hard in months. The humor was adult and juvenile at the same time. It felt weird to share this moment as a family, but good. If they could make fun of penises, they were getting comfortable with each other.

  “Seriously though,” Nathan said, sobering. “That was brave of you.”

  Leo stopped laughing. He looked bewildered, as if he couldn’t believe his father was actually giving him a compliment.

  “He’s right, Leo,” Brooke said. “That girl was screaming bloody murder and I just froze. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “That’s a common response to a dangerous situation,” her mom said. “Most people move slow instead of hurrying to help. Some can’t move or think at all.”

  “Where did you hear that?” Nathan asked.

  “I’ve read a lot of books about survival psychology,” her mom said.

  “She’s obsessed with wors
t-case scenarios and disaster prep,” Brooke said. “If you need to know how to escape a submerged vehicle, she’s your girl.”

  Nathan smiled in approval. “I’ll remember that.”

  “You can’t predict how anyone will react during an emergency,” her mom said to Leo. “It takes a special sort of person to push aside their fear and be a hero.”

  Leo’s eyes watered as he listened to her. They all fell silent, watching him with interest.

  He must have been embarrassed by the display of emotion, because he walked away, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  LEO STAYED AT the edge of the campsite for a few minutes.

  Pulling himself together.

  He wasn’t a hero, and he hadn’t done anything special. He didn’t enjoy being put on the spot or patted on the back. It was better than getting criticized for puking, he supposed, but the situations felt similar. Both of his reactions had been instinctive, rather than deliberate. If he’d stopped to consider the size differential, he wouldn’t have jumped in to help.

  His dad was trying to win him over with nice words, and Leo wasn’t going to fall for it. He didn’t like this pressure in his chest. With some difficulty, he blinked the tears away. He didn’t like crying, either.

  When he was dry-eyed and guarded, he returned to the group. This campsite was even more primitive than the last one, with a single fire pit and a small clearing for tents. There was no outhouse; they were going to have to dig holes. Gross.

  His dad was setting up a tent in the shade. Brooke went to gather water with Abby. Saying nothing, Leo approached his dad and started helping. When Brooke returned to camp, she passed out a handful of pistachios and dried apricots. Leo would have killed for a burrito. Even a bowl of cereal or some fresh fruit sounded good.

  Anything but more nuts.

  “What else is there?” he asked Brooke. “I’m still hungry.”

  She gave him two sausage sticks, which he devoured. Abby opened a bag of pretzels and shared those, also.

  “We’ll have a heartier meal tonight,” Brooke promised.