by Debra Kayn
Even if Quint wanted to see her walk into the airport, she couldn't do it. Her heart broke every time she imagined leaving the cabin for the last time. She'd never be able to say goodbye to him in public without making a spectacle of herself.
He expected her to leave. It wouldn't come as a surprise to him when she walked away. She only wanted to spare them both the awkwardness of a goodbye. She'd write him a thank you letter, like a coward.
"So, you'll take me?" she asked.
"Sure." Jared straightened. "Be at my truck at three o'clock tomorrow."
"Thank you so much." She leaned forward. "And, could you maybe not tell Quint?"
"Katelynn," muttered Jared, frowning.
Everyone at Bitterroot Campground knew they were having a summer relationship. She never hid her attraction to Quint, and lately, he openly kissed and touched her when the others were around. But, leaving him and the emotions involved were something she wanted to keep private.
"Please?" She swallowed. "I don't want to make it a big production or involve anyone else in our business."
He nodded and walked out of headquarters. She sniffled, inhaling deeply. Asking for a favor had been harder than she'd thought. Sick of leaning on others for help, she would soon be back to depending on herself. No doubt, she'd fail many times to get back on her feet, but she'd survived before. She'd survive again.
To think otherwise would only defeat her, and she refused to give up on herself.
She gathered the broom and dustpan and set to cleaning the hardwood floor. Any moment, the few campers remaining would pull their travel trailers past headquarters and leave. The chaotic rush from the last three days would be over, and she'd have to face Quint without any distractions.
He hadn't mentioned her leaving, except to hand over the money she'd earned. Since putting Will to rest on the mountain peak, he hadn't even seen Anders or Mark. He'd spent all his time working and with her, and she worried about how he'd do by himself after she left.
Will's death was still fresh on his mind. He mourned his friend, and with winter coming, he needed the others around him to bolster his spirits.
She swept the dust into the pan and carried the debris outside. Gazing around the area for Quint, she found him talking with a man in front of an RV. She tossed the dirt and waved to Sam and J.T, who loitered at the dumpster.
Going back inside, she caught sight of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her rush of fright gave way to laughter.
"What are you doing in here again?" She shuffled sideways and picked up the broom. "There's nothing for you to steal, this time."
The gray and black raccoon stood on its hind feet below the shelving unit. Having watched Quint escort the raccoon out of the building the last time the critter snuck in, she mimicked his technique using the broom.
"Go now." She poked the raccoon with the bristles.
The animal hissed. She stretched, holding the end of the handle, surprised the coon was heavier than it looked.
"Boy, you're stubborn." She laughed, sliding the raccoon along the floor.
Its toenails scraped against the wood sending a shiver up Katelynn's spine. Inch by inch, she worked the animal toward the door. Keeping the broom between her and the pest, she blindly reached out to open the door when the handle knocked into her hand, unbalancing her.
She tottered to keep from falling, and two hands grabbed her waist and held her.
"Are you okay?" Quint's fingers tightened on her.
"I'm fine. Just trying to get this little guy outside before he makes a mess." She looked over her shoulder at Quint. "He's protesting. I think he knows winter is coming."
"You wouldn't be so kind if you could see how many babies she'll bring with her next summer." He took the broom from her.
She stepped out of his way, verbally punched in the gut by the reminder that she would be in Vancouver next summer. Only Quint would be around to shoo away the raccoons next year.
He made quick work of ridding headquarters of the trespasser. She took the broom and dustpan and put them away.
"I think everything is in its place and clean." She pointed to the shelves. "I left everything up that wouldn't spoil and pinned the sheets to keep them dust free. The candy and snacks are in the boxes by the door. I wasn't sure where you wanted them."
"I always let the employees take them home at the end of the season." He looked around. "You've got the place finished faster than I normally get it done. Thanks."
"No problem." She shrugged. "It feels good to stay busy."
Not that keeping herself physically moving stopped her head from thinking of what was in her future, but it worked out some of the tension riddling her.
"Go ahead and head on back to the cabin. The last guest has left. I'm going to talk with the employees and should be home in a half hour or so." He kissed her and walked into his office.
She stared after him, wanting to call him back and beg him to let her stay with him while he worked. Any time apart from him made her chest hurt. Tonight would be the last time she slept in the same bed with him.
Her vision blurred and she turned away, going out the door. Hurrying to start the ATV, she rode away from headquarters, away from Quint.
The wind failed to dry her tears.
Chapter 36
The towel around Katelynn's naked body slipped. She grabbed for the material and found her feet lifted off the floor and Quint's hard, hot body pressed against her back.
She reached above her and hooked his neck. "I'm still wet."
He tossed her to the bed and followed her down, settling between her legs. "I'm going to make sure you get wetter."
True to his word, he lowered his head. Her body tensed and then sighed as his tongue caressed her pussy. She grabbed the pillow and propped it under her head. Focused on him, she took in every detail to store in her memories.
The gray strands of hair in his black hair, thicker at his temples. The scars on his upper arms, white with age. She reached down and curled her finger around his ear. She'd give up everything in her life for a chance at a future with him.
He was a man who'd come into her life hard and stable, and she was going to walk away, knowing his softness and horror. Never would she have imagined all the quiet nights when he held her or the way he'd rearranged her life when she couldn't even voice her needs.
Some people, like her mom, claimed to get a second life every time they picked up a bottle. For her, she received a second chance at living because of Quint.
She inhaled deeply, accepting the pleasure building inside of her. Needing this time with Quint to remember forever, she focused on him. Sex last night was branded on her skin, she had love bites on her neck, her breasts, and her thighs. She needed inner proof of how he made her feel to remember when her nights turned lonely.
Quint groaned against her, capturing her clit between his lips. She dug her heels into the mattress and raised her arms above her head, stretching at the multitude of poignant feelings spreading through her.
Forevermore, she would associate those feelings with Quint.
He slid a finger inside of her, continuing to manipulate her with his tongue. The longer she tried to hold back her orgasm, the stronger her body greedily took and took.
Her back arched, she cried out, angry at the betrayal going on inside of her. Clamping her lips together, she beat the bed with her fists and squirmed, trying anything to slow the pleasure.
But Quint never gave up. He sucked, licked, and held her ass, taking her to an impossible high.
She hovered, holding her breath. Her orgasm burst. Her breath released in a moan.
Quint slowed, lightly caressing her slit. He withdrew his finger, and her body leveled. She closed her eyes as the emotions clogged her throat and pained her chest.
He crawled up her body, kissing a trail over her ribs, between her breasts. She caught a sob before the noise could escape.
"Hey," he whispered.
She swallowed and
whispered back, "Hey."
He reached for a condom and fumbled above her, rolling the protection on with one hand. She used her fingers to straighten his beard, grabbing a shirt off the bed, and wiped her wetness from his mouth.
His gaze softened. "That was all you."
She warmed. "I want a little less me, and all of you."
He slid inside of her and lowered his upper body. She took some of his weight and cupped his head, bringing him down. Capturing his lips, she stroked his tongue. God, she'd miss mornings with him.
Afternoons.
Evenings.
He ground against her. Pulled out. Thrust in. She hooked her legs around his thighs and bumped against him as he ignited the passion in her again.
His upper body hardened as he fucked her faster. He pulled his mouth away and placed his forehead against hers. Caught in his pleasure, she found her body responding as they loved on one another.
Loved. On. One. Another.
She loved him.
She'd always love him.
There was not a sight in her future where she could imagine anyone knowing her every secret. Quint owned her heart.
Her body agreed, and she gasped, frantic to come again.
Quint's strokes shortened and his breath fanned her face. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his upper body.
They came together and because making love with Quint was always perfect, always special, always memorable, she cried.
He stiffened above her, pulling out. "You're crying."
She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I'm okay."
"Did I hurt you?"
"No."
He lifted some of his weight off her. "You're sure?"
"Positive." She caressed his whiskered jawline. "That was...wonderful."
His mouth softened, and he kissed her. "Didn't mean to make you cry."
"It was a good cry." She rolled when he climbed off her.
He leaned down and kissed her again. "You're tired. Why don't you stay in bed? I'm going to ride over to headquarters and get everyone started on working."
She nodded. "I'll make sandwiches for lunch."
"Don't worry about me. Since the campground is closed, I'm going to work through the day and hopefully get off early."
She sat up, alarmed at the announcement. "What time will you get back?"
"I'm shooting for four or five o'clock."
Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She'd be gone by then.
Wrapping the blanket around her, she stood. Panic filled her. They hadn't talked about goodbyes. How was she supposed to tell him that she planned to go to the airport, purchase a waiting ticket at a discount in case a seat opens up, and leave Idaho?
She followed him out to the kitchen. The aroma of coffee made her stomach queasy.
Quint poured a cup, turned to her, and kissed her forehead. "You should go back to bed."
"I'm not tired," she mumbled.
"You should be." He rubbed the curve of her ass. "I kept you up most of the night again."
She needed no sleep, only more time with Quint.
He walked to the door. She trembled. He couldn't leave. It would be the last time she sees him.
There were a million things she needed to tell him and twice as many questions to ask. She hadn't found out his favorite movie or what he liked to do for his birthday. There were more places she wanted to discover with him. She wanted to see the mountains in the spring and see the raccoon's babies.
"Quint?" she said, stepping forward and stopping.
He stopped and turned around. Lightheaded, she stared into his eyes wishing she could go back a year and change the choices that she'd made, leaving out her decision to talk with Cord Miller online. But, knowing if she hadn't traveled to the Bitterroot Mountains in search of love, she never would've met Quint. She couldn't regret meeting him.
"Be careful," she whispered.
His gaze softened, and he dipped his chin. "See you later."
The door closed behind him. Left alone, she remained standing in the kitchen. The cabin had become her home. The mountains her sanctuary. Quint her hero.
Everything she loved would remain here when she left. Including, her heart.
Chapter 37
The snowbirds fluttered under the bush near headquarters. Quint tossed a can of beer to Jared, Sam, and J.T before opening one for himself. The first cold swig quenched his thirst.
"It's official. People are pigs." J.T. shook his head in disgust. "You provide a dump station at the entrance, and yet, half of Loop C has evidence of campers digging a hole and draining their sewage into the ground. It doesn't make sense."
"Man, I'm glad the season is over." Sam leaned against the trunk of a cedar tree. "This year was busy with first-time campers. I've had my fill of sixty-year-old men who want me to explain every doohickey on their new rig."
"I'd take that over the kids." Jared whipped the bill of his hat around and drank from the can. "Besides having them underfoot asking a million questions, I think we should ban those freezer pops from being consumed within the campground. They toss the wrappers all over, doesn't matter to them that they get swept into the river, polluting our mountain."
"Hell, I've seen you sucking on those." J.T. laughed. "The pops, not the kids."
Sam snorted. "I don't know. I think I've seen him sucking on some teenage girls."
"Fuck you." Jared drained his drink. "Besides, I was only entertaining those that would be eighteen years old next summer."
Quint looked out over the campground to hide his amusement. He remembered being Jared's age and having Sawyer give him a lecture about staying away from the young girls.
He gazed at the driveway to the cabin. Not that he could blame the kid for grabbing a little enjoyment while earning a living. Katelynn had been there for him as his summer turned to shit.
"All right, you guys can take off, and I'll see you tomorrow." He stepped over and got on the ATV. "Same time tomorrow. If we're lucky and you work your asses off, you'll be out of here by Thursday afternoon."
"Hell, boss. Why don't you call it a day?" J.T. spit on the ground. "No use in you doing the work alone when we'll be here to help. We can hit it hard tomorrow."
"The forecast is calling for rain by the end of the week. I want to work along the river before the water rises. There will be enough work for you guys." He started the engine. "Don't forget to take those boxes in headquarters home with you."
He rode off. Needing the time alone to sort through his personal life.
Katelynn deserved more from him now that work for the season was near finished. He hadn't had time to come to terms with Will dying or predict when Jaster would show himself. As if sitting on a ticking time bomb, he'd never been good at making quick decisions.
If he needed to know how many square feet were included in a pull-through campsite, he could work out the problem in his head or how many rolls of toilet paper it took for one season at seventy-five percent full it would take to supply four bathrooms with three toilets each, and he'd put the order in automatically.
He had no problem with equations.
Katelynn being here constantly stumped him.
He arrived at the Northeast section of the river, where he could see if any vehicles approached the closed gate. Getting off the ATV, he stood on the bank and surveyed the bend. Last year's spring runoff had caused part of the bank to erode. Not wanting to remove the trees that stabilized the ground, he could clear out the brush and still make the area passable for guests who explored the area on foot.
He rode around the bend, the tires of the quad going in six inches of water. A deer drinking from the river's edge spooked, running back into the woods. He stopped at the firepit and got off the ride, toeing the charred remains of the logs left behind.
The campers had gone through enough wood over the summer, he'd need to split a couple of cords before the snow came to make sure the guests had dry wood through next summer. City folks enjoye
d their outdoor heaters but wasted nature's fuel.
Grabbing the ax off the back of the ATV, he hiked over to the lean-to and set to making more firewood. He enjoyed the manual labor. The rhythmic motions of lifting an ax. The sound of his energy splitting the logs. The satisfaction of living off the land.
Two hours later, he'd chopped until his muscles tired. Using his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, he rode back through the campground, double checked the gate to make sure it was locked and headed to the cabin.
Hopefully, Katelynn got some rest today on her first day off. The extra work he'd put in only sparked his need for her. He flung his shirt over his shoulder and walked inside the cabin bare-chested. A quick shower, some food, and he planned to make an early night with her in his bed.
Not seeing her in the living room, he walked down the hallway to the bedroom. "Katelynn?"
He stepped inside the room and looked into the bathroom. His body tensed. She wouldn't go off on a walk, not after everything that'd happened. Jaster was still out there, and he'd told her many times not to go alone.
He turned to go out on the porch and spotted a piece of paper on the bed. He stared, afraid to read it, afraid Jaster got to Katelynn.
His next breath never came. He pulled his phone out, checking his messages and seeing if he missed a phone call.
Nobody had called or tried to contact him.
He hung his arms down to his sides. If something happened to Katelynn, he'd lose his mind. She was a part of him. He'd brought her into his life, shared his past, and fallen in love.
The thought of losing her was impossible to accept, he walked over to the bed and snatched up the paper.
Dear Quint,
I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. Even writing that sounds incredibly lame and insignificant compared to what we've been through. All my life, I've looked for someone to fill the empty hole in my heart. I've made mistakes and bad choices but running to you was the best thing I've ever done. Maybe a small part of me recognized the hurt and longing you'd gone through and clung to what we had in common. By the time we slept together, I knew with all my heart that what we had together was bigger than both of us.
