“Um…” Lauren had no idea what to say, she’d never ridden a horse or driven a four-wheeler. “Are these our only options?” she asked, again feeling like she was going to make a fool of herself on this trip.
“I’m afraid so, I tried to warn you if you’ll remember,” Seth said sarcastically.
Lauren didn’t appreciate his tone of voice, she was here to help him after all, so she shot back, “Do I look like the kind of person who rides a horse?”
“How am I supposed to know? I didn’t mean to insult you, just give you the options,” Seth said innocently, knowing that he’d pulled this stunt just to freak Lauren out, hoping she’d back out of the trip.
But all he’d done was make her even more determined to follow through, which was good because she really did want to see what they were dealing with. Facts and figures were fine, but nothing could replace seeing the areas that were affected in person. Driving a four-wheeler couldn’t be that hard, after all it wasn’t that much different than a car and thanks to a high school boyfriend, she could handle just about any car.
Lauren had fallen for a bad boy her Senior year in high school, not only did he smoke cigarettes and marijuana, he was a dedicated street racer. For a good girl like Lauren it had been an adventure to push safety to the limits, speeding down the back roads, always on the verge of a crash. In the end the boy had broken her heart but not before she’d gotten a look at another side of life, and some serious skills behind the wheel.
“I think the four-wheelers will be just fine,” she said, giving Seth a false smile.
“Okay, then let’s get our gear loaded,” he said, pointing to the stack of supplies.
Lauren picked up the first pack on the pile, it was much heavier than she’d anticipated and she grunted. “Do we really need all this stuff?” she asked, stumbling over to the trailer attached to the four-wheeler.
“We’re going to be a long way from any kind of civilization for over a week, it pays to be prepared out here,” Seth said, easily shouldering a bag twice the size of the one she’d picked up.
Lauren sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought, especially since she had little experience with the outdoors. “You’re the expert,” she said, then reached for another bag.
“Why don’t you load your gear, I’ll get this,” Seth said, clearly annoyed with her.
Lauren looked at the pile of gear and wanted to do as he suggested, but she wasn’t going to let him get anything over on her so she picked up another bag and began lugging it to the trailer. “That’s okay, I’ll do my share.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Seth said, under his breath but just loud enough for her to hear.
She wanted to make a rude reply, but knew that it wouldn’t do any good to fight with him, even though it might make her feel better. They finished loading and set off, Seth watching Lauren carefully to make sure she wasn’t going to crash the four-wheeler. Lauren was tempted to pretend to be out of control just to get to Seth but again resisted the urge deciding it was a juvenile move, but it did make her smile to think about doing it.
Seth saw that smile and was tempted to ask what was so funny, but he was filled with a suddenly longing for Lauren that made no sense to him. The woman was nothing but a thorn in his side, she’d made this as difficult as she could, and he was sure that she’d be nothing but a liability on the trial. But there was still this tiny little piece of him that was drawn to her in a way he couldn’t describe, it was more than just the physical desire he was feeling, that he understood. It was deeper than that and he didn’t like it one little bit.
Being a confirmed bachelor, he’d long ago given up on the idea of love, it just didn’t exist. Like any man he craved female companionship from time to time, and he’d even had a few long-term relationships, but no woman had ever made him feel the way he assumed you were supposed to feel when you were in love.
It was never difficult to find that companionship when he wanted it, in fact there were several women in town who welcomed him into their beds. Living in such a small community he had to be careful who he got involved with, but so far, he’d managed not to break anyone’s heart. He was always upfront with the women he became involved with, explaining early on that he never planned to get married, and would never have any kids.
A few had tried to change his mind, going so far as to move to his little cabin, but it never lasted. After a few months, they’d pack up, say a tearful goodbye, and move back to town. He never interfered with their plans, just went along, thinking that it might be nice to find someone to share his life with. Of course, that life wasn’t all that easy, and the isolation could be difficult to cope with, not very many people could handle it.
Once they’d been on the trail for an hour, Seth realized that Lauren had mastered the four-wheeler and he relaxed. They’d navigated several boggy areas where it was all too easy to get stuck, but she’d gunned the engine and slogged through them like she’d been doing it all her life. Grinning from ear to ear as the mud flew and the tires slipped dangerously in the mucky ground.
Lauren hadn’t had much fun in her life for a long time, since the moment that she realized that if she was going to go to college it was up to her to get there. It wasn’t that her parents wouldn’t have given her a college education if they could have, but with eight brothers and sisters, she’d figured out early on that it wouldn’t be possible. So, she set about doing everything she could to secure the education she dearly wanted.
When she got to the university, she found the world she’d always been looking for. A world full of people who wanted to learn, to explore, and best of all she found people just like her. She’d never fit in at any of the schools she’d attended, girls just weren’t supposed to be interested in science, they were supposed to take typing and computer classes. Lauren wanted more than a boring nine to five job, she wanted to make a difference in the world.
When she emerged from the university with a degree in biochemistry, but no money for any further study, she took the internship with the EPA even though it wasn’t what she’d envisioned she’d be doing. Now she was on her first assignment, one that could make or break her career, but as she flew through the mud, that was the last thing on her mind.
Chapter 5
When they stopped for lunch, Lauren was starving and the sandwiches she packed went down faster than she would have liked. Seth had made it clear that she should bring her own food, had even sent her a list of things to buy, most of it was dehydrated so she’d allowed herself this one last treat. They ate in silence until they were both finished, too hungry to take time to force conversation.
Neither had thought about what it was going to be like during their down time on the trail and the silence was beginning to get heavy. “You did good with the four-wheeler this morning. I have to say that I’m impressed.”
Lauren was a bit shocked by his compliment, but said, “Thank you.” Then felt the need to explain for some strange reason. “I had a boyfriend in high school who was into cars. I learned quite a bit in those nine months,” she said, her voice wistful.
Seth couldn’t help but pick up on her tone, and imagined that she was missing the boyfriend. He couldn’t know that it wasn’t the boy she was missing, she was missing the carefree way she felt when she was with him. Instead he was imagining her with the boy, driving down a back road in a fast car, laughing and kissing in the back seat when they parked. A sudden stab of jealousy caught him off guard and he jumped to his feet.
“Well, we’d better get back on the trail,” he said, abruptly ending the conversation.
Lauren watched his retreating back, wishing she hadn’t told him that story. It was way too personal for a professional relationship, but for just a second, she’d seen Seth as a friend. Of course, that was impossible, she was here in a professional capacity, it wouldn’t do to get too close to Seth Montgomery, he was a man with lots of problems. Problems she herself was creating. It would be beyond unprofessional to
develop any kind of feelings for the man.
They rode for most of the afternoon, finally stopping to set up camp late in the day, thanks to the long summer days in this part of the world, they’d have light until nearly midnight. Lauren was glad of that fact since she knew it was going to take her a long time to set up her camp, not to mention that the bears and other wildlife would be less likely to visit in daylight. Not for the first time that day, she wished that she’d grown up in place where she could have experienced the outdoors.
But there had been little chance of that living in Atlanta, her parents working double shifts just to support them, and all her brothers and sisters to care for. There had never been such a thing as a vacation in her house, that just wasn’t possible. The closest she’d ever gotten to the outdoors had been the park in their neighborhood.
Lauren watched Seth carefully as he unloaded his gear, then mimicked him, hoping that he wouldn’t notice. She chose a site for her tent that gave her a view of his, then began slowly unfolding her tent, watching him as he set up his so she’d know what to do. But when she’d finally gotten the poles together, she just couldn’t figure out where to put them and it had looked so simple when Seth had done it. She was standing staring at the tent when he came up behind her, she felt his presence before he even spoke.
“Do you need some help?” he asked, much too sweetly.
“No, thank you. I can figure this out,” she replied, equally sweetly.
“Okay then, I’m going to go find some firewood,” he said, and headed into the trees.
Seth was smiling as he walked away, he’d take his time, get a nice big pile of firewood. By the time he got back, Lauren would be so frustrated, she’d give in and ask for his help. It would be somehow satisfying to help her, he wasn’t sure what that meant and he wasn’t going to explore it any farther, but he was looking forward to hearing her ask.
The moment Seth left the clearing where they’d set up camp, Lauren went straight for the directions for the tent. She’d seen them sticking out of the bag, but she hadn’t wanted to read them with Seth around, it made little sense, but that was how she’d felt. But now that he was gone, she snatched them up, determined to have the tent set up and ready when he got back, that would wipe the smug smile off his face.
When Seth walked back into camp, he’d expected to see a frustrated Lauren, but what he found instead was Lauren’s backside sticking out of the door of her perfectly erected tent. The sight stopped him in his tracks as a powerful wave of desire washed over him. He cursed and started toward the fire pit, unable to stop thinking about Lauren’s perfectly rounded rear end in her tight jeans.
Lauren stood up and put her hands on her hips, “What’s the matter?” she asked, afraid that he’d seen some wild animal in the forest.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” he said, his voice coming out angry instead of frustrated, which he was. The attraction he was feeling for this woman had to end.
He couldn’t do anything about it and now was not the time to get tangled up with another woman, especially one who was so young, she couldn’t possibly be more than 24 or 25 and probably thinking about marriage and kids. Not to mention the fact that she was basically his enemy right now, the last thing he needed was to complicate an already complicated matter. But had circumstances been different, had he met her in town…He stopped his train of thought there, it would only torture him to think of the what ifs.
Lauren couldn’t understand his harsh response, she’d only asked because he’d cussed, the man was going to drive her crazy. She went back to her tent and finished putting her bedroll together, then got the little stove she’d bought and a packet of the dehydrated food Seth had told her to bring. It didn’t sound very appetizing, but she was tired and hungry and still had to figure out how to light the little stove.
Seth had lit his earlier and she’d watched, but he’d been too far away for her to clearly see what he was doing, so she’d have to swallow her pride and read the directions in front of him. She was too hungry to let her pride get in the way of stopping the growling in her stomach, and she wasn’t about to ask for help.
It took Seth no time at all to get the fire started so Lauren sat down across the fire pit from him and took out the stove, trying to ignore him. It looked simple enough to put together, but she had no idea how to light it and was just a bit frightened of blowing herself up so she took out the directions and ready them through twice. Then she took the stove the recommended distance from the fire, took a deep breath, and struck a match.
To her immense pleasure, the little stove lit on the first try and in no time at all she had a hot meal all ready to go. Sighing with pleasure, she took her food over to the fire and sat down to eat it, pleased with her first attempt at feeding herself. Seth had prepared his food over the fire and although it smelled much better than what she was eating, she refused his offer to share.
“That’s okay. I’ve got plenty here, but thank you,” she said when he offered.
Seth took a bit bite of the stew he’d made, then said, “That stuff is going to get old after a while.”
Lauren was doing her best to enjoy the meal, but the truth was it didn’t taste very good. “I suppose it will, but I’ll live,” she said, thinking about the time money had been so tight they’d had to eat beans for weeks; at least with this food she’d have some variety.
Seth watched Lauren eat, trying not to laugh when he thought about her carefully reading the directions, then pacing off the distance between the stove and the fire. He had to give her credit though, for someone who clearly knew nothing about camping, she’d managed to set up a neat little camp and feed herself. “You’ve never been camping before, have you?” he finally asked, amusement in his voice.
Lauren remembered all too well what had happened the last time she’d given him personal information, how he’d walked away without a comment, making her feel like she’d said too much, so she kept her answer short. “No, I grew up in the city.”
“Well, for a city girl you did okay today,” Seth said, just the slightest bit of admiration apparent in his voice. “It was entertaining to watch you figure out how to light that lamp, you read the directions twice.”
Lauren thought about giving him a smart reply, but realized just in time that he’d been giving her a compliment. “I like figuring things out for myself, reading the directions is sometimes the only way, although if I’d had more time I probably would have watched a video instead. I wasn’t prepared for this trip,” she admitted, then was sorry she did, but Seth didn’t make a disparaging remark like she’d expected him to.
Instead, he said, “I’ll teach you to build a fire tomorrow when we make camp, it’s not that hard, but I don’t have any written directions or a video, the real thing will have to do.” Seth smiled at her, finding that he liked teasing her.
“I think I might be able to handle it without directions, but I could always write them down,” she said, trying to sound serious.
Seth laughed. “I think you’re smart enough to learn how to start a fire without written directions.”
Lauren couldn’t help but notice how much more attractive Seth was when he smiled, it lit up his entire face and she wished he’d smile more often. That thought was quickly followed by a wave of desire that caught her off guard and almost made her say something stupid about his smile, but she caught herself. Feeling danger in the air, she got up and cleaned up her dinner mess and put the stove away.
“I’ll think I’ll call it a night. I’m pretty tired,” she said, once everything had been packed up.
“Hmm, it’s still early, but we do want to get an early start in the morning so that’s not a bad idea,” Seth said, not liking the feelings he was having either. He was beginning to like Lauren Anderson a little too much for either of their own good.
They broke camp early in the morning, and got on the trail, it was only a few hours ride to the first mine. Seth was hopeful that they could see the mine
and move on before it got too late in the afternoon to travel, the thought of camping out at the mine didn’t please him at all. It was a stark and ugly place, especially since it was no longer in operation, shut down thanks to a mass exodus of upper level employees.
It had happened shortly after Neil Parker disappeared, almost as if he’d warned them what was going to happen when he disappeared. Several people had left overnight, leaving their homes with only what they could carry in a suitcase. Rather than hire replacements, he’d decided it was just simpler to shut down the mines and offered the laid-off employees a severance package. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the night in the shadow of the mine, a terrible reminder that his family legacy was one of corruption and dishonesty.
Lauren could see the mine for miles before they even got close, it was a dark gash on an otherwise lush green landscape. The closer they got the more upset she became, the land had been so abused it looked like a battle field full of rubble, all that was missing was the bodies. And the hulking mining buildings did nothing to soften the effect. By the time they parked their four-wheelers and got off, she had tears in her eyes, the sight the ugliest and the largest she’d ever seen.
“This is awful. How could this have gone on for so long?” she asked, her voice shaking with both anger and frustration.
Seth knew exactly what she felt because he felt it too. “At least your family isn’t the ones responsible,” he said, quietly.
His words penetrated her anger, and she was instantly sure that Seth really hadn’t had anything to do with what she was looking at. “You really didn’t have anything to do with this, did you?” she said, then wished she hadn’t.
“Are you just now figuring that out?” Seth asked, looking down at her, a bit surprised by her words, not sure how he could have made it any clearer to her.
“You have no idea what I’ve seen, even in my short career,” she defended herself. “Let’s get started, I don’t want to stay here any longer than we have to.”
Weak For You: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 15) Page 5
