by Gail Sattler
“If she’s ready to play by my rules, then I’ll think about giving her back her job.”
“Why, you … She’d never …”
Roberta nearly lost her lunch. She tried to ram her hand through the sleeve opening and missed. She didn’t need or want her job back, and she wanted Mike out of her house and out of her life forever. She didn’t know how she could ever have thought she loved Mike, and even less how she could have considered marrying him.
She needed to put a stop to the ugly scene in the living room. Fully dressed at last, she started for the bedroom door just as she heard the sickening thud of a fist finding its mark. She couldn’t tell who hit whom. Although Mike deserved it, she couldn’t see Garrett throwing the first punch.
Just as she ran down the hall in bare feet, she heard cursing as Mike hit the sidewalk, a rustling of her bushes, hopefully the rosebush, followed by the slam of her front door.
“What’s going on in here?” she called frantically as she skidded to a halt. Garrett stood, his back to her, leaning with his palms pressed at shoulder height against the door.
“Garrett! Say something!”
“You had a visitor.”
She waited.
Slowly, he turned to face her with a slightly crooked smile. “He’s gone now.” One eye was already starting to swell shut.
Roberta covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, Garrett!” she gasped.
He winced at the same time as he grinned.
“Oh, Garrett, I’m so sorry! Does it hurt?”
“Am I expected to be brave or truthful?”
Roberta cringed. Turning toward the kitchen, she called over her shoulder as she started to run, “Let me get you some ice. Sit down.”
Instead of sitting, he followed her into the kitchen. She guided him to one of the chairs before she dumped some ice into a plastic bag, then covered it with a clean dish towel and gently pressed it to his eye.
When he flinched at the contact, Roberta nearly cried. She twined the fingers of her other hand through the hair at the back of his head to steady him, and maintained the pressure with the compress.
He raised his hand to push it away, but she shook her head.
“It’s not that bad, really,” he complained.
“Quit trying to be valiant. I know Mike works out at the gym.” Garrett flinched again when she moved the compress as the ice melted and shifted. “Don’t move,” she whispered hoarsely.
Obeying her command, he stiffened, not moving a muscle, until she removed the cloth to reshape it.
“Am I all better?”
“Hush,” she choked out, still trying to assimilate what she’d heard. Mike had let her know in no uncertain terms what he thought when she turned down his advances, but he had never resorted to violence or threats in the past. After his performance today, she didn’t think it wise to take the chance. Date rape really happened, and she had no intention of becoming another statistic.
She raised the compress to reapply it, but before she could, Garrett grasped her wrist.
“It’s okay, Robbie, I don’t think any more ice would make a difference. What’s done is done.”
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
He gave her such a sad smile she had to bite her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “I should have seen it coming. Now forget about it. We’d better go get those groceries, or else we’ll have to face the wrath of two very hungry campers when we’re late with their supper.”
All she could do was nod.
On their way out the door, Garrett picked up his sunglasses off the table and very gingerly placed them on his face.
Roberta couldn’t help but stare. The large sunglasses managed to hide most of the swelling, but she could see some discoloration already starting below the lower part of the frame.
For the first time since they were alone together, Garrett remained silent. Overcome with guilt about everything that had happened to him because of her, she found herself doing what Garrett had done up until now. Chattering. Endlessly. She talked about her neighborhood as they drove away, her family, her perception of her camping experience. It warmed her heart when he smiled at her admission of how out of her league she was when she first arrived and how much she’d learned. She asked him questions about his studies, his future career plans, and about what in the world a wildlife biologist would do, especially in the winter when there weren’t any campers to harass.
He outright laughed at that, doing strange things to her insides.
Garrett never removed the sunglasses the entire time they shopped. Quickly filling their list, Roberta insisted on paying as Garrett packed. Knowing they wouldn’t have time to cook a decent meal by the time they returned, Roberta bought a bucket of chicken, and they headed back to the campground.
Garrett couldn’t believe Molly and Gwen’s reactions as they pulled into the campsite. He’d expected them to be anxious for supper, but they’d nearly pounced on poor Robbie, complaining bitterly about starvation, until they saw the bucket of chicken in her hands.
Except for the food, they hadn’t been missed. While eating, Molly and Gwen described their day of searching the campground for the group of rangers they’d played football with. Disappointed at not being able to find them, Molly and Gwen gave up and went to the beach, where they had been pleasantly surprised to find the same group of rangers, off duty. They’d had a wonderful time.
Garrett remained in the background as the women ate, listening to them chattering away. Fortunately, no one paid attention to him. On the drive back, when Robbie wasn’t looking, he’d snuck a peek at his eye in the rearview mirror, and it looked worse than it felt, if that was possible. Almost swollen shut, every time he blinked, the mere contact of his upper and lower eyelids against each other created such pressure that he saw stars all over again. He’d developed a pounding ache all through the left side of his face, and even though it left him with no depth perception, he kept his left eye shut. With the sunglasses on, hopefully no one would notice.
Not wanting to cause a scene or embarrass Robbie, he slunk into the hammock once he finished his supper, where no one would pay any attention to him.
He made no effort to help them build their campfire or light the lantern as sunset approached. He linked his fingers behind his head and crossed his ankles in the hammock, pretending to be asleep. He’d never had a black eye before, and he wondered how long it would throb like this, making him also wonder if he’d be able to sleep tonight. The day changed into nightfall, and still he stayed in the hammock, silent. With darkness came the chill of the night air, but he didn’t want to leave the haven of his hammock. He’d have to take off his sunglasses sooner or later, and although he knew it was unrealistic, he thought if he waited long enough, maybe they wouldn’t notice.
Knowing they wouldn’t ignore him forever, he was still caught off guard when Gwen called him. “Wake up, Garrett, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
He didn’t answer, hoping she’d leave him alone, and that no one would notice the hammock trembling because he was shivering. He mentally kicked himself for not changing into long pants when he had the chance.
“Garrett!” Gwen called, this time from above him. He looked up at her and grinned, hoping that she couldn’t see his face in the dark shadow of the hammock. “Are you sick or something? You didn’t eat any marshmallows. I didn’t know there were so many in one bag.”
“Oh, I must have fallen asleep,” he mumbled.
“Are you still wearing those things after dark? Are you nuts? Let me see them. These are the new ones Robbie got you, right?” Before he realized what she was doing, Gwen reached down and pulled the sunglasses off his face. He couldn’t protest without causing a scene, so he painted a grin on his face, hoping she wouldn’t look at him. He’d managed to hide his face all evening, first with the sunglasses and then under cover of darkness. If his face remained enough in the shadow of the hammock, their secret would be safe for awhile l
onger.
“Aren’t you cold? I’ve got a jacket on and I’m by the fire. Are you avoiding us for some reason?”
He was. But he wouldn’t admit it, especially to his sister.
“If you don’t get out of there, I’m going to dump you.”
He didn’t need this attention. “You’d better not.”
Without warning, she grabbed one side of the hammock and lifted it up. Caught off guard, his arms shot out to the sides in a reflex action. He grabbed the edges of the hammock to keep from falling out. Gwen let it go, causing the hammock to rock back and forth violently. His head pounded from the sudden movement, and it felt like something stabbed him in the eye. Completely forgetting himself, he sat up with a jolt. “Knock it off, Gwen!”
She never replied. Her eyes opened wider than he’d ever seen. She gasped and leaned closer to him. “What happened to you?”
Three pairs of eyes stared at his face. Robbie visibly paled. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. He bared his teeth in what was probably the phoniest smile of his life, the mere movement making his face hurt. Mustering his dignity, he rose from the hammock and seated himself at the empty lawn chair by the fire.
“Would you believe me if I said I had an accident with a big tree?”
No one spoke. Gwen shook her head.
“I had a disagreement with Smokey the Bear?”
Robbie broke the silence. “It’s my fault,” she squeaked out in a tiny little voice.
Garrett cringed as she continued.
“Garrett and Mike had a bit of an altercation.”
Molly gasped. “Mike? When did you see Mike?”
“He kind of showed up when we stopped by my house.”
Molly’s eyes opened wider, if it was possible. “You had a fight? A fistfight? You?”
Garrett couldn’t help himself. He smiled, despite the pain the movement caused in his face. “It wasn’t exactly a fistfight, Molly.” Although, after the shock of Mike plowing him in the face, he’d been very angry. Instead of striking back, he’d picked Mike up by the scruff of his neck. Exhibiting great restraint, he’d thrown Mike, arms and legs flailing, outside into the bushes before slamming the door. He didn’t know how he hadn’t hit Mike back, but after the fact, he was grateful for the grace God gave him not to lower himself to Mike’s level.
Molly walked to him, leaning forward to get a better look at his face. “Well, I hope you flattened the little creep!”
“Molly!!!” Robbie gasped as she ran to his side.
Garrett grinned. “We’ll just say I escorted him out the front door against his will.”
He raised his hands to the fire, leaning forward to warm himself, signaling his wish to change the subject. As always, Gwen knew he had no intention of discussing it, and she led the conversation into tall tales and bad jokes.
Midnight came quickly. Garrett crawled into his pup tent and the women retired into the camper for the night.
Chapter 12
Any other day, the fussing would have amused Garrett. He might even have appreciated being spoiled. Not today. The swelling had subsided enough to not be painful, but he knew the bruise was still ugly. Worse than the women hovering, he knew the other rangers would tease him. He didn’t want to explain how it happened, but he could only wear the sunglasses until sunset.
“Would you like another cookie? Or more coffee?”
If he had any more coffee he’d burst his bladder. “No, thanks, Robbie. But I know what I would like. Why don’t we all do something away from the campsite? I have to go back to work this afternoon, so this is my last chance at any time off. By midafternoon, the weekend campers will begin to arrive, and I’ll be due back on duty.”
Molly groaned. “Don’t you want to relax? You walk around all the time.”
“It’s different when I have a routine to follow. Who wants to check out the waterfall?”
Robbie perked up. “Waterfall?”
“Yeah.” Garrett pointed north to the trail leading up the mountain. Robbie’s head turned to follow the direction of his finger. “At an average pace, it takes about an hour to reach it. If anyone here can handle it.”
Gwen and Molly shot him a dirty look. He knew they didn’t like to walk in the wilderness. Even if they did, it wasn’t them he wanted to walk with. Garrett smirked beneath his sunglasses.
“I’d rather play football,” Molly grumbled.
Garrett gritted his teeth, then smiled at Robbie. “I’ll bet you could take some great pictures.”
“Pictures?” Robbie turned her head to the direction of the camper, where her camera sat in the middle of the table. Up ‘til now he’d managed to stay clear of her with that thing, but some things were worth the sacrifice.
He could almost see the gears whirring inside her head. “Okay!” she chirped. “I just have to change. I’ll be right back!” She ran inside the camper, and all the curtains pulled shut.
“Garrett, I have to make a trip to the little girl’s room. Care to come for a walk with me?” Judging from Gwen’s stone face and less-than-discreet glances to the road, he didn’t think he was going to like what she intended to say. But all that coffee, graciously delivered, had taken its toll.
Gwen remained silent until they were well out of earshot of the campsite. He didn’t know why. If this one was like any other of their normal conversations, no one would be able to follow it, anyway.
“Don’t think I don’t know what’s happening, Garrett.”
He hated these conversations. Garrett sighed loudly. “Why don’t you tell me all about it?”
“This is different. Tell me what’s going on.”
Garrett nearly stumbled. No matter how much time they’d ever spent apart, he’d never had to explain himself to his sister. Never. “I don’t know if I can.”
“You’re falling in love with Robbie, aren’t you?”
He walked slowly in step with Gwen. “Does it show?”
“It does to me.” They stopped in front of the path to the outhouses, but Gwen remained on the main road with him.
Garrett shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at the ground. He’d never been at a loss for words with his sister before and found it difficult to explain what was happening in his head. He thought about it for a minute, then faced her. “She’s different than anyone I’ve ever met. I know she’s not really my type, but there’s something about her that makes me feel complete, like the last piece of a puzzle fitting into place.”
Gwen nodded. “I was afraid of that.”
“Oh? How so?”
Gwen laid her hand on his shoulder, and he didn’t think this was a good sign. “Has it occurred to you that she might not feel the same way?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Gwen. All I need to do is talk to her.”
“I don’t think so this time, Bro.”
“I’ve prayed about it. God’s answered me. I know it.”
Gwen shook her head. “All I can say is, don’t get your hopes up. Sometimes these things can be one-sided. You know I’ll pray for you, but I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
He shook his head, but he didn’t say anything. All he had to do was talk to Robbie.
They returned to the campsite in silence, where Robbie waited for him dressed in a stark white T-shirt, a pair of cream-colored sweatpants, and her white sneakers, which weren’t as white as they used to be. He tried to smile as she fiddled with the camera slung around her neck.
“Oops. Let me get an extra film from the camper. I’ll be right back.”
While Robbie disappeared inside, Gwen joined Molly.
Garrett could see Molly looking around, trying to be discreet, which was a first for Molly. After his conversation with his sister, he strained to hear what they were saying.
Molly leaned to Gwen. “He’s got it bad, doesn’t he?” she said in a loud whisper he couldn’t help but overhear.
Gwen nodded. “Yup.”
“She doesn’t, does she?”
&nbs
p; “Nope.”
“This could be interesting.”
“Yup.”
That was okay. Garrett knew that this time, his sister was wrong.
Roberta walked beside Garrett as they wandered along the mulch pathway of the nature trail. For the first time, Garrett didn’t fill every minute yakking about the squirrels, birds, trees, bushes, clouds, weather, or anything else that crossed his mind. At first she enjoyed the peace and quiet, listening to the soft crunching of their footsteps on the path, the birds chirping, and the chattering of the odd squirrel without an explanation on the species or genus or a description of their habitat. But after awhile, she couldn’t stand it any longer.
She opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong, but as she did, she heard water trickling and splashing in the distance. “Listen! We’re close to the waterfall! I can hear it!”
“Yes,” Garrett replied softly. The low timbre of his beautiful baritone voice almost made her lose her step. “A few more minutes, and we’ll be able to see it.”
The volume of the moving water increased as they continued, until finally she could see it.
The water cascaded over the edge of a small cliff, bouncing and splashing on smooth, shiny black rocks below. The entire scene glittered in the sunlight, creating a small shimmering rainbow to the right above the stream. The brightness of the water contrasted magnificently with the dark bushes surrounding it, creating a natural frame, showing off the elegant beauty of the flowing water as nothing else could.
She lifted her camera.
Garrett stood back quickly.
After snapping a few pictures, she lowered it and let it hang freely about her neck. She watched his head lower almost imperceptively, as if analyzing the status of the camera. Roberta sucked her lower lip, wondering if she should ask. Encouraged by his silence, she did. “Can I take your picture by the waterfall?”
He stiffened, and his lips tightened. She couldn’t tell where he was looking behind the sunglasses. “I won’t smile.”
She tried to bite back a nervous laugh. “I didn’t expect you to, although your smile must do your dentist proud. Besides, with that hat and your sunglasses constantly covering your face, a smile would seem out of character. All you need to complete the image is a big cigar and a submachine gun.”
