by Anita Claire
“They’ll let us in looking like this?”
“Hey, what’s wrong with the way we look?”
Brody smirks while he checks me out. “You’re right. You look good.”
My heart thumps an extra beat.
“You need to push the button down on your door to lock your side,” I explain as I pull into the parking spot in front of Barbara's Fishtrap.
“Can you imagine the look on a thief’s face? If one steals your truck only to find out it’s full of cat poop.”
“Hey, those specimens are worth more to me then the truck.”
“You carry a gun in the field. Have you ever used it?” Brody asks as we split an order of calamari.
“It’s a tranquilizer gun.”
He nods.
“Not yet, in an emergency, only when we need to collar and tag an animal.”
“You’ve shot one of your animals?”
“You think girls can’t shoot a gun?”
“My littlest sister is a sharpshooter in the Army. She realized she’ll never be stronger or faster than a man, so she put her energy into shooting,” Brody explains.
“Sharpshooter, now that’s impressive.” I say and he nods. It’s cool that he’s proud of his sister. “Littlest sister, that must mean you have other sisters.”
He holds up four fingers.
“You have four sisters?”
“Older, twin, younger, and youngest.”
“Surrounded by sisters. Any brothers?”
He shakes his head.
“Growing up with four sisters, does that mean you understand women?”
“It means I’m used to hearing them talk, laugh, and argue. At best, I can predict what my sisters will do, but understand them? Never.”
“Do you all get along?”
“I learned to keep my head down and avoid the drama.”
“Is that why you’re not much of a talker.”
“I say what I need to.”
Our server brings dinner and we dig in.
"How 's your fish?" he asks.
“Good.” I look up and catch his eye. “Do you want to try some?”
He nods.
I cut off a piece and hold out the fork for him. When his hand touches mine a tingle winds up my arm. His dark eyes connect with mine; does he feel that, too?
Brody takes a couple more bites of his food. “Do you have siblings?”
“Siblings?”
Suddenly I'm blank. “Oh, yeah—a younger brother, and the baby of the family is my sister, Jazz.”
“Are you close with them?”
“Hmmm, that depends on how you define close. I'm the oldest and was given a lot of responsibility. On some level, I practically raised them, which complicates our relationship.”
"I can see that."
"What, that I’m the oldest? Or that it’s complicated?”
"Both, I have an older sister.”
Chapter 8 – Brody – Evening
Ana drives us over the mountain, as I kick back. Today has been good, no, it’s been amazing. Being in the backcountry with a pack, no phone, no computer…when was the last day I unplugged? There’s a high I feel from today that I haven’t felt in ages.
Ana pulls up in front of my apartment.
“Can I invite you in?” I ask as my inner voice tells me, “you can have a hook up, but no more, you don’t have time for a woman.”
She bites her bottom lip and stares at me. Slowly, she shakes her head. “I should get my samples to the lab.”
“You can’t do that tomorrow?”
“I need to hike the next quadrant tomorrow.”
“Do you work seven days a week? Or is hiking your idea of a vacation?”
“I take most weekends off, but I want to find out how my lion got poisoned before the trail gets cold.”
Since I’m not that kind of guy, I don’t push her. It’s been a good day. But unfortunately, I’m not going to have that kind of night. I guess I’ve spent too many years hooking up on Tinder.
“Can I join you tomorrow?” I blurt out, before thinking of the implications. I really don’t have time, I should be working. More than that, if we go out again she’ll think this is more than what it is.
“You want to?” she responds excitedly as a wonderful smile breaks across her face.
Unconsciously, I reach my hand over her drive shaft and run my finger along her cheek. She shudders. I lean in and lightly kiss her lips. She gasps. A sweet, sexual tingle runs through me. Our kiss continues. It starts out sweet and warm, but quickly heats up. I’m the first to pull away, not far, but my back starts to ache and I need to change my position.
“The invitation is still open to come up.”
She tenses. Yeah, that was a stupid move. I should know by now if a woman doesn’t succumb easily, I should give it up. Slowly, Ana shakes her head. I lean in and I kiss her again. Her lips feel nice, really nice. My imagination moves to how soft the rest of her would feel.
“Same plan. You’ll pick me up at six-thirty?” My voice sounds about three octaves lower as we separate.
She nods. Her lips part. They’re tantalizing. I lean in for a little bit more. This time, Ana pushes against my shoulder and she moves us apart. Not wanting to hit the “three strikes and you’re out” rule, I don’t ask her to come up again, even though every cell in my body is screaming for her. With deep resignation, I leave her truck and watch her drive off before heading upstairs. Shit, I really shouldn’t be going tomorrow, but then again, it’s just a few hours of hiking.
Back in my apartment, I stare at my computer, abandoned on my desk. I know it’s filled to the brim with questions, statements, and queries. Instead of checking any of it out, I head to the shower. Afterward, I buckle down to make sure nothing untoward has happened. It’s the first day in what feels like forever that I haven’t been tethered to my electronics. My business is everything to me, but it feels so good to take a day off. It’s the first day I’ve taken since I started this business.
I can feel my juices flowing. Now I understand what is meant, when so-called experts tell people they should take the weekend off to recharge.
Chapter 9 – Ana – Loch Lomond
Gasping loudly, I find myself suddenly sitting up and my heart is racing. The gray light of my room surrounds me. My clock reads 3:24 a.m.Whoa. My face feels hot. Now that was a wild dream. My skin is still prickling as I snuggle back down under my covers. It’s been ages since I’ve had a dream like that. When did I stop trying? Probably after Dale and I broke up after more than ten years together. Instead of jumping back into the dating pool, I maintained our active outdoor lifestyle, but as a single woman. After so many years of being with Dale, and before that taking care of my family, I relished in the freedom of living on my own. Coming and going when I wanted to, not being responsible for anyone else...but when did I let work become the only focus in my life?
A couple hours later, my alarm rings, jolting me from a deep sleep. Excitedly, I shower and dress. Then I pull my lunch together. One day with Brody and I feel ten years younger, invigorated, and even hopeful. Yesterday reminded me of all the things I had once wanted.
The sun has yet to rise as I pull up in front of Brody’s apartment. My heart skips as I watch him exit the doorway. He gives me a nod and the corners of his lips rise into a bit of a smile when he nears my truck. Knowing how emotionally restrained he is, this little expression would be equivalent to a boisterous greeting from most other people.
“Where are we headed?” he asks me as he opens the back door and drops in his daypack.
“I hope you don’t get car sick, we’re heading up 35 to Loch Lomond.”
“I’ve always wanted to visit Loch Lomond,” Brody responds with a strong Scottish accent.
“Where’d you learn to do an accent like that?”
“I’ve always had a good ear for accents.”
Now this is a side of Brody I wasn’t anticipating.
The sun had yet to r
ise as we head into the hills. Half-way there, as I get off the freeway, I see the sky turning from black to gray.
“I love sunrise,” I comment.
“Pull over, let’s watch the sun come up over Silicon Valley.”
Serious, glued-to-his-phone-Brody, wants to pull over and experience the sunrise? I’m not going to argue. We get out of the truck and lean against the driver-side door. The trees around us are backlit against the gray sky. Brody slides his hand over mine and grasps my fingers. His touch sends a shiver right through me. My face tingles from excitement as our shoulders touch.
The magic of daybreak is before us. The sky turns from gray to purple, the horizon turns pink, and finally, a sliver of gold from the sun peeks over the mountains. The sky turns bright red, and then fades, as it turns gold. Quickly, the sun moves from a sliver of light to a full fireball.
“I wonder if the people who live in the hills take the time to appreciate this?” Brody’s voice is soft and warm in my ear.
“If I lived in a house in the hills, I would build a perfect window, get the perfect chair, and every morning, I would watch the sun rise as I sipped my coffee.”
“Mmmm,” Brody murmurs in agreement.
“If you had enough money to live anywhere do anything where would you live? What would you do?” I ask.
“I’m doing it now. How about you?”
“I, too, love what I’m doing, but this sunrise makes me fantasize. I think eventually I’d like to rent a house in the hills, one that has the perfect view of the sun rising.”
“Hmmm, I like the idea of your window.”
“Right here is good, too.”
He squeezes my fingers in agreement.
***
“I think we can make it to the water by lunch. That might be a nice place to stop,” I declare as I review the map to make sure we’re still following our lion’s trail.
Today’s terrain is heavily wooded as our lion’s path takes us to Loch Lomond.
“Agg!” I slip on some pine needles on top of the dry soil. I lose balance and start sliding down the mountain. Somehow Brody reaches out and catches me by the arm, saving me from sliding. He pulls me close. Our eyes connect.
“Good catch,” I breathlessly exclaim once I regain my footing. “This hike would be a much easier if our lion had taken the trail instead.”
He nods, but his eyes are on my lips as he maintains his hold on me. I feel my neck get warm and my lips part as his lips touch mine. Our kiss is at first, sweet then it becomes hungry. My body, which is running on sexual energy this close to Brody, brims over with excitement, as I wrap my arms around his strong shoulders, and enjoy the moment.
All too soon, he ends the kiss. The tips of his lips quirk into a small smile as his eyes take in my expression.
“Loch Lomond awaits us,” he murmurs with a brogue.
“Where did you learn to speak with a Scottish accent?”
“If I was in Scotland, they would laugh at my accent. As a kid, accents were my thing. I used to wait until my twin sister, Bella, took a sip of something. Then I’d do one of my accents. The best was when her drink would come out of her nose.”
“That sounds awful.”
“It was hysterical.”
“I thought you were quiet. Now I’m starting to think you’re like my brother.”
“Your brother must be a great guy.”
“You don’t know anything about my brother.”
“Tell me one story, and then I can tell you what a great guy he is.”
“My brother Darius is three years younger than me. He used to drive me crazy since he’d never help out. If I was preparing dinner, I’d ask him to make the salad. He’d always saysure, but he’d never stop playing his video games. I would ask him again and again, and in the most helpful voice, he’d always say yesorokayorsure, but then he’d keep on doing whatever he was doing. If I sat down and started doing my homework, he’d askwhere’s dinner? I’d always tell him that I’d finish making it when the salad was ready. Sometimes we were both so stubborn that neither of us had our chores finished by the time our dad got home.”
“I think this says more about you than your brother.”
“But doesn’t your story say more about you than your sister.”
He nods, in a way that makes it obvious that the talking part of this conversation is over. Brody might be quiet, but he’s very communicative. You just need to know what to look for.
When we reach the top of the next ridge, I scan the steep hillside with the tracking antenna and pick up a good signal. I point in the direction of the signal.
“She went down this way."
We head down the hill. It’s slow going since there isn’t a path and the hillside is rugged.
“Agg,” Brody yelps from behind me, and I hear leaves rustle.
I turn and watch in horror as he slides down the rugged slope.
“Grab for a branch!” I yell out in a panic.
There’s a couple of large boulders and what looks to be a deep, cut-off loom below him. About fifty feet down, he twists his body and grabs onto a sapling.
“Are you okay?” I yell down to him. “I have a rope. Do you need it?”
He hoists himself up, and cautiously threads himself horizontally back, until he reaches the path I am on.
“The difficulty of this trail can be deceiving,” he casually remarks as he brushes himself off.
“I’m glad you caught yourself. You were headed for a sharp rock and a cliff.”
“Yeah, I didn’t miss that.”
“Did you hurt yourself?” I ask as I brush off the dirt and leaves stuck to his backside.
“I’m fine,” he huffs, even though his hands are covered in sap and they look scuffed up.
Our adrenaline is running high and we pick up the pace on the way to the reservoir. The forest breaks and suddenly we’re at the water. It shines with the reflection of trees rimming its border under a clear, blue sky. It feels like our own private paradise.
“This reservoir was built by damming Newell Creek. I bet our lion came here to drink, maybe she even caught a fish.”
We walk along the side of the lake for a few paces until we reach a small, open area.
“This looks like a good place to stop.”
Brody strips off his pack, shirt, shoes and socks. He rolls his hiking pants up to his knees.
“The lake looks refreshing,” he comments.
“Are you going skinny-dipping?”
A sexy half-smile breaks across his face. “Would you join me?”
My chest constricts—yes, no, yikes, why did I say that? It’s been so long since I’ve been with a man, I want Brody, yes...but I don’t want to get burned. A recent conversation with one of my single girlfriends plays on my mind. I can even hear her matter-of-fact voice,Men treat women they’ve had sex with much worse than they treat people they’ve met casually for coffee. I think men expect that if they speak to a woman after having sex, she would expect them to father her child. I like Brody; I’m not moving this relationship too fast. I want him to talk to me next week.
“I’m on the clock, I’m still working,” I say.
“I don’t see any cameras. I won’t tell if you don’t tell.”
“How about a raincheck. I don’t think we can skinny-dip and finish this quadrant before sunset.”
With his hands on his hips, he looks at me for a little bit longer before he slowly nods. Then he walks knee-deep into the water and sits on a large boulder. Turning back to me, he holds out his hand and bids me to join him. I might not be comfortable yet with skinny-dipping, but joining him on the rock for lunch? That I can do.
“Is it legal to hike in these hills off the trails?” Brody questions.
“Legal for you or legal for me?”
“You don’t follow the same laws as me?”
“I’m a scientist. My grant gives me access to state, federal, and private lands that aren’t open to the public. It’s my job to
come here.”
“But civilians can’t?”
“Some areas back here are privately owned, others are closed because they’re too dangerous or too fragile to support human traffic. Most of the off-trail areas are not designated for people to walk through. Most people don’t want to hike off-trail. It’s hard work and can be dangerous, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, that one hill you took me over is not for the faint of heart.”
“Did you like that?”
“Sliding down the hill, catching that tree on the way down? Nowthat was the highlight of my day.”
“I’m glad you didn’t break anything. It would have caused way too much paperwork if I had to call in for a medevac.”
“That’s the downside of me getting injured your paperwork?”
“Hey, you were in the Army. Didn’t they have a lot of paperwork?” I question.
“The paperwork had paperwork.”
“Now, if I was injured....” I began.
“You’re tough. You’d be injured and could still walk out. No paperwork.”
“I read about these British climbers who hiked out of the Andes with broken legs.”
“Touching the Void, I read that too.”
I nod. “Great book. Name one adventure on your bucket list.”
“Only one?”
“How about your top destinations,” I question.
“I got to see a lot of the world with the Army. For work, I travel a lot, but mostly cities and I never have time for sightseeing. Let’s see, I’d like to hike Mont Blanc, the Fimmvörðuháls Pass in Iceland, the Te Araroa Trail in New Zealand. Close to home, I still haven’t hiked the Sierra High Route. There’s a bunch of others, but those are a good start.”
“I never even thought of those places. If you add my ‘sunrise window’ to your dream house, can I add your hiking places to my bucket list?” I ask.
“Sure, but don’t you have your own bucket list?”
“I do, but it’s always been more about visiting the Seven Wonders of the World than hiking.”
“Which wonders would you want to visit?”
“Angkor Wat, Petra, the Great Wall of China, and I’ve always wanted to go camping under the aurora borealis. Maybe I can add that to your trip to Iceland.”
