“I’ll share the load once we get to Crescent Drop,” Parker said.
Cody nodded. He knew they would both need to be vigilant once they reached that point, but if Shell walked in the back of the group at that point then Parker could still keep an eye on everybody else. Crescent Drop wasn’t a drop at all; it was a steep ascent but it got its name because people who tried to make the climb over the half moon shaped rocky terrain usually fell back down, thereby making it Crescent Drop. He sighed and shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” he heard her nearly silent voice. He looked down to find Sahara staring up at him. She thought this was her fault? No, she thought his head shaking was because of her and it wasn’t.
“This isn’t your fault. This injury could have been prevented and it had nothing to do with anything you could have done.” He placed his hand on her forehead and smoothed the few strands of hair clinging to her forehead back. He gave her a reassuring smile. Smiling was something he hadn’t been doing much of since Stacey pulled her stunt.
“Okay,” she said softly as she looked up at him with those big doe eyes. The pale green color of her eyes went so perfectly with her mousy brown hair and alabaster skin. She had told him her great-great grandfather had come to America from Romania, married a Dutch immigrant that he met along the way and there is where her lineage information stopped due to paper records not being kept she had no definitive records of what other nationalities happened to be in her family’s past. She just had stories that had been passed down from one generation to the next.
Whatever her lineage she had amazing features, pouty lips, full and ready to be kissed, soft skin, soft eyes, sweet voice and on top of that her body was hot—not thin, not fat, but perfect for her frame. She had curves, proportional and inviting curves that he would love to get to explore hands-on. God, this woman was beautiful. He wanted to know her in so many ways, but right now he couldn’t go there. She was in his care. He was working. There could not be any mixing of business and pleasure no matter how much he wanted it to happen. While he couldn’t pursue her now, when they made it back to base he was pulling off the gloves and making his move.
The hike hadn’t been easy and the hardest part was still to come. Crescent Drop would seem like a cake walk by the time they got to the ridge just before their camping ground. They wouldn’t be able to keep her on the packs going up there and she would have to try to pull the incline on one good leg and an injured ankle.
He had to stop more frequently than he wanted to because Shell was the only one trying to pull the weight, along with help from Parker at times, but nobody else. None of the other men had bothered to offer to help. Cody shook his head at the uncooperative spirit within this group. Instead of forcing compliance he stopped to let Shell rest, eat, breathe and get ready to do more. Shell had thanked him each time which told Cody that the kid now realized being a wrestler and ball player wasn’t the same as taking the wild terrain carrying a hundred fifteen pounds of weight. He was sure Sahara was one fifteen, one twenty at the most because he was pretty good at judging weight once it was in his arms.
By the time they made it to Crescent Drop they had to stop once again to rest. He would have preferred to keep moving because the hour was getting late and he knew the longer they took to rest the more likely they would have to pull the hardest part of the ascent in darkness. He didn’t like that idea, but they wouldn’t be able to stop to rest at the top of Crescent Drop—there was just no way to make that happen. So they took a ten minute break and carried on. Riley almost fell twice, which given his proximity to Shell nearly made the kid lose his balance. If it hadn’t been for Parker serving as a solid anchor Shell would have dropped Sahara and the descent for her could have been fatal. Cody barked out orders for Riley to move up front with his hiking partner although given Riley’s inability to stay on his feet Cody probably should have been worried he might take the entire group out if he fell, but for some reason Cody had more faith in the others ability to stay upright than he did on Riley’s. His move had been a smart one. While Riley had taken a couple more slips he hadn’t impacted Georgia, who was directly behind him. The woman had legs of steel and had no trouble getting a firm grip in the ground beneath her.
When they reached the top he opted for another break. He had to get Sahara off the packs, unhook them and get everybody else back to carrying their own packs. He also had to get Sahara’s boot back on. The swelling was minimal, but it was still there, which meant getting her boot back on still caused her some pain. She had smiled like the trooper she was and assured him she was fine.
“Parker’s going to take the lead and I’m going to help you up that,” he pointed in front of him. “Once we get to the top and hike in a bit we’ll have a stopping point for the night.” He looked at the people standing around him. “You’ll all have to pitch your tents in relative darkness, but we can set out some of the glow sticks to light it up until everybody is settled.”
“Okay,” Julian Dawson said and the others followed suit. At least they weren’t protesting the move. Maybe they all realized they didn’t have a choice. They couldn’t camp down here. They would have to get up to the stopping ground in order to camp.
“Put your arm around my waist and I’ll help support you so you can keep the weight off your ankle.”
She nodded. “Sounds like a good idea to me,” she said nearly breathless, thus proving the labor it was taking for her to move without the use of one ankle. It was going to get a lot more difficult for her, but he would be there, helping her as much as he could.
“Let’s move, people. We’re burning daylight.” There was no room for procrastination so he urged everybody to get going otherwise they would regret it later. He had done this climb at night, but he had been with Gavin when he did it. Gavin was a climber; he knew how to navigate ridges in the daylight or midnight hours. He was skilled and proficient in the task and this, this ascent, really was nothing for men like them because it wasn’t as if there was much hand to ground action needed. But for this group it would be difficult. They had their hiking poles with them and they could use those to give them purchase, but Sahara hadn’t been prepared for this part of the hike so she didn’t have any, not that she would be able to use them even if she did. And with him supporting her weight he wouldn’t really be able to use a pole himself, not that he ever used one, but right now might have been a good time to start. He had more than just his body to worry about. If he fell, then she was going down with him. He couldn’t risk her life on the climb so he was going to have to be sure to keep his balance even if that meant holding on to the nearest tree limb while getting up one of the difficult parts.
The more he walked with her the more he realized that while she wasn’t expecting this hike she was definitely a woman who knew how to make adjustments and find a way to get by. “You’re doing well,” he mumbled to her.
“Thanks. This really isn’t my thing, you know. Camping, hiking, outdoor adventures—this is so not me.”
“And yet you are still handling the situation like a professional.”
“This is what a professional hiker would do—hang on to the nearest guy to help carry his or her weight?”
He chuckled. “Yep. A pro would be smart and use the help offered him, or her, without protest,” he reminded her.
“Then I’ll have to add that to my mental database. When I’m reliving the craziness that was my four hour hike I can tell everybody that Ranger Cody said I handled it like a professional.”
“You do that,” he laughed as he helped her make it the rest of the way up the steep incline. Once they were up he handed her off to Parker and retook the lead to guide them to the camping ground. It was dusk by the time they got there so he and Parker spread out some of the glow sticks and helped everybody get their tents and bags situated. Parker checked their surroundings to make sure they were safe from wildlife that might be out looking for food tonight. The site was fairly off the wildlife stopping grounds, bu
t nature was nature and anything could happen. Cody would have preferred to have a rifle or a gun with him, but the new owner of the hiking adventure tour company had taken away their gun carrying rights a year ago. As a park ranger Cody carried a gun all the time when in the wild, but when he worked for this company, leading a hike, guns were not allowed. He liked his job so he complied. They did have one tranquilizer gun with two darts, he shook his head at the lack of preparedness they actually had and thanked God that all the stops on the hike were fairly animal free. If he didn’t love what he did so much he would quit doing this. He didn’t need the money. He was doing fine with his park ranger position, but he loved the thrill of the hike and seeing hikers’ joy as they added another notch to their hiking belt. He would miss doing this if he quit. On the other end of things, he hated the new management. He hated the corners they were starting to cut. He figured within a year he probably would have to cut his losses and leave otherwise he would have to compromise his moral compass and continue with a company that wasn’t doing things in the best interest of their patrons. Safety had to come first. He couldn’t continue to lead people into the wild if any additional safety measures were cut.
Cody laid out the bag for Sahara to sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally shift in the night and cause her any more pain than she was already in, but she had insisted he sleep beside her. “I’ll sleep on the ground,” he said.
“No, you’ll sleep in the bag like you did last night.” He started to protest and she held up her hand. “I’ll scoot over this time as I don’t think I can manage the outside.” She held out her hand, “help me please?”
“Watch your ankle,” he mumbled as he crawled into the sleeping bag. Carefully, he snuggled against her and she let her injured ankle rest on top of his knee.
“I’m okay,” she whispered before he could ask. She knew he was worried about her and she appreciated that, but there was only so much he could do to help her right now. She would just have to grin and bear it as they say. She couldn’t remember any of her relatives’ adventure stories ending with, “and I busted up my ankle,” type statements. She was sure to be the laughing stock of the family now—again. Another family dinner joke, she thought as she lay beside Cody. She couldn’t believe how royally she had screwed this trip up, but she would admit meeting Ranger Cody was the best part of her trip thus far.
“Get some sleep. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.” Cody’s low rumble of a voice graced her ears. Of course she would need her strength come morning, but she couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t the pain keeping her awake—though that was still shooting through her ankle reminding her of why she didn’t do adventurous things more often. It was the close proximity of one Cody Donovan. He smelled like the fresh scent of the woods and whatever he had cleaned himself up with. He smelled like honey and fresh cut grass and she couldn’t help wondering what his mouth tasted like.
The sun had long since set by the time Cody put out the last glow stick that was by their sleeping bag. It was dark enough for her to angle her head up and taste his lips if she wanted without being seen. She hesitated for one infinitesimal moment before realizing that she didn’t want to wait and if he didn’t want to be kissed then he shouldn’t have held her so tight.
She looked up, her eyes meeting the whites of his eyes. She waited for what seemed like an eternity before stretching just enough to reach his lips with a light, sensuous kiss. One little nibble wasn’t enough and she wanted more. Fortunately, he wanted more too. He dipped his head, pressing his mouth to hers with earnest pressure.
His tongue slowly explored her mouth, tasting every drop, drinking his fill, giving her pleasure and taking more than his share. She wanted him to strip her and take her, but the reality of their present situation seemed to keep them both reserved. This kiss would have to slake their hunger.
He slipped his hand through her hair and pulled her closer, pushing deeper as she pulled closer to him. The throbbing between her legs grew with every kiss, pushing her further into a haze. She fought the moan for as long as she could, but then softly, as his erection grew against her she let out a purr, muzzled by his mouth pressed firmly against hers.
“What’s going on over there?” Stacey stuck her head out of her tent. She had insisted on setting up tent closer to Cody this night and while she couldn’t hear every detail, she was close enough to hear the unmistakable moan of sheer ecstasy that came from Sahara.
Cody pulled away. “Good Lord,” he spoke through gritted teeth. “That woman is a pain in the behind.” His words were barely audible, but the emotion was clear.
“I’m just getting comfortable,” Sahara said. Her voice was still husky from her arousal. She hadn’t masked it, she hadn’t even tried.
“Really, because it sounds like something else.”
Sahara rolled her eyes. Her patience was being tried to the fullest extent and it was near its breaking point.
“Good to know it’s not that because tour guides shouldn’t be fraternizing with the paying customers.” Her voice was loud enough for everybody in the camp to hear. “Who cares?” One of the women had said. She thought maybe it was Georgia.
“We should be sleeping, not talking,” came another reply.
“It’s none of your business.” The last response had definitely come from Shell.
“Well I think it is. We should be able to feel safe.”
“Shut the hell up and go to sleep, Stacey,” Sahara said. Then came murmurs of “wow,” “you go girl,” and “was that Sahara” from across the camp. She didn’t care. Rarely did she curse, but what Stacey was implying was that Cody was being unprofessional and making all the women feel as if he were ready to jump them and quite frankly he wasn’t. Though she didn’t really care if he decided to jump her because this was one man she wanted to mount her and take her completely.
“Well that was sexy as night,” he mumbled before pressing his lips gently against the top of her head. She wrapped her arm around him and pulled closer, pressing her entire body against the length of him and loving every minute.
Chapter Five
Farley Thorpe ran his fingers along his graying beard before tweaking his mustache. Luck would have it that he had the perfect lesson for his boys Chris and Jed. “Tomorrow I’m gonna’ teach you boys how to hunt some real game,” Farley grinned showing pristinely kept teeth. He had always said one had to keep himself up and take pride in himself if he planned to be a real man. Despite his rotund belly he was in fairly good shape and could put any mountain man to shame in a survival contest. His father had taught him, and Farley had taught his boys. Now he had the ultimate lesson for them—one he had always planned to teach them. The other stipulation to becoming a real man in his family was to hunt—not just hunt, but to be the best hunter in the world—behind him of course.
“We know how to hunt,” Chris sat cleaning his riffle. They had been in Africa, in the jungles of South America and beyond. Chris could take down any animal given the right equipment and Farley knew his boys didn’t take hunting lightly—it was more than just a sport to them. But what he had to teach them wasn’t the same as what they had already done in the past. This was greater than any game they had hunted before.
“Yeah, Dad. We’re hunting already,” Jed said. Both his blond haired boys reminded him of their mother, bless her dead heart. They were three when Farley’s father taught him to do the kind of hunting he was about to teach them. Had Dedra been loyal to him things could have been different.
“Nope son, that was just preparation. There’s nothing like hunting prey that can think and try to outsmart you. Tomorrow, we’re going after us some hikers.”
“Dad?” Jed looked at him.
“Remember when I told you boys I had to take out somebody who threatened our family?”
“Yeah,” Chris said. “You said it was the only way to save the rest of us.”
“It was, son.” He never told them what happened to their mother, just th
at she had died. In reality he had hunted her in the woods outside their home. She was going to take his boys. She was going to leave him. So he and his father took her out, blind folded, into the woods and turned her loose. They gave her to the count of fifty before they went after her. She was running so hard, and fast, but she, like the uninformed wilderness inhabitant that she was, couldn’t tell north from south if somebody gave her a compass. It hadn’t taken long to find her running around like a chicken with its head cut off. And when he found her his father had been right by his side. “Take the kill shot, boy;” he had said. Farley remembered that day so well. He remembered it because it was his first human kill. When he pulled the trigger and that bullet sliced through her head he felt so good he wanted to party. Of course he had to dispose of the body, cutting her up and disposing of her in his father’s wood chipper had been easy enough. Telling the boys there mommy had gone away to heaven had been easy too. Oh yeah, getting rid of a woman who had no family, and thanks to him moving her out to the middle of nowhere mountain town, had no friends, was easy.
“Well,” he said. “My father taught me how to hunt like a real man—hunt prey that actually stood a chance of hunting us back instead of defenseless animals,” he chuckled. “I’m going to teach you all the same thing. There be some hikers just arrived on our ridge. What do you think of the new game?”
Hiking for Danger Page 5
