After what according to her watch was an hour of walking, Liam stopped to take a short break. She drank a few sips of water from her canteen, not wanting to squander her water, yet knowing she needed to stay hydrated. Running with the Washington Running Club taught her that.
“Ready to go on?” Liam fastened his canteen back on his pack, making Sarah feel much better about taking those much-needed drinks.
“When you are.” She stretched her arms, trying to keep limber.
“You look like you do this a lot,” he said as he started down the trail once more.
Sarah kept just behind him to his right. “Never camped before in my life.” Out here, she figured she might as well tell him the truth. After hiking for an hour, it wasn’t like he could turn around and take her back to the lodge. Could he? His steps slowed. “I’ve hiked before.”
On paved trails through national parks.
“I’m an avid runner though,” she added, not wanting to be seen as a complete novice.
“Good. So you know about staying warm and stretching. Same things apply out here. Drink often. There’s a clean water source near our camp site, so don’t worry about running out of water. There’s plenty. So you’ve hiked before. Where?” He kept an easy stride, a little bit slower to facilitate conversation.
“Mostly national parks.
Gettysburg
, the memorial parks around the DC area. I’m afraid I don’t have much wilderness experience. There isn’t much of it. Though I guess dealing with politicians means I’m good at working with hostile wildlife.”
Liam chuckled. “That phrase has a whole new meaning out here.”
“Oh?” Sarah prided herself in that her steps didn’t falter. She knew camping involved being out in the wild, with animals. She expected, though, that going with an Ecotourism company would keep her safe from that. Maybe something more like
Bambi
than
Call of the Wild
. Except Bambi’s mother got shot, and there were forest fires. She glanced up into the trees, catching sight of a bird with a brilliant blue throat. The tiny creature hopped from branch to branch. Sarah watched it for a moment, before hurrying to catch up with Liam.
He glanced back at her, a masculine grin on his face. The sight of him, his muscled body easily carrying him and his gear through the forest, the self-satisfied smile of a man perfectly in his element took her breath away. “Yeah. You’ll see.” With those words, he hurried forward. “We’re almost there.”
“Almost there” meant another good forty-five minute hike through some uphill terrain. By the time they reached a clearing where a small fire pit had been dug, and what looked like food lockers waited, Sarah’s legs ached. She breathed heavily. One thing for certain, it probably didn’t matter what they ate for dinner. She’d certainly burned some calories.
While she stood there trying to get her breath together, Liam already had his gear off and worked on setting up the tent. Now she knew why he’d left her tiny one-person tent back at the lodge. He set up what looked like a small room, though he called it a “four-man” tent. Yeah, if they slept side-by-side and really liked each other. “Why don’t you start gathering some deadfall?” His question jogged her out of her inertia.
“How much?”
“As much as you can. I’m going to finish setting up the tent, then probably head down to the stream to refill our canteens and catch dinner.”
“Catch dinner?” She hadn’t seen a cooler strapped to his pack, but she expected dried soup or something. Hoping that tonight’s catch would be as delicious as what he’d cooked back at the lodge, she turned into the edge of the woods and carefully started gathering fallen limbs for fire wood.
Behind her, she heard the rustling as Liam set up the tent, and when she returned with an arm load of wood. Setting it down not far from the fire pit, she began to break it down into lengths that would fit in the fire circle. He handed her a small handsaw and it made the work a lot easier.
“You okay here? I’m going to head down to the stream.”
“How far is it?” The sun shone overhead. A glance at her watch told her it was barely
. Surely, in broad daylight, she’d be just fine. Somehow, the thought of Liam leaving her alone in the wilderness, even for a bit, filled her with trepidation.
“Just a mile or two. You get into trouble, shout.” He waited a moment longer, as if assessing her willingness to be left alone.
Sarah gave him her most reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about me. I have plenty to keep me busy.”
“Good. If you want to keep gathering wood, feel free. If we don’t use it now, we will later. You sure you’re going to be all right? If I’d known you hadn’t been in the woods before, I would have planned differently.”
“Don’t worry about it. Go!” She shooed him towards the woods with a flick of her wrist. After all, she’d come out here to see what drilling could do to this land. If she hated being left alone in the woods, she’d never get a good feel for what things really were like out here. And how an increase in human activity would affect it. No, she welcomed the opportunity to feel as if she were the only person in the universe.
“Yell if you get into trouble. Okay? I’ll hear you.”
“I will.” Her firm words must have reassured him, for he turned and headed down the path presumably towards the stream where he’d catch dinner. He had a fishing pole slung over his shoulder, and a small pack, probably containing lures and other supplies. She frowned, realizing she’d never been fishing either. She bit back a chuckle, not wanting him to come rushing back thinking she’d gone crazy or something. Out of everyone in her office, at least they had the foresight to send her. She looked up overhead, knowing she would be the most affected by Mother Nature’s beauty. “Goddess bless,” she whispered to the trees, before heading down the path for more deadfall.
A rustling in the bushes stopped her.
Sarah searched for the source of the noise. A flash of brown through the trees caught her attention. She stopped and stared at it, thinking she might have seen a moose or an arctic fox. A deep rumble, like a huff, filled the air. Once. Twice.
She froze. That didn’t sound like a moose, though she had no idea what kind of noises they made. A fox she expected would yip or bark like its canine cousins. A twig cracked. More leaves rustled. Outside of the noise, the entire forest had gone still.
Only one thing made the woods fall as silent as this, a predator. Oh god, hadn’t she read about this in her research. That the birds, the little animals, all the cute things she wanted to see went silent and still when a predator approached. But in these woods, what kind of… oh shit, bears!
She’d read plenty about the bears of
Alaska
. Grizzlies. Kodiak bears. Even some humorous stories about black bears getting into trash cans or bird feeders in the lower forty-eight states. Her mouth went dry as she realized those weren’t just lockers back at the camp site, but bear-proof storage. She sniffed her arm, Liam’s comment about her shampoo and body wash penetrating her brain. She smelled the barest hint of her lavender toiletries. Otherwise, she smelled her sweat. The creature stepped into a clearing between trees.
A huge bear stared at her. Its large eyes held intelligence. It yawned, tilting its head back and revealing huge, razor-sharp teeth.
All the better to eat you with, my dear.
A bubble of nervous laughter rose in her throat. She slapped her hand across her mouth, the bear sniffing at the sound of flesh against flesh.
“Think, damn you, think,” she muttered. She’d read books about bears. All the things she should do, or not do. She glanced at the trees, thinking to climb them, and knew there was no way she could win that race.
The bear took a step forward. Thick, shaggy fur in many shades of brown covered its body. She glimpsed one of its paws, easily larger than her hand with huge, curved claws. Intelligence filled its dark eyes. Its nostrils flared as it scented the air. Not the teddy bears she had as a child, and certainly not the Yogi she saw in cartoons, either. Up close, the creature looked marvelous, a powerful package giving no doubt that it was one of the most deadliest predators in the world. A part of her simply wanted to stare and drink in the sight of this majestic creature. The other part remembered Liam’s words.
So she did the only thing she could. She screamed.
Sarah’s scream penetrated the forest. Liam stiffened, the sound reverberating through his very bones. Primal fear filled the sound. The predator in him reacted, surging to live at the thought of prey. Hunt. Fight. Whirling toward the camp where he’d left her, Liam took off at a dead run.
His feet pounded through the forest, eating up the distance between them. His stomach fell. The first time he’d brought her into the woods and she faced danger. Air bellowed in and out of his lungs as he poured on speed. He arrived at the edge of the camp site and didn’t see her. Skidding to a stop, he searched the area. A trace of her lavender scent filled the clearing, and he hurried toward it, down a path that led into the woods. He noted a fairly large pile of wood broken into pieces long enough to fit into the fire pit.
A flash of color through the trees caught his attention. “Sarah!” He hurried in her direction, a large crashing in the trees telling him she probably faced a bear. He thought of the young juvenile he’d seen earlier. If it were the same bear, they might have a problem on their hands. “I’m coming.”
“Hurry!” Her shrill voice echoed through the trees.
Low, rumbling barks, most definitely from a bear, filled the air. He saw her, a little way off the path, standing there. She remained still, body frozen with fear. He checked for signs of injury and seeing none, rushed past her. Waving his hands in the air, he yelled at the bear.
The creature rose on its hind legs. Liam didn’t recognize it and knew that would make it all the more dangerous. Waving his arms overhead, he yelled at it. “Get out of here! Go!”
The bear opened its jaw, its six-inch long teeth clearly visible. Had he not been who he was, he might have been shaken, turned tail and run, which was exactly what the bear wanted. “Sarah. Whatever you do, don’t run,” he told her, his voice low, dangerous. He bent down long enough to pick up a dried branch from the ground. Against the bear it wouldn’t last long, but might grant him enough time to get to the knife he kept in his boots. He never used bear spray. He wondered if he’d regret that decision.
Swinging the limb like a baseball bat, he aggressively moved toward the bear. Invading its space, he kept up yelling, telling it to get out of here. The bear wouldn’t understand the words, at least there was a good chance it wouldn’t, but the aggressive tone would tell him that he faced a bigger, fiercer predator. Behind him, he sensed Sarah’s presence. To her credit she remained, not running, nor making any more noise. Probably numb. Not much he could do about that now.
He swung the limb again. It connected with the bear’s foreleg. Wood splintered, the dry limb falling in two. The bear swiped.
Liam ducked, claws strong enough to churn the ground coming dangerously close to his shoulder. He got in close. If the bear got him, it’d go after Sarah next. He couldn’t let that happen. Not on his watch. He snarled, shouldering at the bear like a linebacker at the defensive line, ducking aside at the last minute.
For the bear, it was one threat too many. Dropping to all fours, it whirled away and run deeper into the woods. Liam waited until it had disappeared. He turned to Sarah. “You okay?” he asked.
She nodded, eyes wide, skin pale with fright. Sweat beaded on her brow, not quite strong enough to overpower her lavender scent.
That damn floral fragrance had probably been what drew the bear in the first place. He should have made her shower, except he wasn’t sure his libido could have handled the image. Adrenaline pounded through his veins. He stepped forward, once, twice, noticing she never moved. Shock. Standing before her, he wrapped her in his arms and drew her against his chest. “It’s all right. The bear is gone,” he crooned. “You’re safe.”
“Am I?” Her innocent question cut him to the core. If she only knew the truth, she’d realize how safe she was with him, at least from other bears. “I’ve never been camping before. My first day out, I’m nearly attacked by a bear. I’ve only read about all of this. We’re miles from the ATV. If something happens to you, I’m—” Her voice broke.
“Shh. Nothing’s going to happen to me.” He rubbed his hand up and down her spine, feeling her burrow even deeper against his chest. Through his layers of clothing, and hers, he felt her body heat, smelled that damn scent that would be haunting his dreams. His body reacted, driven partially by adrenaline, partially by the beautiful woman in his arms. He shifted, not wanting her to feel his arousal. Now so wasn’t the time.
“You don’t know that,” she replied.
“Yes, I do.” He leaned back, cupping her chin and tilting her face so their gazes collided. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I do this for a living.”
“You attack bears for a living?” Spots of color appeared on her cheeks. Her breath came in shallow pants.
He grinned. He couldn’t help it. “Not exactly.” Brushing his thumb across her lower lip, he drank in the sight of her. Sure, she’d screamed. Anyone would have in the situation. The important thing was that she stood her ground. She didn’t run. Didn’t put herself into a position to be harmed. And, she’d listened to him. Out here, that could make a difference between life and death.
Silence wrapped around him. After her initial shock, Sarah appeared to be calming down. Her breathing slowed, the flush remained on her cheeks, though it could have been from the chill or from being pressed so intimately against him. Her arms remained wrapped around his torso. One of them should move. Neither did.
Her lips parted.
His body throbbed with the need to release the tension building inside it. The need to taste her pounded in his mind. Just to find out if she tasted as heavenly as she smelled. His head dipped toward hers.
She swayed against him, her fingers clenching on his back, pulling him closer. Her heartbeat reverberated in her chest. Her legs tangled with his.
He shouldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this. She’d hired him to show her around
Alaska
, not seduce her moments after she’d been frightened by a bear. But she’d stood her ground. She was a brave woman. And with a sigh, he gave into the desire to taste her.
A puff of air caressed his mouth as his lips descended on hers. A gentle touch of skin against skin, just enough friction to whet his appetite for more. A tiny, needy moan emerged from her mouth, and just like that, he knew he had to have her. He drew her lower lip between his and ran his tongue along the length. In his arms, she shuddered.
Gentle, like working with a scared animal, he coaxed her mouth to his, increased the pressure, used his tongue to urge her lips open, and when she parted beneath him it was like the very heavens opening up with sunshine on a cloudy day. She tasted of a hint of mint, and when her tongue ventured out to meet his, shocks jolted through his body.
His hand on her back slid to her waist, splaying across her lower back to pull her closer to him. Her fingers clenched in his sweat shirt, her tongue boldly sliding along his. He may have started the kiss. She joined it with enthusiasm. He pulled away long enough to slant his lips across hers, deepening the kiss. A primal groan rumbled through his chest.
His lips stilled. Wait. What was he doing? He pulled back, his body aching with the need to resume the kiss. Except he shouldn’t. Now wasn’t the place or the time for this. Breathing heavily, he forced his hands to release her. He stepped back to put distance between them.
Sarah swayed toward him, then straightened. Her fingers slid from his shirt. Letting her hands fall to her sides, she balled her fists.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “We shouldn’t have done that. Now isn’t the time for such things. Are you sure you’re okay? The bear didn’t hurt you?” He felt like an ass, first for kissing her, then for apologizing. Still, if they were to stay out here for any length of time, they needed boundaries, and needed them about ten minutes ago.
“I’m fine, thanks. I’m a big girl.” Her voice wavered only a little. “Do you want me to continue gathering wood?”
“Why don’t you head back to camp? Looks like we have plenty for a while. It may not be fancy, but we can eat off of some of the rations I have in my packs for today.” He offered his hand as he turned back toward the trail.
She ignored it, striding forward on her own. “You can go back and get dinner. I’ll be all right.”
“You sure?” Uncertain whether she drew on her inner strength or simply bravado, he didn’t want to push her. “Because it’s all right. I make a great soup with dehydrated vegetables.”
“Go. I won’t hinder you. I’m sorry I screamed. The bear frightened me.”
“Don’t be sorry.” He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I told you to yell if you got into trouble, and that’s exactly what you did. Hell, the bear frightened me.” The white lie slid easily off his tongue. If it reassured her, then he didn’t mind the telling of it.
“Do you think he’ll come back?”
Liam shrugged. No sense in lying too much. “It’s hard to say. We startled him. So he’ll be leery about coming back. But there’s no guarantee he won’t.”
“Makes sense.” Their conversation drifted into silence back to the camp. He showed Sarah how to stow their belongings in the lockers to prevent bears from pilfering them, suggested she unroll her sleeping bag in the tent, then after starting the fire and showing her how to keep it going, returned to try and catch some dinner.
Sarah watched him leave. Something about Liam’s response to the bear didn’t sit right with her. She’d read about them, how when faced with black bears acting aggressive was best, but for grizzlies, the opposite was true. Yet, he acted like he knew the bear, as if he were deadly certain it wouldn’t hurt him. Pursing her lips, she stared down the path he’d used to return to the stream. She fed another small log onto the fire and wished she didn’t feel so damned helpless out here. Determined to do her job, she grabbed a small notebook from her pack, sat on an upended log, and started to make her observations.
Sitting out here in the woods, the sounds of birds starting up, the buzzing of insects, the churn of life around her, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. So different from
Washington
DC
and its never ending drone of cars. Letting the stress from the confrontation with the bear, and the emotions churned up by Liam’s kiss flow out of her, she dropped into a meditative state. She sat there for long moments, simply absorbing her surroundings. She listened for anything out of the ordinary. She heard nothing, and opening her eyes, looked once more at her notepad. Her report needed that infusion of nature, the serenity that came from knowing nothing but Mother Nature surrounded her. With a smile, she began to write.
When he returned from fishing with a good sized-catch, he found her still sitting there, scribbling away in her notebook. Without disturbing her, he began to clean the fish. Sarah watched over the edge of the notebook, trying to reconcile the piles of scales and guts she saw with the perfectly prepared fillets he’d served just a night ago. Had it really only been just last night when she’d dinned on perfectly prepared salmon at his table? It seemed like forever. Hastily, she turned away, not wanting him to know she watched.
~* * *~
Sarah bit her lip to keep from asking “are we there yet?” for a second time. Liam promised to show her a pipeline so she could see for herself the impact it had on the environment. They hiked out from the camp, following the stream, then crossing it on some precariously balanced boulders, before heading across what looked like a gorgeous meadow, complete with bobbing wild flowers.
Her legs ached. If she returned to civilization she’d never neglect the Stairmaster again. Watching Liam’s back as he blazed the trail in front of her, she struggled to keep her thoughts away from his broad shoulders and his narrow hips. Although obscured by his pack, she knew he had a fine rear. She shook her head. Damn it, she was engaged! And she let him kiss her. Her breath whooshed from her lungs.
As if he sensed her discomfort, Liam looked over his shoulder. “You okay? Need to rest?”
“I’m okay,” she replied, knowing physically she’d be fine. Mentally, emotionally, hell, she didn’t know, and the knowledge that Liam kissed ten times better than her fiancé didn’t make it any easier. She smiled, hoping she reassured him.
He nodded and faced forward again. “I promise, we’re almost there. See that rise? It’s just over there.”
Sarah followed Liam’s pointing finger to a small hill that looked miles away. Ugh. At least she was used to running all over
Washington
, literally and figuratively. Hitching her pack higher on her shoulders, she muscled through. Sooner than she thought, they topped the rise, and looked down at another pristine valley, except for the pipeline running smack through the center of it. Sarah frowned.
A series of uprights created a trail, almost like someone lined football goalposts from one end of the horizon to the other. A round, silver pipe sat in the uprights. It looked as if nothing more than bolts and rivets held it together, and Sarah found herself wondering what would happen if burrowing animals dislodged one of the posts, or if bad weather knocked them down. The thought of the valley, with its low grassy carpet and bunches of wildflowers, suddenly covered in the sludge of oil made her stomach churn.
She stared at the pipeline, the very thing her employers wanted to expand. It sickened her. A place as beautiful as this needed to remain pristine. She couldn’t imagine what kind of damage the heavy equipment needed to put the pipeline in place would do. She took several halting steps forward. “Can I go down there?”