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This was all her fault and she was angry at herself. She was glad she hadn’t called her father or her brother to let them know she was coming home. They would be worried sick when she didn’t show up. Now they were really going to be surprised. How could one day go so wrong?
* * *
EGAN GAVE THE WOMAN a few minutes, wondering how he’d gotten himself into this mess. He didn’t have time to fool with some ditzy blonde. Being judgmental wasn’t part of his nature, so he should give the woman the benefit of the doubt. But she was far from civilization and it was going to take a big chunk out of his workday to help her. It all depended on how fast she could walk. If he had to guess, he would say it was going to be a slow go.
When he returned to the car, she was standing outside. He took one look and wondered if this woman had any sense at all. She wore short jeans. They had a name, but for the life of him he couldn’t think of it. She had a pink-and-white layered top and pink-and-white sneakers.
He motioned toward the jeans. “Do you have longer ones?”
“No. It’s spring so I brought spring and summer clothes. These are capris.”
“And unsuitable for hiking through the woods.”
Her face crumpled like a little kid’s and he thought she was going to cry. “It’s all I have besides shorts and another dress.”
“It will have to do. Do you have a long-sleeved blouse or a sweater? It’ll get chilly in these hills as it grows darker.”
“I have a lime-green lightweight sweater that goes with my dress, but it doesn’t match what I have on.”
He laughed. He couldn’t help himself. He’d gotten himself involved with a city diva.
Her face broke into a smile. “That was silly.”
“Yes, it was. We’re not going to a party. We’ll be hiking through rough terrain and trying to avoid every pesky critter we can. There will be thick woods, brambles, snakes, bugs and every animal from field mice to whitetail deer to bobcats. And believe me, they won’t care what you’re wearing.”
“I assure you I’m not a weak woman. I can handle this.”
“You’ll pardon me if I don’t quite believe that. You’re a city girl.”
She lifted her chin with determination. “I’m a city woman and I’m stronger than I look.”
“Well, city woman, let’s go. Just follow me and don’t complain and don’t ask questions.”
“Wait.” She grabbed her purse and the sweater from the car. She tied the sweater around her neck and slung the purse over her shoulder. Then she got in line behind him as if they were going on a march or something. He shook his head and started off.
For the first thirty minutes she followed on his heels, but the longer they walked, the farther she trailed behind. She was getting tired and wouldn’t admit it, so he slowed down to give her a break. The problem was, they wouldn’t make it far enough to get cell reception before dark.
The woods were beautiful this time of year. The browns of fall and winter had turned to lively shades of green. New life. New season. New beginnings. Rabbits and squirrels scurried about and birds chirped in perfect harmony, the best music to guide their way. A snake slithered up a tree, but he didn’t show her. He feared she might freak out. He glanced back to check how far behind she was, and saw the sun setting in the west. Without thinking, he pointed.
She gasped as she viewed the beautiful oranges and reds that emanated from the large, fiery ball. “How beautiful. It looks as if the woods are on fire.”
He never grew tired of watching the sun set in Texas on Rebel Ranch. It made him aware that there were more important things in the world than his tiny problems.
“We might as well bed down for the night.”
She stared at him with something close to shock in her eyes. “Out here? Maybe our cells will work now.”
“They won’t. We didn’t make it far enough.”
She reached in her purse and pulled out her phone. After several attempts to call, she gave up. “Can we keep walking?”
“It’s too dangerous at night. We’ll stay here and start again in the morning.”
“I went camping once when I was a kid, and I didn’t like it. I don’t think I’m going to like it now, either.”
He laid his rifle on the ground and removed his duster. He spread it out on the sparse grass. “We can rest on this.”
Without a word she sank onto it. Her breathing was labored. “I don’t mean to complain or anything, but water would be heavenly.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He knelt and fished a canteen from the pocket of the duster.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a collapsible canteen. See—” he unfolded the durable plastic “—we have something to drink out of.”
“But we have no water.”
“There’s a natural spring not far from here.”
She got up on her knees. “You’re not going to leave me here?”
“I won’t be far. Just holler if something happens.”
She sank back on the duster as if in defeat. He watched her for a moment and thought she was holding up well for a city woman.
It didn’t take him long to find the spring. He filled the canteen and drank from it, and then filled it again for her. When he returned, she was sitting on the duster with her arms wrapped around her waist, watching the woods warily. It was getting dark now and her eyes lit up at the sight him. He realized for the first time they were blue—a brilliant, beautiful blue, like a field of Texas bluebonnets.
He sat beside her as she drank the water.
“This is divine.”
“It’s springwater and the best there is.”
She handed him the canteen and he shook his head. “I drank at the spring.”
“Wait.” She dug around in her purse and pulled out two chocolate bars. “I forgot I have Kit Kat bars. I never go anywhere without chocolate.”
“No, tha—”
She held one in front of his face. “Eat it. It’s all we have.”
Before he knew it, he was eating a candy bar with her.
The darkness closed in like a wall, isolating them. It was a dark night and they couldn’t see beyond their hands as crickets serenaded them. The quarter moon hung like a big, bright banana and served as a small spotlight of reassurance that the world was still out there.
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