Chapter 5 #3
park. They exited and they were at the other end of the park now.
Moe had set up a craft area. You could watch people doing many of
the crafts that had been done in that time and buy the finished
product.
Duroc bought a beautiful quilt. Back in
those days nothing went to waste. Their resources in many areas
were limited and had to be stretched just so they could survive.
They were hungry by the time they made it into the main exit
building. It was filled with food choices.
“Do you want a snack?”
Duroc asked.
“I love those big soft
pretzels.”
“Okay. What about adding a
hot dog?”
“I can manage that.” Bindi
grinned.
He ordered a couple pretzels and
hotdogs and got two bottles of beer to top it off. They walked
through the building looking at the goods available for purchase.
The wolf jewelry was impressive. Duroc bought a charm bracelet with
a black wolf charm and a gold wolf charm. Ariel had suggested to
Bindi if she were a wolf, she would be gold. Those were rare but
not sought after because there were no known powers associated with
them. That was okay. She was special just like she was.
They were at the end of the business
and their snack was done. It was time to go. “Where to now?” Bindi
asked.
“How about a nice drive in
the country?”
She looked at him like she wasn’t sure
if he was serious or not, but she nodded. Duroc headed toward
Eureka. “You’re paying attention to the roads, right?”
“Is this a
test?”
“No, but you may have a job
out here eventually and as great as GPS can be, knowing where you
are is better.”
“I can see the value of
that.” Bindi says. “I’ll watch better.”
“We’re going to Gaskins
Cabin. It’s a historic log cabin. They have some good food here.
The menu is mostly steak and seafood. I believe you’ll love it.”
Duroc said.
They arrived and even though she’d just
had a snack, the aroma of the food as they entered made her mouth
water. The candlelight and the fireplace helped give it that
ambience that was perfect for a romantic date. They ordered baked
brie for an appetizer. She’d never had it before, but it was
good.
She ordered New York strip with
asparagus and mushrooms. He ordered prime rib with a baked potato
and asparagus and the food was marvelous. Dessert was chocolate
bread pudding. When everything was finished, they headed back
through Eureka. Duroc wanted to figure out how to get somewhere
alone with her but couldn’t think of a way. Too bad because he felt
she was beginning to give in.
It looked like his mating was going to
continue to develop slowly. The trip back went fast maybe because
he knew she’d be gone until he found a way to see her again. They
reached Ariel’s and he wished she’d invite him in, but she didn’t.
He helped her out of the car then pulled her tight and kissed her
passionately.
Then he walked her to the door and said
goodbye. He thought about his Bindi all the way home. It seemed she
would resist anything more than friendship. How could he get her
past that? Duroc tried but it was so hard. There was no way that he
could see. Wolves by nature weren’t that patient.
At his destination, he went in the
house looking for something to do. He had Ariel’s first book, so he
decided to read it. Maybe there would be a hint in there somewhere.
It was good and really pulled him in. There was no way this
relationship was like his and Bindi and it was a shame. Halfway
through, he put it down and went to prepare for bed.
A good night’s sleep hadn’t made him
any more optimistic. Duroc had a sudden urge to go to Ariel’s and
see if Bindi would go somewhere with him. Usually, he didn’t do
things like that at the drop of a hat. But his desire for Bindi was
different. She was his and he had to make her see. He arrived at
Ariel’s and got in easily.
“I was expecting you. Bindi
will be out here soon. Go ahead and get something to eat.” Ariel
counseled.
Duroc did as she suggested and ate and
drank coffee as he waited. His seat was near Ariel where Bindi
often sat. She showed up and went to get her coffee and food
without noticing him. When she turned to walk to her seat, she was
clearly surprised to see him.
“Did we have plans I forgot
about?”
“No, but I thought we might
make some.” Duroc admitted.
“What did you have in
mind?”
“Anything you’d like to see
that’s open today?”
“We could go to downtown
Eureka. I know some places are open.”
“It would be my pleasure to
escort you.”
They both finished eating and headed
out. “You have your radio, right?”
“I do. Just in case we
don’t get back on time.” Bindi admitted.
They’d been driving all over the area.
Bindi would become an expert at navigating these roads in no time.
Duroc took them through Berryville on the way to Eureka this time.
There was a wealth of stores in Eureka, and they had all kinds of
items. This was a place you parked and walked down the sidewalks.
He was amazed with how many stores were open.
Going downhill first, they would go
uphill on the way back. The walk was brisk, but they stopped often
going in stores that were open. Bindi bought several things, mostly
clothing like T-shirts, scarves, and even a dress. This was not
what he’d expected her to buy. It showed him that he didn’t know
his mate very well.
They went into an art gallery, and he
saw a lot of talent. A picture of two wolves, a black alpha and his
golden mate hung on the wall. The two were in the forest at dusk
drinking from a creek. It was amazing and he had to have it. This
store packed it up and would send it to his home in
Washington.
Bindi liked several paintings and
sketches but didn’t seem to feel strongly about any of them. The
trip had still been worth it because he’d loved that painting.
There were more galleries, but only this one was on their way back
up the hill. Several places had food and they stopped for soup and
sandwiches.
“This was nice.” Bindi
commented.
“It was, wasn’t
it?’
“They must have a lot of
things to do around here.”
“That’s true. There’s
several caves, music shows, and more. You can even rent UTVs to
explore places and I hear that’s fun.” Duroc admitted.
“I’ve never rode one of
those or been to a cave.”
“I’ll add that to our
list.”
After getting back to his car, they got
in and he headed home. Only this time he headed to his own home.
Eventually, she noticed he turned the other way.
“Where are we going?” Bindi
asked.
“I thought you might want
to see a movie.”
“Okay.”
Pulling in at his place, he went around
and helped her up and escorted her to his door. Once he got the
door open, he led her in. At least the house wasn’t a mess. “Come
in and have a seat. Do you want a drink?” Duroc asked.
“I’d take one.”
He got her a wine cooler and a beer for
him. “Want to pick a movie?”
“Sure.” She went through
his collection and pulled one out. “How about this?”