Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Hurley
How did I get myself into this mess?
More mystifyingly, why did I get myself into this mess?
It’s clear to me now that I am allowing emotions to rule my actions, much to my detriment.
After I brought Shenna dinner last night, I returned to the general store to leave Jack a note that I would need an assistant on the wilderness camp today. And I made sure the entire store was thoroughly stocked and cleaned, essentially leaving no work for Shenna to do on Sunday.
It was all part of my plan to make sure Jack steered her to me.
Shenna would be pissed if she knew how I manipulated the situation. But I don’t care.
I simply have to watch out for her. She’s not looking out for herself effectively enough. If she’d been shunned, there would be no need for a disguise. If anyone from that church came looking for her here, she’d be toast.
But now, I can see she needs way more help than I first realized.
I never should have assumed Shenna knew the first thing about wilderness hiking or camping. When I saw her limping on the trail, I made her sit down so I could examine her feet. I discovered her soles were one big blister because she wasn’t wearing moisture-wicking socks. She hasn’t complained; I’ll give her that much. However, her unwillingness to complain or ask for help is going to be her downfall.
She needs me in her life. To protect her, to be her friend, and maybe more. She needs a constant companion to stand up to the dark forces at play here. I’ve survived the trauma, and so can she, but she needs someone who understands what she’s been through. So far, the only person who qualifies for that role is me.
“Dammit! Ouch!”
I close the distance between myself and her. “What’s wrong? Snake bite?”
The married couple on this trip, Dave and Lisa from Salt Lake City, have trekked just past the treeline to relieve themselves. No one goes into the trees alone; that’s rule number one. They leave Shenna and me to start setting up the tents for the night.
“No, not a snake bite,” Shenna groans, holding her hand to her chest and wincing in pain. “The stupid stakes got all bent, and I hammered my thumb!”
Shenna kicks at the stakes on the ground, which have been bent all to shit. But I don’t pay them any mind. Instead, I take her hand. “Let me see.”
“No!”
“Shenna.” In my attempt to not raise my voice, it goes low and commanding, almost parental sounding, and I regret that. Shenna’s eyes flash, and her cheeks turn pink as I wrangle her hand away from her chest. “Let me look at it.”
She gives me a petulant glare, but I do my best to ignore it.
“You smashed that thumb up pretty good.”
“It’s fine,” she says through gritted teeth.
“You gotta cut the attitude and accept the fact that you don’t know what you’re doing out here.”
She places her free hand on her hip. “Well, you’re the one who demanded that I help you. I tried to tell Jack that I have no business camping, but he seemed to think I’d be fine.”
“You will be fine.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because you’re with me and I’m very trustworthy.”
“People who are trustworthy don’t announce they are trustworthy,” she snarks.
It’s getting tough to hide how much she amuses me. “Don’t be a wise ass.”
I continue to hold her hand in mine, gently caressing the back of it, and stare deeply into her blue contact lenses. She glances away and clears her throat.
The couple, Lisa and Dave, can be heard emerging from the woods. Shenna snatches her hand from mine and takes a step back.
“Your tent stakes are ruined. You can’t sleep in that tent. You’ll have to share mine.”
She looks outraged as the color pink darkens her cheeks, ears, and neck. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, get your sleeping bag and pillow, and I’ll make room for you in my tent.”
Instead of listening to me, she heads to the campfire and sits beside Lisa.
“Do you think it would be okay if your husband shared a tent with Hurley and you and I shared the other tent? I seem to have something wrong with my sleeping arrangements.”
I already know the answer.
The way Lisa and Dave are snuggling closely together by the fire, I know there’s no way they are going to separate. Not on a mini pre-honeymoon.
“That’s not exactly what we had in mind,” Dave says.
“No,” Lisa says flatly.
Shenna gets up and starts to unpack her backpack.
“What are you doing?” I ask her.
When she shoots me a look, her energy crackles around her like an electrical storm. She really can’t stand the idea of sharing a tent with me.
“Getting my bedroll out. I’ll sleep by the fire.”
“No way.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Sleeping outside is not an option. Get your things and put them in my tent, or I’ll do it myself.”
She turns to me and drops her bedroll to the ground with force.
“Why are you so bossy?”
“Babe, let’s not argue in front of the clients,” I say through gritted teeth.
Shenna does not take the “babe” comment lightly at all. Her lips do that cute twisting thing, while her eyes could send thunderbolts through me. Yep. She hates me right now.
I ignore her spluttering and defiance and do my usual nighttime duties, such as bear-proofing the food supply, brushing my teeth, and securing the clients’ tent.
Dave and Lisa eventually head to their tent, and I douse the campfire.
“It’s going to get cold. Better go to bed,” I tell Shenna, who’s glowering at me as she struggles to get comfortable on her bedroll because she didn’t clear the ground of twigs and rocks.
“I thought that’s what the fire was for,” she says.
“It’s irresponsible to leave it burning after bedtime.”
“How are we supposed to keep warm?”
“We share body heat.”
I reach out a hand to help her stand up, but she doesn’t take it. “I’m not getting naked with you,” she snaps in mild outrage.
I laugh, “Who said anything about getting naked?”
She grudgingly takes my hand, and I help her up. “Well, it’s common knowledge. It’s in books about hypothermia and stuff,” she says.
“You seem obsessed with getting me naked. If that’s what you want, all you had to do was ask.”
“Oh my god.” Shenna stomps over to her defunct tent to grab her sleeping bag and air mattress while I shuck off my boots. I head inside to arrange the space to accommodate my new roommate.
I grab her air mattress and set it next to mine, then take her sleeping bag from her without asking.
“What are you doing now?”
I tell her I’m unzipping both our sleeping bags so we can share two layers of blankets.
She thinks about this for a moment but doesn’t argue. Seems she’s tuckered herself out and is all done arguing with me for the day, and I can’t help but notice I’m strangely disappointed at that. I can’t believe it, but I actually enjoy sparring with Shenna.
I watch her slip under the sleeping bags without changing into pajamas, which I can’t say I expected. Still, I find myself wondering what sort of thing Shenna normally wears to bed. Something soft and girly? Something skimpy and sexy? Nah. She’s a tee shirt and undies type of girl. I don’t know how I know, but I know.
I wait until Shenna’s snug and cozy, her hair tied up in a bun as she faces away from me in the tent, and then I settle in next to her.
After a beat, when all is silent and still except for the crickets outside, I drop the bomb.
“Good night, Shenna Blake.”
She doesn’t respond for several moments.
Only the rustle of the wind in the trees seems to move.
“Shenna?”
She rolls over. “How did you know it was me? The last time we saw each other, we were…”
“So you recognize me.”
“Of course. You still have those meaty hands and that bossy voice,” she snorts.
“You remember that from fifteen years ago?”
“Some people never change. Others of us move on.”
“Speaking of change, what the hell did you do to yourself, girl?”
Shenna sits up and looks down at me in the dark. “I take offense to that. I like my blonde hair.”
She’s got it all wrong. “Do whatever you want with your hair. Makes no difference to me. But you gotta take out those crazy colored contacts and lashes. You look insane.”
She’s quiet for a long time.
“You, of all people, should know just how dangerous it is when you leave…certain situations,” she whispers.
“I didn’t leave. They kicked me out. Remember?”
She fidgets the blankets. “I do remember that. And I’m sorry they did that to you. You were how old?”
“Sixteen.”
“Where did you go?”
I don’t know how much to tell her. I’m not proud of what I had to do to stay alive. But I don’t want to talk about that.
“Here and there. But tell me something. What the hell are you doing here, Shenna?”
“I’m on the run from my fiancé.”
It’s exactly as bad as I’d figured. I’d hoped it wasn’t the case, but I’ve heard many stories of would-be brides running away over the years. I knew Shenna was on the run as soon as I saw her fake contacts and dyed hair. Not to mention learning she had an alias.
“You’re safe here in Misty Mountain. You’re safe with me.”
After a short pause, she lays back down and snuggles under the sleeping bags. “I suppose you’re working with one of those rescue groups now. Well, I didn’t come here to get a free handout.”
I reach over and dare to squeeze her shoulder.
“That’s not it at all. I’ve never rescued a single soul in my life, and I never intended to, except for clients on these expeditions that do stupid, dangerous shit. When I saw you, I told myself, I can’t let this suffer like I did. It seemed like there was a reason we ran into each other.”
“Literally,” she says with a laugh. “I almost killed you with nonperishables.”
“You have to marry me, Shenna.”
The suggestion comes out of nowhere and hangs in the silence between us for a good long while.
But if I’m honest with myself, I know it’s not coming out of nowhere. The last twenty-four hours have been building up to this moment. The thought was there as soon as I laid eyes on Shenna, though I was trying to deny it.
“Are you out of your damn mind, Hurley Hanlon?”
I double down. “You know they’re going to keep coming for you, and there’s only one way they can’t touch you. You have to be married. That’s the only way to protect you, and you know that’s the truth.”
She is silent for a long while. Finally, she rolls over to face me.
“Why would you want to marry me? You don’t even like me that much.”
I smile and reach for her hand. “It’s not about whether we like each other. It’s for your protection.”
I bring her hand to my lips and kiss it, and she snatches it away.
“Why would I want to lock in with you? You’re grumpy and mean, and…”
“I’m not that mean.”
“You’re closed off.”
“Maybe a little.”
She makes a very cute, exasperated noise.
“Look, I’m not gonna force you to do anything. But consider your options, besides a really terrible disguise.”
“Hey,” she says, slapping my arm.
“And Mildred? What the hell is that?”
“What’s wrong with Mildred?”
“Nothing at all, if you’re into early bird specials and bingo night at the nursing home.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“My point is, you need a fail-safe option, and I’m the only one who gets it. I’m the only person who understands what’s at stake. You know damn well that the only thing that keeps these polygamists at bay, the only thing that matters to them, is a piece of paper that says you’re married to someone else.”
The tent is cold, and I notice that Shenna has scooted closer to me. Her leg brushes against mine.
“What am I going to do with you, Hurley?”
She rolls away from me and shivers.
“Think about it.”
She doesn’t respond.
I sigh, “Okay, I’m gonna put my arm around you. Just for warmth. I promise I won’t try anything.”
She doesn’t move, doesn’t push me away, and doesn’t fuss.
I need to keep her close. Not because I’m falling for her or anything like that.
Now that I know what she’s up against, the overwhelming urge to protect and fight anything that threatens her has taken over.
It may be the most irrational move of my life, but nothing about either of our situations could ever be described as rational.