Chapter 5
Griz was glad Sharp and Squat wanted to drive. He hadn’t slept much since they’d left before four this morning. He almost felt like they were headed out on a mission and not driving to vacation.
He was sitting in the back of Squat’s car, his eyes closed. He planned on finding his room and taking a nap when they first arrived at the cabin.
“Wake up, Griz. We’re almost there.” Jay sounded excited. Why wouldn’t he be? His wife was great. Hell, all their women were great.
He grunted. “I’m awake. I’ve been awake the whole drive. I heard everything you two have been talking about.”
“That’s a lie. You were snoring,” Squat said.
He grunted again, knowing they were right. When he cracked open his eyes, he marveled at how perfect the area looked. It was beautiful. This was what he wanted when he retired.
They turned and after a few seconds, the cabin came into view. When the women first came up with the plan, he’d looked at the first place they’d brought up, but after that, he’d just let them roll with it. He hadn’t expected something like this.
“Wow.”
Jay glanced over his shoulder. “That all you got to say, just wow?”
He chuckled and grunted. He would miss these guys if he retired, but then again, living in a place like this, not the house, just the area, would be cool.
The door to the cabin opened and all the women came spilling out.
He would be lying to say a pang of jealousy didn’t twist through him as he watched Sharp step from the car in front of them and pull his woman into a hug.
It wasn’t Danika and Sharp specifically.
He was a little jealous of all of them in times like this.
He climbed from the back of the car and stretched. His back twinged, and he twisted to the left, then the right. He needed to move and get some blood flow. He might just go for a jog. The idea was like a breath of fresh air. He’d thought he might sleep, but the run would be better.
The women were all talking to their men as he unloaded his gear and the bags of groceries they’d brought with them.
After finding his room, a smaller room tucked into the attic that was just perfect for him because he would be away from everyone else, he headed to the kitchen and ran into three of the women.
“Do you think there are any snakes?” Rowan asked.
“Maybe, but I think it will be safe,” Nichole said.
Amelia waved at him, her smile huge. “We just need a few bags.”
“Snakes? What are you all talking about?” Griz asked.
“We’re going to grab some blackberries. We ran into the woman who owns the place, and she was picking berries not too far from here. We want to make a pie later.”
“I’m going out on a run. I can grab some while I’m out. Just tell me which way to go and I’ll get them.”
“Oh, Griz, you don’t have to,” Nichole said.
“Don’t have to what?” Jay asked as he came into the kitchen.
“Griz volunteered to go pick some blackberries for us.”
“Oh, nice one, Griz.” Jay looked him up and down. “You going for a run?”
He nodded. “I need to stretch. I’m sore from sitting in the car.”
“Gotcha.” Jay grab a mug for coffee then turned to him. “Enjoy the run. If you don’t get enough and the ladies want more berries, we can all go out and pick some.”
“Thank you, Griz,” Nichole said.
“Yeah, thank you, Griz,” Rowan added.
Amelia picked up a can of tomato paste. “When you get back, we’ll have pizza. We’re proofing the dough now.”
“Cool. Pizza sounds great. I’ll be gone for about an hour.”
They all waved and said bye as he left out the side door. He drew in a deep breath and let it go. The air was clean up here. The scent of pine and flowers washed over him as he moved away from the house. It was different from the salt and sand, but good. It reminded him of home.
It was weird that thoughts from his past kept invading. He’d woken up more than once to dreams about when he was a kid, well, a teenager. He’d had a dream the night before of a water gun fight he’d had. The memory of that day was probably off like most memories from childhood were.
He’d gone home that evening and found his mom unable to get out of bed to cook dinner. His dad had been cagey, and when he’d snuck into his mom’s room against his dad’s wishes, he’d found out why his mom was stuck in her bed.
Anger twisted through him and he pushed the memory away.
That was the last thing he wanted to focus on during this run.
He didn’t know why his past was coming back up so much.
Maybe it was the anniversary of his mom’s death.
He still blamed himself for that. If he’d not left…
but back then, his father had been much bigger and stronger.
He ran a few miles through twisting paths, and up higher into the hills before heading back to find the blackberry patch. He must have gotten turned around because he popped out in a clearing around a small cabin.
Griz paused and drew in a deep breath, glancing around as he tried to figure out where he’d taken the wrong turn.
He heard the unmistakable snap of a rifle being readied and he stood up straight, raising his hand.
“I suggest you turn around and leave.”
The woman walked into his view and he couldn’t help but smile. She was tall with broad shoulders. Her build was athletic, like she worked out a lot. Her hair was short, and he imagined she got mistaken for a man, but she was all woman. That was obvious from this angle.
“Sorry. I’m staying at a cabin and got turned around. If you’d point me in the right direction, I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Navy?”
The question threw him off, and he nodded. “How did you know?”
She lowered the gun. “I own the cabin. You were making a hell of a racket coming down that path and I didn’t know if you were some half-crazed, drugged out camper or what.”
A bark of laughter escaped his lips. He probably looked scary. His hair had grown out, and he hadn’t trimmed his beard in a few weeks. Part of it was the deployment they’d come back from, and another part was the fact he was close to retirement.
“I probably look scary. Name’s Griz, and I promise I’m not drugged out, but I am probably half-crazed for sticking with the Navy for so long. I was trying to find a blackberry patch and get some for the women before I go back.”
“I saw them yesterday at the patch. I’m glad they want to pick some. I know the animals rely on the fruit, but so much of it falls to the ground and rots. I go by El, and I’m headed that way. Want to walk with me?”
He nodded. “Sure. That’d be great. I usually have a better sense of direction, but I wasn’t paying attention.”
El waved him on and he followed, trying not to pay too much attention to her nice behind.
He glanced over to the trees, seeing a bird he didn’t recognize.
He used to sit at the top of the barn and watch the birds.
They were interesting, though when people found out he watched them, they made fun of him, so he didn’t tell many people about that hobby.
“It used to drive my mom crazy when we didn’t get to the berries before they fell to the ground. ”
El glanced over at him, her lips tipping up in a smile. “Did you grow up on a farm?”
“I did. It’s much different from where I am now.”
“I guess that means you live in San Diego with your wife.”
He shook his head, and she frowned. “No, I mean yes. I live there, but I’m not married. Heck, I don’t even have a girlfriend.”
She raised one eyebrow, then her gaze dipped, taking in his body. When she met his gaze, she looked doubtful. “Really. A guy like you without a girlfriend.”
He would be lying to say her looking didn’t stroke his ego. “The job has kept me busy.”
She nodded. “Updating the cabin kept me busy, also you have to look to find someone.”
“That surprises me. I’m shocked you don’t have the local men banging down your door.”
Laughter spilled from her lips. “Most of the locals who are single are that way for a reason. They don’t want a thinking woman, and I’ve never been able to keep my mouth shut when I have an independent thought.”
“I bet that’s fun.”
She stopped and put her hands on her hips. He turned to face her, thinking she looked cute and he wouldn’t mind finding out if she would be up for some fun.
“Are you being an ass?”
He shook his head. “No. I really meant that. I bet it’s fun.
I would hate to date a doormat. I don’t want someone who just wants to nod at everything I say and never counters me.
” He wiped his hand over his face. “I’m sorry.
I know I’m intense, and I really didn’t mean any disrespect. I was being serious, not snarky.”
She blinked at him then smirked as she took off walking again. “So you weren’t being an ass then. I’ve got to say most guys can’t handle it. They don’t like to be corrected.”
“I’m in the Navy, I get corrected all the freaking time.”
“So I thought Navy guys always had to shave and keep the hair short.”
“We do if we’re regular Navy.”
“Oh.” She stopped and pointed at some bushes. “The berries. Just watch the thorns.”
Griz took a step closer to the bushes and saw something long and black slither away. He jumped back. “Shit.”
“Oh, and snakes. It’s not one of the venomous ones.” She picked up a stick and rattled the bushes. “That should drive them away.”
“I hate snakes. When we operate in jungles and rain forests, I hate it.”
“I don’t so much mind the snakes around here. I have to watch my woodpile, and I try to keep the leaves away from the house.”
He started picking berries, watching where he stepped. “I bet you see a lot of wildlife out here.”
“I do. You have to be careful when mountain lions are in the area.”
“Do you see many here?”
She shook her head. “Not often. Once every few months. There aren’t any who live close by. They roam, but not this far. The deer population is bigger north of here.”
“Yeah, they would need the bigger prey to survive.”