Chapter 9
They traveled ten miles that day, by Nathan’s account. He’d seen signs of Ephram’s trailing them, as they’d doubled back a couple of times. Now, he needed to get back on track. The rain had started an hour ago and was coming down in sheets, along with wind. He had to get Haley out of the weather, even if it was in a cave.
He glanced around to see her trudging behind him, her head down and her eyes on the ground. Sam was right there beside her, crowding her against the side of the mountain and away from the slope. He’d not trained the dog for that, Nathan idled and wondered at the canine’s wisdom. And maybe the dog was a little besotted with the woman.
He halted and waited for Haley to catch up with him. She almost ran into him before looking up and he could see the exhaustion in her eyes, along with the rain dripping off her lashes. “We’ve got about an hour to go. Think you’re up to it?”
At her nod, he reached out to pat her shoulder then thought better of it. A pat might end up toppling her. Instead, he cupped her shoulder and squeezed it.
He headed uphill and toward the old cave he’d explored last year. In the winter, it had been empty, save a couple of bat colonies in one of the branches off the back. With any luck, today would be the same.
They had to crawl up the last part of the trail to get to the cave. Rivulets of water ran down the hill, making the dirt mud and slick. Haley accepted his hand to pull her up the last few feet, telling Nathan more than anything how much she needed to rest. Even Sam had some trouble scrambling up the hill. Finally, they reached the cave and Nathan had Haley stop just inside the overhang. “Wait here.”
He dropped the pack and, taking his penlight out, went in search of any inhabitants. Haley’s silhouette, along with that of Sam led him back out and he smiled. “Dry and unoccupied.”
She smiled and gestured to his pack. “Can I take mine off?”
“Wait til we get inside, then you can.” He picked up his pack and led the way in, skirting around a large rock to the driest part of the cave. Haley cautiously walked inside, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dim interior.
The cave was dryer than outside, certainly, but there still was a dampness to it. Or maybe she was just so wet everything felt wet too. She stopped by the large boulder he’d walked around and leaned against it, glad to give something her weight. She closed her eyes and took a breath. The next thing she knew she was floating. Startled, she opened her eyes to see Nathan standing in front of her, his hands on the waist belt. “It’s okay. I’m just taking the pack off.”
She blinked at him, confused for a second. “Did I go to sleep?” At his nod she sighed. “I’ve never fallen asleep on my feet.”
“Have you hiked for two days straight before today?” She shook her head and he smiled at her and pulled the pack from her shoulders. As he did, he leaned forward and she took in his scent. Leather, trees and a little bit of sweat. Nathan.
She wanted to rest her head against his shoulder but refrained. She had to be strong, had to show him she could carry her weight. She closed her eyes again and breathed him in, trying to gain his strength through his scent.
“Sit down, I’ll get you something to drink,” he said and turned away from her.
“You’ve walked as much as I have. I should get my own drink,” she said even as she sank onto the rock. It might be hard, but it was still something to sit on.
“And I do this all the time,” he said and poured some water from the water bottle into a smaller cup then handed it to her. “Drink this then we’re going to find you some dry clothes.”
“Where?” she said as she gulped the water. She laughed and he looked at her. “I was just thinking. I’m soaking wet and dry as a bone at the same time.”
He smiled and refilled the cup before handing it to her. As she drank a little slower this time, she watched him open his backpack and remove a plastic bag. Inside was, oh glory, a dry T shirt and pants. She didn’t see underwear in the bundle he was bringing her but she didn’t care. She’d improvise.
“If you go around that corner right there, you’ll have some privacy. Just don’t go too far, there’s a bat colony in the back of the corridor.”
She nodded her head and took the penlight from him. She tucked in behind the corner, just far enough to be out of sight and then struggled out of the wet, clinging jeans and shirt. Looking at her sopping bra and panties, she finally shook her head and scrambled out of them as well. Once in the dry clothes, she wrang the water out of the wet ones and returned to the main cave area then came to a sudden halt.
Nathan stood with his back to her, his bare back. He’d evidently had the same idea and was dressed in dry, khaki green pants and was holding a green T shirt above his head, putting his arms in the sleeves. Haley watched as he pulled the shirt over his head and down his torso. As he did, she saw the scar that transected his back. It started in the middle of his back, at the spine and made an arc down the side and into his belt line. Parts of it looked faint but some looked rough and jagged. What had caused that horrible mark on him? And how had he survived what had to have been a major wound?
She must have made a sound as Sam’s head came up from the cave floor as he lay at the entrance and Nathan looked over his shoulder. “Feel better?”
She hoped the faint light in the cave hid her blush and she nodded. “Much. I just wish we could dry these clothes. They’re going to smell awful if we don’t.”
“Maybe we can,” he said and held his hand out for hers. “Let me have them and I’ll hang them up. There’s a breeze coming through the entrance and?—”
“That’s okay. I can do it,” she said, all too aware of the nylon bra and panties bundled up with her jeans and top. When he looked puzzled, she went on. “You have your own stuff to hang up. We can both do it.”
She found a niche to hang her stuff up, using small rocks to anchor the underwear and then putting the jeans and top in front of them. While he hung his clothes near hers, she busied herself with finding the food and drink mixes and arranging them on the large rock.
He showed her how to activate the heating pouches with a little water and then, as the food was warming, they went about the oddly intimate task of setting up the sleeping area. Haley avoided making eye contact with Nathan, wondering at the increased tension in the room. Or was it just her?
Nathan watched Haley out of the corner of his eye. What was it about her that was different? She’d put her hair up in a ponytail that morning but now strands of brown hair had escaped the tie and were clinging to her still damp skin. She should look disheveled, he thought, but she was lovely. Her skin, clear and without any makeup, gleamed in the faint light of the cave and the pink shirt she wore matched the pink in her cheeks.
He finished spreading the tarp before fishing the bedrolls out of the plastic rain bags he’d put them in that morning. Dropping them to the ground he turned to her and noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra.
Oh, boy. He quickly turned away from her and went to the cave entrance to cool off. The heat that had blasted through him at the sight of her in the thin T shirt was almost enough to dry their wet clothes. He stood, watching the rain sheets falling outside of the cave and was tempted to go out and stand under the falls it had created. He could hear her moving around behind him, gently chastising Sam as the dog sniffed around the heating food. He closed his eyes and listened to her, letting the soft sound of her voice and the rain gentle his mind. Oddly enough, though he fully acknowledged the sexual need she elicited in him, she also calmed his soul. Now, if he could get his libido under control, they’d be golden.
Several minutes passed before Haley called that their food was hot enough to eat. Nathan turned, grateful for the respite he’d had. He was ready to face her now.
She was seated on one of the rolled sleeping bags, spreading out a small bit of paper. He smiled when he recognized the packing material she’d saved when they’d unwrapped the supplies. Even if she declared she wasn’t a nature person, she was resourceful enough to adapt to his world.
He squelched the idea of having her in his life for good. She didn’t want that kind of life. He wouldn’t force his self-imposed solitary existence on anyone.
“What’s for dinner?”
She examined the pouches as she gingerly removed them from the boxes. “Looks like we have chicken and vegetables, chicken chow mein and chicken pot pie.” She grimaced and glanced up at him. “Sorry, I just reached inside the pack and pulled out the first three boxes I came to.”
“It’s okay. The fact that you got three different entrees is pretty impressive.” He squatted down across from her and felt Sampson nudge him. “Yeah, we got you a dinner, too.”
They quickly opened the food and set to eating. Haley prayed silently and he waited, used to her practice by now. He’d noticed her pray over a protein bar when they’d eaten on the trail, not stopping yesterday. He chuckled. At her questioning look he said, “Your idea of being thankful.”
She quirked a tiny frown. “What do you mean?”
“You said grace over the protein bar yesterday. Not many people would think a slab of pressed protein and fruit would be something to be thankful for.”
“It provided nutrition and energy. Of course, I was thankful.” She smiled at him. “I’ve learned that even the small things are worth giving thanks for.”
He took a bite of the chicken pot pie then reached for the salt and pepper. “You volunteer every year, you pray a lot. Your faith must mean a lot to you.”
“It does,” she said and reached for the hot sauce.
“And it doesn’t waver?”
She chuckled and looked around them at the dim rock walls of the cave. “Of course, it wavers. The last couple of days have been a tsunami of doubt. But I’ve learned that if I don’t give up, my faith will sustain me.”
He studied her, unsure of how to respond. He’d seen guys in the service who proclaimed faith in a higher power. Some of them held on to it even when they were injured and dying. Others lost their beliefs as soon as the shooting started. He hadn’t believed in anything other than his own strength, and weaknesses, as well as his dog’s trust and loyalty in a very long time.
“Want some dessert?” he asked, uncomfortable with where his thoughts were heading.
“Not if it’s a protein bar,” she said and laughed at his look. “I may be thankful for them, but I don’t want them as a steady diet.”
He reached inside the backpack and felt around for the smaller bundles that indicated snacks. He pulled out a brownie and chocolate muffin. “Got similar things again.”
“I’ll take the brownie,” she said and held out her hand.
“What if I want the brownie?” he joked.
“I’m willing to arm wrestle for it,” she said with a mock frown. He chuckled and handed it over before unwrapping the muffin. They shared a water bottle and settled back against their bed rolls. The rain continued outside, casting both a gloom and a musical background.
When the food was gone, Haley gathered the trash and pushed it to the bottom of her backpack where they were stashing refuse. “I wonder how much longer the rain will last.”
“Don’t know. We’re okay here for a while. I don’t think we’ll be tracked. The rain will wash away evidence as much as anything. We just can’t start a fire.”
“Oh, a fire,” she breathed, and he realized she was trembling. He frowned and reached over to feel of her forehead. She was warm to the touch. “You sick?”
She shook her head. “I think I just got a little chilled in the rain. I’ll be fine.”
He fished around in his pack and removed a small zipper bag. Locating the aspirin, he held out the small bottle. “Take a couple of these. You need to be in top form to make it here.”
She swallowed the aspirin with her water then handed the bottle back to him. “Did you learn the woodsmen skills in the military?”
He shook his head. “I grew up in this area. Well, in the mountains. In Kentucky. When I got out of the Navy, I decided I wanted to be in the mountains but I didn’t want to go back to my hometown so I found a job in Asheville.”
“You lived in Asheville?”
“Yeah, for about a year. I didn’t like the city, so I used my savings to buy an acre in the mountains and built my cabin. I’ve lived there ever since.”
“Is it like Grand Dad’s?”
He laughed, “About half the size and without the hot tub on the deck.”
She shrugged. “He tried luring Granny out there, without much luck, I might add. She was more like me, a city girl.”
“What’s so great about the city?” he asked, unwilling to completely give up the idea of her in the mountains.
“Shopping, the arts, restaurants.”
“Traffic, people, crime.”
“Music, museums, ice cream shops,” she said with a gleam in her eye.
“Waterfalls, foals and wolf cubs, mountain laurel.”
She laughed, “Ferris wheels, bike trails, gyms.”
“Hiking, swimming holes, hammocks hung between two trees.” He leaned forward and flicked her nose. They laughed and she leaned back. “I can see the lure of the country, if I had access to the city every now and then.”
“Really?”
Surprised at her own admission, Haley nodded. “I’ve not spent a lot of time in the woods. The few times I came up to visit, I spent more time complaining then looking for the enjoyable stuff to do.”
“I grew up with the woods in my backyard,” he said, looking around him. “It was always my safe place, when I needed to get away.”
“It sounds like it still is,” she said and almost immediately wanted to take her words back. His face closed down then, with a visible effort, he relaxed and nodded. “I had some issues with crowds and noise. Being alone in the mountains eased my soul.”
She reached out and covered his hand as it rested on his knee. “I’m glad you had a place to retreat to. But don’t you miss being around someone?”
“I accept enough jobs that I’ve gotten my fill in the past.” He looked at her, his eyes intent on her face. “At least I had.”
Haley felt the blush and her stomach fluttered at his look. She’d been attracted to men before. She’d even been in love before. But this man seemed to see inside her mind, almost her soul.
She looked down, overcome with the urge to lean across the few inches that separated them and touch him. He wasn’t for her. They were too different. She liked the bustle of town, he wanted isolation. Her faith was integral to her existence, he seemed stymied by it.
She sighed and glanced at the cave’s entrance and the rain outside. “It seems to be easing off.”
She felt his gaze on her for a minute before he glanced away. “Yeah. We might be able to leave in the morning.”
“Where will we be going?”
He chuckled dryly. “Not sure. But we don’t need to stay in one place.”
“I wonder what’s going on in the city.” They hadn’t heard from Hank for over a day.
“We’ll try to get a call out to him tomorrow. I need to be out from under the trees to get a clear signal.”
“So, up.”
“Up.” He said and shifted. “Let’s get settled for the night and we’ll talk more tomorrow.”
As she unrolled her sleeping bag, Haley wondered about tomorrow. She wanted, needed more information about what was going on in Asheville. Had the body been found? Was it someone she knew, or a stranger? And what havoc was Mr. Winters playing with her life while she took a walk in the woods?