11. Lana
Lana
Iducked back inside the tent, dryer than when I left. I was still chilly, but not chilled to the bone, like before. My wet things were hanging over some sticks I shoved into the ground near the fire, drying out, and I had dry socks, waiting for me to slip them on.
“That smells good.” My stomach growled at the aroma of beef and seasonings filling the tent’s interior.
“Beef stroganoff,” Toren said, gesturing to the two steaming packets he’d prepared. “Not gourmet, but it’ll warm you up.”
I unrolled my sleeping bag and sank down onto it across from him. Finding my dry socks, I slipped them over my feet. Instantly, a bit more of the chill disappeared.
“Here.” Toren passed me a steaming packet. “Careful. It’s hot.”
Grabbing it by a corner, I propped it on the ground against the edge of my sleeping bag and dug into my pack for my utensils.
Spork in hand, I picked up my food. The steam carried the smell of rehydrated noodles and sauce to my nose, making my mouth water.
“This is perfect, thank you,” I said, and meant it. I wasn’t sure how far I hiked today, but between the regular hike, lugging Toren’s massive frame back to camp, then going back to retrieve his heavy backpack, I’d burned probably two to three thousand calories since lunch.
The first bite was hot enough to burn my tongue, but I didn’t care.
The warmth spread through my torso as the food hit my stomach, doing wonders to chase away my remaining chill.
I probably wouldn’t be completely warm and toasty until I slid into my sleeping bag and went to sleep, but I was much warmer than I was just a little while ago.
For a few minutes, we ate in companionable silence. The wind continued its assault on our tent, snapping the nylon sides, but under the rocky outcropping, the steady drum of rain stayed away.
“Thank you,” Toren said quietly.
I looked up, spork halfway to my mouth, and frowned. “For what?”
“For not panicking when I fell. For getting me out of there. For going back for my pack.” He met my eyes. “We’d be in a much different situation right now if you hadn’t kept your wits about you.”
“Oh.” I blinked, surprised. It hadn’t occurred to me to do anything other than what I did. He needed help. I was able to help, so I helped. “I don’t think I did anything special, but you’re welcome.”
“You did. Trust me. Some of the people I’ve led on hunts—” He stopped and shook his head. “Let’s just say I’ve been glad there were either other people with us or nothing bad happened.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You’d be surprised at the number of people who’ve never been hunting or at least not in such a remote area. They’re not prepared for what it’s like and don’t know how to handle it. I’m glad you weren’t like them. You’ve actually surprised me. I’m sorry I misjudged you.”
I felt my cheeks heat and looked down, focusing on my food for a moment, then looked up with a wry smile. “It was the heeled boots, wasn’t it?”
He laughed. “Maybe.”
I chuckled, too, and took another bite of my food.
“You know, you did good out there too. That was a terrible spot you were in, and you kept it together, fought through the pain, and were able to help me get you out of there. Newsflash, I can’t lift you on my own, so thank you for not being a giant baby about the pain. ”
His low chuckle filled the tent. “I wanted to be a giant baby, but that wouldn’t have gotten me out of those rocks.”
“I could tell by the way your jaw was clenched tight enough to crack teeth.”
“Oh, you noticed that, huh?”
“Wedding planner,” I said, pointing at myself. “It’s kind of my job to notice little details.” Tipping my head, I studied him. “Speaking of, you took painkillers, yes?”
Some of the levity left his face at the reminder of his injuries. “Yes. I need to take more ibuprofen. I will after I eat.”
“Has it helped?” Over-the-counter pain medicine wasn’t really meant for freshly broken bones.
He shrugged one shoulder, chewing another bite. “Enough.”
My nose wrinkled. “I’m sorry.” I wished there was something I could do to make it better.
“Don’t be. You aren’t the idiot who lost his footing because he wasn’t paying attention. I’ll live.”
Not knowing what to say to that, I stayed silent. If I kept talking about what happened, he’d just beat himself up more.
We finished eating in silence, and once we’d cleaned up our packets and stashed the trash, I glanced around, looking for the cards Toren said he had.
“Do you want to play cards now?”
“Sure.” He pulled his backpack closer and unzipped one of the front pouches, taking out the deck.
I held out a hand.
“I can deal.”
Heaving a dramatic sigh, I shook my head. “We discussed this, remember. Broken fingers mean you get a pass.”
“Well, what if I want to deal?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Do you?”
“Not really, no,” he said with a quick smile.
Chuckling, I snatched the cards from his hand. “What do you want to play?”
“Something simple. My brain is fried.”
Mine too. “Rummy?”
“Works for me.”
I dealt out our hands, then lifted my cards, arranging them into sets. It didn’t require much brainpower, but it was enough of a distraction from the fact I was sitting in a rather small tent with a rather large and handsome man in a rather remote location.
For several turns, we focused on the game, getting into the rhythm of it, before my curiosity about the handsome stranger sitting so close got the better of me.
“So, tell me about yourself, Toren. I really don’t know much.
” I let out a soft huff. “Which should have kept my butt in Parker’s Landing, but, well, my brother will tell you I tend to jump into things with both feet.
” A smile played with my lips. “It helped, though, that his fiancée, Mina, recommended you.”
Toren laid down a three, four, and five of spades. “Mina’s nice. She makes great coffee.” He looked up. “What do you want to know?”
I shrugged and picked up a card from the draw pile. “Are you from Alaska?”
“Yeah, but I grew up around Fairbanks. I’ve been running guided hunting tours, though, all over the state for over a decade.”
“Oh? How did you get into that?”
“My dad was a guide.”
I caught the past tense he used. “Was? Did he retire and turn the reins over to you?”
Toren’s expression closed off. “No. He died eight years ago. Pancreatic cancer.”
Way to stick your foot in your mouth, Lana. “I’m sorry.” I tucked the card I drew into my hand and discarded another.
“It’s fine. It was a long time ago.” He picked up a card.
“Still, you sound like you were close. I didn’t mean to dredge up bad memories.” Quickly, I changed the subject. “So, what brought you to Parker’s Landing, then, if you’re from the Fairbanks area? That’s a long way away.”
Toren’s expression tightened even more. “I needed a change of scenery.”
I rolled my lips in. Apparently, I was still putting my foot in my mouth. “Well, it’s definitely different down here,” I replied, deliberately misunderstanding him. “Do you like it?”
Some of the pinch to his features eased. “I do. It’s quiet. The people are nice. The weather’s definitely better.”
I chuckled. “With rare exceptions.” I spun a finger, indicating our current situation.
He smiled as he took his turn. “At least it’s not forty below zero.”
“That’s true.”
“So,” Toren said, laying down a string of hearts, then discarding a card. “Why a wedding planner? That’s an interesting career choice.”
“Actually, I’m an event planner. You just happened to meet me while I was wearing my new wedding planner hat.”
“New hat?”
“Tina and Dustin are my first wedding. Well, other than my brother’s. It’s not that different from other large parties, though.”
“So, you do other things? Like birthday parties and such?”
I nodded, drawing a card. It was a three of clubs, matching the other two threes I had in my hand. I laid them out, then discarded a card. “I do business events too. And anniversary parties. Baby showers, bridal showers. Basically, if you need a party planner, I’ll do it.”
“You and your brother bought the Myers Mansion, right?”
“We did.” I smiled. “Once it opens, I’ll probably restrict most of my events to that space. It’ll keep me busy, that’s for sure. We’re already booked through October, and we’re not even open yet.”
“That’s great.”
“Yeah, we’re pretty excited.” My dream had always been to own an event company. Having my own dedicated location, though, had been just a pipe dream until Luke proposed buying the Myers house.
“Why event planning?” He reached for the draw pile.
“I like planning things, and I like people. I worked with a caterer for years but decided to branch out on my own recently. It’s been great. I stay busy.”
“Well, hopefully the weather will break, and you can get back to it soon. I’m just sorry we didn’t find Dustin before I got hurt.” He discarded the drawn card.
“I’m not worried about my business. Luke and Mina will handle things until I return.
I’m more worried about Dustin.” My brows dipped.
“I don’t like that he’s still out here somewhere with poachers on his tail.
Or worse.” I grabbed a card. It was an eight of hearts.
I slid it into my hand after seven of hearts, then laid them out on the tent floor, along with the six, nine, and ten of hearts. “Rummy.” I looked up with a grin.
Toren’s mouth pulled to the side. “Already?”
I shrugged and held up my empty hands. “What can I say? I’ve played this a lot with my grandmother.”
We played several more rounds before fatigue finally started to get the best of us. I covered a yawn.
“We should sleep,” he said, gathering the cards after our last round. “Tomorrow’s going to be a long day, even if we’re just staying put.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the flutter of nervousness in my stomach. The tent suddenly felt very small at the thought of sleeping so close to him. “We should probably take a bathroom break first.”
“Yeah. Why don’t you go ahead. It might take me a bit.”
“You’re sure?”