Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 119746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 599(@200wpm)___ 479(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
I sigh. Men have no idea how easy they have it. I make a note to not drink much water. Last thing I want is to keep going outside to pee, especially in an outhouse. Perhaps I’m more of a city girl than I’d like to admit.
Eli immediately sets to work lighting the stove, while Red and Cole organize the supplies we’ve brought in. Hank volunteers to fill water buckets with snow for washing, and Jensen, after a moment’s hesitation, nods his agreement.
“There’s a creek just around that rocky outcrop past the horses,” Jensen says. “You could fill up the water bottles too. But take a rifle, just in case our mountain lion friend is still prowling around.”
Hank grins, the expression not quite reaching his eyes. I’ve always found the man to be creepy and off-putting but today especially so. “Don’t worry about me, boss. I know how to handle myself.”
As he leaves, I catch Jensen watching him with an unreadable expression. Whatever suspicions he harbored this morning seem to have neither been confirmed nor dissipated, leaving him in an uncomfortable limbo of uncertainty.
I busy myself setting up my sleeping area, choosing a lower bunk in the corner where I can keep my back to the wall and maintain a clear view of the main door. Old habits from the bureau die hard, even when off duty. I put my duffel right below for easy access.
“We should be able to reach the caves tomorrow,” Jensen says quietly, appearing beside me as I unroll my sleeping bag. “If we get an early start.”
I look up at him, trying to read his face in the fading light filtering through the windows. “Are you sure you can find them again? After three years?”
He nods, confidence evident in the set of his jaw. “I could find them blindfolded. Don’t forget I’m a tracker. Besides, some places imprint on you.”
“Like the place where you lose someone,” I say softly.
Pain and guilt wash over his brow. “Yes. Exactly like that.”
For a moment, the anger I’ve been nursing all day recedes. Lainey was just a client to him and yet I see he mourns her, or at least mourns the person he was before he lost her. We might not share the same grief, but neither of us are a stranger to guilt.
The moment breaks when Cole calls from the kitchen area, “Anyone know how to get this camp stove working? Damned thing won’t light.”
Jensen moves away, going to help with dinner preparations. I finish setting up my bunk, then join the others as we settle into the evening routine we’ve established over the past few days. Despite the strange events that have transpired, there’s a sense of normalcy in the tasks of making dinner, heating water for coffee and hot chocolate, discussing the next day’s plans. It’s starting to feel like we’re a unit, even if we’re still a little fractured from the raucous this morning.
Hank returns with full buckets of snow and a pack of water bottles, seemingly unchanged from when he left. If anything, he’s more talkative than before, regaling us with stories of his wilderness adventures from years past. Red and Cole laugh at his jokes, the tension of the morning gradually dissipating in the warmth of the now crackling fire and the comforting ritual of shared food.
Only Jensen and Eli remain watchful, exchanging glances when they think no one is looking. And me, of course. I miss nothing, even if I prefer to observe alone.
After dinner, as darkness settles completely outside, Jensen announces the watch schedule for the night. “Red and Hank take first watch. I’ll go second with Cole. Eli and Aubrey can take the third.” He looks at me, a question in his eyes. “No pressure. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Frankly I’d prefer you stayed safe and warm inside.”
“It’s fine,” I say, keeping my voice neutral. “I don’t mind third watch. Means I can get some sleep in before.”
Red yawns dramatically. “Well, if I’ve gotta freeze my ass off on watch, might as well get it over with. Come on, Hank. Let’s make a round of the perimeter, check on the horses.”
They bundle up and head outside, rifles at their sides, the door closing behind them with a solid thud. Jensen immediately crosses to the window, peering through the curtains to watch them go.
“You still don’t trust him,” I observe quietly, moving to stand beside him.
“Trust is a luxury in these mountains,” he replies, gaze fixed on the darkness outside. “Especially after what happened last night.”
Especially after your lies, I can’t help but think. I keep that to myself.
Time both seems to slow and speed up and it’s not long before the hot chocolate I drank with dinner is coursing through me.
I sigh and get up from the couch, slipping on my puffer coat and knit cap. By now, Eli and Cole have retired to the loft, leaving just the two of us, even though I should be getting sleep as well.