Part 9 (2/2)
”No sweat, Mitch.e.l.l. As long as we're clear, we're good. We're good?”
”You're still welcome up at my camp by Thousand. While you're here, you should see some of the backcountry. It would be a shame not to. And Mono really rocks.”
”Thanks, Mitch.e.l.l. If I do decide on some sightseeing, I'll track you down.”
After he left, she'd tried to get back to the reports again, but she couldn't get her mind off her move. Being able to get to and from the outpost on foot instead of having to rely on the shuttle and Kristine's kindness was certainly the main motivator for her move, but she was also thinking about how one-sided the arrangement felt. She wanted to be able to reciprocate dinner casually.
She checked her watch and decided to head back home. She'd found the perfect campsite located between the outpost and the trailhead for the River Trail. She was certain Kristine would often pa.s.s through there on her way home when she wasn't using the High Trail. Though it was early, she couldn't concentrate on her work, only on what she'd planned for dinner and how much she hoped to be able to share it with Kristine.
Back home, she threw some steaks in a marinade, chopped veggies, sliced and b.u.t.tered bread and built a fire for coals. She grabbed a novel from the camper and settled in to wait for Kristine to come through, hoping that her a.s.signment for the day would bring her home through her campsite. She paused, wondering whether Kristine would read her presence as a come-on which wasn't her intention. She simply enjoyed Kristine's company, Gabe's too, for that matter. The more time she spent with the Owenses, the more she admired Kristine's pursuit of her goals. Kristine came alive talking about her dreams of traveling as a photographer and the places she wanted to explore through her lens.
The sun was starting to set, and still no sound of hoofbeats. She felt disappointed, like a girl stood up for a date, which was totally unfair given that she hadn't even made one. Resigning herself to the fact that Kristine must have used the High Trail, she set aside her book. Time to cook. Probably for the best, she decided, ducking into the camper to get her trays of food. She didn't want to cook in the dark.
Of course as soon as she stepped away from the grill, she heard stock crossing the road. She panicked. In all of her preparation, she had not considered what she was going to say to Kristine. She dove out of the camper in time to see the packer's approach. She looked d.a.m.n s.e.xy riding up on a spotted horse, a string of horses and mules stretched out behind her. She couldn't keep her eyes off the figure covered head to toe in dirt from the trail. And Kristine hadn't even looked at her yet, hadn't graced her with that exuberant smile that welcomed her each time they saw each other. She could not deny how much she still craved Kristine.
”Thought your crew didn't like to be called late for dinner,” she called out.
”Gloria?” Kristine asked in the dim light, pulling her horse to a stop. ”What in the world?”
”Lovely thing about a camper-it's mobile.”
”Lovely thing, indeed,” Kristine said, trying to control the squirrely horse she rode. ”He's anxious to get home. Give me some time to unsaddle? I need to make sure Gabe's back to put up my stock.”
”Absolutely.” Gloria was set to return to her task but couldn't resist watching Kristine continue down the trail.
”You watching my a.s.s?” she called from the front of the line.
”I thought those were mules,” Gloria hollered back. She smiled hearing Kristine's laughter mix with the sound of all of the horseshoes ringing on the pavement, enjoying her ability to draw forth that sound.
”And that, in short, is why there are days I spend the entire time in the saddle thinking about how long it would take to pack my s.h.i.+t and leave,” Kristine said, finally releasing her wadded, crumpled napkin on the table. ”Ugh. I'm sorry. I hate to complain about Nard taking my horse, but I've had a string of bad days since he stuck me with that Appaloosa horse.”
Gloria frowned in sympathy. She had enjoyed every minute of Kristine's account of the problems she'd had with new stock. The details of her job fascinated her, and Kristine's animated delivery captivated Gloria even more. She found herself staring at Kristine's mouth trying not to think about kissing her. This, she realized, was why they kept hanging out at the cabin. Without Gabe's presence, she was more acutely aware of her attraction to Kristine. Without the conversation to distract her, Gloria couldn't think of a reason not to kiss Kristine. She searched for the topic. ”I wondered why I didn't recognize any of your animals.” Kristine looked relieved, and Gloria wondered if she also felt like the dynamic between them had s.h.i.+fted now that it was just the two of them.
She leaned back with her beer. ”Nard has this thing about big mules, but he's cheap, so he won't buy them trained.”
”I thought Leo bought all their animals from your family.”
”All the good ones.” Kristine quirked her eyebrow.
”Of course.”
”But that's Leo. The big babies are Nard's idea, his attempt at establis.h.i.+ng himself apart from Leo. It wouldn't be an issue if he knew how to train them, but he has no idea and would never admit it. He works them 'til they're real screwed up and then leaves them in the corral as the last option. And these two, Beetle and Bailey...” She grimaced. ”They could kill someone with their stupidity. It's a good thing I wasn't up on the rock steps by Shadow when Bailey set back the way he did. He'd have pulled Digger straight off the trail. There's a sobering thought.”
”Do you run through your head what you'd do if that happened?”
”Of course,” Kristine said. She drained her beer and stared at it much like she had at the campfire at the beginning of the summer. Finally, she answered, ”'Never quit a wreck' is what my dad always said.”
”I don't follow.”
”Say your horse slips. It's more dangerous to jump off because you might mess up their balance. They might end up falling right on you.”
”If you stay in the saddle you have more control.”
”Exactly. Even if you end up getting thrown, you're at least going to clear the mess.”
Gloria nodded, processing. ”You guys should call that pair Thing One and Thing Two with the trouble they cause.”
”Gabe's going to love that.” She smiled, but her voice sounded distracted.
”Is that why you took off before? You got fed up with...” she searched for a word to describe what she read in Kristine's eyes.
”Partly,” Kristine supplied without answering the question. She stood to clear the dishes.
Gloria rose quickly, worried that her question had spooked Kristine. She took the plates. ”Please don't worry about the cleanup. I've got my system.” They stood so near to each other in the small s.p.a.ce that it would have taken nothing to lean forward and capture the mouth that she'd been watching. Kristine surrendered the dishes and sat back down at the small table. Silence filled the s.p.a.ce as Gloria took care of the dishes. She was trying hard to maintain the easy conversations that had become the norm when they were with Gabe, and Kristine seemed aware of that too. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Kristine still held a defensive posture and saw her holding a greeting card.
”You bought one of mine,” she said, meeting Gloria's eyes.
”A bunch, actually. I've been sending my mom's letters in them.”
”I'm flattered,” Kristine said. ”This is one of my favorites. I was on one of my first solo spots down to Island Crossing, and my horse had a loose shoe. I didn't want to risk it on the granite pa.s.s, so I was trying to pry it off. These women came up and chatted with me, wanted to know about the animals, about my job. It hit me the minute I saw them that they were a couple. Didn't say anything, you know, no secret handshake, no rainbow sticker, but there was this energy between them, this sense of happiness that they just radiated. I couldn't help but feel it. You can't tell in this shot,” she shrugged, studying the picture of the two hikers on the blasted out trail along a sheer granite cliff, ”but I think about that every time I look at it.”
”It's funny, but I sensed that about them too, the first time I saw the card. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I sensed that they were together.” She was tempted to add how she had pictured herself happily following Kristine on the same trail and how often her thoughts had been occupied by Kristine when she had been camped at Fish Creek. There it was, again. A patch of silence in which to grow her desire.
Kristine set the card back down on the counter where she'd found it. She seemed to be grasping for something to say, as if she was safer when her mouth was moving. ”All the stuff in the store is so old. I have other pieces with me at the cabin if you need more. It's not all from here, but you're welcome to have a look.”
”I like your work, the angles you find. They've got a really personal feel to them.”
”I used to have my eye on the landscape all the time. Now I find myself drawn to people.”
Kristine's words surprised Gloria. She turned, wiping her hands on a dishtowel, studying Kristine, worried that it was her own thoughts that had her reading more into Kristine's words than she intended. Kristine quieted, too. They stood nearly opposite each other in the small quarters. Gloria wondered if Kristine was aware of her provocative pose. She leaned back against the counter, her elbows bearing her weight. Her long, jean-clad legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. Gloria took a deep breath, finding it difficult to keep her eyes off Kristine's b.r.e.a.s.t.s, the fabric of her sweats.h.i.+rt pulled taut by her posture. She decided Kristine's last statement needed clarification. ”You're drawn to people in terms of photography?”
Kristine's eyes were on Gloria's mouth when she answered. ”Yes.”
”Not drawn to as in interested in...”
”No.” Gloria tried to hide her disappointment by turning back to the dishes, but Kristine grabbed her hand, stilling her. ”Not to people. Just one person. Just you.”
Relief that she wasn't alone in having difficulty managing Kristine's request flooded through her. ”Good. Because it's getting harder and harder not to kiss you,” she said, putting a foot on either side of Kristine's crossed boots.
”Is that so?”
Gloria's breath caught when Kristine took hold of her hips and pulled them to her own. She straightened, surprised by Kristine's action and needing to see her eyes. The hesitation she usually read there was replaced completely with desire. She waited a few heartbeats, giving Kristine ample time to move away if she needed to, before she leaned forward and kissed the lips that she'd been dreaming about for weeks. She lost herself in the give of Kristine's lips, in the inviting warmth and softness.
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