Okay-this chapter is dedicated to all the people who have been asking Shana
where the next chapter is (nicely-thank you for your patience) and for all
the people who have been making threats on our lives if we don't get the
next chapter out SOON! lol (your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated).
Chapter 3 Distractions
They passed the time in silence, the sun climbing ever higher. If it weren't so necessary to get as much distance between them and the landing site as possible he wouldn't have them traveling in the noon day heat. Duke let go of the reigns momentarily and guided the horse with his legs while he worked the buttons loose on his shirt and pulled a water bottle out of his saddlebag. He drank a few sips and poured the rest over his head, plastering his already sweat soaked shirt to his body. He'd had enough. The pond was less than an hour out of the way, he would lead the way there and they could make camp for the night. He didn't risk starting a fire so they would have to make do with rations. He turned around to explain that the terrain would be rough for a while and the sight that awaited him left his mouth dry. Shauna had taken her jacket off and had her hair back up off her neck. Her eyes were closed allowing him the opportunity to look his fill. It was a miracle the horse didn't fall down over the terrain that was getting rougher by the moment. All she had underneath that burgundy suit jacket was that thin white camisole. It was as drenched with sweat as his own shirt. He could see straight through it. He whipped his head back around so fast he was sure he'd wake up with whip lash, "Did I really see that? Could they be even more perfect than I remembered?" he shook his head to clear it, "The lake. " he managed in a strangled voice.
"Hmmm? Say something Duke?" she answered, not bothering to open her eyes
He cleared his throat, "Um...there's a lake about an hour away. It's rough going but it will give us a chance to ah.cool off."
"That's fine." She continued to ride with her eyes close, not noticing Duke's distraction.
The next time she opened them he was shrugging off his shirt, 'What is he doing?' that was her last coherent thought until they reached the lake and then all she could think of was stripping bare and taking a nice deep dive.
Finally Duke led the way up through the last pass; on the other side a cystal blue lake sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. She had never seen a more welcome sight.
Duke reined his horse in to wait for her, "There's the lake. I've got rations so I'd rather not risk a fire but the lake is fresh and clean, good for swimming, drinking, cooking, you name it." He gestured to a rocky wall a good ways down towards the lake. "We'll make camp in a cave on the canyon floor. It'll be large enough for the horses and us."
Shauna followed Duke down to the lake. When he dismounted she took it as a signal that they had stopped riding for the day, something she was infinitely pleased about. They had horses on the island but she worked so much she rarely got the chance to ride. She left her horse grazing and slipped off her shoes. The man had said the lake was a good place to cool off and she intended to do just that. Leaving her jacket on top of the saddle she picked her way to the edge of the lake and stripped off her pants and shoes, leaving them lying on top of a bush. She waded into the water until her waist was covered, and then, with a graceful dive, bespeaking many hours spent in the water, she disappeared under the surface of the lake and swam until she needed to come up for air. By then she was blissfully cool and was content just to float on her back for as long as she could.
Duke couldn't believe his eyes. One minute she was right behind him, stretching her tired muscles after the long ride; when he turned around to ask if she needed help untacking her horse she was gone. His gaze found her stripped of all but white lacy panties and that damned camisole. She was waist deep in the water before she arched her back and dove gracefully beneath the lake's shimmering surface. The long, hot, ride up here, with the knowledge that she was practically topless just behind him was nothing to compare to the heat shooting throughout his body at that very moment. He couldn't stand it another minute. Yes, the horses needed tending to, and yes camp needed to be set up before it was dark but all that could wait. All that would have to wait. He had to cool down-and fast before he made an idiot out of himself in front of her.
He left his boots and hat next to his horse and made his way to the water's edge. She was far enough away that if she turned around she wouldn't immediately notice his problem. Just the same, he untucked his shirt and let it hang unbuttoned around him. It didn't do much to cover his problem but it was better than nothing.
Floating was nice but it let her mind wander. 'What is he up to?' Curiosity got the better of her and she turned around in the water to find him standing at the edge of the lake. She felt a momentary stab of guilt as she noticed how hot and tired he looked. She still couldn't get used to the idea of Duke done up as a cowboy. That thought lightened her mood, "Hey!" she called to get his attention, "Sorry.I was hot. This is the only way I could think of to cool off. You okay? You look a little off."
'Quick man, she caught you looking think of an excuse!' Luckily he had one waiting for him, "I could use some help with the horses. We really should set camp up before it gets dark. "
"Okay. Give me just a minute." She swam a few feet before her feet could touch bottom with her head out of the water. She slowly began to make her way to Duke.
"Oh, God, Shauna." Thank God she was still far enough away that she couldn't hear his pleas. There was no way she knew what she was doing-she wouldn't have been doing if she had known. But still.. she was taking long, slow, sultry steps out of the lake. With each step more and more of her became visible to his longing gaze. The water reached her waist and he forgot to breathe. She was slicking her hair back, water dripping off every curve as he watched mesmerized-powerless to do anything other than stare. Her knees broke thought the water and there she was-walking towards him in nothing but a transparent white camisole and matching white lacy thongs!!! "Perfect." He mumbled to himself, "That's what you are-you're perfect there's just no other word. And if you get any closer I am going to embarrass both of us." This required immediate action. He had come down here to cool off and if he thought he needed it before he sure as hell needed it now. He stripped off his unbuttoned shirt and waded in to meet her. 'No. I'm here to cool off. I'm not coming in to join her-the fact that she is standing there half naked is inconsequential. She's off limits.'
Shauna stopped dead in her tracks when Duke stripped off that shirt. "Oh!" 'My God, Conrad! If you were a blond god before I sure as hell wanna know what that makes you now.' He was getting in the water. She berated herself for still being hopelessly attracted to him as she turned the situation over in her mind and considered options. "Oh, God. This is not happening! I am not getting hot and bothered over that man! Not that man- not now!"
"What the hell are you doing?" she called to him
He was close enough now that he didn't have to shout to be heard, "I decided you were right-the horses can wait. It's too damned hot."
There were two options for her to take. The first was unacceptable- she would not make a complete and utter fool out of herself by jumping in his arms and kissing him senseless. The only other option she could take was to get madder than hell and put some much needed distance between them. She remembered then in a blinding flash that he was wading in blue jeans. There was no way they would dry anytime soon-even in this heat. He wasn't the type to walk around half naked-or he didn't used to be the type-not unless he was doing it on purpose to get a reaction out of her. She licked her lips remembering a scene from long ago, where he had gotten out of there bed in the middle of the night, she supposed to get a drink or something mundane like that, she must have made a sound of approval because he had turned around and all it had taken was one look at her passion glazed eyes and he had jumped right back in bed and had stayed there. But no-jerking her mind back to the present. He had extra clothes with him. And if he had brought extra clothes for himself then he had brought extra clothes for her. That meant that she was standing here, and one more step and her attraction to him would be blatantly obvious-especially to him.
He didn't know what he did but one minute he was walking towards her and another minute he was wiping water out of his eyes. She was furious with him about something, "What? !"
"You bastard! You packed an extra set of clothes for me didn't you!?"
"Well.yeah. I figured you wouldn't want to be riding in the same clothes day after day for over a week."
"Well if I had known I had extra clothes I wouldn't be standing here half naked! Why the hell didn't you tell me?" She went tearing past him and didn't stop until she reached the shore. He had to turn around to watch her.
That did it, he was hot, tired, and annoyed beyond all hope at his attraction for this woman, "Well maybe I like seeing you half naked!" That comment earned him a sharp, heeled shoe in the face. Her aim was perfect; he'd have a bruise for a month. He chucked the shoe back to shore where she was running back up to the horses, pants and one shoe in hand.
"Damn!" he slapped the water with his hand. The last thing he needed or wanted was to have her temper in full swing-directed at him. It would make his job of protecting her that much more difficult. Well-he was already wet so he may as well enjoy a quick swim and give her a few minutes to cool off.
Shauna desperately tried to keep hold of her anger but all she could think about was how good he had looked in those wet jeans. "Damn, Damn, and Double Damn! Why does he still have to affect me like this! Why can't I look at him and not go weak at the knees!" She leaned across the saddle she was suppose to be taking off and fought tears of longing. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and noticed a sharp pressure midway down her breastbone. With a gasp she felt at the back of her neck for the necklace that he hadn't yet noticed. She took it out from beneath the camisole and checked just to be sure the ring was still there. It was.
She sighed then with relief and frustration. She didn't know what she would do if she lost the ring but God help them both if he knew she still had it. If he knew she had gone back for it.. for all he knew the diamond engagement ring he had given her was lost someplace in his quarters on base. The last time he had seen it had been the day she flung it at his head the day they called the engagement off. The day they called their love off. If you could do such a thing, if love could so easily be turned on and off. She had berated herself for a week after sneaking back to get the ring. She shouldn't have cared-not then and certainly not now. But she did and that was why she had gone back for the ring. That was why, on the rare occasion she didn't have the ring on her necklace it was in a safe back on the island. "It doesn't matter what he looks like. It doesn't matter what he is like now period. You have to put enough distance between the two of you so you don't get hurt again. You can start by putting some dry clothes on and forgetting about why you kept the damn ring."
She found that harder to do as she rummaged through the saddlebag draped across her horse. His bags must hold the food and whatever else they needed because all her bags held on both sides were clothes. That, one water bottle, which she had found earlier that day while he hadn't been looking, and one gun with ammo. The first side she dug through had his clothes; an extra pair of well-worn jeans, a few changes of briefs, and one extra shirt. The clothes smelled like him. It was a pleasing mixture of both his old smell and his new smell. She could still smell the bite of gunpowder, which she knew would have come from the rifle he carried next to his saddlebag. The rest of the scent was made up of Duke, saddle soap, and the western outdoors. She stole a quick glance over the horse to make sure he was far enough away that he wouldn't catch her breathing in the scent of him off his clothes. Only a few seconds passed before she came to her senses and realized what she was doing. This man was supposed to be the enemy! Down to business, she needed to be dry and dressed before he got out of the lake.
She opened the other side of the saddlebag and found clothing for herself. He had packed a good deal more for her than he had packed for himself. As she rummaged through the bag it was unnerving for her to realize how well the man still knew her after so long. There were five shirts, all long sleeved button-ups in varying colors and plaids. Mostly the shades of green she still favored with one brown and one dark red. There were also tank tops to go under the shirts. 'Good, that'll allow me to travel comfortably and decently.' She began to wonder just how long they were going to be gone. Underwear, bras, socks, and a pair of sweat pants, which she assumed were for sleeping in, were buried underneath all the carefully folded clothes. There was also a package of ponytail bands and a bottle of sunscreen she wished she had found earlier, somehow all crammed into the deep pocket. She once again opened the side holding his clothes and took a more careful look. There was a pair of new boots in her size, several bandanas, one pair of new jeans, again in her size, and, a single blanket. She wondered if his bedroll contained a blanket or if he would even need it-he always had put off an amazing amount of body heat.
She changed her clothes, sliding on the new jeans, and boots, which would both need some serious breaking in, socks, a tank, and, finally a forest green shirt. She rolled the sleeves up and went to check his saddlebag once again just in case she missed something. She found nothing in the saddlebag but saw just the hint of a white piece of paper slide between the blanket and saddle. At this point she was flat out snooping but she didn't care. She meant to ask him over dinner, which looked like a rather unappetizing ordeal, what the hell she was doing out here. Not that she was expecting the man to tell her-not when Rodger hadn't. But what she found wasn't a map, and it wasn't a clue as to her current predicament, it was a carefully folded photograph, like one you would take with one of those little cameras and get processed at a pharmacy or someplace like that. Did she dare to open it? 'What if it's a picture of some woman? Well, it has been five years, and even if you haven't found anyone who so much as compared to the man, that doesn't mean he hasn't found someone new. ' She took a deep breath, "Well, curiosity killed the cat but I was never one to just let something lie."
She checked again to see if Duke was still swimming, he was making his way out now, if she was going to look, it would have to be now and it would have to be a quick look. She yanked the picture out of its hiding place and opened it. She wasn't prepared for the shock it gave her. The photo was of some woman-it was her! A candid shot of them together, must have been at their engagement party at the Joe base. She was half turned in his lap, one arm slid up to hook around his head, angling his mouth up for a kiss. The smiles on their faces would have put the sun to shame. His footsteps were getting closer; she would have to ponder her discovery later. She slid the picture back where she found it and made a big show of rummaging through the food bag.
"Didn't you bring anything decent to eat? All I can find are military rations."
"Sorry, princess, that's all I've got."
She scowled at him, "Surely you could hunt something or at the very least catch some fish."
"No. I told you before-it's too risky to light a fire."
"Why?"
"I don't want anyone to know we're here. Now, the horses have suffered long enough, if you don't remember how to unsaddle yours-or don't want to, you can check that cave right there for unwanted visitors of the four legged kind."
"Four legged?"
"Or more." he grinned at her, slicking water off his face, "Your choice?"
"I think I can remember how to tend to a horse-after all I remembered how to ride."
"So you did, so you did."
Duke made camp in the cave, taking her bedroll and placing it deep inside the cleaned out cave and then placing his own between her and the entrance.
He hadn't really hoped for a peaceful night and he sure as hell hadn't expected to get any sleep. He knew she would ask questions he would be unable to answer just as he knew she would be furious with him for keeping secrets from her. They had eaten dinner and had settled down for sleep and she still hadn't asked any questions. She seemed reluctant to talk about anything and he wondered what was going through her head, wondered if she was just working out how to phrase the questions she wanted answered in such a way that he would be caught unaware. Finally, an hour after they had each laid down on their bedrolls she started asking questions.
"What are we doing here?"
Duke kept his gaze firmly on the ceiling, "We are supposed to be sleeping."
"Duke. Answer the question. Why am I here? Why did Rodger kidnap me and dump me in the middle of nowhere-with you to keep me company."
"I don't know why Rodger kidnapped you." He consoled himself that it wasn't an out and out lie he had just told, only a half-truth. He hadn't expected her to come willingly, to admit that she couldn't do something. Rodger knew her better than he did now and had obviously thought the same thing. So, he had done the only the thing he knew to do in order to secure her safety-kidnapped her and brought her kicking and screaming to him.
Perhaps a change in topic would pacify her for now-or at least get her mind off questions he wasn't able to answer, "So what's it like working with Rodger? He mentioned that the two of you were running security detail. I guess that means you left the military."
"Rodger'd been bugging me for years to leave-you remember-you used to get so annoyed with me about it-you were so afraid that I'd up and leave you for him."
Duke scowled at the memories that surfaced with that comment, "Looks like he got his wish!" He turned over onto his side so he could face her for their verbal sparing match.
'OH! He is always so fast to find fault with Rodger!' She sat up and looked straight at him, wishing that looks really could kill-she'd have him writhing on the ground in a heartbeat, "It was my choice to leave!"
"He pushed you!" so much so that Duke wondered if they would still be together if the vaunted Rodger had never entered their lives
"It was still my choice!"
"Then why did you leave?! You were at the top of your career!"
"Ohhh!" she screamed at him, "Some things! are more important than a career!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I seem to remember a certain first sergeant not being so happy about the position I was about to take!"
He lay back down, cut to the bone; he had no reply to that. It was true-he hadn't wanted her to take that position. He had pressured her day and night-and for purely selfish reasons.
'Finally!' she thought as she watched him lie back down; doing a typical Wild Bill, pulling his hat down over his eyes, effectively cutting off any and all further communication. Fine by her-she had no desire to speak to him. She lay back down and tried to rest but sleep was elusive tonight. She knew she had hurt him with that last remark-it was true but it brought back painful memories for both of them. Nothing had been the same since Cobra's defeat. Their future had been like a cloudy crystal ball with only hints as to what was in store for them. There had been so many paths open to them but what they had wanted and what were viable options were completely separate entities.
They passed the rest of that night in relative peace, although by the next day neither had had much sleep so in addition to the tension they already had they were snipping at each other for the rest of the trip.
Chapter 3 Distractions
They passed the time in silence, the sun climbing ever higher. If it weren't so necessary to get as much distance between them and the landing site as possible he wouldn't have them traveling in the noon day heat. Duke let go of the reigns momentarily and guided the horse with his legs while he worked the buttons loose on his shirt and pulled a water bottle out of his saddlebag. He drank a few sips and poured the rest over his head, plastering his already sweat soaked shirt to his body. He'd had enough. The pond was less than an hour out of the way, he would lead the way there and they could make camp for the night. He didn't risk starting a fire so they would have to make do with rations. He turned around to explain that the terrain would be rough for a while and the sight that awaited him left his mouth dry. Shauna had taken her jacket off and had her hair back up off her neck. Her eyes were closed allowing him the opportunity to look his fill. It was a miracle the horse didn't fall down over the terrain that was getting rougher by the moment. All she had underneath that burgundy suit jacket was that thin white camisole. It was as drenched with sweat as his own shirt. He could see straight through it. He whipped his head back around so fast he was sure he'd wake up with whip lash, "Did I really see that? Could they be even more perfect than I remembered?" he shook his head to clear it, "The lake. " he managed in a strangled voice.
"Hmmm? Say something Duke?" she answered, not bothering to open her eyes
He cleared his throat, "Um...there's a lake about an hour away. It's rough going but it will give us a chance to ah.cool off."
"That's fine." She continued to ride with her eyes close, not noticing Duke's distraction.
The next time she opened them he was shrugging off his shirt, 'What is he doing?' that was her last coherent thought until they reached the lake and then all she could think of was stripping bare and taking a nice deep dive.
Finally Duke led the way up through the last pass; on the other side a cystal blue lake sparkled in the late afternoon sunlight. She had never seen a more welcome sight.
Duke reined his horse in to wait for her, "There's the lake. I've got rations so I'd rather not risk a fire but the lake is fresh and clean, good for swimming, drinking, cooking, you name it." He gestured to a rocky wall a good ways down towards the lake. "We'll make camp in a cave on the canyon floor. It'll be large enough for the horses and us."
Shauna followed Duke down to the lake. When he dismounted she took it as a signal that they had stopped riding for the day, something she was infinitely pleased about. They had horses on the island but she worked so much she rarely got the chance to ride. She left her horse grazing and slipped off her shoes. The man had said the lake was a good place to cool off and she intended to do just that. Leaving her jacket on top of the saddle she picked her way to the edge of the lake and stripped off her pants and shoes, leaving them lying on top of a bush. She waded into the water until her waist was covered, and then, with a graceful dive, bespeaking many hours spent in the water, she disappeared under the surface of the lake and swam until she needed to come up for air. By then she was blissfully cool and was content just to float on her back for as long as she could.
Duke couldn't believe his eyes. One minute she was right behind him, stretching her tired muscles after the long ride; when he turned around to ask if she needed help untacking her horse she was gone. His gaze found her stripped of all but white lacy panties and that damned camisole. She was waist deep in the water before she arched her back and dove gracefully beneath the lake's shimmering surface. The long, hot, ride up here, with the knowledge that she was practically topless just behind him was nothing to compare to the heat shooting throughout his body at that very moment. He couldn't stand it another minute. Yes, the horses needed tending to, and yes camp needed to be set up before it was dark but all that could wait. All that would have to wait. He had to cool down-and fast before he made an idiot out of himself in front of her.
He left his boots and hat next to his horse and made his way to the water's edge. She was far enough away that if she turned around she wouldn't immediately notice his problem. Just the same, he untucked his shirt and let it hang unbuttoned around him. It didn't do much to cover his problem but it was better than nothing.
Floating was nice but it let her mind wander. 'What is he up to?' Curiosity got the better of her and she turned around in the water to find him standing at the edge of the lake. She felt a momentary stab of guilt as she noticed how hot and tired he looked. She still couldn't get used to the idea of Duke done up as a cowboy. That thought lightened her mood, "Hey!" she called to get his attention, "Sorry.I was hot. This is the only way I could think of to cool off. You okay? You look a little off."
'Quick man, she caught you looking think of an excuse!' Luckily he had one waiting for him, "I could use some help with the horses. We really should set camp up before it gets dark. "
"Okay. Give me just a minute." She swam a few feet before her feet could touch bottom with her head out of the water. She slowly began to make her way to Duke.
"Oh, God, Shauna." Thank God she was still far enough away that she couldn't hear his pleas. There was no way she knew what she was doing-she wouldn't have been doing if she had known. But still.. she was taking long, slow, sultry steps out of the lake. With each step more and more of her became visible to his longing gaze. The water reached her waist and he forgot to breathe. She was slicking her hair back, water dripping off every curve as he watched mesmerized-powerless to do anything other than stare. Her knees broke thought the water and there she was-walking towards him in nothing but a transparent white camisole and matching white lacy thongs!!! "Perfect." He mumbled to himself, "That's what you are-you're perfect there's just no other word. And if you get any closer I am going to embarrass both of us." This required immediate action. He had come down here to cool off and if he thought he needed it before he sure as hell needed it now. He stripped off his unbuttoned shirt and waded in to meet her. 'No. I'm here to cool off. I'm not coming in to join her-the fact that she is standing there half naked is inconsequential. She's off limits.'
Shauna stopped dead in her tracks when Duke stripped off that shirt. "Oh!" 'My God, Conrad! If you were a blond god before I sure as hell wanna know what that makes you now.' He was getting in the water. She berated herself for still being hopelessly attracted to him as she turned the situation over in her mind and considered options. "Oh, God. This is not happening! I am not getting hot and bothered over that man! Not that man- not now!"
"What the hell are you doing?" she called to him
He was close enough now that he didn't have to shout to be heard, "I decided you were right-the horses can wait. It's too damned hot."
There were two options for her to take. The first was unacceptable- she would not make a complete and utter fool out of herself by jumping in his arms and kissing him senseless. The only other option she could take was to get madder than hell and put some much needed distance between them. She remembered then in a blinding flash that he was wading in blue jeans. There was no way they would dry anytime soon-even in this heat. He wasn't the type to walk around half naked-or he didn't used to be the type-not unless he was doing it on purpose to get a reaction out of her. She licked her lips remembering a scene from long ago, where he had gotten out of there bed in the middle of the night, she supposed to get a drink or something mundane like that, she must have made a sound of approval because he had turned around and all it had taken was one look at her passion glazed eyes and he had jumped right back in bed and had stayed there. But no-jerking her mind back to the present. He had extra clothes with him. And if he had brought extra clothes for himself then he had brought extra clothes for her. That meant that she was standing here, and one more step and her attraction to him would be blatantly obvious-especially to him.
He didn't know what he did but one minute he was walking towards her and another minute he was wiping water out of his eyes. She was furious with him about something, "What? !"
"You bastard! You packed an extra set of clothes for me didn't you!?"
"Well.yeah. I figured you wouldn't want to be riding in the same clothes day after day for over a week."
"Well if I had known I had extra clothes I wouldn't be standing here half naked! Why the hell didn't you tell me?" She went tearing past him and didn't stop until she reached the shore. He had to turn around to watch her.
That did it, he was hot, tired, and annoyed beyond all hope at his attraction for this woman, "Well maybe I like seeing you half naked!" That comment earned him a sharp, heeled shoe in the face. Her aim was perfect; he'd have a bruise for a month. He chucked the shoe back to shore where she was running back up to the horses, pants and one shoe in hand.
"Damn!" he slapped the water with his hand. The last thing he needed or wanted was to have her temper in full swing-directed at him. It would make his job of protecting her that much more difficult. Well-he was already wet so he may as well enjoy a quick swim and give her a few minutes to cool off.
Shauna desperately tried to keep hold of her anger but all she could think about was how good he had looked in those wet jeans. "Damn, Damn, and Double Damn! Why does he still have to affect me like this! Why can't I look at him and not go weak at the knees!" She leaned across the saddle she was suppose to be taking off and fought tears of longing. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and noticed a sharp pressure midway down her breastbone. With a gasp she felt at the back of her neck for the necklace that he hadn't yet noticed. She took it out from beneath the camisole and checked just to be sure the ring was still there. It was.
She sighed then with relief and frustration. She didn't know what she would do if she lost the ring but God help them both if he knew she still had it. If he knew she had gone back for it.. for all he knew the diamond engagement ring he had given her was lost someplace in his quarters on base. The last time he had seen it had been the day she flung it at his head the day they called the engagement off. The day they called their love off. If you could do such a thing, if love could so easily be turned on and off. She had berated herself for a week after sneaking back to get the ring. She shouldn't have cared-not then and certainly not now. But she did and that was why she had gone back for the ring. That was why, on the rare occasion she didn't have the ring on her necklace it was in a safe back on the island. "It doesn't matter what he looks like. It doesn't matter what he is like now period. You have to put enough distance between the two of you so you don't get hurt again. You can start by putting some dry clothes on and forgetting about why you kept the damn ring."
She found that harder to do as she rummaged through the saddlebag draped across her horse. His bags must hold the food and whatever else they needed because all her bags held on both sides were clothes. That, one water bottle, which she had found earlier that day while he hadn't been looking, and one gun with ammo. The first side she dug through had his clothes; an extra pair of well-worn jeans, a few changes of briefs, and one extra shirt. The clothes smelled like him. It was a pleasing mixture of both his old smell and his new smell. She could still smell the bite of gunpowder, which she knew would have come from the rifle he carried next to his saddlebag. The rest of the scent was made up of Duke, saddle soap, and the western outdoors. She stole a quick glance over the horse to make sure he was far enough away that he wouldn't catch her breathing in the scent of him off his clothes. Only a few seconds passed before she came to her senses and realized what she was doing. This man was supposed to be the enemy! Down to business, she needed to be dry and dressed before he got out of the lake.
She opened the other side of the saddlebag and found clothing for herself. He had packed a good deal more for her than he had packed for himself. As she rummaged through the bag it was unnerving for her to realize how well the man still knew her after so long. There were five shirts, all long sleeved button-ups in varying colors and plaids. Mostly the shades of green she still favored with one brown and one dark red. There were also tank tops to go under the shirts. 'Good, that'll allow me to travel comfortably and decently.' She began to wonder just how long they were going to be gone. Underwear, bras, socks, and a pair of sweat pants, which she assumed were for sleeping in, were buried underneath all the carefully folded clothes. There was also a package of ponytail bands and a bottle of sunscreen she wished she had found earlier, somehow all crammed into the deep pocket. She once again opened the side holding his clothes and took a more careful look. There was a pair of new boots in her size, several bandanas, one pair of new jeans, again in her size, and, a single blanket. She wondered if his bedroll contained a blanket or if he would even need it-he always had put off an amazing amount of body heat.
She changed her clothes, sliding on the new jeans, and boots, which would both need some serious breaking in, socks, a tank, and, finally a forest green shirt. She rolled the sleeves up and went to check his saddlebag once again just in case she missed something. She found nothing in the saddlebag but saw just the hint of a white piece of paper slide between the blanket and saddle. At this point she was flat out snooping but she didn't care. She meant to ask him over dinner, which looked like a rather unappetizing ordeal, what the hell she was doing out here. Not that she was expecting the man to tell her-not when Rodger hadn't. But what she found wasn't a map, and it wasn't a clue as to her current predicament, it was a carefully folded photograph, like one you would take with one of those little cameras and get processed at a pharmacy or someplace like that. Did she dare to open it? 'What if it's a picture of some woman? Well, it has been five years, and even if you haven't found anyone who so much as compared to the man, that doesn't mean he hasn't found someone new. ' She took a deep breath, "Well, curiosity killed the cat but I was never one to just let something lie."
She checked again to see if Duke was still swimming, he was making his way out now, if she was going to look, it would have to be now and it would have to be a quick look. She yanked the picture out of its hiding place and opened it. She wasn't prepared for the shock it gave her. The photo was of some woman-it was her! A candid shot of them together, must have been at their engagement party at the Joe base. She was half turned in his lap, one arm slid up to hook around his head, angling his mouth up for a kiss. The smiles on their faces would have put the sun to shame. His footsteps were getting closer; she would have to ponder her discovery later. She slid the picture back where she found it and made a big show of rummaging through the food bag.
"Didn't you bring anything decent to eat? All I can find are military rations."
"Sorry, princess, that's all I've got."
She scowled at him, "Surely you could hunt something or at the very least catch some fish."
"No. I told you before-it's too risky to light a fire."
"Why?"
"I don't want anyone to know we're here. Now, the horses have suffered long enough, if you don't remember how to unsaddle yours-or don't want to, you can check that cave right there for unwanted visitors of the four legged kind."
"Four legged?"
"Or more." he grinned at her, slicking water off his face, "Your choice?"
"I think I can remember how to tend to a horse-after all I remembered how to ride."
"So you did, so you did."
Duke made camp in the cave, taking her bedroll and placing it deep inside the cleaned out cave and then placing his own between her and the entrance.
He hadn't really hoped for a peaceful night and he sure as hell hadn't expected to get any sleep. He knew she would ask questions he would be unable to answer just as he knew she would be furious with him for keeping secrets from her. They had eaten dinner and had settled down for sleep and she still hadn't asked any questions. She seemed reluctant to talk about anything and he wondered what was going through her head, wondered if she was just working out how to phrase the questions she wanted answered in such a way that he would be caught unaware. Finally, an hour after they had each laid down on their bedrolls she started asking questions.
"What are we doing here?"
Duke kept his gaze firmly on the ceiling, "We are supposed to be sleeping."
"Duke. Answer the question. Why am I here? Why did Rodger kidnap me and dump me in the middle of nowhere-with you to keep me company."
"I don't know why Rodger kidnapped you." He consoled himself that it wasn't an out and out lie he had just told, only a half-truth. He hadn't expected her to come willingly, to admit that she couldn't do something. Rodger knew her better than he did now and had obviously thought the same thing. So, he had done the only the thing he knew to do in order to secure her safety-kidnapped her and brought her kicking and screaming to him.
Perhaps a change in topic would pacify her for now-or at least get her mind off questions he wasn't able to answer, "So what's it like working with Rodger? He mentioned that the two of you were running security detail. I guess that means you left the military."
"Rodger'd been bugging me for years to leave-you remember-you used to get so annoyed with me about it-you were so afraid that I'd up and leave you for him."
Duke scowled at the memories that surfaced with that comment, "Looks like he got his wish!" He turned over onto his side so he could face her for their verbal sparing match.
'OH! He is always so fast to find fault with Rodger!' She sat up and looked straight at him, wishing that looks really could kill-she'd have him writhing on the ground in a heartbeat, "It was my choice to leave!"
"He pushed you!" so much so that Duke wondered if they would still be together if the vaunted Rodger had never entered their lives
"It was still my choice!"
"Then why did you leave?! You were at the top of your career!"
"Ohhh!" she screamed at him, "Some things! are more important than a career!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I seem to remember a certain first sergeant not being so happy about the position I was about to take!"
He lay back down, cut to the bone; he had no reply to that. It was true-he hadn't wanted her to take that position. He had pressured her day and night-and for purely selfish reasons.
'Finally!' she thought as she watched him lie back down; doing a typical Wild Bill, pulling his hat down over his eyes, effectively cutting off any and all further communication. Fine by her-she had no desire to speak to him. She lay back down and tried to rest but sleep was elusive tonight. She knew she had hurt him with that last remark-it was true but it brought back painful memories for both of them. Nothing had been the same since Cobra's defeat. Their future had been like a cloudy crystal ball with only hints as to what was in store for them. There had been so many paths open to them but what they had wanted and what were viable options were completely separate entities.
They passed the rest of that night in relative peace, although by the next day neither had had much sleep so in addition to the tension they already had they were snipping at each other for the rest of the trip.