The wine was flush on her cheeks. She slid into the seat. “Where are we going?”
“Secret remember?” I closed the door and ran to the driver side of the truck.
It was hard not to feel like we were running away. The tires kicked up bits of gravel as I turned onto the road. There was sexual tension between us that was so thick it filled the entire cab. I had to will myself to take things back to the basics. We both wanted the same thing—it was worth getting to the good part.
The car ride to the cabin was quiet. I had let the dial land on an oldies station and left it there. Gretchen looked out the window as we drove deeper into the woods.
I parked in front of the house and walked around to the passenger side to help her from the car, but she was already halfway out of her seat.
“Let me grab some drinks. Wait right here,” I offered. “I’ll show you the top secret spot as soon as I have a few things.”
She giggled. “Do you need some help?”
“Nah. I’ve got this.”
I left her by the car while I ran in the cabin. There was a quilt on the bed I grabbed, along with a few beers from the fridge. I wasn’t much for romance, but I hadn’t thought through what would happen when I was with Gretchen. How I would react to her, and how badly I wanted her to feel safe with me.
It might only be a night of star watching, but I didn’t know when I’d be back. I didn’t know if this chance would come along again.
I met her at the car, my arms loaded with star-watching supplies.
“I think I’ve got everything we need to make this night happen. Ready?”
She looked at what I was carrying. “Don’t we need a flashlight? It’s dark out there.”
I shook my head. “Nah. I have excellent night vision.”
“Let me guess…part of your training?” She smirked.
She followed closely as I led her down a path and along the trail until we ended up on the edge of a ravine. There was a small clearing just large enough for us to sit together.
I spread the quilt on the ground and handed her a beer.
“I promise it will be the best night show you’ve seen.” I watched her intently.
Gretchen touched the beer to her lips. “This is probably the only spot in the entire forest where you can look up and see sky.”
“It is.” I sat next to her. All I wanted to do was pull her body under mine, but I was trying to use res
traint. Trying to act like a man and not give in to his instincts all at once.
“How did you get us through there? And where are we?” she asked.
I looked around, knowing every tree, every bush surrounding us. I had spent my childhood exploring this forest.
“It’s part of my family’s land.” I took a swig of beer. “We own everything on this side of the creek and another family’s land starts on the other side. The Osborns are on that side. Jacksons on this side.”
“Did you play here as a child?”
“Yeah, I did. I had a lot of cousins growing up. We took over the woods. That’s the tree that I fell out of and broke my arm.” I pointed to a huge towering bough near us. I chuckled. “And about a hundred feet back is where Cane and I built a fort. I could walk these trails blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back. We ran and climbed every inch of this forest.”
Gretchen smiled. “I bet that was fun. I didn’t really grow up with much family. And definitely not in a place like this. It would be perfect for kids.”
“Where is your family, doc?” I wanted to know more about her. What made her tick. How she ended up being a doctor.
“Mainly New England,” she answered. “My parents still live there. But I don’t have any siblings. I guess you could say I didn’t spend my childhood outside. No cousins to run wild with like you did. I was more of a bookworm.”
“You? No way.” I chuckled.