CHAPTER EIGHTEENAutumn-7
The night had been quiet, with nothing to disrupt the tranquility of the cabin but the sound of some bullfrogs making note of their presence by the lake. As much as she would have liked to have had her legs wrapped around Malcolm’s shoulders for most of the night, she was honestly just too tired to do more than think about it. She suspected that he was, as well. If there was any doubt of that, his soft snoring by her side only a few minutes after they had crashed told her it was true.
Neither of them moved the entire night, content to just lay curled up against one another and sleep. Even the worst of her wounds had disappeared into nothing more than a thin pink line. There was no reason for her not to start working on getting on her own two feet so that Malcolm didn’t feel somehow responsible for her.
It was apparent that he intended to see her on her way to being free and neither of them was opposed to enjoying one another’s body to the fullest while they were here together, but she also knew that there was something he had to get to that he was putting off because of her and it bothered him. She appreciated his sacrifice on her behalf, but she couldn’t let him put his business on hold for her any longer than it took to sort her problems out.
Walking out of the cabin the following morning, she was surprised when he walked past the bike and approached what looked like an old shed that sat to one side of the cabin. He pulled open the large double doors to reveal an old brown car of some sort. It was a little dusty, but otherwise appeared well kept.
“Whose car is that?”
“Mine, I guess. It was Dad’s. Uncle Henry drives it sometimes when he comes up here, so it should be in pretty good condition. He keeps it up pretty nicely.”
“We’re taking it instead of the bike?”
“Yeah. It’ll be easier to get groceries and anything else we need. I don’t know about you, but that bargain-basement soap Uncle Henry has in the bathroom isn’t exactly fragrant. It smells like lard and dries my skin out like a son of a bitch.”
“Yeah, it was a bit rough.”
“My Aunt Joyce fancies herself a bit of an artisan craftswoman. She makes that stuff and the shampoo. It looks pretty with the little flowers and colors she swirls through it, but I shudder to think what she puts in it that makes it smell like dirty feet. Defeats the purpose of bathing if you’re going to smell like an old sock when you’re done.”
Autumn laughed and followed him toward the car. He walked over to a wall covered with shelves and felt around for a moment before seeming to find what he was looking for and then jogged back over to unlock her door and open it for her. She waited while he slipped back around to the other side and climbed behind the wheel. Despite what he had said, she still felt a hint of surprise when the car started right up.
“I think we’ll eat lunch in town. There is a fantastic little taco joint that juts out over the river. You up for some quality Mexican food?”
“For breakfast?”
“Well, no. I thought we’d just grab our stuff for the cabin and then duck in for tacos on the way back. It should be lunchtime by then. We can snack on some fruit or something from the grocery store to hold us over if you are hungry.”
“No. I’m good. It’s nice to get up and not be starving right off the bat due to the healing. We ate a pretty decent meal last night too.”
“Great. It’s a plan then.”
They made quick work of groceries, buying a mix of staples for the cabinet and fresh food for the fridge to go with it. Malcolm bought a couple of steaks and some charcoal for the grill that sat by the lake too. The weather was beginning to cool off but it was still warm enough to grill. They were done with their shopping list in no time and headed down the highway that ran along the river toward the taco place, arriving just as it was opening for the lunch shift.
There was a sign out front that they were hiring that caught her eye, but she didn’t mention it until they got settled down at the table, feeling out Malcolm about getting to work so she could make her own way.
“I don’t know. What about paperwork? I can get that for you, but it’s going to take a little while. I mean, we had to put you off the bike and let you shift and take to the woods to get you across the border to meet me down the road once I was through immigration. Without papers, they aren’t likely to hire you. No one is, not in this area.”