Page 26 of Smoky Lake

Ani winced. “I’m afraid to ask what the expiration dates say.”

“If they’re so faded you can’t read them anymore, that can’t be good. But it’s worth checking out.”

He rummaged through a plastic tote filled with dishes and utensils. “Seriously, no can opener?”

“Maybe it’s for the best.” Even so, Ani’s stomach growled as she tried to remember when her last meal had been. Peanuts at The Fang?

Gil pulled a utility knife from his pocket and worked it into the can of corn until he’d made an opening. He presented it to her with a flourish and a bow.

“You weren’t lying about the MacGyver thing, were you?”

“To be honest, I would have been an inventor if I hadn’t joined the DSS. I love tinkering around with things.” He sniffed the contents of the can. “It smells fine, looks fine, but let’s boil it to make sure.”

He poured the corn kernels into a pot and set it on the camp stove. Getting it to ignite required more fiddling. When it finally did, Ani applauded.

“Well done, MacGyver. I think you’ve missed your calling.”

He grinned at her, his dimple a flash against his dark scruff. “If I don’t go back to the DSS, maybe that’s what I’ll do. Tinker and invent.”

Given how lighthearted he now looked, as compared to his serious protector mode, she thought he’d probably be happier doing that. But she also wondered if Gil put his own happiness first; something told her he didn’t.

“Are you considering not going back?”

“Lachlan thinks I should quit. He worries about me getting shot again. He says he felt it the moment it happened.”

“The twin bond. I’ve heard about that.”

“It’s real. We’re fraternal twins, but we still get inklings when something’s going on with the other.”

“Inklings?”

Gil spooned the steaming corn into two blue flecked enamel bowls. “It’s hard to describe. It probably sounds nuts.”

“No, it doesn’t.” He handed her a bowl and a spoon, but she was so fascinated by what he was saying that she barely noticed. “It’s just that you seem so…” Trying to find the right word, she tilted her head and gazed at him with narrowed eyes.

“Hard to read? That’s what women usually say.”

“No. Just…serious. Like you have real responsibilities and you take them seriously.”

His expression shifted, as if she’d just reminded him of the laws of gravity or something equally important. “Taking responsibility for the safety of others is very serious.”

“Yes, of course it is.”

He went silent. The fire crackled in the stove, and outside, she heard the chatter of a squirrel. Where had their easy conversation gone? She had the sense that he’d locked himself inside a room where she couldn’t follow.

He ate a spoonful of corn, testing. “The corn is fine for eating.”

“Official MacGyver seal of approval?” she said lightly.

No smile in response. “Listen. I’ve been thinking that while we’re stuck together like this, we should be careful with physical contact.”

She blinked in confusion. Was he upset that she’d rubbed his legs to get the blood going? She’d meant it as a strictly medical intervention, but maybe she’d intruded on his personal space.

“Understood,” she said, in a stiff tone that matched his.

They ate the rest of their makeshift dinner in silence. Ani’s thoughts wandered to Victor, to the mysterious drug, to the explosion, the soldiers, the state trooper. So many bizarre things had happened in the past few days, and now she was stranded in the wilderness with a human block of ice.

She missed her friends. She missed Indiana. She missed…no, she didn’t miss John. Not even a little bit. That was one advantage of pouring everything you had into saving a relationship. Once it was over, she’d had nothing left. The effort had drained every bit of affection for John from her heart.

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