Page 12 of Hollow Moon

Probably she was worried that he was going to bolt again, and the thought crossed his mind. He might have done it, if he’d had a better idea where he was.

He waded into the woods, scanning the area as he went. It seemed he and Maggie Leland were alone out here. Hoping that was true, he found a tree for privacy and emptied his bladder.

More comfortable now, he walked down to the stream, stripped and waded in, where he used the soap to wash off.

Feeling more human—the expression made him grin—he dressed and headed back, noting the look of relief on her face when she saw him approaching the campsite.

“You were afraid I’d leave?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I thought about it.”

“Why?”

“I’m not doing you any good hanging around,” he said as he draped the damp tee shirt over the tent next to her towel.

“I think I can be the judge of that.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t meet the lowlifes at the drug lab.”

“What were they like?”

“Armed and dangerous. And scruffy.”

“Hopefully, they’re far away from here.”

He sat down heavily on a fallen log, wondering how far he’d run on the bad leg.

“How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good—considering. I heal fast.”

“I want to see the wound.”

After he carefully pulled up the sweatpants on the injured leg, she removed the dressing and inspected the entry and exit sites.

“Yes, it’s looking good.”

After putting on a new dressing, she handed him the bottle of water and a pill.

He took the antibiotic. “I’m using up your supply of water.”

“I can get more from the stream—and purify it.”

“Then why did you bring bottles?”

“It tastes better.”

She poured two mugs of the soup she’d cooked. He breathed in the scent, then took a cautious sip. “Not bad for camp food.”

“What I really wanted was that old Girl Scout standby—camper’s stew. Ground beef and canned soup. But I wasn’t willing to lug a can and a cooler.”

“I thought you went camping with your dad.”

“Yes, and the Girl Scouts. Anytime I could get away from civilization, I was happy.”

Like him, he thought, but he didn’t comment.

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