Page 26 of Wilderness Daddy

She watches me quietly when I tip up the middle console of the truck turning the front seat from buckets to bench and when I come around to help her in, she lets me. I didn’t think it was possible for this girl to be truly submissive, but here she is allowing me to take control and make decisions. And stranger still, she keeps sending me shy little smiles that make my heart flip in my chest like a teen girl’s.

“Scoot on over to the middle, honey. I’m gonna hold you the whole way home.” Her answer is just a nod. When I get in the truck, she instantly tucks herself under my arm.

When I get Akari back home, it’s well before eleven and her parents express disappointment in their daughter with downcast glares. Although I’m not surprised Akari keeps silent about the reason our date ended so abruptly, I am surprised she’s not protesting being forced to marry a brute. Then again, Akari isn’t quite what she seems either.

I know she’s trying to hide her emotions, but I can see she’s hurt. Every bit of the fierce anger she had earlier is long gone, but I suddenly wish it would come back long enough to show her parents their place.

As much as her behavior annoys me, I understand it now. I barely know this girl and yet I feel something strong for her, and it’s not the original contempt. She fights so hard for power wherever she can because she has so little control in her life.

I want to help her. But then I remember my mom’s words.

“If it’s not real, you need to stop. You’ll break her, we’ll break her.”

With a heavy gut and a quick goodnight, I head to the outpost. The parking lot is less than a quarter full. My gut sinks but I roll my shoulders and head in. I’m going to have this lot full soon enough. All the stores across Canada hopefully.

Stella gave me the idea when she spoke of the wild man. People seem to go crazy for stories about wilderness survival and I’m going to take advantage of that. I plan on going into the mountains for six months, starting with only seven essential survival items from Steed Wilderness Outpost. I’ll live up there adding one new item from our catalogue each week to make life easier. I’ll post videos with the help of Grant each week and hopefully it’ll drum up business for the outpost in-store and online as well as generate interest in wilderness survival, safety, and conservation.

Even though I won’t be able to leave for a few weeks, having to tie up loose ends with work before I go, I’m eager to start the preparations. I grab our full catalogue and decide which items to start with. I wander the aisles, helping customers as I look for my own items.

I have a package of fishing line and hooks, a cooking pot, a fire steel, a good hunting knife in a protective leather sheath to keep it sharp, an emergency blanket, a stainless steel military canteen with nested metal cup, and I’m trying to pick the perfect hatchet when I feel someone beside me.

“Excuse me?” I look over at the blonde with huge blue eyes beside me and instantly recognize her from the night before. “Oh, hi!” she says.

“Hello,” I reciprocate.

“You seem to know what you’re doing. Can you help me?”

“I can.”

She holds up two hiking kit backpacks. I’d put them together myself. They have all the essentials for a hard hike through the mountain for a day and some emergency supplies in case the hiker gets lost.

“Well, both are great kits. But this one...” I point to the bag in her right hand, “is meant for a less demanding hike. It’s lighter, but it has less supplies too. I would consider it better for a summer hike. But seeing as we’re still in spring and it’s unpredictable, this one.” I point to the other heavier bag. “It’ll be a better choice even if you’re doing a less strenuous hike.” I look in the cart that’s behind her and see a sleeping bag, tent, lantern, batteries, lighters, a cook set, and a bunch of other camping gear.

“Oh, okay, thanks,” she says and puts the heavier bag in her cart. My brow furrows as I recall her interest in the men’s conversation at the bar.

“You planning on camping somewhere?”

She nods absently, looking at some survival guides on the spinning rack beside our aisle.

“Are you planning on carrying all that stuff? Do you have a guide? A partner?”

She looks up and blinks at me. Her blue eyes are a little blank so I know she’s extremely inexperienced.

“Uh.” She surveys her cart. “Well. Um...”

“Don’t go into those mountains. They’re dangerous. You’re inexperienced and this time of year is extra treacherous. Predators are replenishing what they’ve lost over the winter. The weather is unpredictable and even if you’re a wilderness expert, the men that go hunting up there often follow their own laws. Lots of hunters wouldn’t think twice about having a little fun with a girl like you.” My brows rise. “You said yourself that quite a few women have gone missing up there in the last six months.”

She swallows hard. “You’re right. It’s a bad idea.” She looks down at her cart, mumbles a thanks and leaves empty handed. I watch her go, thankful she won’t be another victim of the mountains.

I grab a hatchet and head to the front to pay for my items.

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