Page 62 of Wilderness Daddy

It’s fragrant and strong, immediately clearing my sinuses and bringing a tingle to my tongue. I take a swift intake of breath feeling the cool burn. “No morning breath worries,” I say with a little chuckle.

“Come on, I think our fire’s gone out by now. I’ll teach you how to start one. Then we can scramble those eggs.” He guides me through the thicker forest to get back to camp.

Landon points out edible plants along the way and anything else he thinks he can teach me and his followers. I absorb as much as I can. I’m sure it’s partly to distract me, like the mint.

Back at camp he leads us straight to the fire, putting the eggs safely into his pot and getting down onto his haunches. The fire pit looks like an ashtray. He scoops away the ash.

“Grab that birch bark from the bed, would you?” He points and my eyes follow to the bed. I see bark tucked in between our now spread out sleeping bags. I grab it quickly and hand it to him.

“Normally, I wouldn’t let this go out. Fire is too important out here.” He rises and heads to a pile of wood under the cot. He grabs several smaller split logs and some thin pieces roughly the size of a wooden ruler.

“You set this up like a teepee so air can flow through it. Fire needs oxygen to burn.” I watch him set the wood up and put the smaller pieces underneath loosely with a space in the middle. “Now we’re going to put the tinder under here too.” He holds his hand out for the birch bark and tucks it under the wood.

“This,” he holds up a little black rod and metal thing, “is a fire steel.” He scrapes the metal against the rod and it sparks.

“Oh! The guy put one of those in my pack!” I go grab it from my bag, which he took down and set on the bed. I show him.

“Come down here.”

I crouch down next to him and he shows me how to hold my fire steel.

“Tell me what to do,” I say, looking at him. He looks even more handsome as he’s focused on teaching me, but suddenly he smirks.

My heart patters at the sight. “Tell you what to do, huh? I’ve never heard hotter words out of your mouth.” We laugh and I nudge his shoulder.

“It is pretty hot,” I say with my own grin, wide and bright.

“Hold the fire steel, low into the tinder, and scrape the metal rod over it.” He demonstrates and I follow suit.

I cock my brow at him. “Tinder is the bark?”

“Yeah, baby.” He points. “It’s stuff that will catch fire easily and hold it long enough to light the larger wood.”

“Okay.” I scrape the metal piece over the rod.

“Faster. You’re trying to make sparks.” I try again and he tucks in closer to me. “Put the steel right down on the bark.” His body pressed so close to mine distracts me for the moment. The feel of him, his musky natural scent, it all intoxicates.

Biting my lip in concentration I strike again and this time sparks light up the bark. I give an excited yip, but then it goes out and I groan.

“Nope, no groaning. Keep going. Keep sparking it until it takes. Giving up so easily is a death sentence out here.”

It flares up, lighting fully and my stomach dances. “I did it!”

“You did, honey.” He kisses my temple and beams at me. “Now, blow gently to keep it going and add a few of the small pieces of wood to it.” He shows me and then lets me take over. “You gotta baby it for a bit until the bigger wood catches.”

“Like this?” I blow and shove the little slivers of softwood closer. There’s a little fire under the teepee he’s set up. I add some more until it’s big enough for the larger logs to light.

“Yeah, you got it.” He holds his hands up, rubbing them near the fire. “That’s my good girl.”

I beam at his words, the tickle growing in my tummy. I love being his good girl. I shove my fire steel into one of my many pockets so I can hold my hands up to the heat too.

“I’m going to get water now. You okay to stay here and watch the fire alone?”

“Will I see any more bears?”

“Unlikely, but that one might still be around. Did you bring bear spray? They must have recommended it.”

“Yes, the guy at Steed told me I should have it.”

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