Page 20 of Trail to Trouble
Once out from behind the waterfall, Hunter took the lead down the path heading back to camp. He took his time walking at a mediocre pace and then stopping now and then to educate them about the trees, plants, and even animals. Other than the fox they’d seen earlier, they hadn’t stumbled upon any other four-legged creatures. She would have liked to see some deer or other mild-mannered animals, but there were none. She’d almost given up hope when out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed a long, but tiny and slim brown creature scurrying up a tree. The animal spun around to the backside of the tree, then peeked around it and stared at her from about ten feet up in a pine tree.
It stared, she stared, neither of them moving. Those beady little eyes of his stayed on her with a look of intensity. His furry face was mostly reddish brown over his forehead and to the tip of his snout. His cheeks were lined with more of an off-white color that led up to his pert, rounded ears. He was adorable.
He disappeared, then poked his head out from the other side of the tree. Almost as if playing peekaboo.
“What do you see?” Hunter asked.
Wanting to bask in the enjoyment of seeing this beautiful, tiny creature, she didn’t answer so as not to scare it away.
The shutter of Alyssa’s camera sounded. The animal’s head snapped in that direction. Alyssa snapped another photo before the animal disappeared higher up the tree and into the thicker branches loaded with pine needles.
“A pine marten,” Hunter said as he stepped up to her side. “Nice find. They’re pretty elusive.”
“I thought that’s what it was, but wasn’t sure. I’ve never seen one before,” Hannah replied.
“They were once extinct from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,” Hunter said.
“Really?” Alyssa asked.
“Yeah. Around the 1930s, between the unregulated trapping and logging of evergreen pine forests, they disappeared. They were reintroduced in the mid-50s.”
“That’s great, they were brought back. They’re adorable,” Alyssa commented.
“It is great, but don’t be fooled. They’re aggressive little buggers. They eat chipmunks, red squirrels, rabbits, just to name a few. So don’t let their small size fool you.”
Hunter reached out and placed his large hand on her shoulder. Her skin was sensitized by his touch.
“Good find,” he praised.
She smiled at his compliment.
His hand lingered and his touch felt warm and comforting. She hadn’t expected that from him. From any man. Not after what she’d endured from Sebastián.
When he pulled back, she felt sad.
“Alright. Let’s keep moving. Keep your eyes peeled. As we’ve just learned, you never know what you’ll see in the forest.”
“Bigfoot?” Hannah teased.
Hunter’s deep chuckle was pleasant to her ears.
“Be on the ready. You never know.”
Hunter continued to lead them through the woods, still stopping occasionally to educate them about wild animals common to the Upper Peninsula. It was enjoyable. Almost as enjoyable as their stolen glances.
By the time they arrived back at camp, her stomach screamed for nutrition. It was nearly two o’clock.
“How about a snack or a sandwich?” Hunter asked as he pulled the cooler from the metal locker used to protect the food from being stolen by bears or other creatures of the forest.
“We have ham or salami, or venison stick sausage and cheese,” Hunter offered.
Hannah grabbed the loaf of bread from the cooler and took the lunchmeat from him.
He followed her the few short steps from the locker to the picnic table with cheese, mustard, and mayo in hand.
She snagged a couple of venison sausage slices from the bag. It was delicious. She was used to venison and liked it. When she handed the bag to Bianca, her friend wrinkled her nose and held her hand in the air. Alyssa did the same, but wasn’t as dramatic about it as Bianca had been.
“You don’t know what you are missing,” Hannah informed them.
