Page 44 of Wild in the Woods
“Water, and protein bar. I haven’t shifted in a long time, and it depleted my glucose.”
“We don’t have any water.”
She grabbed an energy bar from his pack and handed it to him. He ate it in two bites, then indicated she should give him another.
“Fill my mug with water from the stream. I’ll show you.”
Fishing out a thick straw-like device from his pack, he pulled it from its plastic pouch and handed it to Lulu. “It’s a water filtration straw. I bring one in case we can’t get a fire to boil water. You can drink any water with this and not be exposed to pathogens.”
He showed her which end went into the water, placed it, and drank the entire mug.
“Never trust any water source in the wild. You must use a filtration straw or boil the water first. Parasitic infection will kill you out here.”
She refilled the mug and handed it to him. “You’re damn near shaking yourself off that rock, yet you’re still teaching me how to purify water.”
“It’s my job.”
Lulu hunkered down in front of him. “Thank you for saving me. And I never thanked you for that night in the bar. You’re here when I need you and I appreciate you looking out for me.”
Heat began rising in his blood, so he stood to divert his attention away from her. If he didn’t, there was no telling what he might do.
“We’re both starving. Let’s get after some fish.”
Chapter Seventeen
Shewasafullygrown woman and yet four words from her father could bring her to her knees.
He’d called right after Fox had kissed her. While she’d considered answering and immediately pretending to have no service so she could hang up, she hadn’t. That had been a big mistake.
He’d been furious. Rudd called him to say she’d underhanded him to steal this assignment from him and was now traipsing around the mountains with a man she barely knew, alone.
“I’m disappointed in you,” her father said. “All that money I paid for your education and you’re using it to flirt around with a man you don’t know, alone, doing God knows what?”
Trying to explain that she was getting an inside look at Fox Mitchell’s business so she could write a well-rounded story fell on furious ears. He wasn’t having anything she had to say.
“Your sister just published her first paper in Obstetrics Today, Lulu.”
Point taken. Right through the heart.
“Your mother is being recruited for a position at the University of Chicago to teach genetics. My publisher just signed my fifth book on brain health and you’re doing what? Hiking.”
His words wounded her so deeply. Instead of locking him out like she normally did, his words cut right through her. The kiss had shaken her to her core, tilted her off balance and she wasn’t able to raise her defenses when her father called.
“You’re going to come home immediately. Rudd said he’s more than capable of changing places with you. Come home, Lucinda.Now.”
He’d hung up on her, but the call repeatedly played in her head. Especially now that the adrenaline from the almost bear attack had mostly faded, and her belly was full of rock bass Fox had caught and she helped cook. They hadn’t said much while preparing the meal. To be fair, her mind kept drifting and it was the perfect opening for her father’s words to come back.
She’d put out the fire and watched it to make sure flames wouldn’t reignite. Fox kicked over the stones he’d used to make the fire pit, satisfied that the fire was well contained. He seemed fully recovered from his shift, which, honestly, still blew her mind. But not quite as much as her body’s reaction to his kiss.
Hefting his pack onto his back, Fox walked away from the stream. Colors had woken up all around them with the growing sun. Lush green grass, pink and white flowers, dried grasses, and various greenery set the stage as they walked. A light wind swooped around them, which felt good against the growing heat of the day.
She’d shrugged out of her jacket and pulled up her sleeves. They’d gone a short way before Fox glanced back at her. “Hey, you did a great job helping me earlier. Getting the firewood, water, taking charge. You surprised me.”
His tone wasn’t the least bit condescending, but her wounded heart took everything as criticism.
“Thanks,” she said tersely. “What are we doing next?”
He paused before speaking, looking at her curiously as if trying to gauge what had changed her mood. “We’ll find a good spot to make camp and go over some skills.”
