Page 19 of Wolfish Hunger
Kane nods to the RV behind him. "Do you want to get set up? We'll haul everything over the river, and then you can set me to prepping while Walker drives."
"Sure. What about Kai and Kellen?"
"They’ve already gone on ahead with water and sandwiches. They’ve got a pod coffee machine and a battery to plug it into. They’ll tell everyone hot food is coming, and we're to follow their trail on the map."
"Perfect."
An hour later, I have to admit, I'm having the time of my life. We’ve developed a rhythm with our system: it's not exactly safe to cook in a moving vehicle, but desperate times and all that. We do, however, draw the line at knife work. So whenever we stop for Walker to run steaming hot containers of pasta to houses, Kane and I chop like crazy.
I adore the way Kane seems to know every inch of these roads. Whenever we approach a hill or a rough spot, his hand wraps around my waist. His tree trunk legs bend slightly as he braces, holding me steady.
It's also hilarious how he has to duck in this small space, although he hasn't complained once.
"The last house is up ahead," Walker calls out.
"Good – we're nearly out of food," Kane jokes.
After we park, he jumps out, then takes my hand, swinging me into his arms off the bottom step.
Two middle-aged women who look so alike they must be sisters are already fawning all over Walker. "What a sweet boy you are to think of us out here. Your friends said you were coming."
One of them grabs Walker's arm and shepherds him around to the back of the house. "We had just started our annual freezer cleanout when the power went off, so we need to use up the last of these steaks and sausages. Think you can help us out there?"
We follow them around to a patio, where Kai, Kellen, Carson and Griffin are sitting around a picnic table stuffing their faces, a huge platter of meat in front of them.
A younger version of the first two women is turning ears of corn on the barbecue. Her eyes light up when she sees me. "Hi! You must be Sammie. And you must be starving after cooking in that RV all afternoon. How do you like your steak?"
By the time we've crossed the makeshift bridge back out of Cedarvale and returned to Kane's truck, I'm so full of steak, corn and roasted peppers that I might not eat for a week.
Today’s adventure has given me a real taste of what it might be like to live here on the mountain. Not just the extreme weather and occasionally volatile conditions.
I saw real community – mechanics jumping in to take care of vehicles. Tech guys doing manual labor at the drop of a hat. People at the grocery store bending over backward to help in times of need.
And all the while, Kane cared for me, even as I was trying to help others.
Looking over at his gorgeous profile in the fading light just after sunset, I can hear the truth ringing in my head.
It doesn't matter that things have moved so fast. Doesn't matter that he's older. Doesn't matter that we're very different in many ways.
Kane is the man for me. Forever.
And maybe it's all the fresh air and hard work talking, but I’m practically counting the minutes until I can throw him into bed and devour him.
11
KANE
Sammie seems surprised when we shower together, caressing and cuddling in the hot water, but I don’t try to make a move for more.
"Your legs are going to be tired tomorrow," I say, drying her with a huge fluffy towel. "Standing in a moving vehicle for a while, it's subtle micro movements. Trust me, your thighs will be feeling it in a few hours."
Sammie looks up at me with bright, happy eyes. "What I'm feeling right now is the softest towel on the planet. What is this?"
I shrug. "Some kind of fancy Egyptian cotton, I think."
"You mean you don’t know?" she smirks, raising her eyebrow. "Let me guess, you had a designer come in and set up your entire house for you."
I glower, then turn toward her and stick out my butt as I run the towel back and forth across it. “Hey, it got the job done, didn't it?"
