Page 153 of Mountain Grump
Thatstarts to stir at her attention. Previous pain forgotten. “I’m fine. I?—”
Tilda’s stomach growls.
“Fuck.” I drag a hand down my face over the instant sense of failure that hits me. “I didn’t feed you last night.”
Tilda snickers again. “I’m not a lizard.”
I drop my hand. “What?”
“I’m not a pet you have tofeed. I know where your backpack is with the food.” She swings her feet off the bed and sits up. “But it is your fault for distracting me.”
She stands, the bed between us.
“I’m not going to apologize for that.”
Tilda smirks. “I wouldn’t accept it if you did. Now, will you please do your ranger thing and make sure there isn’t a scary carnivore between here and the outhouse?”
Chapter 81
Tilda
“Thank you.”I accept the metal coffee cup from Ethan.
He grunts and pours steaming water from the metal teapot into his own mug, dissolving the instant coffee.
Then he pours water into two bowls, each containing a few large spoonfuls of oatmeal, a scoop of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon.
Ethan holds out the bag of sugar to me with a clean spoon.
“Thank you.” I repeat myself out of habit.
He lifts a brow at me.
I set the plastic bag on my lap and use the spoon to scoop up a tiny amount.
“Next time I come out here, I’ll bring more supplies. Use as much as you want.”
I hesitate, then decide to take him on his word and lower the spoon again, filling it with sugar.
Ethan takes the bag when I’m done, and I stir my coffee as I watch his fingers squeeze the zipper bag shut.
“I’m impressed you have sugar.” I take a sip of the surprisingly good cup of coffee.
“Long shelf life.” Ethan uses his spoon to stir the first bowl of oatmeal, then the second. “And it’s a good source of calories for quick energy.”
He pours a little more water into each bowl and catches me trying not to smile.
Ethan narrows his eyes. “What?”
“We just have such different lives.” I mean it in a lighthearted way, but Ethan frowns. “I’m not a… camper.” I lift my cup and gesture to the woods around us, explaining before he loses his marbles over nothing. “And I like casual walks, not thrill-seeking hikes. So, I’ve never had a need forlong shelf-life, quick-energy calories.”
Ethan’s mouth flattens in that way he does when he’s trying to look annoyed. But I really think he’s trying not to smile.
I lift my cup to my lips. “You’re an impressive man, Ranger Grant.”
“Please go into the cabin.”I keep my eyes on Ethan’s, refusing to get distracted by the fact that he’s been walking around shirtless for the past hour.
Ethan sighs, but he sets the pair of washcloths and bar of soap on the stump beside me. “Fine. But try to keep your feet dry.”
