Page 6 of Force of Nature

She nodded. “Yeah, okay. Sure.”

Gazing into my daughter’s sky-blue eyes, I could tell she was only pretending to be reassured. Still, even a forced smile was a good start.

I pressed my lips to her forehead. “That’s my brave girl.”

We set off at a brisk pace to get our blood pumping. I kept my eyes and ears tuned to the forest, scanning for threats and signs of pursuit while Willow chattered about the scenery and how much she was looking forward to cooking dinner over an open fire. She’d assumed the responsibility for preparing food for this trip all by herself, balancing healthy, heartier options with camping staples and sweet treats. I caught myself smiling as I recalled her tossing the bag of marshmallows into the grocery cart yesterday morning. She never ate marshmallows at home, preferring whipped cream and cinnamon with her hot cocoa. The only time she ate marshmallows was in front of an open fire with me.

Would she continue to avoid them at college, or would she keep a bag in her room to remind her of our nights spent by the fire?

Pain echoed like a shout in the hollow of my chest. I wanted to believe that we’d always maintain this summer camping tradition, but that was probably naïve of me. Willow was going away to college on the other side of the country, starting a new chapter in her life. Would she still want to rough it the wilderness with her old man when she had a summer job to focus on? Not to mention plans with friends. A boyfriend—

Just the thought of her being alone with a guy had my hackles rising. I’d gotten off easy for the most part. While she admitted to being attracted to boys, she hadn’t shown much interest in dating throughout high school. But my luck was destined to run out sooner or later. Of course I wanted her to experience love and pleasure. But those guys at the hot spring weren’t unique among men. There were going to be plenty of others who looked at her and saw nothing but a body to use as they pleased. What if she trusted the wrong person and wound up getting hurt?

I wouldn’t be there to protect her anymore.

But that was the natural way of things, wasn’t it? Whether I liked it or not, Willow was growing up. I could only hope that I’d raised her to be cautious and alert, though part of me feared that my overprotectiveness had left her too innocent. Would her inexperience render her more vulnerable to creeps and abusers?

Oh look, another bullet point to add to the list of things a father should worry about…

We reached our campsite just as the sun was beginning its descent across the sky, leaving us plenty of time to get set up. I’d reserved the site a year ago; a shady section of flat, mostly cleared land in a patch of forest, nestled between two small meadows and a stream—perfect spots for spying on wildlife. Willow and I worked together to erect our pop-up tents a good distance from the designated food-prep and storage areas. Afterward, Willow went to look for kindling on the edge of camp while I rearranged the heavy logs around the firepit and cleared away the debris. She returned with an armful of small twigs and dry leaves for kindling, laying her bounty on the ground near the pit before announcing that she was going to look for firewood.

“Don’t go too far,” I told her.

“I won’t. Promise.”

I continued setting up the campsite while periodically scanning for Willow’s silhouette among the trees. All of the campsites along the trail employed a Leave No Trace policy for trash. Everything carried into the park must be carried out. I secured a plastic bag to a tree for our garbage and filled a collapsible bucket with dirt, just in case we needed to quickly smother the fire for any reason.

When I scanned the trees again, I didn’t see Willow.

“Willow,” I called out, my voice bouncing off the trees. “Willow, where are you?”

No response. My heart rate kicked into overdrive as I made a beeline for the last place I had spotted her. Panic seized my throat. She wasn’t there. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a crow took off from a nearby tree branch with a blaring caw.

“Fuck,” I muttered. I was breathing so heavily that I almost missed the trill of feminine laughter.

“Jesus, Dad. What did that crow do to you?” Willow stepped out from between two pine trees, her arms loaded with firewood. The sight of her safe and sound sent a flood of relief through my bloodstream.

Still, I scowled.

“Why didn’t you answer when I called for you?” The words came out sounding a lot harsher than I intended them to, but goddamn it, she’d scared the hell out of me.

Willow froze, startled.

“Sorry. I guess I didn’t hear you.”

“You should’ve stayed where I could see you.” I snatched the wood from her to give my hands something to do. She stared at me, clearly confused. I felt like an ass.

“Are you okay, Dad?” she asked.

I wasn’t okay, but I also knew that I was overreacting. After encouraging Willow to forget about what had happened, I didn’t want to admit that I was still worked up over it. We’d met all kinds of people on the trail before, some friendlier than others, but none had ever given us that much trouble. The chances of running into those guys again in such a huge park were slim. We were more likely to encounter a grizzly.

That statistic shouldn’t have brought me comfort, but it did.

“I just want to get our site set up before sundown,” I said by way of explanation. I wasn’t sure if she bought my excuse, but I was grateful that she didn’t question me further.

Chapter3

Erik

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