Free Nothing But Trouble by Lisa Mondello Page B

stretched her legs, walking funny for the first few minutes.
    “I don’t know if I’m ever going to walk straight again,” she said, holding on to Dolly’s reins as she led her to the water’s edge.
    Stoney kept his back turned to her and proceeded to untie the packs that were loaded on Chester. 
    “I guess I should get use to this, huh?  We’ll be doing a lot of riding.”
    He didn’t say anything, despite her attempt to converse with him for the first time in the last few hours.  They’d been silent for most of the ride and he found it was easier to concentrate on the clopping of horse hooves than the beating of his own heart.  He quickly set up the picket while the horses got their fill of water, and then secured them inside. 
    He grabbed the hatchet.  “You might as well set up your tent and lay out your bedroll while you’re waiting.  It’s going to be a while until supper is ready.  Can you cook on a camp stove?”
    She dipped her head and blushed.  “If you give me instructions I can probably make just about anything.”
    Wonderful.  He picked up the side of one of the duffels and tossed it a few feet in her direction.  “That’s okay.  Just sift through this pack until you find something that sounds appetizing.  Those dry food rations are pretty easy to prepare.  You just added boiling water.  You know how to do that, right?”
    She glared at him, jamming one fist on her hip.
    He ignored her frown.  “Dinner will be sooner if you can find enough dry wood scattered on the ground to get the camp stove going before I get back.  It won’t need much wood to cook.  You’ll find a sturdy pot in one of the packs, too.”
    She’d straightened herself, a questioning look filling her tired features.  She looked vulnerable, afraid as he turned to walk toward the tree line.  “Where are you going?”
    “Just to gather some wood for a campfire.  Despite the time of year, it gets pretty cold up in the mountains at night.”
    He stalked off, not sure why his gut felt as tight as it did.  All he knew was that he needed to get away from Melanie, if only to have a moment or two alone to collect himself. 
    He was acting like the backside of his horse, but he couldn’t help it.  Why, oh why did he agree to spend the month alone with this woman?  Every time her soft brown eyes flashed bright with excitement, his breath caught in his throat.  She had a fire that flared with the slightest push, but beneath that, there was a vulnerability he found endearing.
    He walked a few yards beyond the tree line and found some old dry branches.  Pulling out his hatchet, he positioned the branch over a low rotted stump and took out his frustration on the wood.  With every thrust of the ax against the wood he’d hoped his tension would ease.  But to his dismay it remained. 
    When they’d first set out this afternoon, he’d actually been excited about going.  As they trailed deeper and deeper into the mountains, the old familiar feeling of tranquility washed over him.  Then Melanie would say something and he’d remember that he wasn’t with Joshua this time.  He was with a woman who was stubborn minded and clearly out of place in a world where she had no business being.  He should have felt guilty about ignoring her, but he couldn’t.  It was the only way he could forget how much he wanted to kiss her every time she smiled.
    # # #
     
    Chapter Five
     
    Melanie brushed her hand up and down her arm in an effort to warm herself.  The increased chill in the air and the darkening indigo sky was a clear sign that night was quickly on its way.  Night predators would be out hunting their game and the meadowlarks that sang so sweetly during today’s ride would turn in for the evening.  Long Island seemed as far away as the moon, and that thought gave Melanie a subtle peace. 
    Stoney, however, was just around the corner, splitting wood for the fire they’d use to prepare dinner.  Melanie was like