Free A Walk In The Wilderness by Nancy Hopper

I’ll tear you limb from limb!” she railed.  The sound of her voice was faint, but Caitlin heard the words very clearly.
         She gasped and closed her eyes, willing tears not to spill.  She was shaking her head, denying the accusing voice shakily.  Then the tears volleyed, and she wept bitterly despite her desire to be strong. 
         When she came to herself a bit, she found her face buried against a very warm, broad chest and neck.  He was salty, and a bit damp yet, but his cologne was very nice.  Expensive.  There was a gentle hand on her hair; and another strong arm around her shoulders.
       Gasping, she covered her face and gently pulled away.  David released her immediately.  She turned to find him smiling at her wryly.  “Don’t worry.  She can’t get to you in here.  Relax, and just enjoy the ride.”  He advised.  “There is peace here.  Let it carry you away from all that ... back there.” 
          He had to smile at her stricken expression.  “You apparently had not counted on Connie, when you got mixed up with Skyler.”
         Caitlin turned round and very frightened eyes up to this stranger.  She had a hard time meeting his calm, clear eyes.  Slowly, she began to respond to his words.  It was peaceful here.  It was safe; she could feel it.  She sighed, and began to relax.
         “Hardly.  In actuality, I’m not really terribly 'mixed up' with Skyler.  I mean, he’s interested in me, but I’m not as interested in him.  I just came tonight as his guest, as a courtesy ... to say hello, but we’re not … it’s nothing like that woman said!” Cait explained with considerable distress.  Her voice was trembling and weak.
        She blinked a new batch of tears back, and wiped her eyes resolutely.  Though she was trying to be stern and disciplined, she was failing miserably.  She looked overwrought and very childlike.  Frightened, and very alone.
         David Majors listened quietly.  He put a fresh cotton hankie in her trembling hand.  “He seemed to think he had the liberty to be pretty intimate.”  He pointed out with a teasing smile.
         “He always does!”  Caitlin answered in frustration.  “I went out on two dates with him.  Two! And this is how he behaved.  He scared me so badly, I didn’t ever want to see him again.  I mean, I thought I would be interested in him at first; but just two dates convinced me that he was not one to get too involved with.  But then, after he’d gone, I thought perhaps I’d been judging him too harshly.  I thought, you know, that I’d come tonight and just see.  To be sure .  He is so fixated on me, that I felt terrible.  It felt so mean to brush him off, never give him even a real chance.  I figured that, if he still feels the way he does, nine months after we met, perhaps … perhaps I was too quick to decide he wasn't for me.” 
         “He asked me to marry him.  I felt I should perhas try to know him better before I wrote him off completely.  After some time apart, I thought he’d calm down.”  She tried to explain.
         “You didn’t know about his jealous girlfriend, then.”  David chuckled ruefully.
       “No, not really.  I’d heard bits of rumors about Connie, but he told me it was over between them.”  Caitlin explained.  To her horror, tears filled her eyes again.
      He smiled, a bit wryly.  “So, you didn’t quite fall for his line, did you?”
          Caitlin rolled her eyes.  “Which one?”
    “That, ‘he knows it was sudden, but he’s certain you’re the one, and what will you do with him now that you’ve captured him?’ line.”
         She stared up at him.  “How did you know he’d said all that?” she whispered in horrified fascination.
         David’s face went stony.  He looked out the window.  “Let’s just say I’ve heard it before.”  He answered dryly.
         Disappointed tears coursed