Free 06 Uncovering Hidden Treasure by Karen Ward

goal. I'm the one that's sorry."
    Curious now, Stump asks, "You used me?
Why?"
    Sam is the one feeling really guilty now and
she gazes into his curious chocolate brown eyes and says, "Yes, I
used you." Terribly embarrassed Sam drops her eyes to her shaking
hands, "You see, when I was in college all of the girls
continuously made fun of me because I was still a virgin. It was
terribly embarrassing and hurt my feelings really badly. I had
never even been on a date back then so I never had an opportunity
to have sex. Besides, I told you, guys don't pay attention to me
that way. They never have. Anyway, I thought, since you were drunk
you wouldn't remember and that I could lose my virginity to you and
never have to worry about it again. I'm really sorry."
    Stump looks at Sam, his heart breaking for
the young naïve girl inside of her and he quietly asks, "Sam, you
do realize you may be pregnant, don't you? We didn't use any
protection."
    Sam turns a bright red, looks horrified, and
says, "Honestly, it never crossed my mind."
    ******
    As soon as Pinky dropped Stump on the
mountain above the cabin, he radioed Scoot to let him know what
they were doing. A couple of hours after his return to the ranch,
Scoot's cell phone rang. After disconnecting, Scoot tells the other
guys what Stump had told him about finding Samantha in the cabin
and then stumbling across the narrow cave to keep them dry for a
couple of days. Everyone is relieved to know that Samantha is safe
and soon the guys start making bets as to what will happen between
Samantha and Stump while they are alone in the wilderness.
Everybody knows how volatile their relationship has been up to this
point. Bear is betting they get together as a couple. Scoot is
betting one of them ends up in the hospital at the hands of the
other one and Goose is just laughing at the whole scenario.
    Pinky observes the other guys and wonders who
is right. He had been surprised at Stump's reaction to his teasing
about Sam the other day. He's not sure what's going on between
Stump and Sam, he just hopes Stump is all right and doesn't get
hurt. He knows how much Stump wants a family of his own.
    ******
    After finishing their MRE's, Stump and Sam
are lying quietly inside their sleeping bags in the narrow cave. It
is very dark and the rain is loudly pounding the rocks surrounding
them. Stump asks, "Sam, where did you come up with the name Susie
and how do you remember to answer to it?"
    Smiling Sam replies, "That was easy. When I
was growing up, I lived with my grandmother and grandfather in
southern Alabama. My grandmother's name was also Samantha. My full
name is Samantha Sue, so my grandfather called me Susie my whole
life. I only started going by Samantha when I went away to college.
How about you? If your name is Clarence, where did Rance come
from?"
    Stump says, "I really don't know for sure. My
Mom has always called me Rance. I have a suspicion it was because
my Dad didn't come back to her after he returned from Vietnam. I
think she was hurt and didn't want to think about him so she called
me Rance. His name is Clarence too."
    Sam asks, "When did they get back
together?"
    Stump answers, "A couple of years ago now,
when Scoot went to Montana to rescue Skye, he met Bear. Bear helped
Skye when she first went to Montana. He set her up in his cabin and
taught her how to hunt and fish so she could survive on her own.
Skye told Scoot that Bear's real name is Clarence Kincaid. He has
quite a reputation and is somewhat of a hero around the Marine
Corp. so when Scoot told the rest of us that he met him I was
thrilled. I went to Montana to find him under the guise of picking
up Skye's car from the mall in Kalispell. At that time the guys
didn't even know my real name. Anyway, when he delivered the car to
the mall, I introduced myself and convinced him to seek help for
his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It was the PTSD that prevented
him from coming home to my Mom. I took him to Phoenix where my Mom
was