AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Storm Brenda wished that she had kissed Galen. What kind of force of nature was he? A powerful one, she knew that already. Galen was the reason she didn’t feel scared right now, only exhilarated. She had complete faith in him to get them out of this alive. If not for him, they might have gotten pummeled by flying splinters of wood inside that cabin.
They reached a section of the trail that bypassed a boulder the size of a buffalo. Obviously the trail blazers hadn’t wanted to attempt to move it, so they’d just gone around it.
Galen took her hand and tugged her into the thick bushes surrounding the boulder. “Wind screen,” he yelled.
She was dubious until they reached the back side of the enormous piece of granite and noticed the immediate drop in the intensity of the wind. It was still blowing all around them—she could hear it whistling overhead—but here, in the shelter of the rock, it was a lot less fierce.
He pulled her down to ground level, where it was even more quiet. The relief was immediate. She wrapped her arms around her bent knees and hugged herself into a tight ball. “That was freaking intense.”
“Yeah. It could be a microburst. It shouldn’t last too long, but we don’t need to waste our energy fighting it. We’ll lay low until it’s calmer, then keep going.”
She glanced up at the rock jutting protectively overhead. It was practically like a cave back here. “Can we just stay here for the night?”
“We could, but it’ll get cold, and there’s a chance we might get some rain.”
“We have tarps.”
“Which might blow away. It’s really too windy to put them up right now.”
She pointed up at the rock shelf overhead. “Won’t that keep the rain off?”
“Not all of it. Cold and wet is a bad combination. We’re much better off moving, it’ll keep our body temperatures up. It’s not too cold so far, but it can drop fast here in the mountains. You can get hypothermia even at forty degrees if you get wet.”
Squinting at the sky beyond the tall pines, she tried to assess the chance of rain, but the darkness was now closing in. “Is it going to rain?”
“It could. These wind storms can be very unpredictable.”
She sighed. “I guess we keep moving then.”
“In a minute. Rest now.” His deep voice filtered through the constant howl of the wind like a steady lifeline. “I’ll keep watch. If you can catch a little sleep, go for it.”
Sleep. As soon as he said the word, her eyelids began droop, as if he’d put a spell on her. She was so tired, not just from all the hiking but from the aftermath of the adrenaline hit of the microburst. She adjusted her back against the boulder, shifting to find a comfortable position, only to discover that was impossible. There was a reason why people didn’t sleep on granite beds, apparently.
Gently, Galen shifted her so that her back was nestled against his chest instead. Now that felt better. A warm, firm wall of solid bone and muscle was just what she needed. She practically moaned as his body heat penetrated through all their layers of clothing.
“Is this okay?” he murmured.
She nodded and rested her head in the nook between his collarbone and his pectoral muscle. In a moment she was so blissfully comfortable and warm that the keening wind sounded more like a lullaby. She remembered how when she was little, sometimes they’d get up early in the morning to drive to Granny’s. Her stepfather would pluck her out of bed, wrap a blanket around her like a burrito, and plop her onto the backseat, where she’d go back to sleep immediately.
Such a happy childhood memory. If only her parents had done more road-tripping and less social climbing. More mountain climbing and less party-throwing.
Her eyelids closed and she began to drift off.
And once again, she imagined kissing Galen. How would that beard feel? Soft or bristly? Silky or rough?
She turned her head so her forehead brushed against his beard. Soft. Delightfully so. Its texture was almost sensual. And a little ticklish.
Smiling to herself, she fell asleep.
She woke up to Galen whispering in her ear. “We need to go. The wind died down and we should get a move on.”
“Nooo.” She didn’t want to move anymore. She wanted to stay right where she was in this delicious nest of warmth and comfort known as Galen’s lap. Squirming, she nestled her face deeper into his wool jacket. He smelled so good, like wood smoke and pine sap and a faint memory of laundry soap.
“The temperature’s dropping and we need to keep moving.”
To make him stop talking about moving, she twisted so she could put her arms around him. He was so broad and solid and comforting. And when she buried her face in his neck, she picked up more of that delicious woodsy smell. She inhaled deeply, then sighed with contentment, and began to drift again.
“Sweetheart, wake up.” He peeled her arms from around him.
