that to a city girl who wanted to fool around with a guy she barely
knew and only just met? That’s when it hit him. Like a freight train. The one
thing he hadn’t thought of up until now. Jarrad smacked himself on the
forehead, something that had become a regular habit during the past 12 hours.
Geez, I haven’t
even told her I’m a Grizzly Shifter?
R eturning to the
warm glow of the fire with the pillows, Jarrad sat alongside Elle as she
slipped the hoodie back over her head.
“I need to tell
you something,” he began.
“I need to sleep.”
Elle turned away from him and began to fluff her pillow, ready to lie down.
“But I want to —”
“Really, Jarrad,
it doesn’t matter. I want to sleep. We need to be ready to make a plan and get
out of here in the morning. I’m not spending the rest of my life playing
Grizzly Adams in a mountain cabin with no hot water, electricity or shoes .”
“All I wanted —”
“Goodnight,
Jarrad.”
Chapter 23
Next morning, Jarrad, stoked the fire and
began to prepare oatmeal from a couple of field ration packs for breakfast.
Oatmeal in a vacuum sealed foil bag. That brought back a lot of memories, good
and bad, for Jarrad who had survived for weeks on end eating nothing but
Rat-Packs.
“What’s that?” Elle asked, wrinkling her
nose at the sight of the beige sludge in the small bag.
“Breakfast, military style” Jarrad answered
proudly. “Oatmeal” He handed her the foil bag and a small plastic spoon.
“Wow! You sure know how to show a girl a
good time.” She sniffed the open foil pack and her entire face screwed up in
disgust. “Seriously, this is what you eat up here?”
With a shrug of his shoulders, Jarrad
ploughed into his Rat-Pack like it might be his last meal. A big man burns a
lot of calories and Jarrad had sure burned a few last night trying to please
Miss Fancy-Pants. “This is what we eat,” he responded between mouthfuls, “when
someone nukes our house and we’re on the run in the high mountain region with
the private army of some warlord after us.”
“This looks gross. How can you eat that ?”
“You need to eat it. We’ve got a lot of
ground to cover this morning and it’s going to be cold. You’ll need the
energy.”
With another look in the bag, Elle gagged
and looked at Jarrad. “No honey to squirt on top?” she pleaded.
He just shook his head and nodded toward
the oatmeal, indicating that was all there was and she should eat it. Quietly ,
he thought to himself, but dare not say so out loud.
Taking another mouthful of the survivalist
breakfast, Jarrad gestured to the door of the small timber hut. “We’re
following the stream down the mountain until I can get a signal on my cell, then
I can call Spider for an evac.”
“Evac?” Elle questioned.
“Evacuation. We need to get lifted out of
here. We need somewhere safe to hold up, clothes, food and some tech.”
“What kind of tech?”
“The kind that’ll help us find what’s left
of your car and we need to get online, too.”
“You sound like you have a plan.” Elle looked
at him expectantly.
“The first thing I learned about commanding
men in the field was that even if you don’t know what the hell you’re going to
do, never let them know that. The leader has to lead and to do
that, he has to always look like he knows exactly what he’s doing and sound
confident.”
“You don’t have a plan for getting out of
this mess, do you?”
Jarrad shook his head solemnly. He couldn’t
look her in the eyes.
Digging into the foil bagged sludge with
the cheap plastic spoon, Elle’s eyes began to fill with tears, which she tried
to mask by taking a mouthful of the gooey paste.
“By the way,” she said with her mouthful,
“there’s no point looking for the car. I think it’s totaled.”
“We’re not after the car,” Jarrad responded
with a mischievous grin, “just that tiny SD card.”
“I was almost glad it was gone, to be
honest. It’s
knew and only just met? That’s when it hit him. Like a freight train. The one
thing he hadn’t thought of up until now. Jarrad smacked himself on the
forehead, something that had become a regular habit during the past 12 hours.
Geez, I haven’t
even told her I’m a Grizzly Shifter?
R eturning to the
warm glow of the fire with the pillows, Jarrad sat alongside Elle as she
slipped the hoodie back over her head.
“I need to tell
you something,” he began.
“I need to sleep.”
Elle turned away from him and began to fluff her pillow, ready to lie down.
“But I want to —”
“Really, Jarrad,
it doesn’t matter. I want to sleep. We need to be ready to make a plan and get
out of here in the morning. I’m not spending the rest of my life playing
Grizzly Adams in a mountain cabin with no hot water, electricity or shoes .”
“All I wanted —”
“Goodnight,
Jarrad.”
Chapter 23
Next morning, Jarrad, stoked the fire and
began to prepare oatmeal from a couple of field ration packs for breakfast.
Oatmeal in a vacuum sealed foil bag. That brought back a lot of memories, good
and bad, for Jarrad who had survived for weeks on end eating nothing but
Rat-Packs.
“What’s that?” Elle asked, wrinkling her
nose at the sight of the beige sludge in the small bag.
“Breakfast, military style” Jarrad answered
proudly. “Oatmeal” He handed her the foil bag and a small plastic spoon.
“Wow! You sure know how to show a girl a
good time.” She sniffed the open foil pack and her entire face screwed up in
disgust. “Seriously, this is what you eat up here?”
With a shrug of his shoulders, Jarrad
ploughed into his Rat-Pack like it might be his last meal. A big man burns a
lot of calories and Jarrad had sure burned a few last night trying to please
Miss Fancy-Pants. “This is what we eat,” he responded between mouthfuls, “when
someone nukes our house and we’re on the run in the high mountain region with
the private army of some warlord after us.”
“This looks gross. How can you eat that ?”
“You need to eat it. We’ve got a lot of
ground to cover this morning and it’s going to be cold. You’ll need the
energy.”
With another look in the bag, Elle gagged
and looked at Jarrad. “No honey to squirt on top?” she pleaded.
He just shook his head and nodded toward
the oatmeal, indicating that was all there was and she should eat it. Quietly ,
he thought to himself, but dare not say so out loud.
Taking another mouthful of the survivalist
breakfast, Jarrad gestured to the door of the small timber hut. “We’re
following the stream down the mountain until I can get a signal on my cell, then
I can call Spider for an evac.”
“Evac?” Elle questioned.
“Evacuation. We need to get lifted out of
here. We need somewhere safe to hold up, clothes, food and some tech.”
“What kind of tech?”
“The kind that’ll help us find what’s left
of your car and we need to get online, too.”
“You sound like you have a plan.” Elle looked
at him expectantly.
“The first thing I learned about commanding
men in the field was that even if you don’t know what the hell you’re going to
do, never let them know that. The leader has to lead and to do
that, he has to always look like he knows exactly what he’s doing and sound
confident.”
“You don’t have a plan for getting out of
this mess, do you?”
Jarrad shook his head solemnly. He couldn’t
look her in the eyes.
Digging into the foil bagged sludge with
the cheap plastic spoon, Elle’s eyes began to fill with tears, which she tried
to mask by taking a mouthful of the gooey paste.
“By the way,” she said with her mouthful,
“there’s no point looking for the car. I think it’s totaled.”
“We’re not after the car,” Jarrad responded
with a mischievous grin, “just that tiny SD card.”
“I was almost glad it was gone, to be
honest. It’s
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