“There’s a position opening up with the US
Fish and Wildlife Service that could have been written expressly for me. I’m
thinking of applying for the job. ‘Course I’ll have to extend my work visa but
it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Madeline’s heart sped up
a notch. “Sounds like you might be staying around for a while.” Oh God, I
sound so breathless, like a starry-eyed teenager .
“That’s one of my plans.
What pans out over the next couple of days will help me to decide.” A little
smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Madeline stiffened and
switched her gaze to the windshield, appalled at how much she wanted to press a
kiss to those sexy lips of his. “Will that mean working at the McFadden Park?”
“Partly. The job also
entails a fair bit of conservation work in Trinity River National Wildlife
Park. I guess budget constraints have come into play, probably cramming two
separate positions into one. I don’t mind. I like to be busy and Trinity River
has some fascinating birdlife.”
The need to cross-examine
him about his involvement in the bet, and what he knew about Roberta and her
lies bubbled in her chest like a volcano about to erupt. With her brother
sitting beside her and listening to every word, she knew now wasn’t the time.
As if sensing her desire
to keep the conversational ball rolling on innocuous topics, Harrison said,
“The cabin’s about fifteen minutes’ drive out of the Refuge and it’s a bit
isolated. Got Wi-Fi though.”
“That’s a relief. I have
an exam next week and my English teacher, Old Schumacher, posted some articles
on the school forum for us to read beforehand.” Matty shifted on the seat.
“You’ll be back before
then, I promise.” Why did everything they say somehow lead back to their
precarious situation?
Her brother offered her a
stick of gum. “How did you two meet?”
About to pop the gum in
her mouth, she coughed, her face flaming as hot as an iron. Shit.
But Harrison said easily,
“We met at the Club last night and hit it off right away.”
That was one way of
describing the incredible sex they’d shared. Her belly roiled with a return of
her nausea. Madeline balled the gum up in the paper and shoved it into the
ashtray.
Harrison asked her
brother about his baseball team and within seconds the two of them were
recalling every game they either watched on screen or seen in person. Left
alone with her thoughts, Madeline was barely aware of the passing time, until
Harrison announced they were almost there.
She came out of her deep
reverie to find the rolling hills surrounding Karim had faded into the distance
and they had turned off the highway onto a smoothly graded gravel road that
wound through a pine forest. The ground here was fairly flat. Thick shadows
were cast by the trees and overhead dark, grey clouds covered the sky. Harrison
flicked on the headlights. Droplets of rain began to fall, splattering on the
glass and Harrison switched on the windshield wipers.
He slowed down and turned
onto a track that twisted like a manic snake through the trees. The headlights
glinted off brackish pools of water indicating they had entered the marshlands.
Gradually the forest fell away and the track petered out into a wide clearing
where a log cabin squatted. A long, narrow lean-too close by provided shelter
for the car and a stack of firewood.
“We’re here.” Harrison
killed the engine and slung an arm along the back of the seat, turning around
to smile at them.
More aware of his
proximity than she cared to admit, Madeline edged forward so she wouldn’t make
contact with him.
“Looks great,” she lied.
Her heart sank as she studied what she considered had to be one of the most
primitive buildings she’d ever seen.
Trees hemmed the area in
to the west, and to the south and east the land dipped down to boggy marsh land
grassed with thigh-high, thin reeds that swayed and rustled with the wind. The
shadows were deep, where anything could
Fish and Wildlife Service that could have been written expressly for me. I’m
thinking of applying for the job. ‘Course I’ll have to extend my work visa but
it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Madeline’s heart sped up
a notch. “Sounds like you might be staying around for a while.” Oh God, I
sound so breathless, like a starry-eyed teenager .
“That’s one of my plans.
What pans out over the next couple of days will help me to decide.” A little
smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Madeline stiffened and
switched her gaze to the windshield, appalled at how much she wanted to press a
kiss to those sexy lips of his. “Will that mean working at the McFadden Park?”
“Partly. The job also
entails a fair bit of conservation work in Trinity River National Wildlife
Park. I guess budget constraints have come into play, probably cramming two
separate positions into one. I don’t mind. I like to be busy and Trinity River
has some fascinating birdlife.”
The need to cross-examine
him about his involvement in the bet, and what he knew about Roberta and her
lies bubbled in her chest like a volcano about to erupt. With her brother
sitting beside her and listening to every word, she knew now wasn’t the time.
As if sensing her desire
to keep the conversational ball rolling on innocuous topics, Harrison said,
“The cabin’s about fifteen minutes’ drive out of the Refuge and it’s a bit
isolated. Got Wi-Fi though.”
“That’s a relief. I have
an exam next week and my English teacher, Old Schumacher, posted some articles
on the school forum for us to read beforehand.” Matty shifted on the seat.
“You’ll be back before
then, I promise.” Why did everything they say somehow lead back to their
precarious situation?
Her brother offered her a
stick of gum. “How did you two meet?”
About to pop the gum in
her mouth, she coughed, her face flaming as hot as an iron. Shit.
But Harrison said easily,
“We met at the Club last night and hit it off right away.”
That was one way of
describing the incredible sex they’d shared. Her belly roiled with a return of
her nausea. Madeline balled the gum up in the paper and shoved it into the
ashtray.
Harrison asked her
brother about his baseball team and within seconds the two of them were
recalling every game they either watched on screen or seen in person. Left
alone with her thoughts, Madeline was barely aware of the passing time, until
Harrison announced they were almost there.
She came out of her deep
reverie to find the rolling hills surrounding Karim had faded into the distance
and they had turned off the highway onto a smoothly graded gravel road that
wound through a pine forest. The ground here was fairly flat. Thick shadows
were cast by the trees and overhead dark, grey clouds covered the sky. Harrison
flicked on the headlights. Droplets of rain began to fall, splattering on the
glass and Harrison switched on the windshield wipers.
He slowed down and turned
onto a track that twisted like a manic snake through the trees. The headlights
glinted off brackish pools of water indicating they had entered the marshlands.
Gradually the forest fell away and the track petered out into a wide clearing
where a log cabin squatted. A long, narrow lean-too close by provided shelter
for the car and a stack of firewood.
“We’re here.” Harrison
killed the engine and slung an arm along the back of the seat, turning around
to smile at them.
More aware of his
proximity than she cared to admit, Madeline edged forward so she wouldn’t make
contact with him.
“Looks great,” she lied.
Her heart sank as she studied what she considered had to be one of the most
primitive buildings she’d ever seen.
Trees hemmed the area in
to the west, and to the south and east the land dipped down to boggy marsh land
grassed with thigh-high, thin reeds that swayed and rustled with the wind. The
shadows were deep, where anything could
Similar Books
