than any
forbidden apple in the garden of Eden. Her response
kindled fire in his veins and what he’d meant as a soft, almost friendly
gesture shifted into high gear.
His
mouth sought hers with hunger and she responded with a needy greed. Joshua
kissed Tina long and deep, never letting up until his world rocked and his head
spun dizzy. He released her and she stood still for a moment, a dazed
expression on her face. Then she smiled, the glory of it reaching from her mouth
to her eyes. She touched his cheek in a fleeting caress, then she departed, leaving him unable to do anything but stand still and watch her
go.
Chapter Seven
Her
mouth burned and every nerve ending throughout her body tingled with delicious
sensations. The unexpected kiss rattled Tina but she liked it. It upped the
stakes and made what began as a kind act into something much more. When she
picked Joshua from the Poteau River, she hadn’t expected to do more than save a
life, maybe offer some much needed aid. Even after she brought him home, she
never thought this would happen. Tina didn’t deny he’d attracted her or that
they shared some sense of connection, but this wild, burning fire hadn’t been
in the plan.
Focus,
woman, focus. She started up the old truck and bumped it down the long lane to the road. If
she let her thoughts fly free, she’d never accomplish her drive along the river
or the trip into town. I can’t start
daydreaming like a lovesick teenager. But she wanted to and she knew it.
Tina
didn’t yield to temptation. She steered her mind back to her errands with the
same skill she used to drive the old truck. On a normal outing, she’d drive the
half mile to the blacktop, then over to 59 Highway, then into Poteau, but
today’s routine wasn’t ordinary. She ambled along the back roads to each public
river access and drove along the water anywhere it was possible. A few
fishermen were out casting lines along the way. At the first access, an old man
frolicked with his dog. Further along, a couple picnicked on the tailgate of
their pickup. So far, so good, she
thought and headed into town.
She
made the health food store her first stop and picked up three ounces of comfrey
powder. The clerk scooped it from a huge glass jar and bagged it. To avoid
undue attention, Tina picked up some vitamins and an ounce of dried balsam.
Tina fueled the truck at a convenience store, then headed to the supermarket. She bought everything on her list and added several
other items, things she thought Joshua might enjoy. On a whim, she visited the
used clothes shop and picked up several faded pairs of blue jeans in his size. She
added a few colored T-shirts too. He’ll
feel better in ordinary clothes, I bet.
On
the way home, she decided to check the river again. A nagging sense she had
dogged her throughout town so Tina yielded to it. Temperatures were lower than
two days earlier when Joshua made his leap and she rescued him but the sun
shone over the landscape. The first spots yielded nothing more than before but
at the last access point, she noted a couple of pickup trucks far more battered
than hers. Three men stalked up and down the bank, poking into the tall weeds
with long sticks. One of them peered into the wooded area opposite and turned
to comb through the trees nearest the parking area. Although they made no
effort to conceal their movements, she thought they had a furtive area and a
distinct unsavory aura.
Ignoring
Joshua’s warnings, she parked the truck on the farthest side of the gravel lot
from the men. She hatched a plan and to implement it, she dug behind the seat
and pulled out Gramps’ old quilted flannel jacket. Tina put it on and buttoned
it to collar. Then she put an old ball cap on her head. It covered most of her
hair and she peered at her reflection in the rear view mirror. Not perfect, she thought, but it would do. Then she gathered up
the ancient metal tackle box she’d never bothered to remove from the truck
Debbie Viguié
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