possible fragility seemed like a problem, except that he didn’t want to hurt her in some way with a misstep.
Sky didn’t answer as they rounded a bend and gravel crunched beneath the tires. When she spoke at last, it was revealing. “I have to do it, Craig. I’m not sure that’s what set me off yesterday. If it was, it was one heck of a delayed reaction. But I need to know I can face things.”
She needed to know it wasn’t going to happen again anytime soon. He could understand that easily. He’d watched Mark, his brother, fight the same battle and never win, not ultimately. He wanted Sky to regain the security that had been shattered yesterday.
So okay, he thought, he’d have to keep a close eye on her without hovering. From a distance so she didn’t feel as if he didn’t trust her. Damn, how was he supposed to do that? Well, he had plenty of reason to be poking around in the vicinity of Buddy’s place, looking for any blocked streams. He’d already given Buddy a heads-up on that, so theoretically there shouldn’t be a problem. It would be a way to assure Sky that he was working, not hovering.
So that’s the way it would be. Relieved that he’d settled that, he drove right past the headquarters building and on toward town. “You’re staying at the motel?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Great place.” His tone was a tad sarcastic, unusual for him. Probably a sign that he was getting wound up about things.
“It’s not so bad. I’ve been in worse.” Then she laughed quietly. “But your cabin was nicer.”
He managed a chuckle in response, but the difficulty of producing it was another warning. Okay, so his isolation was about to be disturbed in a couple of ways. His days of communing with the woods were going to be disrupted, thank you very much, Buddy.
He stifled a sigh for fear Sky might misinterpret it.
“Okay,” he said. “I said I’d give you a radio. Keep it with you all the time, especially when you’re in the forest. I want you to promise me that if anything feels even the least bit wrong you’ll radio me.”
“I can do that.” She paused. “You are at REDCON Three.”
“I’m rapidly getting there.”
“Because of me?”
Yeah, because of her. She threw another factor into the Buddy equation, and he was already unhappy with that. “It’s Buddy,” he said, which was at least partially true. “He’s acting out of character. I’m not going to be entirely easy until I know what’s happening over there.”
“I can help with that.”
He almost jammed on the brakes. “Sky, stay out of it. Nobody knows the dimensions of the problem, or if there’s a real threat. Nobody. It’s not your responsibility. Don’t get in the middle.”
“I’m not going to turn tail. I’m not going to do anything except paint and pay attention. But you’re sadly mistaken if you think I’d leave a comrade to face this alone.”
When had he become a comrade? Well, of course, when he’d told her he had been a marine. That was going to complicate matters, because he knew that code too well. There’d be no talking her out of this if that was the tack she was taking.
Nor could he see any way to argue with her about it. There were some things the military just stamped on your soul, and that was one of them.
Another complication.
“I won’t do anything stupid,” she assured him. “I have no desire to. But I’ll just be alert and keep my eyes out, okay? I can do that while I paint without being obvious.”
He supposed he was going to have to be content with that. But then he got to thinking about what might have set her off yesterday. If she could figure it out, that could be important. He absolutely hated the possibility that it might happen to her all alone in the woods.
“What were you thinking about yesterday morning?” he asked.
“What? Oh, you mean when...it happened?”
“Yeah. Maybe there was a trigger of some kind.”
She fell silent long enough for him to wonder if
Sky didn’t answer as they rounded a bend and gravel crunched beneath the tires. When she spoke at last, it was revealing. “I have to do it, Craig. I’m not sure that’s what set me off yesterday. If it was, it was one heck of a delayed reaction. But I need to know I can face things.”
She needed to know it wasn’t going to happen again anytime soon. He could understand that easily. He’d watched Mark, his brother, fight the same battle and never win, not ultimately. He wanted Sky to regain the security that had been shattered yesterday.
So okay, he thought, he’d have to keep a close eye on her without hovering. From a distance so she didn’t feel as if he didn’t trust her. Damn, how was he supposed to do that? Well, he had plenty of reason to be poking around in the vicinity of Buddy’s place, looking for any blocked streams. He’d already given Buddy a heads-up on that, so theoretically there shouldn’t be a problem. It would be a way to assure Sky that he was working, not hovering.
So that’s the way it would be. Relieved that he’d settled that, he drove right past the headquarters building and on toward town. “You’re staying at the motel?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Great place.” His tone was a tad sarcastic, unusual for him. Probably a sign that he was getting wound up about things.
“It’s not so bad. I’ve been in worse.” Then she laughed quietly. “But your cabin was nicer.”
He managed a chuckle in response, but the difficulty of producing it was another warning. Okay, so his isolation was about to be disturbed in a couple of ways. His days of communing with the woods were going to be disrupted, thank you very much, Buddy.
He stifled a sigh for fear Sky might misinterpret it.
“Okay,” he said. “I said I’d give you a radio. Keep it with you all the time, especially when you’re in the forest. I want you to promise me that if anything feels even the least bit wrong you’ll radio me.”
“I can do that.” She paused. “You are at REDCON Three.”
“I’m rapidly getting there.”
“Because of me?”
Yeah, because of her. She threw another factor into the Buddy equation, and he was already unhappy with that. “It’s Buddy,” he said, which was at least partially true. “He’s acting out of character. I’m not going to be entirely easy until I know what’s happening over there.”
“I can help with that.”
He almost jammed on the brakes. “Sky, stay out of it. Nobody knows the dimensions of the problem, or if there’s a real threat. Nobody. It’s not your responsibility. Don’t get in the middle.”
“I’m not going to turn tail. I’m not going to do anything except paint and pay attention. But you’re sadly mistaken if you think I’d leave a comrade to face this alone.”
When had he become a comrade? Well, of course, when he’d told her he had been a marine. That was going to complicate matters, because he knew that code too well. There’d be no talking her out of this if that was the tack she was taking.
Nor could he see any way to argue with her about it. There were some things the military just stamped on your soul, and that was one of them.
Another complication.
“I won’t do anything stupid,” she assured him. “I have no desire to. But I’ll just be alert and keep my eyes out, okay? I can do that while I paint without being obvious.”
He supposed he was going to have to be content with that. But then he got to thinking about what might have set her off yesterday. If she could figure it out, that could be important. He absolutely hated the possibility that it might happen to her all alone in the woods.
“What were you thinking about yesterday morning?” he asked.
“What? Oh, you mean when...it happened?”
“Yeah. Maybe there was a trigger of some kind.”
She fell silent long enough for him to wonder if
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