hungry?”
She barely heard him; she just wanted to drift into the quick nap that her body was begging her to take.
“Libby?”
She roused herself, barely opening her eyes. He crouched down at her side, holding out a small plastic bag of trail mix.
“Is that lunch?”
“Yup. Come on, don’t get too comfortable,” he prodded. Reaching out, he gripped her upper arm, pulling her into a sitting position. Her hair spilled in pale golden tresses across her shoulders as she sat up. Dan smiled and remained close.
“Your ex-husband ever comment on how beautiful your hair is?’’ he asked.
Libby was engrossed in the contents of the plastic bag. “What?” she asked, lifting her chin and meeting his azure eyes.
Dan slid his hand down her crown, caressing her hair in a wistful gesture. “A man could go crazy just running his fingers through your hair,” he murmured huskily.
Her heart hammered. Finding her voice, she managed to say, “You mean I don’t look like a doctor of biology anymore?”
Dan lay down, propping his elbow against his head, eating the trail mix thoughtfully. “No. You deliberately put all that lovely hair into a bun to look more authoritative?”
Libby scooped up a handful of the nuts, raisins and granola, eating them with relish. She gave him a careless smile. “Let’s put it this way: Cascade Amalgamated hired me because they needed more women in managerial positions to fulfill the regulations set forth by the government so that they could bid on land leases. I’m afraid that if I walked in with my hair down, I wouldn’t look very professional. Personnel would probably have thought I was applying for a secretarial job instead.” She smiled fully, her teeth even and white. “I give them what they think they need.”
Dan studied her, but it wasn’t that piercing look he usually gave her. “And at home do you let down your hair?”
She laughed, peeling back the paper on an energy candy bar that was coated with carob. “I’ll have to be careful how I answer that one!”
He returned the smile, a new look of interest in his blue eyes. “So what do you do on weekends? Surely not lab work.”
“I love to go to the ocean and just walk along the beach.” She gave a shy shrug of her shoulders. “I love the peace I find there.” And then she looked around the quiet meadow nestled within the arms of the tall, silent trees. “And I love it here, too,” she confided, her voice tinged with newfound respect and awe for the mountains.
“What’s this? A city girl falling in love with the country? Are you sure it isn’t the rarefied air getting to you, Libby?”
Her brown eyes danced with unspoken happiness as she looked down at him. “Positive. I—” She sighed. “I love the silence. There’s such incredible peace here. In a way it’s a shame that, in less than a year, timber trucks will be roaring through here with their noisy diesel engines and most of these woods will be chopped down.”
“Remember, though,” he said softly, “it will all be reseeded and reclaimed. We’re harvesting, Libby, not destroying.”
She gave a funny little laugh, blushing. “This sounds silly, but I feel like these woods are a cathedral that God has made for us. It seems like desecration in a way.”
Dan gave her a long, measuring look. “Are you familiar with the history of the Celts?” he asked slowly, sifting a handful of dry pine needles through his fingers.
“No... I think I’ve heard something about them....” She shrugged, giving him a shy look. “I was lousy in history, if you want the truth, Dan. Why do you ask?”
“Something you said reminded me of what one Roman historian wrote about the Celts. When the Romans invaded Britain, they found the tribes strongly united by a religious clan known as the druids. They held their religious ceremonies in what they considered sacred groves of trees. The historian went on to say that the druids and druidesses actually communicated with
She barely heard him; she just wanted to drift into the quick nap that her body was begging her to take.
“Libby?”
She roused herself, barely opening her eyes. He crouched down at her side, holding out a small plastic bag of trail mix.
“Is that lunch?”
“Yup. Come on, don’t get too comfortable,” he prodded. Reaching out, he gripped her upper arm, pulling her into a sitting position. Her hair spilled in pale golden tresses across her shoulders as she sat up. Dan smiled and remained close.
“Your ex-husband ever comment on how beautiful your hair is?’’ he asked.
Libby was engrossed in the contents of the plastic bag. “What?” she asked, lifting her chin and meeting his azure eyes.
Dan slid his hand down her crown, caressing her hair in a wistful gesture. “A man could go crazy just running his fingers through your hair,” he murmured huskily.
Her heart hammered. Finding her voice, she managed to say, “You mean I don’t look like a doctor of biology anymore?”
Dan lay down, propping his elbow against his head, eating the trail mix thoughtfully. “No. You deliberately put all that lovely hair into a bun to look more authoritative?”
Libby scooped up a handful of the nuts, raisins and granola, eating them with relish. She gave him a careless smile. “Let’s put it this way: Cascade Amalgamated hired me because they needed more women in managerial positions to fulfill the regulations set forth by the government so that they could bid on land leases. I’m afraid that if I walked in with my hair down, I wouldn’t look very professional. Personnel would probably have thought I was applying for a secretarial job instead.” She smiled fully, her teeth even and white. “I give them what they think they need.”
Dan studied her, but it wasn’t that piercing look he usually gave her. “And at home do you let down your hair?”
She laughed, peeling back the paper on an energy candy bar that was coated with carob. “I’ll have to be careful how I answer that one!”
He returned the smile, a new look of interest in his blue eyes. “So what do you do on weekends? Surely not lab work.”
“I love to go to the ocean and just walk along the beach.” She gave a shy shrug of her shoulders. “I love the peace I find there.” And then she looked around the quiet meadow nestled within the arms of the tall, silent trees. “And I love it here, too,” she confided, her voice tinged with newfound respect and awe for the mountains.
“What’s this? A city girl falling in love with the country? Are you sure it isn’t the rarefied air getting to you, Libby?”
Her brown eyes danced with unspoken happiness as she looked down at him. “Positive. I—” She sighed. “I love the silence. There’s such incredible peace here. In a way it’s a shame that, in less than a year, timber trucks will be roaring through here with their noisy diesel engines and most of these woods will be chopped down.”
“Remember, though,” he said softly, “it will all be reseeded and reclaimed. We’re harvesting, Libby, not destroying.”
She gave a funny little laugh, blushing. “This sounds silly, but I feel like these woods are a cathedral that God has made for us. It seems like desecration in a way.”
Dan gave her a long, measuring look. “Are you familiar with the history of the Celts?” he asked slowly, sifting a handful of dry pine needles through his fingers.
“No... I think I’ve heard something about them....” She shrugged, giving him a shy look. “I was lousy in history, if you want the truth, Dan. Why do you ask?”
“Something you said reminded me of what one Roman historian wrote about the Celts. When the Romans invaded Britain, they found the tribes strongly united by a religious clan known as the druids. They held their religious ceremonies in what they considered sacred groves of trees. The historian went on to say that the druids and druidesses actually communicated with
Similar Books
