Kate Hoffmann - The Drifter

Eve shook her head in disbelief. “You’re a really good packer,” she said. “I have to give you that.”

He slammed the cargo door on the SUV and shoved his keys in the pocket of his hiking shorts. “All right. Let’s go. We’re heading that way,” Charlie said, pointing to the north.

It was an absolutely perfect spring day. The sun was warm and the breeze cool. They hiked at a moderate pace, chatting as they walked. For the first time since they’d met, they had a chance to really get to know each other. Without the option of jumping into bed, they could enjoy each other’s company. She told him about the moment she decided to become a chef, about cooking school and about buying the Garden Gate.

They laughed and teased, falling into an easy camaraderie that Charlie had rarely found on any of his adventures. When they reached the head of the hiking trail, he asked if Eve wanted to rest, but she was willing to go on.

They reached the campsite about a half hour later, a beautiful spot set at the edge of a high meadow with the Rockies providing a perfect backdrop. Not far from the site was a river, fed from the snowmelt.

Charlie shrugged out of his pack and set it against a tree, then helped Eve out of hers. “You did well,” he said.

“I’m exhausted and my feet hurt,” Eve replied.

“Take off your boots and lay your socks out to dry.”

She sat down on a nearby log and did as she was told. But as she pulled her socks off, she winced in pain. Charlie walked over and examined her foot, startled by the angry red blisters on her big toe and the back of her heel. He helped her out of her other boot and he found another blister on her little toe.

“Why didn’t you tell me your feet hurt?” he asked.

“I really didn’t notice until now. They’re just blisters.”

“They’re going to be even more painful on the walk out,” he said.

She laughed. “I’m a lot tougher than you think I am.”

Charlie gave her a wary look. “You sit. I’m going to set up the tent. Then I’ll go get some water. You can soak your feet and they’ll feel much better.”

As he pulled the poles for the tent out of the pack, Charlie glanced over at Eve. He’d always had just one person to worry about on his adventures-himself. But now that Eve was with him, he needed to be more careful.

Hell, there were a million and one things that could hurt you in the woods-bears, mountain lions, rattle snakes. A simple fall could kill you. He felt uneasy about the responsibility. Yet there was no one else he’d rather have looking after Eve than himself.

When he finished setting up the tent, he stepped back and pointed to it with a flourish. “Home, sweet home,” he said.

Eve laughed. “That barely looks big enough for one person, let alone two.”

“We don’t need much room,” he said. “It’s not that much smaller than my bed and we get along fine there.” He held out his hand. “Come on. Let me give you a tour.”

She stood up and gingerly walked across the hard-packed ground. They both crawled inside and Charlie leaned back, bracing his elbows behind him. “This is the bedroom,” he said. “And the living room. The kitchen is out there. As is the bathroom. The bathtub is down by the river.”

“It’s a lovely home,” Eve said, turning to him and placing a soft kiss on his lips. “And you built it just for me.”

“Some day I’ll build you a bigger and better one, I promise.”

Eve looked around. “I kind of like this one,” she said. She pushed him back then crawled on top of him, tossing her jacket aside. “Maybe we ought to break it in?”

Charlie growled playfully as he pulled her into a long deep kiss. “We are in the bedroom, after all.”

EVE SAT NEXT TO THE FIRE, wrapped in Charlie’s sleeping bag, her chin resting on her knees. Sparks drifted upward on the night breeze, disappearing over heard into the starry sky. “I love this,” Eve murmured.

Charlie glanced up from tending the fire. “What?”

“I love that you brought me here. I didn’t think I’d like it, but I do. It’s so peaceful. I haven’t thought about the restaurant since we left Boulder. How is that possible? I think about the restaurant all the time.”

“What were you thinking about?” he asked.

“You.” Eve didn’t think it was wrong to admit the truth. “How strange it is that you came back into my life. How it seems like only yesterday that you left. And how funny it is that we picked up right where we left off.”

“Things are different,” he said. “We’re both a little older and a little wiser.”

“I guess so,” Eve replied. Was that a good thing? Somehow, Eve didn’t think that her divorce had improved her attitude about love and commitment.

“Do you want to talk about what happened last night? Why you got so angry with me?” Charlie asked.

“I just don’t think we should talk about the future,” Eve said. “I want to enjoy the present, this moment, right now. And I want you to know that when you leave again, I’ll be all right.”

“You’d be all right if I left next week?”

Eve nodded. She would. But there was one caveat. “As long you as you promised that you’d come back.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Whenever.”

Charlie shook his head. “You’d be fine with that. If I just wandered off for a year and then came back.”

Eve nodded. “I would. It’s who you are, Charlie. And I think I need to accept that. You’ll drift in and out of my life and we’ll be together when we can. It wouldn’t be so bad.”

He gave her an odd look, as if he didn’t find the idea all that appealing. What wasn’t to like? He could have his cake and eat it, too. She was giving him permission to be exactly who he was. And in turn, she’d have the freedom to do what she wanted.

He walked over to his pack, which he’d braced against a tree, then withdrew a plastic bag and tossed it her way. “Dessert,” he said, indicating the bag of marshmallows. “But don’t drop any around the campsite. Bears love them.”

“I haven’t had roasted marshmallows since I was a kid. God, I’d kill for some chocolate bars and graham crackers.”

“I have those, too,” Charlie said, walking back to where she sat with another plastic bag. He reached behind her and grabbed a green branch he’d stripped earlier. “There are some nice embers in the fire.”

“Tell me about your next adventure,” Eve said as she stuck a pair of marshmallows on the stick.

“It’s going to be something completely different,” Charlie said. “Something I’ve never tried before.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not sure yet. But you’ll be the first to know.”

Well, at least she’d get fair warning and be able to prepare herself, she thought. “We really shouldn’t eat dessert before we have dinner,” Eve said, quickly changing the subject.

“You ate an entire bag of granola,” he said. “And you’re still hungry?”

Eve laughed. “All this fresh air does make me think about eating.” She watched as Charlie pulled the marshmallows out of the fire. They were perfectly brown and gooey. She held out a graham cracker topped with a piece of chocolate, then put the hot marshmallows on top. Sandwiched between another graham cracker, it made the perfect treat.

“Here,” she said, holding it out to him. “Try it.”

“You first,” Charlie said.

Eve took a bite and the marshmallow dripped down her chin. Charlie leaned close and licked the sticky mess away, then let his mouth drift over her lips. He kissed her softly. “Take your clothes off,” he murmured. “I want to make love to you under the stars.”

“It’s cold,” she whispered.