J. Robb - Bump in The Night

„Whose place is this?“

Grace shrugged. „I never asked. I figure the World contacted the owner and rented it for the week. I just wish they’d sent someone out to check on it before sending me here. It’s a bit… primitive.“

He shot her a grin. „As long as it’s shelter, I’m not about to complain. Besides, it looks solid enough.“

„It does.“ She looked around, before nodding toward the vine-covered outbuilding. „The gas-powered generator is in there.“

Josh followed her to the little shed. While she stowed the cart, he studied the rusted parts to the ancient equipment with a frown. „No wonder you weren’t able to get it started. I wonder how long it’s been since anyone used this.“

„I can’t even guess.“ She paused beside him. „Think you can make it work?“

„I’m going to do my best.“ He looked around. „I’ll need time to take it apart and see if I can remove some of this corrosion.“

Grace nodded. „I’d like to help.“ She lay a hand on his arm. „After all that rest, I’d welcome some hard, physical work.“

He studied her hand on his arm before looking up into her face and her heart-stopping smile. „Thanks. I’ll take all the help I can get. And if you’re looking for physical, I’m your man.“

Grace’s heart took an odd little dip. To steady herself she bent to the pile of supplies she’d unloaded from the cart.

Josh held out his hands. „I’ll get back to the generator later. First, I’ll help you carry some of this to the cabin.“

„All right.“ She filled his arms with the folded sleeping bag and blanket and held the door before leading the way to the cabin.

When Josh stepped inside the cottage, he was pleased to discover that it was as snug and comfortable inside as it had appeared from the outside. A staircase led to a loft tucked beneath the high-pitched ceiling of rough-hewn beams. The main cabin was one large room dominated by a floor-to-ceiling fireplace made of stone, with a wide mantel made of the same wood as the beams overhead. Flanking the fireplace were two weathered wooden rockers that appeared to be as old as the cabin. Facing the fireplace was a comfortable sofa draped with a faded hand-made afghan. In front of the sofa was a weathered coffee table fashioned from scarred wood. A second table and chairs formed a kitchen area, beneath several pine cupboards.

„I’ll take those.“ Grace took the blankets from his hands and deposited them in a cedar storage box.

Josh turned toward the hearth. „Want me to get a fire started?“

„That’d be nice.“ She pointed. „I see some logs and kindling in that basket.“

Crossing the room Josh tossed several logs on the grate before holding a match to the kindling. „How about some coffee?“

„I brought some with me, along with bottled water.“ Grace turned toward the cupboards. „I’ll rummage around and see if there’s anything I can use for making coffee.“

Josh pointed to a blackened pot on a warming shelf over the fire. „You mean you didn’t notice this little treasure?“

She gave a laugh. „What an antique. I’ve only seen one of these in pictures.“

Josh found an empty bucket and headed toward the door. „I’ll get some water from the lake, and while I’m there I’ll wash this.“

By the time he returned, Grace had retrieved a can of coffee from her supplies.

Soon the little cabin was perfumed with the rich fragrance of wood smoke and coffee.

Filling two mugs, Josh handed one to Grace before taking a long drink. „Now that we’ve taken care of what to drink, I hope you have some food hidden somewhere. I’m famished.“

Grace shrugged. „I’m afraid food isn’t much of a priority for me.“ She flushed when she caught Josh studying her more closely. „But I did bring some milk and eggs and bread and some peanut butter.“

„Sorry. Man wasn’t meant to live on bread and peanut butter alone.“ He paused a moment in thought. „I noticed some fishing poles in that shed out back. Come on.“ He started toward the door, with Grace following. „Let’s just see what other treasures we’ll find.“

Half an hour later the two were seated at the end of the dock, fishing poles in hand, lines in the water, contentedly sipping their coffee.

Josh leaned his back against one of the wooden posts that had been sunk deep into the river bottom to support the dock. He watched with amusement as Grace kept yanking her line out of the water. „What’re you doing?“

„Seeing if I’ve caught a fish yet.“

„Don’t worry. You’ll know when you’ve hooked one. You’ll feel a quick tug…“

Just then Grace let out a squeal of excitement and jumped to her feet, lifting her pole high in the air. Wriggling on the end of the line was a fish as long as her arm.

„Look! Look! I’ve caught one. Oh, my gosh, it’s a whale.“

Josh was laughing as he took hold of her arm and guided the fish into a net. „Not quite a whale, but a good-sized trout. He’ll make a great dinner tonight.“

„This is going to be so much better than P, B, and J sandwiches.“

„You’ve got mat right.“ He worked out the hook and dropped the trout into a bucket of water.

Minutes later he felt a tug on his own pole and lifted it in the air to reveal another catch. „The way these fish are biting, it looks like we won’t have to worry about starving any time soon.“

Within the hour they’d carried the bucket with their catch to the picnic table, where Josh showed Grace the proper way to bone and fillet the fish for cooking.

She watched with interest. „Is this what you do for a living?“

He chuckled. „I do this just for the pure pleasure of it.“ He arranged the fillets in a blackened skillet before heading toward the cabin. „Come on. Let’s stoke the fire and see if we can’t get this feast started. By the time you’re finished, you’re going to think you were dining in one of New York City ’s finest gourmet restaurants.“

„Promise?“

He was still laughing as he held the door and followed her inside. „You aren’t going to believe your taste buds.“

Grace set out plates and flatware on the rustic wooden coffee table positioned in front of the sofa.

She studied Josh, cooking the fish in a blackened skillet over the flames of the fireplace. He’d rolled the sleeves of his denim shirt to his elbows. Despite the plane crash, he was the picture of robust health, his body trim, his back and arms corded with muscles. Every once in a while he paused to sip his coffee before flipping the fish. He looked at ease, natural, as though he did this every day of his life.

„What do you do? That is, when you’re not crashing a plane into the wilderness?“

He shot her a grin. „Extreme sports.“

„Extreme?“

„Instead of just taking a hot air balloon up, I take it around the world and beat the old world record in the process. If I decide to surf, I choose to do it where I’ll be the most physically and emotionally challenged.“

Her hands paused in midair. „Why?“

He grinned. „It beats working for a living. And it gets the adrenaline pumping.“

Grace gave a quick shake of her head. „I once told my father the same thing when he asked me why I had to go gallivanting around the world taking pictures. He couldn’t understand why I wasn’t content to just work at a local newspaper.“

„Hmmm.“ He shot her a grin. „Does that mean we’re kindred souls?“

„I don’t know about that. I doubt I’d volunteer to circle the world in a hot air balloon.“

„I only did it once.“

That had her laughing. „How do you hope to top that?“

His smile grew and he made a formal bow. „For my next trick, ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to explore the wilderness.“