Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Rebel

“Well, I appreciate good cooking.” Hope tossed a small stick into the fire, making sparks fly. “Funny how I got one of the so-called domestic skills—sewing—and totally missed the others.”

“Hush,” Matt chided. “You can cook just fine. And so can I. We’re not going to starve.”

Joel was having trouble concentrating while Vicki drew designs on his chest with her fingertips.

“I learned how to cook young. I hid out in the Home-Ec room during recess and lunch hours,” Vicki shared.

She spoke so soft Joel wondered if the others had heard her.

“Did you have Mrs. Underwood for Home-Ec?” Hope asked.

“No. Well, not at first. This was back when Miss Graves was the teacher. I must have been about ten at the time.” She spoke a little firmer. “The first couple of times I was…hiding. She was surprised to see me, but she made me a hot chocolate. I still remember that. It was so kind.”

Joel sat motionless, willing Vicki to keep sharing. It was the first time she’d talked about something like this. A memory from her past. The total sum of what he knew about her, which wasn’t a hell of a lot, hit him.

The girls carried on their conversation while Joel pondered.

“A good teacher makes a huge difference,” Hope agreed. “Miss Graves taught me to sew.”

“She wasn’t even the teacher anymore when I hit Junior High and actually had Home-Ec classes, but she started bringing in little things for me to make during lunch hour, thank God, because there were times that—”

She jerked to a stop.

Times what?

Vicki took a deep breath before continuing. “It was one way to get something to eat for me and my sister Lynn. During the years she was there, Miss Graves probably fed us more than my mom did.”

Joel’s stomach tightened.

“Hope used to hang out at the boys and girl’s club.” Matt stared upward as he spoke. His words solemn, carefully chosen. Joel was grateful, because right now he was pretty speechless. “The first time that registered, I was in shock. Like, why had she hung out there instead of at home?”

He twisted to gaze at Vicki. “I hadn’t much of a clue not everyone’s family was like Joel’s and mine. And I had no excuse for being so ignorant. I was involved with Helen at the time.”

“Oh, family.” Hope sighed. “Wait, let me adjust that ponderous comment. Oh, my family member who continues to drive me nuts.”

“It’s tough, right? Having family that’s not family,” Vicki whispered.

“Toughest thing in the world.” Hope pressed a hand to Matt’s face. “Then one day you get a taste of the other side, and figure out why people rave about it.”

Silence fell. Joel wasn’t sure what he would say, if he did speak up.

They hadn’t actually come out and said Vicki’s family was a pain. That Hope’s family had been a disaster as well. The fact was there, though, hovering.

Joel wanted to apologize for his good fortune in having scored a family that knew something about sticking together, yet that impulse sucked. It was wrong. It wasn’t right to try to cast off the good he’d had to make someone else’s pain less.

That kind of attitude diminished what his dad and ma had worked for all these years. He appreciated his lot, never wanted to take it for granted, but the contrast—

With every breath it was clearer he had a good thing, and he’d never really noticed until now.

“Look, a shooting star.” Vicki pointed skyward, and they all twisted to follow the trajectory.

A welcome peace floated over them, with nothing but the crackle of the fire carrying through the air.

“What did you wish for?” Matt asked Hope, his words soft but audible.

“Nothing doing. If I tell you, then my request won’t come true.” Hope stroked his smiling face to soften her denial.

“Maybe if you tell me, I can make sure all your dreams come true.”

Oh, God . Vicki’s heart fluttered at the sheer romanticism of the moment as Hope whispered I love you and kissed Matt, right then and there.

In so many ways, this camping trip had been more of a learning experience than Vicki had expected. She turned away from the other couple and gazed into the darkness. The cold wrapped around them, but Joel’s arms were warm and gave her a sense of security, real or not.

Vicki hadn’t been sure about sharing earlier, but it seemed right. The setting, the people, all of it worked together to make her want to open up. As if they wouldn’t consider it a bid for sympathy, but more a statement of reality. Her reality.

She didn’t often get to talk about what her life had been like.

Joel’s lips nudged her temple. “You ready for bed?”

“What time is it?”

He chuckled. “Doesn’t matter. It’s dark, and the fire is burning low. We don’t run on clocks while we’re camping.”

Nice. “You’ve obviously never been to a kids’ camp, then. Trust me, you run on clocks.”

“What, breakfast at eight, archery at nine? Sounds pretty cushy compared to getting up early in the dead of winter to do chores.”

“Try waking at five to suck back a coffee before putting that breakfast together.” Joel shuddered under her, and she nodded. “And don’t forget, the worst part is after you’re done? There’s only four hours before lunch is served. Whoever put breakfast and lunch so close together should be shot.”

“We’ll have breakfast whenever we want it.” Hope spoke as she rose to her feet. “Since I don’t have to open the shop, I’m sleeping in as long as possible.”

“As long as I’ll let you…” Matt scrambled up, avoiding her halfhearted swing. “Come on, let’s leave these two bed-breakers out here. If we’re lucky, we can get to sleep before they start making too much noise.”

Joel flashed a finger at his brother. “Whoever makes the most noise tonight gets to crawl out of their warm sleeping bags and make coffee in the morning.”

Vicki hid her face for a moment. All this plain talk about having sex embarrassed her. She’d had dirty words and accusations hurled at her when they weren’t true. She knew how to deal with that. This was a whole other matter.

Joel stroked her hair as good nights were shared, the night air sneaking past them cool and edging toward cold.

“If you’d like to sit by the fire for a while longer, I should add a couple of logs,” Joel offered. “Otherwise, I’ll put it out and we can call it a night.”

If they sat up longer, she’d have to share more. Which wasn’t high on her agenda right now. “I’m kind of sleepy.”

Joel helped her find her feet. “Mountain air. You’re about to get the best damn sleep of your life.”

Vicki watched as he stirred the coals and put out the fire. “When I wasn’t upset about the horses, or exhausted from the cooking schedule, I did sleep well at camp.”

He rocked back on his heels and looked her over, something between sadness and confusion painting his expression. He didn’t say anything. Just escorted her to the washhouse, the glow from his flashlight jumping ahead of them on the uneven ground.

By the time she’d brushed her teeth and washed up, she really was feeling sleepy. She pushed open the washhouse door to find Joel leaning on the railing, staring into the star-filled sky, his towel draped around his neck.

It was cold enough there were no bugs flying about the lights.

“By the way, thank you for picking a campground with flush toilets.” Vicki accepted his hand, transferring her bag to her other shoulder.

“No problem. Roughing it is fun at times, but having an actual shower in the morning? Bonus. They’ll be turning off the water in a couple of days, so we timed it just right.”