Heat Wave

He stops and gestures to an area where the cliff walls come into the path and a large, broad-leafed tree acts as an arch over it. “Here. There’s dirt there that’s somewhat dry. We can hang the tarp from the tree. With the overhang from the cliff, it’ll create a bit of shelter. I’ll start a fire, and we’ll be dry in no time.”


He turns to walk away. “Just stay here, the path up there leads out of the valley, it’s wet and steep and dangerous.”

Like I’d go anywhere, I think as I sit down on the narrow patch of dry red dirt by the cliff wall. My hand feels bare without his, my skin tingling.

He disappears from sight and it’s only then that everything hits me. What happened, where we are, what’s next.

But it’s not even the ache in my muscles from the hike, the bruises that are popping up on my limbs from slamming into the rocks, the cold that’s starting to seep into my bones, despite the fact that the temperature is at least in the late 70’s.

It’s not even that I’m going to be stuck in the wilderness overnight, waiting for rescue.

It’s that for the next twenty hours or so, I’m going to be alone with Logan. Sleeping with him, even.

And there’s nothing scarier than that.

Because there’s a small, terrifying chance that I actually might like it.

I can only hope he doesn’t feel the same way.





CHAPTER TEN




When Logan comes back from the others, he’s carrying some matches, sticks, a few logs and a small white square.

“What’s that,” I ask, nodding at the square.

“Firestarter,” he says, placing it on the dirt in front of my feet. “Light this up and almost anything will burn. Found some relatively dry kindling as well. It won’t last all night but it will get us dried off. As long as the wind doesn’t pick up, the tarp will hold and keep us dry.”

I nod, biting my lip for a moment. “Have you ever been in a situation like this before? I mean, stranded in the wilderness kind of thing?”

“You think this is a regular occurrence for me?” he asks, cocking one brow as he eyes me.

I shrug. “Well you’re Australian, didn’t you hike into the outback and wrestle crocodiles on the regular? I’ve seen Crocodile Dundee you know.”

He watches me for a moment before getting all the kindling together. “You’re taking the piss, aren’t you?”

“When aren’t I?” I tease.

He places the white square in the center of the sticks and strikes a match. The second the match meets the square, it goes up in bright flames.

“Whoa. That stuff works,” I tell him.

He murmurs in agreement. “And to answer your question, yes I have been in situations like this before. In Australia. My brother is a tour guide out of Darwin. I may not be Croc Dundee—God forbid that bloody name is even mentioned in my country—but if anyone is like that, it’s him. He’s dragged me out on one too many adventures.”

“You have a brother?” This is the first I’d heard of this.

“Kit,” he says, adjusting the kindling so it will catch. “About five years younger. The same difference as you and Juliet.”

“He wasn’t at the wedding,” I note. Come to think of it, I don’t think any of his family was. It was just hard to notice since there were so many people there I didn’t know, thanks to the reach of my mother. Talk about wedding of the century.

“No,” he says. “He wanted to but finances were tough at that time for him and he wouldn’t let me pay his way. As for my parents, I only have my mum and she’s not doing so well. She’s suffering from a whole whack of autoimmune disorders and flying does a number on her.”

“Oh,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry. I had no idea…”

“That I even had a family?” he asks, glancing at me quickly before putting a few logs on the fire. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. I reckon I know a hell of a lot more about you than you know of me.”

I want to argue that, even though I know it’s true. Still, I want to hear him talk. “Oh yeah? What could you know about me?”

He dusts off his hands and comes over, stooping under the blue tarp, the rain falling methodically on it. He settles down beside me, his long, strong legs to the side of the fire. His shoulder rubs against mine as he adjusts himself and my eyes are drawn to his neck, wondering what he would taste like. Probably mud.

“Well, let’s see,” he says, admiring the fire the way I’m sure Early Man did, proud that he has provided and ensured our survival. “I know that you hate being wrong.”

“That’s not true. I just hate it when you’re right.”

His face turns to me, the glow of the fire lighting up his profile. “So you admit I’m usually right.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Right,” he says slowly, a small smile teasing his lips. “I know that you’re a terrible singer.”

“A new discovery,” I concede, trying not to cringe over my rendition of “Kashmir.”

“I know that you’re not left-handed, but you put your fork in your left hand when you eat.”

He noticed that? “A minor quirk,” I explain. “Doesn’t mean you know me.”