Tempest on the Mountain
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
"No." Adrienne looked around nervously. "You didn't have to cut it off - Charlie said she'd help me untangle it." She refused to look at him, keeping her eyes on the fire. Jake watched her, letting the silence grow until she finally sent him a frustrated look.
"Your dad could be anywhere," he said, keeping his voice low. "I promised I wouldn't let them take you back, and I won't, but you have to listen to me. We have to find the farm before they know we're here, not just for our own safety, but for the rest of these people. Understand?" He squeezed her shoulder lightly, wanting to give her some small measure of comfort. She'd been through so much in her short life, and it was going to get worse before it got better.
"I'm sorry I got you in trouble," Adrienne said a few moments later. One side of her mouth turned up in a knowing smirk as she stared into the fire again. "I saw you looking at Charlie back at the parking lot. She was checking you out too. I think she thinks we're a couple or something - can't you just tell her I'm your sister?" She leaned toward him, giving his shoulder a friendly bump with her own. "No offense, but it's kind of gross letting her think I'm your girlfriend. You're like, old."
Jake chuckled, grinning back at her. At least she was hanging on to her sense of humor in all of this. He looked thoughtfully at the professor, helping a couple set up their tent. "If she asks, go ahead and tell her I'm your brother. Just keep it simple - complicated lies are harder to keep straight." Adrienne nodded thoughtfully, and he realized that she would know that better than most. He patted her knee gently, then stood up.
"I'll go set up the tent for you. Did you see where Charlie put hers?"
"I think it's that green one by the Wilsons' over there." She pointed to the left at a small pop-up tent, the color nearly indistinguisable in the fading light. He nodded, picking up his pack and heading in that direction. If anything happened to him, Adrienne would have to go to the professor for help, as they'd discussed earlier.
Charlie watched the exchange between Jake and Adrienne as she helped the Roberts pitch a tent in the dying light. It seemed like there were no hard feelings, and the girl seemed to accept Jake's light touches without flinching. Charlie frowned as she realized that without the long hair hiding her face, the girl was much younger than she'd originally thought. Was she even past her teens?
"She looks awfully young for him, wouldn't you say?" Tanya Roberts stood beside her, looking over at Adrienne. "How old do you suppose she is?"
"Maybe she's just one of those people who looks younger," she replied, glancing at the older woman. "Or maybe he looks older than he is." She smiled reassuringly. "If you two are all set here, I'll go tend the fire for a bit. Dinner is on your own tonight, but feel free to join me for smores when you're ready." Tanya went into the tent and Charlie started toward the fire. Jake was walking in the direction of her tent with his pack in hand. Good. If they were close, she'd be able to monitor them, make sure the girl was safe. Hopefully Jake would keep his hands to himself. The thought of him being intimate with this girl made Charlie a little sick.
She smiled at Adrienne as she entered the fire ring, and put a couple small logs on the fire. "Are you recovering from your trauma?" she asked, keeping her tone light. Adrienne nodded, her lips curving slightly.
"Oh sure," she said, dismissing it with the wave of a hand. "Jake is a good guy. I just got his adrenaline going when I screamed." She winked at Charlie. "You know how guys are - gotta be the big tough guy and save the world."
Charlie cast her a skeptical glance. "And he couldn't do that without cutting your hair off and pulling you around?"
"Come on, Professor - you know how guys are, always overreacting. Or the ones I know, anyways." Adrienne looked mockingly over her shoulder at Jake, who had just finished setting up the tent. "Hair means nothing to them, and he didn't actually hurt my arm, just wanted to get my attention." She lowered her voice as Jake approached. "He's a big teddy bear, once you get to know him."
Charlie watched Jake come closer, her nerves firing up just at the thought of being near him again. No way was this man a teddy bear under any circumstances. He was a grizzly, beautiful but deadly.
She'd always been fascinated by grizzlies.
"Your dad could be anywhere," he said, keeping his voice low. "I promised I wouldn't let them take you back, and I won't, but you have to listen to me. We have to find the farm before they know we're here, not just for our own safety, but for the rest of these people. Understand?" He squeezed her shoulder lightly, wanting to give her some small measure of comfort. She'd been through so much in her short life, and it was going to get worse before it got better.
"I'm sorry I got you in trouble," Adrienne said a few moments later. One side of her mouth turned up in a knowing smirk as she stared into the fire again. "I saw you looking at Charlie back at the parking lot. She was checking you out too. I think she thinks we're a couple or something - can't you just tell her I'm your sister?" She leaned toward him, giving his shoulder a friendly bump with her own. "No offense, but it's kind of gross letting her think I'm your girlfriend. You're like, old."
Jake chuckled, grinning back at her. At least she was hanging on to her sense of humor in all of this. He looked thoughtfully at the professor, helping a couple set up their tent. "If she asks, go ahead and tell her I'm your brother. Just keep it simple - complicated lies are harder to keep straight." Adrienne nodded thoughtfully, and he realized that she would know that better than most. He patted her knee gently, then stood up.
"I'll go set up the tent for you. Did you see where Charlie put hers?"
"I think it's that green one by the Wilsons' over there." She pointed to the left at a small pop-up tent, the color nearly indistinguisable in the fading light. He nodded, picking up his pack and heading in that direction. If anything happened to him, Adrienne would have to go to the professor for help, as they'd discussed earlier.
****
Charlie watched the exchange between Jake and Adrienne as she helped the Roberts pitch a tent in the dying light. It seemed like there were no hard feelings, and the girl seemed to accept Jake's light touches without flinching. Charlie frowned as she realized that without the long hair hiding her face, the girl was much younger than she'd originally thought. Was she even past her teens?
"She looks awfully young for him, wouldn't you say?" Tanya Roberts stood beside her, looking over at Adrienne. "How old do you suppose she is?"
"Maybe she's just one of those people who looks younger," she replied, glancing at the older woman. "Or maybe he looks older than he is." She smiled reassuringly. "If you two are all set here, I'll go tend the fire for a bit. Dinner is on your own tonight, but feel free to join me for smores when you're ready." Tanya went into the tent and Charlie started toward the fire. Jake was walking in the direction of her tent with his pack in hand. Good. If they were close, she'd be able to monitor them, make sure the girl was safe. Hopefully Jake would keep his hands to himself. The thought of him being intimate with this girl made Charlie a little sick.
She smiled at Adrienne as she entered the fire ring, and put a couple small logs on the fire. "Are you recovering from your trauma?" she asked, keeping her tone light. Adrienne nodded, her lips curving slightly.
"Oh sure," she said, dismissing it with the wave of a hand. "Jake is a good guy. I just got his adrenaline going when I screamed." She winked at Charlie. "You know how guys are - gotta be the big tough guy and save the world."
Charlie cast her a skeptical glance. "And he couldn't do that without cutting your hair off and pulling you around?"
"Come on, Professor - you know how guys are, always overreacting. Or the ones I know, anyways." Adrienne looked mockingly over her shoulder at Jake, who had just finished setting up the tent. "Hair means nothing to them, and he didn't actually hurt my arm, just wanted to get my attention." She lowered her voice as Jake approached. "He's a big teddy bear, once you get to know him."
Charlie watched Jake come closer, her nerves firing up just at the thought of being near him again. No way was this man a teddy bear under any circumstances. He was a grizzly, beautiful but deadly.
She'd always been fascinated by grizzlies.
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