Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,42
answer he’d anticipated. “Care to expand on that?”
She looked at him as though the answer were obvious. “I’d rather not get bitten, mauled, or otherwise mangled by whatever’s creeping around in there.”
The answer left Wade momentarily stunned. Aside from a few small fish, he hadn’t seen anything in the water, let alone anything dangerous. “Seriously?”
“No, I’m just making shit up.” Sarcasm tightened her voice as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “God knows what’s in that water. There could be crocodiles, or snapping turtles, or maybe even piranhas.”
“I don’t think piranhas live this far north.” And considering the elevation and temperature, he doubted there would be any crocodiles either. As for snapping turtles, he had no idea if they lived in this region. Personally, he was willing to risk it to scrape the grime off his body.
“You never know,” she replied. “Every so often, people find them in freshwater lakes back home. That reminds me, there could also be amoebas or flesh-eating bacteria that you can’t even see.”
Wade blinked. Blinked again. “I didn’t realize you were this paranoid.”
“I’m not paranoid. I’m cautious. Big difference.” Her chin hitched up a little higher. “If given the choice, I’d rather not risk becoming a part of the food chain.”
He found it odd, and somewhat amusing, that this smart, tough woman was afraid of things that went bump in the water, but he had no intention of giving her shit about it. For all he knew, she might be right, and then he’d never hear the end of it. “Would it make you feel better if one of us went in first?”
She shook her head. “You don’t need to take that risk.”
“I’m not taking a risk. I just want to be clean.” Truth be told, he felt fucking disgusting. His clothes were filthy, and God only knew what he smelled like to other people. A wash and a fresh change of clothes would make him feel a whole lot better.
“If Hope’s not going in, do you mind if we do?” Jackson asked.
“Yeah, but not everyone at once. We need at least two for guard duty.” From all appearances, things seemed safe, but looks could be deceiving and Wade didn’t want to get ambushed again.
“Flip you for first dibs. Me and Austin versus you and Navarre,” Hector said as he pulled a coin from his pocket. He tossed it into the air, the metal glinting in the afternoon sun. “Call it.”
“Tails,” Jackson said.
Hector caught the coin and frowned. “Lucky bastards.”
Jackson and Navarre bumped fists, dumped their packs on the ground, and began to untie their boots.
Wade shifted his gaze back to Hope. “I could use some help finding a spot for a campfire…unless you’d rather stay here and watch.”
An unexpected blush stained her cheeks that he found oddly endearing. “No, that’s okay. Let’s go.”
It didn’t take long to locate a small clearing that was far enough away from the water to give the bathers a measure of privacy, but close enough to hear if there were any problems. Austin joined them a short time later, weighed down by a half dozen canteens.
“I’ve got some Sterno if you need it,” Austin said as he dumped the canteens onto the ground where Wade was preparing a spot to make a fire.
“That would make things a whole lot easier.” No wood to gather or fires to start. Just a simple strike of a match and once they were finished, they could extinguish the flame without worrying about simmering embers. “What have you got for food?”
Austin shrugged off his overstuffed pack and unzipped one of the larger compartments.
Leave it to his brother to pack almost every imaginable type of dehydrated food known to man: meats, vegetables, dairy, fruits, and grains, all neatly stored and labeled for easy identification and consumption. Funny, considering his brother’s culinary skills were rudimentary at best.
“You got a preference?” Wade took out one of the fuel cans that lined the bottom of the bag.
“As long as it’s edible, I don’t give a shit what you make.” Austin unzipped a second compartment and took out a fresh set of clothes, which looked exactly like the ones he was wearing. “If you need me, I’ll be at the fall.”
Wade could do a lot better than edible, especially because his brother had also packed a variety of spices. A few recipes immediately sprang to mind. Austin’s pots weren’t any bigger than his, so he’d have to cook two—maybe three batches to have enough food for everybody.