The Prophecy (The Guardians) - By Wendy Owens Page 0,37

I don’t know.” Gabe struggled, unsure what words might rescue him. Thinking quickly, he grabbed another book and rushed to Rachel’s side. “How about Journey to the Center of the Earth? I have actually never read it. Would that be alright?”

“But you have read Mansfield Park?”

Gabe stammered, “Well, no— but— “

Rachel smiled; she knew exactly what Gabe was trying to say. She simply enjoyed seeing him squirm a little, but she didn’t have the heart to torment him any longer. “Sure, let’s read that one.” Setting the book aside that she held in her hands, she sat up in order to make more room for Gabe’s broad frame.

Nestling in close to Rachel, Gabe handed her the book, the pages of which were heavily worn from years of use. Rachel flipped through the first few pages before beginning, “It was on Sunday, the 24th of May, 1863, that my uncle, Professor Lidenbrock, came rushing suddenly back to his little house in the old part of Hamburg, No. 19 Konigstrasse.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The cabin was warm under the unseasonable heat. The uncomfortable weather however did not phase the young couple. Gabe and Rachel had the entire day planned out. It had been exactly six months to the day since Rachel had come to the valley. Gabe had not seen any sign of Uri since his visit months ago. Their life in the valley had become one they were used to. Their life together, one they were comfortable with.

Fall was upon them, the leaves were changing, and the two spent most of their days preparing for the winter months. Gabe would go to town soon to load up on supplies. It would be his third trip since Rachel arrived, and once again, he would be making it alone.

To celebrate the momentous occasion of her six month stay, the two decided to take the day off from chores and instead enjoy a picnic together. Much to Gabe’s surprise he had quite taken to reading aloud to one another, without a doubt this would be included on the day’s agenda, and a hike around the valley. In addition, Gabe had high expectations for their evening as well. Rachel had informed Gabe of her track record with relationships and making poor decisions. As a result they had been taking things slow physically, but she hadn’t been secretive of her desires to move things to the next step recently. He was more than happy to oblige.

Gabe had been longing to hold her naked body close to his, to caress her, stroke her. He wanted to memorize her body with his lips. It appeared to him, from hints Rachel had been dropping, this could be the night.

“Ready?” Rachel shrieked, bursting out of the cabin door to greet Gabe who was strapping up his shoe laces.

“As I’ll ever be. Do you have everything we need for our day?” Gabe questioned, leaning to one side as if to try and catch a glimpse of what Rachel hid in her pack.

“Please, have we met? I have not forgotten a single thing. Anything and everything we need to make this a perfect day is accounted for in this bag.” Rachel confidently stated.

“Of course, I should have never doubted your skills m’lady. Get one last look at home sweet home; we won’t see her until tonight.” Gabe said with a smile.

Since Rachel first arrived she had made many efforts to turn the little cabin into a cozy home. Thanks to a few fabrics Gabe picked up on one of his trips the single window was trimmed with checkered curtains, the spare scraps used for a table runner. Rachel had been keeping Gabe busy these days by asking him to build a bench for the front porch, as well as a proper bed for inside the cabin, up off the floor.

Perhaps the newest addition to their little home that Rachel loved the most was a proper outhouse. Though Gabe had no problems peeing in the bushes, Rachel had never been fond of squatting in front of the number of forest creatures who enjoyed watching her relieve herself. While indoor plumbing would have been a dream, an outhouse was enough to make her giddy.

“Shall we?” Gabe said motioning towards the path that led around the side of the tiny cabin and into the forest. Soon they would be seated along the water’s edge, enjoying the sun dancing across the wet pebbles.

“Gabe, I’m so excited!” Rachel gasped.

“I know. We’ve been working so hard on the winter preparations we