Jenny Cussler's Last Stand (13 page)

“I remember from the introductions last night.”

At this, he smiled. “Yeah, they tease me all the time. Come here every year...for years now.”

Jenny nodded.

“Sam Two Dogs,” he grunted.

Jenny peeked out of the corner of her eye. He’d actually turned in her direction. She responded quickly.

“Jenny,” she mumbled, suddenly unwilling to repeat her last name.

“Pleased to meet you,” he said, and turned back to the brisk fire.

“It’s nice to meet you, as well.”

A few more minutes of silence passed, and Jenny looked up to see a faint blue tinge to the sky. People began to move around the camp, walking back and forth between cabins and restroom. She heard the creak of the kitchen door and looked up to see someone come out with a white paper cup, probably of coffee. The smell of food began to fill the air. The faint clink of pots and pans could be heard in the still sleepy campground.

“Coffee’s ready. Think I’ll go get some.” Sam rose slowly and shuffled off toward the kitchen with a limping gait which favored his right side.

Jenny stood and stretched her arms over her head, unsure if she were pleased or dismayed by her first one-on-one encounter with an elder male Native American. She had no experience by which to gauge the encounter. Maybe she would ask Clint later.

Jenny dropped her arms and shoved her hands in her pockets. Ask Clint what? Ask him if all elder Native American men spoke in monosyllables? Ask him if lack of eye contact was normal? She shook her head and sniffed. Somehow, the thought of asking Clint such generalized questions seemed intrusive and vulgar. Sam Two Dogs was one senior citizen from South Dakota who happened to be Native American. He could not be expected to culturally represent an entire race of people. She would wait and follow the lead of her peers and leaders at the camp.

She nodded a brief greeting toward several chilled camp attendees who arrived to warm themselves before the fire, and followed Sam toward the kitchen in search of something to drink.

A few minutes later, with a deliciously hot cup of apple cider in hand, she returned to the campground to find several more people huddled around the still blazing fire. Sam Two Dogs sipped steaming coffee from a paper cup, and Brad sat at his side chatting with the elderly man, though Brad seemed to be doing most of the work. Jenny dropped down on the boulder next to Brad and relaxed in the welcome heat.

“So, you’re a Vietnam veteran?” Brad was asking.

Sam nodded briefly but said nothing.

“My dad was in Vietnam,” Brad added. Jenny turned to look at him with interest. The son of a combat veteran. She hadn’t known. From her practice, she knew growing up under the scars of war wasn’t always an easy life for children.

“Is that so?” Sam turned toward Brad. “Where’d he serve?”

“Chu Lai,” Brad offered. “1965, Marines.”

Sam pulled his shoulders back and nodded.

“Lost some good men there. We won,” he pronounced. He jabbed a thumbed toward his chest. “Marines, Siege of Khe Sanh, summer of ’67. Longest seventy-seven days of my life.”

“You were at the Siege of Khe Sanh?” Brad breathed. “Wait till I tell my dad.”

Jenny watched Sam carefully, but he seemed to be taking the conversation in stride. She could have wished that Brad hadn’t brought the subject up. He wasn’t a therapist and really didn’t know what signs to look for in a traumatized veteran. But far from appearing closed off and subdued, Sam had warmed to the subject, and Jenny turned away just as Kate strolled up.

“Morning,” Kate said. She sat down next to Jenny on the boulder, yawned, and scratched her head. “Is it morning yet?” She rubbed her eyes and huddled down into her olive green fleece jacket, pulling it up over her nose.

“You look like a turtle.” Jenny grinned at the sight of Kate’s half-closed eyes peeping out from her jacket.

“I am a turtle, a sleepy turtle,” Kate said. “Whatcha got there? It smells good.” She nodded toward Jenny’s cup.

“Apple cider. Want me to get you some?”

Kate yawned again. “No, I’ll go. Back in a minute.” She got up and sauntered off toward the kitchen. Jenny wondered if Kate’s legs were cold in her khaki shorts but suspected her feet were plenty warm in the hiking boots and thick socks.

“Yup, I’m telling you we didn’t think we were going to make it out of there alive.” Sam’s voice grew loud, and Jenny turned toward him. He seemed animated but not so much that she suspected he might begin to decompensate from the trauma of his experiences. She’d seen that more times than she cared to think about in her office. She turned away again to give Sam and the enthralled Brad some privacy. “The VC were all over us. Me and my buddy...” Sam’s voice rose and fell, and Jenny stared into the fire and focused on the crackle of the wood. What did the fire look like at the sweat lodges? Was it large? Who kept it going? She tried to banish the thought of Clint stoking the fire while he stood naked, tall, muscular, and bronze. Her face grew warm, and she straightened up, wondering if she was too close to the fire.

“Your face is red. Fire too hot?” Kate slumped down onto their shared boulder and wrapped her hands around the steaming cup of sweet-and-spicy-smelling liquid. She took a quick sip.

“I guess so,” Jenny said, unwilling to share her sensual thoughts with Kate.

“How did you sleep?”

“Good. It was cold, though.”

“Oh, I’ve got an extra blanket if you want it.”

“That’s okay, thanks. Clint loaned me an extra sleeping bag.” As soon as the words were out, she realized her mistake.

Kate swung her head toward Jenny and fixed her with a bold stare.

“Do tell. I’m sure there’s more to the story than that.”

She turned to give Jenny her undivided attention. Jenny looked to the left, but there would be no help from Sam or Brad, who continued to chat like old friends.

“There’s nothing to tell, silly. I was freezing, and Clint loaned me an extra sleeping blanket.” She gulped her cider, which was rapidly cooling in the brisk early morning air of the mountains.

“And how did he know you were cold, from his cabin?”

Jenny kept her eyes locked on the blaze. “Well, he...uh...happened to come down to his car and saw me at the van.”

“What a nice coincidence,” she said.

Jenny shot her a narrow-eyed look, but Kate composed her face into an expression of innocent inquiry. Jenny knew better.

“Nothing happened,” Jenny declared emphatically. “He was worried about my sleeping down there, but it’s perfectly safe. If I hadn’t had to worry about vampires,” she added.

“Vampires! What?”

“Just something Brad said.” Jenny gave his back a withering look. “Every time I heard a sound, I thought about vampires.”

“Hmmm,” Kate said, but Jenny had lost her attention. “Look who’s up and moving.”

Jenny followed her eyes to see Clint, fully dressed in light blue jeans and long-sleeved white shirt, striding toward the kitchen. Her heart stilled for a moment, before it began to race. He’d obviously already showered after the morning sweat. The light colors of his clothing set his bronze skin off in an achingly handsome way.

“Oh, he’s already been to the sweat,” she said, as she followed him with a smitten gaze.

“And how would you know that?” The amused note in Kate’s voice caught Jenny’s attention. Had she spoken aloud? Her face flamed when she dragged her eyes from Clint’s tall, slender frame to meet Kate’s raised eyebrows.

“Hmmm? What? Oh, I...uh...well, I saw him this morning...early.” Jenny turned toward the fire.

“How early? Jenny, you didn’t...”

“What?” She eyed Kate again whose eyes widened. She didn’t think they’d...that Jenny had spent the night in his... “No! I most certainly did not.”

“Oh,” Kate replied on a skeptical note. “Well, I mean, it really wouldn’t be any of my business anyway. You’re a big girl. It’s just that...I wouldn’t want someone to take advantage of you...no matter how handsome he is.”

At first, Jenny wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or be angry, but Kate’s earnest voice banished any thought of anger. “No, no. You’re right. I’m a big girl. I’m not going to do anything stupid while I’m here. The air isn’t that thin up here on the mountain!” She opted for a toothy grin.

“Oh, good. Well, no, not good,” Kate said. “Okay, yes, good!” She shook her head and looked skyward. “Oh, I don’t know. I can just imagine falling in love up here, can’t you? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

Jenny followed her eyes to study the lightening sky of soft powder blue. White puffs of clouds drifted by. “Mmm-hmmm. I can imagine it, too,” she breathed on a sigh. She dropped her eyes and cleared her throat. “Not that I’m going to, mind you,” she said with a firmer voice.

“Here he comes,” Kate said urgently.

Clint approached them, coffee cup in hand, a breathtakingly charming smile on his face. He nodded at both women, raised a brief hand to greet Sam and Brad, and sat down on a cut log next to Kate.

“Good morning, ladies.”

“Good morning, Clint,” Kate responded pleasantly.

Jenny murmured a greeting, thankful that Kate had obviously chosen to be on her best behavior and opted not to send Jenny any pointed looks or sly grins.

“I think they’ll ring the breakfast bell soon. I’m starved.” Clint grinned at both women and turned to gaze at the fire. His wet hair, tied tightly at the nape of his neck, gleamed. Closer inspection out of the corner of Jenny’s eyes revealed his white shirt had light blue stripes running the length of it. He wore the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows. His pale blue denim jeans were comfortably used, but clean, and tapered off just above the tips of his gray hiking boots.

She sighed, suddenly tongue-tied. What a truly handsome man he was!

“How did everyone sleep?” Clint asked.

“Fine,” chirped Kate, apparently unable to repress a smirk as she looked from Clint to Jenny. “How about you two?”

Clint jerked his head in her direction. He searched her face, then let his gaze shift toward Jenny. Jenny shook her head and gave an unladylike snort.

“Kate, I told you...” She stared at the unrepentant and amused Kate, then past her to Clint. “She’s just teasing, Clint. I happened to mention that you lent me your sleeping bag last night because I was cold, that’s all.”

The corners of Clint’s mouth twitched, and he returned his gaze to Kate.

“Yes, that’s right, Kate. I tried to force myself on her in the dark, but she said she would prefer a vampire over me any time. Isn’t that right, Jenny?”

“What?” Kate’s stunned facial expression was priceless. She flung her head in Jenny’s direction, and Jenny dropped her head in her hands with laughter.

“Oh, you’re kidding,” Kate said. Jenny looked up to see Kate give Clint a light smack on the knee. “You scared me. I didn’t want to have to come after you with a pitchfork or something, to protect our little Jenny here.”

“I don’t need protecting, you two,” Jenny chuckled. She wiped at the corner of her eyes. “I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”

“Sure you can,” Kate said.

“Never a doubt,” Clint added.

Jenny threw them a narrow-eyed look. Both seemed on the verge of laughter. Just then, the cowbell began to ring, and Jenny rose hastily.

“Great! Breakfast.” She led the way to the dining hall with Kate right behind her and Clint in the rear. As they stepped up to the line, they saw Sam Two Dogs shuffle past them to the front with Brad in tow.

“Looks like Brad made himself a friend,” Clint said with a grin.

“So, when are you going to get to be an elder, Clint?” Kate tilted her head to look at him.

Jenny colored at the odd question, but she found herself anxious for the answer.

“When I’m a lot older, I expect, Kate. I’m not rushing it. Even then, I doubt anyone will pay attention to a darn thing I say.” Clint gave a short laugh.

Jenny couldn’t imagine such a thing. She found herself hanging on his every word.

Jenny found ample food to eat, enjoying the delicious pancakes. She was tickled when Clint joined them for breakfast at one of the long tables in the dining hall. Kate kept up a lively inquisition of tribal customs, which Clint answered with ease, but Jenny continued tongue-tied, unable to participate in the conversation other than nodding her head or mumbling agreement. Clint threw her an occasional curious look, but he did not press her directly.

When they’d finished breakfast, Kate and Jenny strolled back down to the community area after Clint left them with a reminder that group began in thirty minutes. Jenny watched him walk toward the group buildings.

“Well, you were pretty quiet,” Kate said as they found a spare boulder to sit on near the fire. The morning air was still chilly, but warmer than it had been.

“I know,” Jenny said regretfully. “I couldn’t think of anything to say.”

“Uh-oh! Sounds like you’ve got a crush on Mr. Wonderful.”

Jenny stared into the fire and sighed. “Just a little one. I’ll get over it. I’ll be all right. I’ll live. It’s only a week.”

“Sounds like it’s going to be a long week.” Kate dragged the words out.

“Or way too short. I don’t know which.”

“Good morning, girls,” a masculine voice spoke somewhere above and behind them. The pleasantly sweet smell of a talc soap assailed Jenny’s nose.

“And the plot thickens,” muttered Kate as she regarded the new arrival.

Chapter Ten

“Wow, I can’t believe I missed breakfast. I went to the sweat and took too long in the shower, I guess.” Steve dropped onto a boulder beside Jenny. She couldn’t help but admire his tousled golden hair, still wet from his shower. He wore his usual knee-length khaki hiking shorts, a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, and a dark gray sleeveless down vest.

“How are you this morning, Jenny?” He leaned in to her and gave her a playful push with his shoulder.

Jenny colored and threw Kate a quick glance. Kate lifted a pointed eyebrow.

“Oh, we’re fine. So, you missed breakfast?”

“I did. I’ve got some granola bars in my pocket, though. I’ll just eat those. Are you about ready for group?”