Wild & Hexy (27 page)
Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson
‘‘There’s some other imbecile in here with us?’’ While holding the tent up, he tried to turn around without kicking Annie. They had to find the front flap in this pile of nylon if they ever expected to get out. ‘‘When I get home I’m burning this stupid thing.’’
‘‘Don’t you dare. I love this tent.’’ She dissolved into another fit of giggles. ‘‘Can you imagine how everything looks from outside?’’
He groaned. ‘‘I hope there’s not a soul out there to witness this disaster. If there is, I’ll never hear the end of it.’’
‘‘It shouldn’t matter. It’s getting dark, anyway, and—omigod, the creature! I have to get out there with my camera!’’
‘‘Trust me, I’m working on it.’’
He didn’t seem to be making much progress, though. ‘‘Let me help.’’ She crawled forward and felt around for the front flap.
‘‘Annie, don’t help.’’
She glanced sideways at him. ‘‘What’s wrong?’’
‘‘Nothing, except you’re on your hands and knees, completely naked, with your sweet little tush in the air. If you ever want to get out of here, I suggest you lie down flat on the floor of the tent and look unavailable.’’
If he’d expected her to instantly drop in the interests of obtaining her picture soon, he turned out to be wrong. Instead she gave him a hot look. ‘‘We’ve never done it doggy style.’’
He swallowed. ‘‘No, we haven’t.’’ And if he hadn’t been single-handedly holding up the tent, he would have remedied that right now. He had a condom, which was . . . somewhere. That would be the other problem. The condom was lost in the folds of nylon.
She moistened her lips. ‘‘Would you like to?’’
He didn’t have to think about it. ‘‘Yes.’’ How incredible that she was looking at him with such lust in her eyes. He had to ignore that look, because once the lust had faded, she’d be furious with him if he went along with her seduction and she missed her photo op.
Nobility sucked. ‘‘But we’re not going to,’’ he said. ‘‘For one thing, the tent would be in the way, and—’’
‘‘I mean after we fix the tent.’’
He groaned. ‘‘I want credit for what it’s costing me to say this, but . . . what about your picture?’’
Gradually realization must have dawned, because her expression changed from lustful to chagrinned. ‘‘You’re right,’’ she murmured. ‘‘Thank you for reminding me.’’
‘‘Believe me, I didn’t want to.’’ Maybe if he’d found a way around the tent problem so he could keep making love to her, she’d have decided a picture of the creature wasn’t important at all. Maybe she’d have decided that her job at the
Trib
wasn’t the end-all and be-all, either. But it was too late for second-guessing himself.
Trib
wasn’t the end-all and be-all, either. But it was too late for second-guessing himself.
‘‘I do give you credit,’’ she said. ‘‘Not every guy would have said something.’’
He was already regretting opening his mouth. ‘‘So are you going to lie down flat so I can concentrate on getting us out of this sorry excuse for a tent?’’
‘‘I am.’’ She scooted to her tummy and propped her chin on her folded hands. ‘‘Better?’’
‘‘Marginally. I think it would be almost impossible for me to have sex with you while you’re in that position. ’’ He continued his exploration of the tent seams, looking for the zipper.
‘‘There are probably ways. I was reading a sex manual once that suggested—’’
‘‘Annie.’’
‘‘Right, right. Think of me as a chunk of wood next to you in this tent. A fallen log. Of course, fallen logs could have knotholes.’’
‘‘I swear to God you’re driving me crazy. Where is that damned flap, anyway?’’
‘‘You have no idea how good that makes me feel, knowing how I affect you.’’
He wished it made her feel good enough to want to stick around, but she wasn’t saying that. ‘‘Glad to be of service,’’ he said. ‘‘Okay, I think I’ve found it. Yes! Here’s the flap.’’
‘‘Now what?’’
‘‘I guess we crawl out and get dressed.’’
‘‘Uh . . .’’ She hesitated. ‘‘If you’ll shove my clothes through the opening, I’m going to try and dress in here.’’
‘‘I don’t see how you can. I know it’s a lousy alternative to go out there naked, but I don’t know what else to do. I’ll stand guard if you want. Or you could make a run for the privacy of the woods.’’
She shook her head. ‘‘I’ll just do the best I can in here.’’
‘‘But—’’
‘‘I have to try, Jeremy. If somebody saw me running around naked on this beach, that would become the topic of conversation for the weekend, thereby upstaging Melody. Again. I’ve finally realized how much she hates all the attention I normally get compared to her. She deserves a chance to be the star during her wedding week.’’
‘‘Then I’ll go first and do my best to hold the tent up from the outside.’’
‘‘Or maybe you could use your magic.’’
Well, yes, he could, couldn’t he? He’d forgotten all about this magical ability he was supposed to have. He was so used to blundering through on his own that the magic tended to slip his mind. ‘‘I’m not positive it will work in this context.’’
‘‘So putting up tents isn’t something you practiced, then? I guess that makes sense.’’
‘‘It isn’t that.’’
It’s that I don’t have the faintest idea what causes the magic, so that means I have no control over it.
It’s that I don’t have the faintest idea what causes the magic, so that means I have no control over it.
‘‘So you have practiced this?’’
‘‘Not exactly.’’ Because he hadn’t practiced diddly-squat, at least not that he remembered. ‘‘But I’ll give it a try.’’
Closing his eyes again, he focused on the stubborn tent poles that he hadn’t been able to beat into submission. He visualized them coming together again and supporting the tent so Annie could put her clothes on without danger of suffocation.
Then he took a deep breath. ‘‘Abracadabra.’’
As if someone had reversed time, the tent sprang back into place with a snap of canvas and a click of tent poles.
She gazed at him in awe. ‘‘How did you do that?’’
‘‘It’s a mystery.’’ The line, borrowed from
Shakespeare in Love,
came to him without a struggle. Once again, he was the man of the hour. The success of the trick filled him with the confidence that he could handle anything, even the challenge of convincing Annie to stay in Big Knob.
Shakespeare in Love,
came to him without a struggle. Once again, he was the man of the hour. The success of the trick filled him with the confidence that he could handle anything, even the challenge of convincing Annie to stay in Big Knob.
Chapter 20
Twenty minutes later, Annie sat on a piece of drift-wood and scanned the quiet surface of the lake as light slowly faded from the sky. Sitting down would give her a better chance of holding the camera steady. Off to her right an owl hooted, but other than that, the night was quiet.
‘‘If this is a creature of habit, it should show up anytime now,’’ she said. ‘‘I’m pretty sure this was about the amount of light we had on Tuesday night.’’
‘‘Maybe.’’ Jeremy stood behind her. ‘‘I was focused on getting us both out of the water safely, so I didn’t notice exactly how dark it was.’’ Sand crunched as he shifted his weight. ‘‘Are you getting hungry?’’
‘‘A little.’’ Strangely, she wasn’t starving the way she had been earlier in the week. Either her stomach had shrunk or all the good sex had taken her mind off food. She imagined that her cropped pants fit a little looser than they had last week, but that could be wishful thinking.
A couple of times she’d thought of climbing on her mother’s scale, but she’d chickened out. A few years ago her mother had bought a digital one. There was no fudging with that puppy, no fooling with the dial or making the needle wiggle.
‘‘Want some wine?’’
‘‘Not yet.’’ Annie didn’t want to take a chance that her senses would be blurred in any way while she was trying for this once-in-a-lifetime shot.
‘‘What if the thing doesn’t show up? If it’s operated by kids, which I still think it is, they would get a huge kick out of making you sit there all night for nothing.’’
‘‘It’s not kids,’’ Annie said.
‘‘You don’t know that.’’
‘‘I do know that.’’ Annie watched the water for any sign of movement. ‘‘One of the reasons I’m a good reporter is that I have an instinct for the big story. My editor doesn’t believe that yet, but once I show him this picture he will.’’
‘‘Are you sure your camera will do the job? There really isn’t much light.’’
‘‘It should be good enough for now. I’m sure the
Trib
will send a team of photographers out here eventually. ’’ Annie felt a pang of guilt when she said that. Dorcas didn’t want a team of photographers descending on whatever lived in the lake.
Trib
will send a team of photographers out here eventually. ’’ Annie felt a pang of guilt when she said that. Dorcas didn’t want a team of photographers descending on whatever lived in the lake.
Logically, though, the creature couldn’t live there indefinitely without being discovered. Deep Lake wasn’t big enough or remote enough to allow the creature its privacy. Someone would break this story, and that someone might as well be Annie.
Jeremy scuffed his shoes against the sand. ‘‘Assuming you get a picture, what then? Are you going to e-mail it to Chicago tonight?’’
‘‘Maybe.’’ She could tell Jeremy was getting restless standing around doing nothing. ‘‘I promised Dorcas I’d bring her the picture before I sent it anywhere.’’
‘‘How does she feel about making it public?’’
‘‘She’s concerned about the welfare of the creature. So am I, for that matter. I think it needs some sort of official protection. And I realize the tourist angle needs to be managed properly, too.’’
He blew out a breath. ‘‘Look, I know how much you want this to be real, but it’s not.’’
‘‘Dorcas and Ambrose think it is, and they—’’
‘‘They’re newcomers, Annie. They haven’t lived here all their lives like we have. I’ve been swimming in this lake every summer since I learned to dogpaddle. So have you. So has half the population of Big Knob. Don’t you think someone would have seen this thing in the water before now?’’
She gazed silently out at the lake, willing something to break the surface and dispute Jeremy’s excellent logic. Nothing did. She sighed. ‘‘I know what you’re saying. I’ve thought those things, too.’’
‘‘When you desperately want something to be true, your mind can play tricks on you. Take it from someone who knows.’’
She had an uneasy feeling he was referring to his daydreams about her. Maybe they were equally deluded. He had fantasies about her staying in Big Knob, and she had fantasies about breaking the biggest story in Indiana history, maybe even in U.S. history. What a pair they were.
‘‘I think we should eat,’’ Jeremy said. ‘‘This could be a long wait.’’
For nothing.
He hadn’t actually said that, but he didn’t have to. Annie got the message that he thought they were on a wild-goose chase. Or, more accurately, a wild-lake-creature chase.
He hadn’t actually said that, but he didn’t have to. Annie got the message that he thought they were on a wild-goose chase. Or, more accurately, a wild-lake-creature chase.
‘‘You go ahead,’’ she said. ‘‘I’ll sit here a while longer. I still think it’ll show up.’’
‘‘Then I’ll bring you a sandwich while you wait.’’
‘‘No, thanks. I’ll eat later. I don’t want to have this thing pop out of the water when I’m holding a sandwich. I’ll probably be freaking out, and I just know I’d try to take a picture with the sandwich.’’
‘‘I can hold the camera while you eat.’’
She turned sideways and glanced over her shoulder so she could look at him when she responded. She didn’t want him to take offense when she rejected his offer. ‘‘That’s very gallant of you, but—’’
‘‘If I took the picture, you couldn’t legitimately claim the photo credit.’’
‘‘That’s right.’’ She searched his expression for irritation, and there was none. ‘‘I guess you really do understand how important this is to me.’’
He nodded. ‘‘That’s why I don’t want you to get your hopes up, because I guarantee it’ll turn out to be a hoax.’’
Annie surveyed the lake again. ‘‘Tell you what. I’ll wait until it’s completely dark. If I haven’t seen anything by then, I’ll give it up as a lost cause.’’
‘‘Deal.’’ He sounded happy about that.
‘‘In the meantime, please start eating.’’
‘‘I don’t have to do that, but I can get everything ready. Sure you don’t want me to bring you a glass of wine?’’
‘‘Absolutely sure.’’ She felt like a party pooper, but unless she made a reasonable attempt to get the picture, she’d regret it the rest of her life. ‘‘But you go ahead.’’
‘‘Can’t.’’
She swiveled around to look at him again. ‘‘Why not?’’
‘‘The whole point of this wine is to share it with someone you . . . care about.’’
As she looked into his eyes, her heart did a somersault.
Close call.
He’d almost said something that would ruin the next two days for both of them. She refused to think in terms of the
L
word, and he’d be wise to do the same.
Close call.
He’d almost said something that would ruin the next two days for both of them. She refused to think in terms of the
L
word, and he’d be wise to do the same.
‘‘Just give me another twenty-five minutes.’’ She kept her tone light, as if she hadn’t picked up on what he’d nearly let slip. ‘‘Then we’ll tackle that bottle.’’
‘‘Right.’’ He turned away quickly, as if not wanting to maintain eye contact. Then he got very busy getting the food out of the kayak.
She didn’t blame him. She’d given him no hope for a future together, and now it seemed possible that he was falling in love with her. He shouldn’t allow himself to do that. She’d carefully kept a tight rein on her emotions, and there was no way she was falling for Jeremy.
Sure, she had tender feelings for him, but they weren’t unmanageable. She was keeping her eye on the prize. Damn it, where was the creature? She concentrated so hard on the lake that it seemed as if the surface began to shimmer.
Blinking, she looked again. Were those ripples, or was her imagination playing tricks on her? Jeremy had said that desperately wanting something to be true could mess with your mind.
Yet the water seemed to be moving, although in the dim light she couldn’t swear to it. There was no breeze, either. She held her breath, hoping the movement wasn’t something she’d conjured up.
But if the water really was moving . . . her mouth went dry with unexpected fear. She’d been so eager for a creature to rise up so she could get the picture of the century, and yet she knew nothing about it. The long, snakelike neck might enable it to reach out and snatch her from the beach the way orcas went after seals.
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