-
- She
let her head fall onto the steering wheel of the car for the
third time, it was dead.
- She was on a remote mountain
road and her car was dead, her luck just wasn't with her
- this year it seemed, everyone
was trying to force her into one thing or another. The
- latest fiasco was everyone
loved this guy but her and the wedding was paid for and
- reday to be performed in three
weeks. She had to get away, had to make them
- understand that she was not
going to marry this jerk that everyone wanted her to. Yet
- here she was, sitting on a
lonely mountain road in the middle of bumble fuck egypt in a
- car that wasn’t starting and
the air was getting colder as she sat her trying to get it to
- start. Lifting her head
she looked up the dirt road and saw a glimmer of hope in the
- distance, two lit up
windows in the middle of the mountain. She groaned when she
felt
- the cold wind whip at her
when she climbed out of the car, she pulled her arms around
- her as she went to the trunk
and dug through her clothing to find her coat and she
- pulled it on. She grabbed
the one bag that had a few pants and shirts in it and her
- under things and her feminine
soaps and stuff and made sure her doors were locked
- and then she was hiking up
the mountain......
-
- “So
who’s the guy that keeps this place up for you?” Jonathan
asked as Jordan
- drove up the winding mountain
road towards the one place that he knew would give him
- the sanctuary he needed
from the hustle and bustle of the world he lived in.
- “Henry,
I call him up and he gets it ready before I get there. I
told him I had a
- guest this go around
and he said he would double stock the pantry for us. There
are
- three rooms, I only use two
of them but I keep the other one as another bedroom just
- in case more people come than
I expect.” He said, he swerved around a car that was
- pulled to the side of the
narrow road he was travelling on.
- “Uhm
alright.” Jonathan said when they passed, the jeep grand
cherokee was
- roomy and handling beautifully
as Jordan drove.
- “Have
to call mountain patrol when we get up to the cabin.” Jordan
said shaking
- his head.
- “There
is phone there?” Jonathan asked.
- “No,
radio.” Jordan said laughing when Jonathan frowned. “Hey
your cell is
- world wide you should be able
to pick up a signal.” He said and laughed once more
- when Jonathan stuck his tounge
out at him and turned to watch the scenery go by.
- It
seemed that in no time at all after they passed the car they
were pulling into the
- gravel parking pad of the
cabin and unloading the jeep. Jordan stopped and took
in
- the fresh scent of the mountain
air as Jonathan hurried on to the front door, Jordan just
- nodded and Jonathan tried
the door and walked into the cabin.
- “You
just leave it unlocked?” Jonathan asked skeptically.
- “No,
Henry knew we were coming between late last night and today
so he left it
- unlocked since he left around
six, my cabin keys are kept here in the top drawer.” He
- said going into the room he
claimed as his and putting his bags on the bed, he sat
- down and began to take his
shoes off. “Pick either of the other two rooms.” He
said
- loudly and he heard Jonathan’s
booted feet moving around the cabin.
- “Uhm
Jordan.” He heard Jonathan say just as he was laying back
against his
- pillows and had begun to rest
his eyes from the drive up the mountain.
- “Yeah?”
He said walking out into the hall.
- “I
think I am going to have to use the other room.” He said,
but he was smiling at
- something inside the room
across the hall from Jordan’s room.
- “Why?”
Jordan asked standing there leaning against the side of
the door to his
- bed room.
- “This
one is occupied.” Jonathan said placing a finger to his
lips, Jordan’s look
- of surprise matched his own
when he had first opened the door.
- “I
guess we found the owner of the car.” Jordan said chuckling,
he moved past
- Jonathan and sat down on the
edge of the bed, he was reaching his hand to her
- shoulder to shake her awake
but decided against it as he pulled his hand away from
- the scalding hot skin. She
had a raging fever. “Hell, get some water and a wash cloth
- and some fever medicine she’s
feverish.” Jordan said pulling the blankets up to her
- chin from where they had fallen
away from her shoulders as she laid there fighting the
- fever.
- “Did
you want to pack her up and take her to the doctor?” Jonathan
asked after
- retrieving the basin of water
for his brother.
- “Too
late in the evening, she’ll be fine by morning.” He
said and Jonathan
- nodded and went about putting
his things in the other room then he came back to sit on
- the other side of the bed
from where Jordan sat.
- “Sure?”
Jonathan asked pressing a hand to her forehead and whistling
low at the
- intense heat he found there,
he picked up another cloth and began to bath her brow.
- She moaned but stayed asleep.
- Through
out the night they took turns trying to get her fever to break,
Jonathan
- finally went off to bed as
Jordan stubbornly sat there and continued to work through the
- night to break her fever.
He rubbed his sleep deprived eyes and sighed softly when
he
- finally saw the first signs
of the fever beginning to break. He continued to bath
her
- gently through the night as
she shiverred under the covers, they had pulled three
quilts
- out of the closet earlier
before Jonathan had gone to bed and piled them onto her.
- She seemed to be sleeping
easier so Jordan moved to get up only to find that his
- body was a dead weight and
he couldn’t move he was so tired and stiff from sitting
- there the entire night. He
let himself lay down beside her above the covers and he was
- soon sleeping soundly, he
gently wrapped his arm around her midsection in his sleep
- and snuggled into her...
-
- She
sat up slowly, her head was aching the last thing she remembered
was
- stumbling into the cabin freezing
and finding the bed and falling into it. She scratched
- the side of her head as the
sun blazed into the room, then she looked down at the arm
- that was laying across her
lap. It was clad in a soft gray sweater, the muscles making
- the sweater seem comfortably
snug as they hugged the arm. She followed that arm
- and her gaze stopped at his
face, she smiled he was the most perfect man she had
- ever seen. He snuggled
closer in his sleep, his outstretched arm pulling against her
- leg as if he wanted her to
snuggle into him. She could very easily do that, she thought
- as she wriggled her way to
the other side of the bed and swung her tired legs over the
- edge. She was just about
to stand up when she felt another presense enter the room,
- she looked over her shoulder
and could have sworn that her perfect man had a rival for
- the most perfect.
- “I
see you are feeling a little better than you were yesterday,
but do you think it is
- a good idea to get out of
bed you had a fever last night and you were unconsious since
- before we got here yesterday
afternoon.” Jonathan said.
- “I’m
Tina.” She said softly and he nodded as he glanced over
at Jordan who was
- now snuggling into the top
quilt he had pilfered from over Tina the night before.
- “Jonathan,
that’s my brother Jordan.” He said coming over to sit
on the bed
- beside her.
- “That
explains it.” She said looking them both over again.
- “Huh?”
He asked and she shook her head.
- “I
really have to use the restroom.” She said.
- “Let
me atleast help you there, your legs might be jello when you
stand up. So
- did you have a bug or something?”
He asked referring to her fever.
- “I
don’t know, my car died and I started walking up here and just
before I got to
- the porch I started feeling
real ill and I all but crawled into the cabin to find a bed.”
She
- said. “It caught me
quick and kicked my ass.” She said and he smiled, damn
he
- should win an award with that.
- “So
up we go.” He said standing and pulling her to her feet
gently then let her
- lean into him for support.
- “I
feel like a child right now.” She said as she poured her
weight into him, she
- was weaker than she figured
and was glad he had been awake to help her.
- “Wait
til you get something in you, you’ll feel better.” He
said helping her into the
- bathroom then left her leaning
against the sink as he shut the door. “Let me know
- when you are done.” He
said and she smiled through the door as she sat down and
- relieved herself....
-
- They
were sitting at the table slowly sipping on a cup of warm broth,
and a cup of
- orange juice when Jordan walked
out into the cabin scratching his head. His hair was
- dishevelled, one of his sweat
pant legs had ridden up over his calf and he had failed to
- push it back down, his sock
feet making a whisper of sound as he walked. He yawned
- healthily and went to the
kitchen where the freshly brewed coffee sat begging him to
- get some of it. Fixing
it slowly as his right hand scratched his belly gently as another
- yawn spilled forth he finally
lifted his right leg to push his pant leg down on the left one
- as he scratched his leg with
his toes. He yawned again as he poured himself a bowl
of
- cereal and walked over to
the fridge for some milk and poured it over his cereal
- generously. He then made his
way over to the table and sat down, he began to eat his
- cereal then stopped to silently
curse himself as he got up and went back into the
- kitchen for his coffee. He
sat back down and continued to eat after he smiled at his
- table buddies, Jonathan’s
mouth quirked into a ruefull smile.
- “And
you thought wild animals only lived outdoors.” He said
patting Tina’s hand
- gently as she laughed softly
with him.
- “Cute.”
Jordan said.
- “Awe
and here he is in his natural habitat, you can see where he
hasn’t groomed
- himself for the day as of
yet and a dip in the river wouldn’t hurt either.” Jonathan
kept
- going.
- “Jon.”
Jordan warned softly between swallows.
- “He
eats ravenously and still has sense to let out a warning growl.”
Jonathan
- said.
- “Please
stop.” Jordan said and Jonathan smiled at his brother,
that did it
- Jordan’s own smiled widened
as the humor set in. Jonathan had done what he had
- wanted he had made her feel
better by making her laugh.
- “Yeah
well.” Jonathan said. “This is Tina.” He said
and Jordan nodded her way
- as he guzzled his coffee down.
- “Fogive
me I am not a morning person.” He said and she nodded,
it was cute to
- see him as he was and not
all trussed up and ready for work like all of the other men
- she had met.
- “That’s
alright.” She said and he smiled, her voice was gentle
and it washed over
- him like a summer breeze.
It was then he heard the pitter patter against the window
- panes and turned to see that
the springtime weather was in the process of showerring
- the land with rain.
- “So
what are you doing up on the mountain if you don’t mind me asking?”
Jordan
- said and she looked down into
her juice cup and circled the rim with her finger. “You
- don’t have to answer now.”
He added when he noted the effect of the question he had
- just asked.
- “No,
it’s alright. Smotherring family, my wedding is paid for
and is scheduled for
- three weeks from yesterday,
to a man that I wouldn’t willingly marry if my life depended
- on that. It is what
they want, they paid for it. Everything. I have
been letting them walk
- over me for years and I have
decided to do something about it, only I get lost and
- stuck on a mountain because
my car died.” She said.
- “They
are forcing you to marry someone you dislike?” Jordan
asked.
- “His
name is Simon, he is doing very well in his job and they think
he is best for
- me.” She said.
- “What
do you think?” Jonathan asked.
- “They
are stoned, I dated him for a little while and he was abusive.
Do they
- believe me? No, at any
rate I will not be there in three weeks to speak my vows with
- him even if I was promised
a honeymoon around the world and a house on the moon.”
- She said.
- “I
don’t blame you.” Jordan said softly. “So what do
you plan on doing about it,
- obviously they have their
minds set.” He asked her.
- “Hiding.”
She said. “Changing my name if I have to, anything
to keep from
- marrying him.” She said.
- “Your
car, mountain patrol has probably found it by now. If
they come looking
- here what do you want me to
tell them?” Jordan asked and Jonathan nodded,
- obviously life sucked for
her right now.
- “Well
so as not to worry the folks don’t tell them you havn’t seen
me.” She said
- smiling.
- “Did
you tell them you were leaving?” He asked.
- “Uhm
no.” She said.
- “So
they are already worried.” Jonathan said. “Use my
cell and call them. Tell
- them you had to get away for
a little while but you’ll come back soon.” He said.
- “I
can’t go back they are making me marry Simon.” She said.
- “Can’t
make you get married if you are married.” Jordan popped
out and after
- picking his jaw up off the
floor because he couldn’t even believe he had said that.
- “To
who?” Tina asked, hell she knew they hadn’t raped her
while she lay there in
- the bed she had fallen to
sleep dressed and woke in the same clothes.
- “One
of us.” Jonathan said and it was his turn to pick his
jaw up, the things that
- were popping out of his and
Jordan’s mouth’s were unbelievable.
- “So
are you telling me that you two, sexy men are proposing to me
and all I have
- to do is pick which one?”
She said, this was shocking and certainly not what she
- expected.
- “It
was my idea.” Jordan chimed smiling at her as she gave
him a bright smile.
- “So
I should pick you.” She said and he nodded gently.
- “I’m
more fun.” Jonathan said.
- “Ha!”
Jordan said and they all laughed. “Seriously, if
it will get you out of
- marrying him, and doing the
things your family want you to do instead of what you want
- to do the option is there.”
He said.
- “How
would it affect your lives?” She asked.
- “A
lot of shocked faces, we are both single men looking for
love. Our family can
- be overbearing because we
are the youngest two but they love us, and will support any
- decision we make.” Jordan
said and Jonathan nodded in agreement.
- “How
do I know you aren’t abusive?” She asked.
- “I
am abusive.” Jordan said firmly. “To guys who mess
with my woman.” He
- said and they all laughed
at the thoughts that had flown through her head and the looks
- on her face when he had paused
for that briefest of moments.
- “Yeah,
I’ll beat the hell out of any man who hurts my lovely lady.”
Jonathan
- agreed.
- “I’ll
have to think on it.” She said.
- “It
is your decision.” They both said as she weakly walked
towards the bedroom
- she had claimed and shut the
door, she sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled
- her cell out of her pocket
and turned it on. She would check her voice mail at home
- and see if anyone has called.
- ‘Tina
pick up, please.’ Her mother’s voice came up first.
- ‘Are
you there? If you don’t call back by morning I am coming
over.’ Her dad’s
- voice.
- ‘I
am on my way over there.’ Her dad’s voice again the next
day. That was it
- there were no more messages
at home.
- She
sighed and dialed her mother’s number, placing a finger over
her right ear
- she waited for an answer.
“Tina? Where are you we have been so worried.” She
said
- answerrig right of way, yup
their caller identification is working.
- “I
am fine, I just went for a drive and ended up in a cute little
hotel for a little while.
- I needed to think over things.”
She said.
- “You’re
alright?” She asked.
- “I
am fine.” She said to her mother hearing the exhale of
the breath that she had
- been holding.
- “Are
you going to be home in time for your wedding?” She asked.
- “I
am not marrying Simon.” Tina said.
- “But
it is paid for, you have to you are obligated now that it is
paid for. Don’t you
- dare waste my money young
lady.” She said.
- “You
wasted your money, I told you not to do it and you did it anyway.
Please
- understand I cannot marry
Simon.” She said.
- “Give
me one good reason.” Her mother said in that you had better
have a
- reason tone she hated.
- “I,
I ran away to get married.” She said stumbling over the
words as Jordan
- came into her room after knocking
gently.
- “What?!”
She asked incredulous that she had paid for a wedding and her
- daughter had run off to get
married.
- “Yeah,
he’s right here want to speak to him?” Tina said pushing
the envelope as
- Jordan realized what was going
on over the phone.
- “Give
up your little hoax, you are a little liar now get your butt
home so you can
- get married to the man we
have chosen for you.” She said laughing sarcastically
into
- the phone at her daughter.
- Tina
didn’t have the decency to even say goodbye after that, she
just clicked off
- her cellular and shut the
power off so that her mother couldn’t call her back. Jordan
- was sitting beside her, he
had taken a shower obviously from the droplets collecting in
- his hair and running down
his collar bone to curl around a bare nipple as he sat there
in
- a pair of shorts. She
sighed and gave him a bewildered look, he just reached up and
- put his arm around her shoulders
and pulled her to lean against him as he hugged her.
- His chin was resting on top
of her head as his other hand rested gently on her thigh, his
- right hand moved from her
shoulder to stroke her hair as she began to cry into his
|
