14
Daniel woke the next morning refreshed and full of energy. She was curled up on her side next to him. Her hair was all tussled, and she was hugging the pillow to her. He carefully got out of bed not wishing to wake her. Sleep woman, you went thru enough last night. He grabbed some clean clothes and carefully shut the door. He used her bathroom and showered and changed. Then he went downstairs and let the ‘twins’ out. He made some coffee and got himself a glass of juice. He decided to go for a run, to help clear his head. The ‘twins’ were only too glad to have him join them.
Everything that has happened since I got to the mountains has pushed us together. The dreams showed me the way here, and also what was to be. I thought that last night we had gotten pretty close. She had actually kissed me. But then she pulled back. Seeing her last night, touching her, having her in my arms was too much. I wanted her more than I have ever wanted any woman. I think I’ve been patient long enough. Well, no more! I can’t go after my dragon until we’re together. And I want my dragon! When the opportunity presents itself again, I’m going to go for it, damn it!
After about an hour he headed back to the house. He came in and fed the ‘twins’. Then he set about making some breakfast. He heard the water running in the shower upstairs so he knew she was awake. Pancakes, that’s what I’ll make. They are always good on a cold morning. He heard her coming down the stairs and prepared a juice for her. She came into the kitchen quietly and sat down.
“Good Morning. ” She had on a pair of jeans and a red long sleeved turtleneck. “Mmm …something smells good.”
“How’s the foot?” He was looking at her with concern.
“Actually, it’s almost healed, see…,” she had sat down and was lifting it to show him.
“… just another benefit, you heal up quickly.”
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please. Daniel, I want to thank you for last night. Anyone else would have taken advantage of the situation.”
“Woman, do not for one moment think that I didn’t consider it!” He said with more force than he intended. “I am only human, and you are a treasure most men would kill for nowadays. Do not underestimate yourself, or me.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Now, how do pancakes sound; with gobs of syrup and sausage.” He asked with a smile.
“Sounds great, I’m starving.” She smiled at him, and then said, “by the way, what are we going to do about the window? There’s no place to get a new glass pane.”
“We’ll just have to put some plywood over it and nail it shut. Can’t have the house open to who knows what when we’re not here, can we?” He was busy making the pancakes while the sausage sizzled in another frying pan.
“Right, is the Bar-B-Q still on; or have you changed your mind?” she was fishing to see if their relationship had changed.
“Damn right it’s on! I want those ribeyes. And I have the perfect movie for tonight. That is if we can find it. ‘The Fifth Element’ …what do you think?” He was grinning – proud of himself.
“Yes! That’s a great one!” She smiled at him.
“We can look and see what’s in the bin. Foods up,” he handed her a plate and fixed one for himself.
They ate in silence, both hungry. She offered to clean up since he made breakfast. He got busy at the end of the island preparing a marinade for the rib eyes. He put them in a large bowl and covered them and put them back in the refrigerator. He came over to the sink and rinsed his hands. Grabbing the dishtowel he dried his hands and asked, “So, what‘s on the agenda for today?”
“First I’d like to say something, if you don’t mind. But I want to get it out of the way.”
“Go ahead,” he stared at her intently.
“I’ve dreamt about you for a long time.” She said quietly, “and I thought it was just wishful thinking, but Jake kept saying ‘no, that is your mate’. I didn’t want to believe it; but the dreams persisted, and they became so real. The things you did to me made me feel again. Sometimes I would wake up and I could still feel you. Then you walked into our camp – it was too surreal. I’m flying blind here Daniel, I don’t know what to do, and I’m afraid.” She sighed deeply and looked at him, waiting for a response.
“I’ve dreamt about you too. I’ve had you in my dreams for almost 2 years, in more ways than one I don’t mind saying. I know you very well woman, every inch of your body, every line on your face. When we came into camp I was thrown for a loop. To suddenly see you in the flesh, well it was a bit of a shock. For a while I tried to deny it, but I won’t do that anymore.”
He reached over and took her hand in his. “Good things are worth waiting for. Lets just take it a day at a time.” He rose and reached over and put his hand under her chin tilting her head to him and gently kissed her on the lips. She blushed. Cute!
“By the way, from now on we sleep together. No pressure, just fact.”
“Yes Daniel,” she said in a soft voice and had he looked he would have seen a small smile on her face.
“As to today, do you think the Library in town has a detailed map of the California coast? I’d like to get a good picture of the lay of the land between here and there. We need to get an idea of what we are going to face out there.” He was thinking ahead.
“Yes, I believe there is a rather large area with maps and charts. That was the one building I insisted that we leave the electricity on. All those books would have turned to dust long ago if I hadn’t. We can go over and have a look. Just let me get my shoes on, and do my hair.” She was off like a shot.
He changed and put on a white cardigan sweater. Ah much warmer! He could hear the hair dryer going and knew she would be a few minutes. Coming back downstairs he reached for the crossbow, and called for the ‘twins’.
“Want to go for a ride guys? Yea, that’s right, go for a ride.” They were jumping up and down; they knew what a ride was now and they were ready. He went into the pantry and took out the small cooler. He took 4 cokes out of the frig and some ice packs. He placed it on the back seat, and started the car to warm it up.
“Time’s awastin’ woman!” he shouted up to her.
She came down tying her hair at the nape of her neck. “I wish I could French braid it, but I don’t know how.”
“Ah, Madame, but you have Jacques here. He is ze best when it comes to ze braiding.” He had quickly turned her around and he deftly divided her hair into three sections and began a simple braid.
“Your hair shall be magnifique!”
She chuckled at his ‘act’ and said, “You are just a man of many secrets.”
“I spent six months at an Artic Station,” he began to explain, “we were snowed in for 8 weeks. Two of the women at the station had long hair and they taught us the fine art of braiding. We became pretty damn good at it. Used to have races, and contests; surprised!”
“Will your wonders never cease? Cook, chauffer, movie critic, connoisseur of fine films, hairstylist, what other hidden talents do you have?”
Oh baby you’d be surprised!
“Like to keep my women guessing; it keeps things exciting.” He finished in minutes and tied the end with the red ribbon she handed him. “There you go. Good job.”
She went into the living room and looked in the mirror. “Wow! This is a great job. No kidding around, this is done really well.”
“Lets go, you can sing my praises in the car.”
“You egotistical, smart-ass!” he was laughing at her and she realized he was pulling her leg. “Seriously, the women back at camp are going to keep you and your men busy when they find out about this. And I’m going to tell them!”