Читать книгу Give Me Fever - Niobia Bryant - Страница 11

The sky was still inky black in the wee hours of the morning as Jade drove one of the Wild-n-Out passenger vans up to the front of the Strong ranch. She was pleased to see her group was up, ready and on the front porch awaiting her arrival. That was definitely a good sign.

“Thank God,” she said, parking the black van next to a row of ATVs.

The last camping expedition she’d led started off rocky when several of the group members arrived two hours late. Those same people turned out to be loafers who made the entire experience hella bad for Jade and the other group members who truly wanted to glean something from the trip. They mistook her role in the trip as a servant. Bad mistake.

She was hoping these twenty-first-century chocolate cowboys would be less stressful than the businessmen from Columbia trying to be outdoorsmen. She was happy for the business, but sometimes people just had to know when to stay in their lane. Switching up could be hazardous.

“Humph.” Jade had never been so happy to see the last of people.

A full week of whining men who were afraid to get dirty had worked her last nerve, but she took it in stride with a smile.

She forced herself not to draw the comparison between those men and Kaeden Strong. His father and brothers all owned and operated farms. The man had to know something about the outdoors.

Jade hopped out of the driver’s seat of the van. “Mornin’, everyone,” she called over to the men and women on the porch as she walked to the rear of the van to open the doors for them to store their bags. Hopefully if they stuck to the checklist she gave them, everything should fit. The last thing she needed was unnecessary cargo to deal with.

The camping gear she supplied as part of the package was already secured to the rack on the top of the van. She had a full tank of gas. She’d already spoken to Darren, who was on his way to lead a hunting trip in Spartanburg. She had their waivers all signed. Every person was registered with the state park and alerted to their presence on their grounds—an extra level of security for a woman who at times led men on outdoor excursions. Jade was ready to rock and roll.

She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her snug denims as she smiled warmly at the loving embraces the men gave their wives, who were still dressed in their nightgowns and robes. Kaeden and Kaleb made their way over to her carrying their backpacks and sleeping bags.

“Ready to answer the call of the wild, fellas?” she asked them.

Kaleb whistled as he eyed her. “Yes, by God, I am,” he said with clear intent.

Jade fought not to roll her eyes. “Alrighty then, keep it moving, Casanova,” she told him with a smile and a firm slap of her hand against his shoulder.

“You know, in other…situations, you wouldn’t have to prompt me to move. Oh, I get the job done and well.”

Jade let her eyes roll, not even bothering to fight it. She turned to the one with the glasses. “Kaeden, right?”

“That’s me,” he said with a smile.

Jade was completely taken back by the dimples in his cheeks and the brightness of his straight teeth. He has a nice smile, she thought, shifting her eyes up to peer through those dorky glasses of his. The only thing she saw was twin reflections of the moon.

“Maybe we can set up that appointment now without all the drama,” she teased as he stepped forward in his jeans and long-sleeved black T-shirt to set his bags in the van.

Kaeden pushed his glasses up as he smiled down at her. “I’m sorry about that.”

Jade reached out and touched his hand lightly and quickly. “Oh, no, no, it’s okay. Your wife was just marking her territory.”

“She’s not my wife or my girl,” Kaeden said so quickly that his words ran together.

“Really? You two look cute together.” Jade turned her attention to the other Strong men walking up to the van.

“Are we crazy?” Bianca asked as she stood alongside her mother-in-law and sister-in-law on the porch in their nightgowns and robes.

The three women all eyed Jade as she chatted with their husbands. Someone would have to be blind to not see how beautiful and sexy the woman was—even in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved fitted tee. On top of it everyone in Holtsville knew she really was a nice and friendly person who was always quick to smile.

“Ella hace que la mayoría de las mujeres parecen hombres,” Garcelle said.

Lisha and Bianca both whipped their heads around to look at her with confusion clearly shown on their faces. “Huh?” they both asked.

“I said she makes most women look like men,” Garcelle said.

“Ladies, listen, I am not married to nor did I raise whoremongers,” Lisha told them. “We have good men and we’re in trusting marriages. Right?”

“Right,” Bianca said.

“Sí,” Garcelle joined in.

The men waved before climbing into the van through the sliding side door. Jade closed that door behind them and then walked around the van to slam the rear door closed.

“Don’t worry, ladies, they’re in good hands,” Jade called over to them. “Bye.”

All three ladies fixed stiff smiles to their pretty faces as they waved back at her. “Bye,” they said in a singsong fashion that was as fake as their smiles.

Two hours later the sun had finally begin to rise, turning the sky from inky black to a deep shade of lavender with streaks of gold. It truly was a beautiful sight, but Kaeden was too busy fuming from his seat at the rear of the van to notice any of it.

Kaeden truly felt like he could strangle his brother Kaleb. Not enough to kill him, but just enough so that it hurt his little brother to talk.

Kaeden frowned deeply as he pierced the back of his brother’s prematurely gray-haired head with his eyes. He was up front in the passenger seat sitting next to Jade.

Kaeden was hoping to use the trip as his chance to get to know Jade better and to look for cues that Jade would want to know him better. If Kaleb would shut his big mouth.

He gritted his teeth as Jade laughed at something Kaleb said. He opened his Jordan Banks mystery book but he found it hard to focus on the words. Jade’s earlier words to him echoed as if she had yelled them into the Grand Canyon.

“You two look cute together.”

He hoped Jade wouldn’t relay that sentiment to Felecia.

“All right, gents, we’re here,” Jade said as she pulled the van into a parking spot inside the state park. “If you could load up your backpacks while I finish our registration, we’re going to hike from here to one of the trailside campsites along the Edisto River.”

As Kaeden followed his family out of the van, he again wondered if he was crazy to agree to go hiking and camping. The idea of him participating in such activities was not logical, and he usually operated on the side of logic and common sense.

“Ready, son?” Kael asked as he slapped Kaeden soundly on his shoulder.

Kaeden took the backpack his father handed to him and caught sight of Jade striding out of the ranger station toward them. The woman took his breath away. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said, determined to make the very best of this trip as he patted his pocket to make sure he had the case holding an emergency shot of epinephrine.

“She sure is a pretty gal, ain’t she?” Kael asked.

Kaeden felt his father’s eyes on him and he shifted his eyes off Jade. “That’s pretty obvious.”

Kael shifted the straps of his bulky backpack to a more comfortable position on his broad shoulders. “Sometimes opposites do attract, son,” he advised his son with a wink.

Kaeden said nothing. Was his attraction to Jade that obvious? First his niece and now his father?

Once they divided all their supplies, the men followed Jade onto the trail. Each step seemed to take them deeper and deeper into the forest until they were surrounded by varying shades of brown and green. Squirrels skittering past, the leaves rustling as birds swooped in and out amongst the trees, and the sounds of the river running all blended together into a wilderness symphony.

Kaeden wished he could enjoy it. He sneezed loudly, nearly causing his glasses to fly off his face.

“Bless you,” Kahron said.

“You all right back there, little bubba?” Kade called back to him.

He pushed his glasses back up on his face and swatted at something crawling against his cheek. “Just fine,” he called back, completely lying as he felt the back of his throat itching and his eyes watering behind his spectacles.

They walked single file along the trail, and Kaeden brought up the rear. Keeping up wasn’t his problem. He actually was in pretty good shape. He didn’t want to let on to Jade that the outdoors definitely wasn’t his shtick. He’d rather be back at his town house under the cool comfort of his central air watching sports or playing Literati online.

“All right, fellas, welcome home,” Jade declared as they came to a sand-packed clearing among the trees.

“Wow,” was all that Kaeden could say.

The riverside campsite was even more primitive than he imagined—and he had imagined the worst.

There was a large stone fire ring in the center of the cleared area, and twenty feet away was a lone building he figured was an outhouse. The sound of the running stream was very calming, but Kaeden figured water drew insects.

Jade removed her backpack. “We can set up camp here. Just situate your tents a few feet back from the fire ring. The smoke will help keep away the bugs.”

As Jade ran down the rules and regulations for camping at a state park, Kaeden dug his can of insect repellent out of the side pocket of his backpack. He made sure to spray his exposed hands and neck.

“One of you want to help me gather firewood?” Jade asked as she pulled a small case out of her sack. She opened it to reveal a small but sharp hatchet.

“Jade, Kaleb and I will go chop firewood,” Kahron said, using his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his angular face before he slid his aviator shades back into place.

“Yeah, don’t be silly. Let the men handle this.” Kaleb reached for the hatchet.

Jade raised a brow and moved it out of his reach. “Oh. Okay. So I’m supposed to say ‘thank you, kind sirs’ and let the men go off to do the manly work while I stay behind and…and…what? Cook up the vittles?”

Kaeden paused in removing his pop-up tent from its case. He eyed Jade and smiled at the defiance clearly shown in her eyes. The woman had spunk.

“Now, that look reminds me of my wife,” Kade said with a dimpled grin as he ran his fingers through his large silver curls.

Kael laughed. “Mine too.”

“Hell, mine too,” Kahron added.

“Look, gentlemen, you paid me to do my job. Let’s put aside the old Southern gender-role crap and let me do my job.” Jade eyed each of them sternly and then gave them a brilliant smile.

For Kaeden, that smile made the dark and damp woods seem like a tropical paradise.

Campsites were always so cozy and inviting to Jade. Once they set up camp she had led them farther up the Edisto River to a spot she knew from past experience was great for fishing. After hiking and fishing all day, it felt good to return to the campsite and light the fire.

Jade honestly didn’t think anything was more picturesque than the glow of fire amongst the dense trees, particularly with the moon glinting off the running stream.

Since there was only one fire ring, Jade had staked her own tent not far from the men. A part of her guide duties was cooking the meal—unless her clients wished to fix it themselves. Kahron cleaned the fish and Kade agreed to fry them along with baked beans on the side.

Jade dropped down into her little pink camp chair outside her hot pink tent. The fire was crackling and the smell of the fish frying in the pan was divine. Her stomach grumbled loudly, but she wasn’t at all ashamed. They had all worked up an appetite.

Well, almost everyone, Jade thought, cutting her eyes across the stretch of packed sand to Kaeden’s tent. She could tell from the light on inside the tent that he was scratching like crazy. She shook her head and tried not to laugh at the sight he made.

Jade was normally a good-natured, fun-loving person and there weren’t too many people who truly annoyed her…but Kaeden Strong had been irking the hell out of her nerves all day.

He was a grown-ass man—a good old-fashioned Southern man—who stunk at fishing. He didn’t know how to bait a hook and his line always got tangled in his reel when he threw it.

Between that and the clear signs of his dang on allergies, he reminded her way too much of those businessmen from Columbia. The man had no more right to be on a camping trip than a newborn baby. He was an intelligent man with a reputation for taking care of business skillfully, but when it came to the outdoors, Kaeden Strong needed to stay indoors.

Jade closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the men joking as they moved around the camp. It was the sound of family…and it sounded good.

“You look awful lonesome over here.”

Jade leaned sideways and opened one eye to find Kaleb standing over her. With his muscular build, he nearly blocked out all of the illumination from the moon. “Looks can be so deceiving,” she told him, closing her eyes and returning to the darkness.

When moments passed and he still hadn’t budged, she frowned. “Kaleb, please, are you still standing over me?”

“Enjoying the view.”

Jade released a heavy sigh that was filled with annoyance. Not the “he’s cute and I’m only playing like he is working my last nerve” type of annoyance. True “please get out my face and leave me alone” annoyance. Men like Kaleb were all caught up in the physical and couldn’t care less if she knew how to count to five.

“Kaleb, you’re my partner in whist!” Kael hollered over to him from his spot at the picnic table.

Jade didn’t bother opening her eyes as she held her hand up and wiggled her fingers good-bye.

He just chuckled before she heard him walk away.

Jade was glad because she really didn’t want to have to hurt Kaleb’s feelings. It was the gospel truth that he was not at all her type. He had a handsome face, but his overly muscular build was not at all her type. In fact, the taller and leaner frame of his brothers was more to her liking.

Jade opened her eyes and looked over at Kaeden’s tent. The poor thing is still at it, she thought.

She rose to her feet and grabbed her backpack from the ground by the entrance of her tent. She pulled out a small sealed Ziploc before she made her way over to Kaeden’s tent.

“Kaeden, can I come in?” she asked, stooping down by the zipped-up entrance.

The laughter and joviality at the picnic table immediately ceased and Jade looked over her shoulder to find all the men gazing over at her in open curiosity. “Get your minds out the gutter, gentlemen,” she told them, holding up the baggie to show them.

As if, she thought, as Kaeden unzipped the tent. Just as the flap opened she saw him slide his glasses back into place on his face. She felt a moment of disappointment. She would love to see what he looked like without them. Simply for curiosity’s sake, of course.

“Listen, here’s a paste my grandfather swears by for insect bites,” she told him, noticing the open Jordan Banks book and an inhaler atop his sleeping bag.

“Thanks, I must have sugar in my blood,” he mused with a smile as he took the outstretched baggie from her hand.

“Wow, look at your arms,” she said, reaching out to touch the many swollen and red bumps. “Put the paste on and let it sit for at least ten minutes. I promise the itching will stop. It works.”

Kaeden opened the Ziploc and used his finger to start smoothing the paste onto the bites. “Thanks a lot,” he told her.

“No problem.” Jade rose to her feet and walked back over to her camp chair.

Kael walked over to the fire to check the pot. “Food’s ready,” he said, spooning beans onto paper plates and topping them with crispy golden pieces of fried bass.

Kaeden exited his tent and Jade tried not to chuckle at the sight of the white patches of paste drying on his arms. She dropped down into her chair with a yawn and a leisurely stretch.

“Here you go, Jade,” Kael said, handing her the plate.

Jade smiled at the older gentleman who reminded her of her grandfather. “Thank you, but I’m too beat to eat,” she told him.

“You go ahead and turn in, we’re just going to eat this fish and play cards.”

“That sounds good to me, but don’t be up too late. We’re leaving early,” she told him as she rose from her chair and knelt down to crawl into her tent. “Night, fellas.”

The men all wished her a good night as Jade zipped her tent up snugly. She turned on a small lantern and settled onto her side on the puffy sleeping bag. She smiled as she pulled her own copy of the Jordan Banks book from her backpack. She loved Jordan Banks’s mystery novels. She owned them all and always preordered the newest releases.

She read until her eyes began to feel heavy. In the dreamy seconds before she fell into a deep sleep, Jade was quite surprised that an image of Kaeden Strong in his tent reading the same book came to her.

Of all the things for her and Kaeden to have in common.