Wildfire (5 page)

Elaine rose early, dressed and was ready to head out with the rising of the sun. She hadn’t slept very well and had awoken several times throughout the night. It was going to be a beautiful day and she was just anxious to face it. Yes, surely that was it. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with Devon McKinney.

Elaine was well down the trail when she paused. She had always tried to be honest with herself, although she hadn’t always been successful. But still she didn’t consciously lie to herself and she wasn’t going to start now. She knew her inner voice was right. She shifted the rifle on her shoulder to stop it from bumping her canteen. She was acting like a greenhorn, fumbling nervously. There was nothing wrong with being curious about someone. Why wouldn’t she be curious about the most attractive woman she had ever met? She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants before continuing on.

Elaine arrived at Devon’s camp just as Devon was slinging a pack onto her shoulder. “Going somewhere?”

Devon spun around on her heel, looking both startled and shocked, but the slow smile that spread across Devon’s face made Elaine’s stomach suddenly jump and she immediately became aware of the slight perspiration between her breasts.

“Just going down the river a bit to gather some data.”

Elaine repositioned the rifle on her shoulder. “I’ll walk with you.”

Devon’s mouth opened and closed as though she was going to protest, but instead she simply nodded and mumbled, “All right.”

They walked in silence for several minutes. Elaine was taking note of the way Devon unconsciously avoided stepping on plants, much the way she herself did. She was delighted that she didn’t have to slow her pace for Devon who kept up easily.

“How’s the research coming?”

Devon dodged a tree. “Some of the foliage away from the river’s edge is promising, but I won’t really know until I can get some samples back to the lab.”

“When do you head back?”

“I need to have everything finished up here in about three to four weeks.”

“Do you think that’s enough time? The last researcher was up here for almost two months.”

“It has to be.” At Elaine’s inquisitive stare, Devon went on to explain.

“My sister is pregnant and she’s due in about six weeks, but the doctor thinks she might deliver early. There’s no way I’m going to miss that.”

Elaine digested the information. “Congratulations. First time aunt?”

“Yes. I’m so excited. I would have delayed this assignment, but my sister insisted that I come. I’ve learned not to argue with her, especially now that she’s eight months pregnant.”

“I’m a little surprised that you are on this assignment solo. I didn’t think the EPA would let you come up here alone, especially at this time of year.”

Devon arched an eyebrow as her mouth spread into a slow grin. Sarcasm tainted her voice as she replied, “Yeah well, I’m rogue.”

Elaine shook with laughter. The sound filled the trees and reverberated around them. “A rogue botanist!”

Devon gave a toss of the head, a crooked smile showing her amusement and kept walking.

It was some time before she stopped to settle her pack on a large rock. “This is where I need to start. Thank you for the company.”

Devon stood just a step from Elaine. Elaine knew her own lips were slightly parted. The hike was not why her breath was shallow and her eyes unfocused. If she didn’t get it together, Devon would think she was a freak. She couldn’t stop looking at Devon’s lips.

Devon did seem to be breathing hard from the hike. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared back at Elaine. So Elaine did the only thing that made sense. She said, “Have a good day,” before turning and walking off.

Devon worked until the sun set each night for the next several days. Hours of squatting had caused knots in her thighs, but the ground was far too cold to sit on. She could feel the moisture gathering in the air. It wasn’t heavy enough for rain or snow yet, but she knew that it was coming. She wanted to get as much work done before the weather changed and it helped that she saw no more of the captain.

She made sure to call Stacey and Raine on the designated nights. The static from the absence of cell towers and rough terrain made it difficult to maintain a signal, forcing her to keep the calls short and left her wondering how her sister was really doing. If she felt disconnected from Raine, she could only imagine how her husband Phillip felt, getting all his news while stationed in Iraq. She knew the days were getting longer, but the added minute each morning and each night weren’t doing much to help her meet her deadline.

Her work was moving along at a snail’s pace thanks to the hard earth. It was still frozen and difficult to penetrate. Of course, she had expected it, but it made doing research tedious. Still she was able to examine root structures and color. A light mist was forming on the foliage when she finally decided to spend some time in her tent transferring her data to her computer. Her backpacker’s solar-based charging unit would give her well over two hours of battery life.

The graphs and charts that she had made to compare to last year’s samples showed improvement, but the further she worked downriver the worse her findings. The hazmat team had arrived by helicopter within minutes of the reported derailment and worked as quickly as possible to erect a barrier. The one break they did catch was that it was a slow water season and the water level was low compared to other times during the year. In an attempt to prevent the chemical from reaching the Columbia River, they had placed absorption socks along the surface of the water. Luckily they had been successful in restricting the contamination to the South Croix River, but the result was that it had provided a smaller area for the pollutant to collect, causing more intense damage to this area of the river. The accumulation of the toxins had taken a serious toll on the plant life and Devon was disheartened by the data she collected.

Elaine spent the next four days staying busy and searching for the poachers. But no matter how busy she remained, Devon McKinney invaded her thoughts. How could she even think about Devon when she had decided that a break from women was exactly what she needed, especially after the way things ended with Grace? She had planned on taking some time to be single and free of the complications that women bring. But what she hadn’t planned on was Devon.

Her mind replayed the events of the last time she had seen Devon, standing on the river bank gazing into Devon’s eyes, focusing on those perfectly luscious lips that made her heart race. When she looked at Devon she felt an unfamiliar heat radiate through her body.

Like the previous days, she decided to circumvent Devon’s camp. In order to avoid Devon’s campsite, she was forced to take a much harder trail along the ridge, but it was worth it. Devon was not going to disrupt her thoughts further.

She had decided when she awoke that morning that another dip in the cold mountain spring was definitely in order. God knew that she needed something to cool her imagination and her body. Her dreams had been far too graphic for her liking. Once she regained control of her libido then maybe she would be able to act like the professional she was.

Elaine made her way down the mountainside toward the deep clear pool. Her forearms glistened with sweat and she looked forward to the cold water. She followed the water’s edge down to a large boulder that stood between her and the pool. She had barely reached the top when she froze.

Elaine’s mouth went completely dry as she took in the sight before her. Light shimmered off the water, hiding and then revealing the near perfect body just beneath the surface. Devon was on the far end lying in the shallows of the crystal clear water.

Devon heard the motion on the rock and lay still for several minutes listening for another sound. She finally rolled over and slowly swam toward the bank. The last thing she wanted to do was share the water with an animal. As she lifted herself from the water and began to move toward her clothes she caught a reflection in the water. The image was unmistakable. Elaine stood above, only partially hidden by a tree, in her faded green uniform, sun glistening off her ginger-colored hair.

Devon smiled to herself. If the ranger thought she was going to chase her off then she was sorely mistaken. When she had first met the ranger and noticed her dampened hair, she had been reminded of the crystal clear spring. Although it was bitterly cold, it was invigorating. Devon didn’t consider her lack of clothing as she dove back into the water. As she surfaced, she threw her head back letting her hair cascade down over her shoulders. She stood with the water just under her breasts. Almost immediately, her body had been anesthetized by the cold water and she hadn’t noticed just how erect her nipples were. She glanced down, looking for Elaine’s reflection, when she noticed the state of her breasts. She mentally shrugged. Oh well, there wasn’t much she could do about it now. She had to admit she was flattered. She imagined most women might have been annoyed or even furious under the same circumstances, but she was oddly appreciative that Elaine continued to watch.

She knew that Elaine was still on the rock as she continued her swim and that Elaine didn’t realize that she had been spotted. If Elaine wanted the pool then she could damn well wait her turn, or at the very least announce herself. She was enjoying taking a break from her work and she wasn’t going to be chased away just because Elaine wanted to swim and couldn’t share.

Devon made several more laps around the pool. Using her muscles this way was a welcome change to the positions she held while working. Occasionally Devon would roll over to float on her back enjoying the sun. She knew that she should probably be polite and let Elaine have the pool soon, but she was here first damn it and she was going to enjoy her time. She reminded herself that was her only motivation for staying in the freezing water.

Elaine was careful not to make another sound. She knew that she should leave. It wasn’t right watching Devon this way. If their positions had been reversed, she would be irritated that she was being watched. Wouldn’t she? But her eyes were fixed and she was powerless over them.

Devon’s body was even more beautiful than she had imagined. She was surprised to see just how tan Devon was…everywhere. She was willing to bet that smooth bronze wasn’t from a tanning bed.

As Devon swam around the pool, she couldn’t help but memorize her graceful movements. The fluid motion created a throbbing between her legs as she imagined how that body would feel moving against her own.

When Devon surfaced from the water Elaine felt like she was in a slow-motion movie. She watched as the water dripped from Devon’s face and ran down her neck. She was envious of the beads of water that caressed Devon’s breasts as they made their way back to the pool. Elaine couldn’t help but follow the path of the water with her eyes. One drop clung to Devon’s nipple and she wanted nothing more than to take it in her mouth.

She barely stifled a gasp when Devon finally made her way out of the water. She reached down to pick up a towel when Elaine finally noticed the tattoo on her left shoulder. It was the only mark on her otherwise perfect body. Elaine couldn’t see it clearly, but it definitely made her want to see it close up and in detail. Too soon it was hidden below clothing, but that didn’t stop Elaine from recalling it perfectly.

The last thing she expected was a sudden devilish smile flashed her way, with a cheeky, “It’s all yours, Captain.”

For several minutes Elaine stood stupefied, feeling like a Peeping Tom who had just been caught by the object of her desire. She didn’t know how she would ever be able to look Devon in the face again.

Elaine continued her meticulous scouring north along the ridge, looking for any signs of poachers while she studiously ignored the existence of Devon McKinney. She spent a couple of days in the observation tower scanning for plumes of smoke, anything that would indicate campers, other than Devon, in the forest. She was due to connect with Donovan at the end of this sweep. She was doing her job, no distractions.

Right.

She resigned herself to the fact that her conscience wasn’t going to leave her alone. She would have to head down the mountain and apologize to Devon for watching her. She shivered at the thought of seeing Devon again.

She had tried to push thoughts of Devon from her mind, but the images of her wet body haunted her. She had memorized every inch and now she was paying the price with utter distraction. She finally gave in and let her mind wander free to fantasize about the sexy doctor.

There had been many women she had found attractive, but Devon was exquisite. Never before had she been so drawn to another woman and never had she been forced relentlessly to fight the desire to keep her distance.

It wasn’t just Devon’s body that attracted her. There was something in her eyes. How could a woman she didn’t even know seem to be staring directly into her? When Devon looked at her, Elaine felt truly
seen.

She met Donovan on schedule at the bottom of the service road for supplies and asked for any word that the poachers might have moved on.

“Sorry, Captain, but a couple of hikers found a deer lying in the middle of a field about a half a mile north of here. I checked it out, but I lost the trail.”

“Thanks, Donovan. Keep me posted if you find anything.”