Love in the Bush

1

Anya couldn't stop looking. The view was gorgeous. Snow-capped mountains, beautiful thick forest and a setting sun stretched across the sky. As far as her eyes could see. She couldn't believe she was finally there. She was finally in Alaska.

Anya was one of many that found their selves gawking at the same sight. They were all crowded on the top level of the ferry ship. She could hear the gasps around her, mirroring how she felt. The view was breath taking. It was almost worth the three weeks that it took her to get across the country to Washington State or the three days that she had spent on the godforsaken ferry ship.

There weren't any rooms available when she booked the ferry and they would not let her stay in her R.V., so she had to stay on the top side with a tent. She made the best of it, but it was quite cold and she was ready to get off and back into her R.V.

It was a pretty small and old R.V. that she had found on Craiglist for several thousand dollars. It was an eighties model Dolphin, but it had been well maintained and only had a little over fifty thousand miles. She was actually quite lucky to have found it.

At thirty, Anya was newly divorced and this was her way of starting over. It also was a way to find herself again. She had been married since she was eighteen and newly moved to Louisiana. She was a dutiful wife for the next eleven years to a man who in reality didn't appreciate it. She had just had enough. The last straw was finding out that he had a vasectomy a few years after they got married.

All of her dreams were crushed in that moment. She had been wanting, craving a child for over five years and she was starting to wonder what was wrong with her. She went to doctors and did all kinds of test, but nothing came through. She finally pushed and pleaded for her husband Mike to get checked out and he did not confess to the surgery until they were at the parking lot of the doctor's office.

The following few months were a blur of arguments, hurt feelings and then lawyers. After a few depositions and mediation, Anya was over the whole situation. She kept the money in her personal savings account, which was a little over ten thousand dollars and she let him have the rest. She didn't want the house or cars. She didn't want anything to remind her of him.

So now here she was, on a ferry boat four thousand miles away in Alaska. It was a whole lot different than Louisiana. It was like a whole new world up there. The cold was a bit more pronounced. She knew it would be cold, but she was not prepared for the cold chill that was paired with a freezing cold rain. The rain got into your bones, making you cold from the inside out. She was shaking hard but she could not bring herself to pull away from the sunset. She was bummed to be getting to Ketchikan in the dark, but watching the sunset as they arrived was almost worth the hassle.

It was another hour or two before she was driving off the boat. She found a good spot in town to park and saw there was a Walmart up the road. Exhausted and freezing, she cranked the heater up and started getting ready for bed. She finally turned the engine off and slipped in between the sheets. She was asleep moments after her head hit the pillow. She dreamed of great adventures that night.

The next morning was colder than the night. Anya needed to find some propane. She was upset that she let it slip her mind. She had several small bottles, but after last night, she realized that she was going to need more than she had if she was going to even attempt to do this winter. She planned on staying in the state park until she found some land, so she would need some fuel.

Anya bought a newspaper and went back to her trailer to get some coffee made. She really didn't like the taste of it, but the smell seemed to help her wake up. When it was finally done, she scooped in several spoonful of hot cocoa to mask the coffee taste. She looked out her window in the Walmart parking lot. The sun had risen in the background, even here, the views were breath taking.

The paper had a few cheap acreage plots out in the middle of nowhere that were in her price range. One even had a small 500 square foot cabin that would make it so much easier. Although she wanted to live in the bush, building sound structures was not her specialty.

Anya picked up all the morning supplies strewn around and made her bed. It was one of her pet peeves, so it had to be done. Even though no one else would see the bed, she had to make it every day. She took a quick sponge bath in the little shower and brushed her teeth while she was in there. She dressed in some insulated leggings and a long sleeve mid-thigh dress. She pulled on some brown boots and a scarf. Taking her hair down, she brushed her hair till it billowed just below the hem of her skirt. She checked herself in the mirror, just a quick glance was all she ever gave herself and this morning wasn't any different.

She talked to a guy from the number on the paper. He had the five acres for sale with a small cabin that apparently needed some work done. It was over an hour north of Ketchikan and it was far enough away that she would be happily in isolation. The drive up there was nerve racking and she just wanted that part of it to be done. She hoped it was what she was looking for, but knew that chances were it wasn't.

Pulling up at the spot her GPS said was it, she parked behind a dirty old Ford Explorer on the unpaved road. The man who stepped out could have easily been what Anya would consider a mountain man. He had a beard down to his chest and he had weeks of dirt on his clothing. Anya just smiled and stuck her hand out in welcome. He introduced himself as Billy.

Anya followed the man off the road and looked at the ropes laid out around the property. The cabin was not really a cabin, more of a trapper's shack. There was a lot of work that would need to be done to the shack to make it habitable for the coming winter. She had maybe four months before it was snowing there again, she wondered if she would be able to pull it off. But there was some sort of building and that was more than she could have hoped for.

"How much do you want for it?"

"Well the listed price is pretty fair. Would it be just you out here?"

"Yeah."

The man waited for her to say more, but she did not volunteer any more information.

"So, what are you planning to do out here?"

"Well I want to fix up the cabin, build a greenhouse and get ready for winter."

Billy just looked at her kind of funny.

"The winters here are long, what do you plan to do? A lot of people can't get used to the long dark winters, might get cabin fever, especially a young woman like yourself, out here all alone."

Anya sighed. She had heard that since she decided to go to Alaska. The doubt and incredulity was in his voice. Everyone thought she was crazy, but that was okay. She was use to going her own way and leaving everyone else to their boring lives.

"Yeah, I have heard it can get pretty tough out here. I like a challenge. I write and do crafts in the winter time. Hopefully it will keep me busy."

"I hear ya. So you know how to do construction and hunt?"

"Well not really, I was hoping to find someone out here to do a little work for me. Do you know of anyone who is looking for some work?"

"Oh there are always many men around here that are looking to make a few dollars or barter for something that is in short supply out here."

The way he said the last few words, Anya had a sinking feeling he was talking about her feminine wiles. She could feel his eyes travel up and down her form, checking out every curve and valley she had to offer. Anya almost regretted wearing a dress, but she liked it and knew she would have to get used to the men's attention around here.

At thirty she was well built, body still tight from having no children. Her hair was long, auburn and well past her waist. She was well tanned from the sun down south, but it was natural, not the orange creations that come out of a tanning bed. Her eyes were large and hazel, small nose and full mouth made for a very attractive face. She was tall for a woman, almost 5 foot 10 and her body was well used to hard work. Not only was their barely any fat on her frame, the little there was, was strategically placed on her. She had large D breasts and a round butt that most men favored.

She was not looking though, she told herself. Certainly not from this old man in front of her, but she knew that she needed to be nice, if she really wanted this property. Which she really did the more she was out there. It just felt right.

"Well I have a little cash and I am hoping to barter some moonshine and vegetables a bit later when I get things set up."

The man eyes lit up. Moonshine huh? It has been a while since we have had someone out here that could make something drinkable."

"Been making it for years out in the swamp, I got pretty good at it. I can make brandy too, but we will have to see how hard it is to get the supplies."

They talked for a bit longer about stills and boos. He asked a bit about what she was looking for as far as a worker. They walked up to the cabin and looked inside. It wasn't as bad as Anya had originally thought, though she always thought in terms of worst case scenario.

"Well I will need to fix the walls. There are several places that you can see straight through the logs. I also need someone to help me build a 200 square foot greenhouse, but I won't start on that until at least next week."

The deal was struck. Billy would be paid in cash because the idea of any other barter with him was not something she was ready to do. He showed her where there was water not more than five miles from her new land. She was thinking she needed some type of cistern, but she would worry about that later. She had over fifty gallons stored in her R.V. She also had about six month worth of dried and canned food, as well as everything she thought she would need.

2

Wolf watched the woman in the R.V. He was supposed to be hunting, but when he saw the woman talking to Billy, he was intrigued. He watched her most of the day, even after Billy left.

The woman was quite attractive and he was excited to tell his four brothers that a lady had moved in the land over, but he was still not sure. He felt a bit possessive, like he did not want to share her. He knew that with the other ones there, she would never look at him. She would be more entranced with his older brother Scott's charm, or Slam's intelligence. She would laugh at Gab's jokes and be swept away by Noah's tender words. Wolf knew that he couldn't compete with all of that. Wolf was different, but not many could really appreciate who he was and what he had to offer.

He was the wildest one out of the bunch. There were five brothers in all, all born and raised in the Alaskan bush. Wolf was not even his real name, it was actually Saul, but everyone called him by his nickname. He got the nickname because of his isolating ways. He also acted more free in the wild. He had less need to go to town, having only been there a handful of times in the last few years. While everyone else seemed excited to go to town and socialize with others, Wolf would much rather climb trees, stalk prey and entertain his self in the bush. But maybe, he was changing his ways a bit. If there were girls like that in town, maybe he should go out more with the rest of them. They only got out once or twice a month anyways. Maybe he should go next time, he thought to himself. He might even see that woman, Anya there. But for now, he was content to watch her from a distance.

Wolf was smaller than the rest of his brothers. He had a lean stature that belied the raw strength that was in him. There were a lot of muscles that went into all the climbing and rigorous labor that was required to live out there in the bush. His brown hair was just below his collar and his beard was kept neatly trimmed, as well as his side burns. His eyes were a dark brown, almost black. Some say that his eyes glowed in the moonlight, the other reason for his animal nickname. No one ever called him Saul anymore. He was known by everyone else as Wolf.

His vantage point on the spruce was perfect to see the woman outside her cabin. She was stuffing moss into the spaces between the logs. It was actually a good idea and Wolf was impressed with the outsider's ingenuity. She looked to be from the lower 48, but she did have some skills.

Wolf saw a deer out of the corner of his eyes. He had left hours ago to get dinner, so he decided that his watching was over. He had to get some real prey or the family would be hungry tonight. The deer was getting closer to the woman's property, so he had to shoot it quickly. Taking the shot, he saw the deer drop and the woman froze mid step. She heard the gunshot, but she was not sure where it was coming from.

Before long Wolf was down the tree and running towards his kill. He caught it about twenty feet from the property line. He was suddenly unsure as he came closer. The woman was looking at the deer and then looking around for the person who shot it. If he came out to get the deer, she would see him. He looked down and sighed, he was a mess. Usually he wouldn't care, but for some reason, he really did when it came to her. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen and he really wanted her to like him.

He stepped out of the bush after a few moments of indecision. No matter what, his family was waiting for him to get back and he wanted to make sure the animal was dead. As he approached, he saw that the deer was actually still breathing, so he dispatched with it quickly with a blade to the neck. He heard the woman gasp and he second guessed his choice. Blood had sprayed up and covered him partially.

"Wow, great shot."

Wolf looked up at her in surprise. He was afraid she would be grossed out, but she actually seemed interested.

"Do you need any help?"

"No thank you."

Wolf looked at her a minute longer before he started field dressing the deer to get it back to camp. It was a smaller buck, maybe a year old, so he had his work cut out for him.

"Well do you mind if I watch you? I have never seen a deer skinned and I figure I will have to learn soon enough."

"No, of course not."

They sat in silence. Wolf skinning and gutting, while Anya stared transfixed at this young bloody man working. She felt a strange attraction to the quiet man who barely looked at her. She did not know if he was shy or just uninterested in women, but he was paying her no mind. This was just as well because Anya really did want to learn how to do it. She was unsure if she could kill an animal, though her shot had been sound for years. It was the actually killing that bothered her and made her nervous. She had skinned many other things, just not anything as big as a deer.

Wolf could feel the woman watching him. He noticed her leaving and figured she had had enough of the gore, but she surprised him by coming back with a bucket full of water.

"Here is some soap, water and rag for when you are finished."

Wolf stopped and looked at her. He was about to say something, but stopped himself. When he had wrapped the carcass in an old tarp, he approached the woman and her bucket of water. He knew he was probably looking a little gory, so he silently washed his hands and face. The soap was sweet smelling and had little pieces of flowers in it. It had been a long time since the family had soap like this. It made his skin squeak and smelled like a flowering meadow. His mother and sisters would like some of this. He wondered if he could trade something for it.

"Nice soap, did you get this in town?"

"No, I made a bunch before I came up here. It is made from goat milk and some dried lilacs."

"You want to barter for some?"

"Oh, you can have some, I have plenty."

Before he could protest, she had grabbed his forearm and started steering him towards her little R.V. Her smell filled his nostrils and his body reacted violently to the aroma. She smelled like the soap, mixed with her own feminine smell that Wolf found entrancing. He followed behind her without much prodding, though he liked the physical contact and allowed himself to be dragged. She opened the R.V's side entrance and he watched her ass flex as they went up the few stairs.

Inside was not what he had expected, not really sure what he expected, but not the packed chaos that he saw. She seemed to have enough food to last the winter and tons of camping supplies. She was here to stay. This information made the man's heart sing. He knew then, that just maybe, he would have a real chance with her. It was hard to find a woman in Alaska, even harder to find someone willing to go in the bush with him. But she was already doing it. She was already living in the bush.

"Sorry about the mess, I am trying to finish the cabin so I can bring some stuff in."

Wolf just watched her rifle through boxes of stuff, until she pulled down a box almost up by the ceiling stacked up. Her dress rose dangerously high, baring her upper back thighs to his greedy view. His pants became less comfortable as he watched her. He had to talk strongly to himself to stop from reaching up and touching her. He almost wished she would slip and fall, so he could catch her. But she didn't and when she climbed back down, he had composed himself admirably.

"So what is your name? My name is Anya."

Her bright green eyes looked up at him, her mouth curled up in a smile. She handed him a large rough cut bar of the soap.

"You sure are quiet."

"I'm Saul." Wolf was not sure why he gave her his real name. No one called him Saul anymore, not even his own family. But he did not want her to know it. He wanted her to look at him like he was a man. Not just some kid with a silly nickname. He could tell she was several years older however he didn't care about things like that. All he knew was that he was attracted to her and she didn't seem to be repulsed by him.

"Well nice to meet you Saul." She flashed him another one of her earth shattering smiles and passed by him closely as she exited the trailer. Wolf could feel her brush past him just so lightly and even that mere touch drove him crazy.

He took the lead, walking back to his kill 100 feet away. He looked down at the soap and decided to give her something in return. Unwrapping one of the legs, he took his knife out and cut a large chunk out. He wrapped it in a torn piece of plastic and handed it to her.

"Here."

He thrust the bloody meat into her hands and all she could do was accept. She was about to protest, but he was already starting to sling it all on his back. Without another look in her direction, Wolf walked away towards his own land and cabin about a mile away.

"Wait Saul. Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"No thank you."

"Okay, well will you come over for dinner tomorrow? I will make some stew."

Wolf turned around and looked at her, a bit surprised at her invitation. "Yes."

"Around dark?"

"Yes."

The quiet man walked into the woods where he came. He did not look back once while Anya watched and waited. He just bee lined it east and was gone into the bush, as the sky darkened around her. She thought about him that night as she made dinner. She wondered who the man of so few words was and where he lived. He must live close for him to come and go on foot. That was not the kind of man she was expecting to find up here. He was trimmed, polite and short on words. There was something more though. He had a wild quality, as well as a sexy quality to him. He was obviously capable and it left her wondering if his hands would be so sure on a woman's body, on her body more specifically.

3

Wolf did not get home till after dark. His family was worried and he could see it in their faces. They waited for him to drop the wrapped deer near the fire, his mother already coming forward to start dinner. He looked around at the eight other faces and knew he would have to explain himself. It was a family rule to never be out after dark alone. It was just not safe. A hunter could encounter bear or moose, as well as fall and hurt themselves. The nights got so cold, that even in the late spring a person could die of hypothermia.