A Wild Rose in the Wilderness Pt. 03

This story is a continuation of the Wild Rose adventure, and involves infidelity as a theme, if that offends you, please read something else. If you enjoy this piece, please rate it accordingly.

*****

It was now well into Spring of Rose's first year living out in the wild. She had learned how to make needles out of bone, for fixing clothes and making things with the fur of her kills. She had made some moccasins early in the spring, but hadn't tanned the hide well, and the footwear were already in need of repair. Rose had experimented with different natural tanning agents and had found that old dried out manzanita leaves worked the best so far and was tanning more hides now to make boots and maybe a blanket. The tanning process took a lot longer than she had expected it to and hoped the hides would be cured in time to complete her planned projects. It would help to keep her evenings busy throughout summer and to prepare for the winter to come. Rose knew she needed to be diligent with her time if she were to continue to survive out here.

She had even hiked out a few times, and had driven to Bishop for some more supplies that would make survival a little more comfortable for her. She had paid cash for her supplies, as always, trying to keep a low profile, which was nearly impossible for her to do. She made an impression wherever she went, both men and women noticed her. Men mostly gawking at her long tan legs and ample tan cleavage. Rose always changed into regular clothes she kept in her jeep before heading into town to keep a lower profile. She noticed envy or admiration in women she came in contact with. Rose knew that she stood out in a crowd, so made these trips as infrequently as possible, and kept talking to a minimum, most times able to get by with just a nod.

She had almost not survived her first winter out here. She had nearly starved because she had trouble keeping a fire going. She needed to ensure that wouldn't happen again. She had been stocking dried meat so the hunger was taken care of, she just needed to make sure she could stay warm and her fire lit, she bought a blow torch and a starter for it, in case her flint stone and knife failed to light the fodder. Rose always made sure to not take her cell phone when heading into civilization, knowing that it could be tracked, and she didn't want to be found.

Rose often thought about Steve, she hoped he was well. Every now and then, the urge arose to reach out to him, but she knew that she had done the right thing by terminating things. The guilt she had felt when her husband had died had almost killed her. She had never mentioned it out loud, but had thought many times even before meeting Steve that she would be better off if her spouse just died, and then he had. Rose was having trouble living with that, especially since she had found so much peace and companionship with Steve, a man who accepted her for who she was and never criticized her. It had been the happiest she had ever been in her life. She hadn't been bothered that he felt the obligation to his wife, she had respected him much more because of that fact.

She hadn't told Steve when her husband had died, she had just extracted herself from him and their relationship, spending more and more time in the mountains until she sold her house and moved out there permanently.

She had even gone as far as to block Steve's number. Not for any malicious reason, but rather because she had almost talked herself out of what she knew needed to be done; she had shown that kind of weakness before when she had allowed her husband to manipulate her decisions, to spite the differences in her circumstances, she still believed that she needed this. Not for anyone else, but to prove to herself that she could do anything even survive without a benefactor in one of the harshest, but beautiful, places on the planet.

She started building a semi permanent residence for herself, keeping her busy between fishing or checking her various traps. She had tried her hand at taking down a buck with her compound bow and had lost three of her arrows for the effort. She had tried tracking the deer, hoping that it would drop, but by the time it had succumbed to its injuries, a cougar had made the buck her family's next meal.

Rose had a folding saw that was more than capable of cutting medium sized birch trees into usable timbers, and though it took a while, she was thankful that she was thinking almost six months ahead in planning her shelter.

What Rose didn't realize was that it was well into June when she started the shelter, not thinking about the fact that spring would arrive much later in the alpine than down in the lower valleys.

*****

Steve had the foresight to purchase about 20 wildlife hunting cameras and tote them up in his backpack to where he had found Rose's stockpile of equipment, and had mounted most of them aimed in various directions radiating outward from her stage camp, but a few he aimed at her stockpile.

He had tried to predict her traffic patterns which she had actually been extremely efficient at masking, or even hiding all together. He noted this when he brushed the layer of pine needles away to examine the top soil underneath it. She had purposely hidden her tracks in the area.

Steve had driven home to let his wife know that he intended on leaving her, restocked his pack and headed back to Bishop for the night. He had called his Captain and been cleared to take the next few days off from work, then called and had one of his Sergeant book him a cabin in the general area then send the link for directions . It turned out to be a two room hunting cabin close to Bishop that had full cell coverage and high speed internet, via satellite. It was better than nothing and he could get the drop on Rose if her next move was what he predicted it would be. He couldn't help but wonder if Rose had employed the same technique as he had in mounting cameras, he certainly hoped not, but would not be surprised if she had. He had placed a few of the cameras in low to the ground orientation as well as from above up in the trees, hoping that he would catch her movements.

The next morning, Hunter woke Steve up whining but wagging his tail. Steve's laptop was still open next to him on the bed, and the live feed from his cameras was running on the monitor. Hunter was looking directly at Rose, who was looking up into the trees. He was praying she wouldn't see his cameras.

Luck seemed to be with him as she slowly scanned her surroundings. She waited over half an hour, and was still for long enough that the cameras stopped feeding images for over ten minutes. Steve was starting to lose his cool when two of his cameras picked up motion and images popped up again. Rose was on the move. She circumvented the meadow and made her way along the rocks until the thick grouping of trees where her storage was located. He had aimed three cameras toward that location and several on various paths to or from the trees and meadow. He wanted at least some idea of which direction to search next. She had her pack with her and she made her way toward her stage camp. Once there, she packed up her pack, repositioned her supplies, and a few minutes later headed out to the north west.

Steve broke out his map. He located the exact spot of the meadow thanks to his GPS. Using his index fingers to track his movement across the map he located the closest trail system in the direction she had headed. Then Steve found another access point to that trail system via dirt road to the north of where Rose had parked her Jeep. His plan was to search for her from a direction that she least expected.

****

Rose had indeed spotted one of the cameras that Steve had placed about a quarter of a mile away from her stockpile, so she had been on alert for more and knew she would have to take extra precautions.

She had hoped that he would give up on her and go back to his wife. She knew how he felt about marriage, and the lifetime commitment it was. Rose had no business in his life. She should have been the voice of reason back when this had all started, rather than letting her wants and needs take precedence. She had ultimately been the instigator in their relationship, and had the mountain of guilt to prove it. Rose didn't want any regrets in her life, but it didn't seem to matter what decisions she made, there were always regrets.

Rose circled around to circumvent the cameras that Steve had placed and headed back to the southeast, toward her Jeep. Once there she headed back in to get the rest of the supplies that she couldn't replace easily. She employed the same technique entering the clearing again as she had exiting. As far as Steve would be aware, she was heading northwest.

She got to her Jeep, she packed it all in and headed down toward Bishop. When she reached highway three-ninety-five, she turned right and headed south. It was late, the clock in her Jeep told her it was just after midnight

Tired, she pulled off the highway onto another dirt road. She drove for a mile or two before pulling to the side, cutting the engine, and stepped out into the crisp cold of night to stretch her legs before accessing her sleeping bag and climbing into it and wriggled herself and the bag underneath the Jeep. There was plenty of clearance due to the lift kit and extra large tires. She had pulled over where the ground had leveled out a bit on the road, so she was relatively level and the heat from the engine helped her fall quickly into a deep sleep.

She was startled from sleep in the middle of a dream. The memory of images of her and Steve, spooned together, sweat beading across their bodies from the exertion of their combined passions.

It was a second or two until she oriented where she was. She clearly heard an engine, and the sound was getting louder. She had thought this dirt road was one that led to the trail system she had been utilizing, and had expected it to be deserted at this time of night, but maybe in the dark while tired, she had made a mistake and turned down the drive of a private residence.

Rose quickly determined that the best course of action was to stay put under the Jeep and hope that whoever it was would just pass by. She buried herself deeply into her mummy bag and pulled the drawstring tight. It seemed forever as the sound of the engine and the tires grew louder as the vehicle drew closer and closer. Rose realized suddenly that she had been holding her breath, and counting, trying to calm her anxiety over the thought of discovery. She had reached the number fifty by the time she exhaled forcibly and inhaled again. She got in half a dozen breaths before she needed to hold her breath from the dust of the vehicle.

The truck now passed her Jeep, she was just thinking she might be in the clear when the vehicle stopped and a moment later the motor shut off.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, Rose repeated to herself as she steadied her breathing again and kept as silent as she could. Rose couldn't help but loosen the draw on her bag so she could see something. She heard footsteps on the dirt and gravel of the road. They were approaching her Jeep from the sound, then she saw the bouncing beam of a bright flashlight. The owner of the footsteps stopped beside her Jeep and she heard him try the door. Thankfully she had locked it, she wouldn't have bothered normally, not usually keeping anything inside that would be worth stealing, and because it was a manual transmission it was safer from theft than an automatic would have been, so she rarely bothered.

"Where are you Rose?"

Rose was sure that she hadn't imagined hearing that.

The footsteps rounded to the other side of the Jeep, briefly pausing at the back to check the tailgate, it too was locked.

Sure now that she hadn't imagined it, and it was Steve, she wasn't sure what to do. Her mind was spinning like a hamster wheel. Was this a sign that she needed to at least explain herself and why she left. That she was being foolish and stubborn. He had found her, not once, but twice, and no one had known where she was going. He was determined, and she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't stop. She would need to find the courage to face him.

Rose took one more cleansing deep breath to calm herself and muster up the courage to confront Steve face to face. He deserved that at the very least.

She wriggled out of the mummy bag and was rolling out from under the Jeep, just as he bent down to peer underneath it. Their eyes met. His smile lit up the night and made her heart leap into her throat. He held out his hand and she met it with her own and he hauled her to her feet and into his arms. First just embracing her, like he was making sure she was real. Then he kissed her. His mouth had starved for her for months. She felt it all in that kiss, it left her breathless and speechless.

He picked her up, startled by how thin she was now. Her body had leaned out over the past six months out here. She was too thin, he would have to see about that, he thought, as he carried her to his truck. He got her situated and strapped in and rushed to the drivers side and piled in. Motor started, seat belt fastened, he made a three point turn to head back up the hill towards the mountains. Steve reached over on the bench seat and gently touched his fingertips to hers as he headed back up to the cabin.

****

Steve had seen the Jeep's headlights from the cabin. Had seen the headlights extinguished and the vehicle was only three quarters up the road to the cabin. Normally he wouldn't have been looking out the window of the cabin especially in the middle of the night, but the movement of the headlights on the drive had caught his attention as he was heading back to the bed after relieving himself. He had never been one to believe in signs until Rose had entered his life, and something had urged him to check it out, especially after waiting over twenty minutes and the vehicle didn't look like it was going to move. As he drove closer he saw it was definitely a Jeep. When his headlights hit it, his breath caught in his throat. It was Rose's Jeep, he recognized the color and lift on it. Of course hers wasn't the only bright lime green Jeep with a lift kit, extra wide tires, and a winch on the front, but he would know Rose's Jeep anywhere.

He had driven by slowly and then pulled over and stopped. He grabbed his issue mag light and walked over to the driver' door, tried the latch...locked.

"Where are you Rose?"

He rounded the Jeep to the rear paused, checking the tailgate...it too was locked. Steve knew that Rose rarely locked her vehicle. He continued on to the passenger side, and found that locked as well. He took a step back thinking and scanning the surrounding area with the beam of his light. Then he thought to look under the Jeep.

Just as he bent to look under, Rose rolled out. Their eyes locked. His smile split his face with its width and he immediately reached out his hand to haul her up and into his arms. He held her firmly but with great tenderness. His hands and arms supported her, then he kissed her. He kissed her with all the emotion that he had for her the past six months: the love, the worry, the frustration, the respect, and the longing, especially the longing, and she had kissed him back.

He couldn't believe she had been delivered almost to his door. He silently thanked God for bringing his Rose back to him, as he drove back to the cabin. He reached over to touch her hand. She had yet to speak.

****

Rose hadn't spoken a word for months. She wasn't even sure she could. She had opened her mouth to say something and nothing came out, not even a squeak. It was so good to see Steve, she had missed him even more than she had realized. She wept silently the whole ride to the cabin tears streamed down her face in the dark, her body wracked by soundless sobbing. Her hamster wheel spinning frantically in her head. She didn't know if she was crying for joy, relief, sorrow, grief, love, or a combination of all those emotions.

****

Steve could see that Rose was in a fragile state. He would be patient with her and not pry too hard or too quickly. He wanted answers, he needed answers, but she needed him to be the man she fell in love with. The man who didn't make demands. The man who respected her the way she was. The man who listened and didn't judge or try to persuade her or manipulate her actions.

He had felt her response when he had kissed her. He knew she still felt something for him. He had some things he needed to say to her, but she would need to go first and he was just going to have to be patient enough for her to feel safe enough to let him in again.

For now, he was happy she was here with him. He drew her a bath and set out some of his pajamas for her. He knew that he needed to give her a little room and a lot of patience to calm her sympathetic nervous system's hormonal response to living in the wilderness. Her body had been on high alert for danger for so long that she was almost jumping out of her skin being inside the cabin.

Steve slowly undressed her speaking in soothing tones about how good the warm bath would feel on her skin and how much better she would feel after a good soak. Once he got her settled in the water he leaned over and kissed her forehead, looked her in the eyes and truthfully confessed how happy he was that he had found her alive.

Rose started crying all over again then, so ashamed that she had put Steve through so much worry and heart ache over her. She had been so sure that she had been doing the right thing, now she was not so certain. She tried her voice again as Steve brushed her tears away.

"S...Steve," she finally managed to get out.

"Shhhhhh," he placed his index finger against her lips. "Let's just enjoy being together tonight. Anything you have to say, can wait until later." He stood and turned to leave, looking back at her, he said, "you would not believe how much I have missed you. I keep testing myself to see if this is really happening, or just another dream. I have found you and lost you again every night you have been away. You are in my head and in my dreams. I just thought you should know that."

Rose pushed away all her thoughts and focused on the bath. She washed her hair three times, rinsing the length in the bath thoroughly, and then soaked, scrubbing her skin until it had a rosy tint under the tan, her fingertips resembled the skin on a raisin, and the water no longer felt warm.

It had felt so good to not have to rush because the temperature of the water was so cold she could only stand it for a minute or so, and just soak until she was waterlogged. She unplugged the drain and stood up from the murky gray water and wrapped a towel around herself. As she stood up, she caught a glimpse of herself in the small vanity mirror, startled by how tan her skin was and how very blonde her hair now was. Even soaking wet, she could tell that the sun had bleached the length at least a few shades lighter.

Her bronzed skin had never felt so happy to be clean. She felt tingly all over from the stimulation of tactile nerves in her skin. She patted herself dry with the fluffy white towel Steve had left on the small vanity for her. As she did this, she took a closer look at herself in the mirror, noting that her clavicles and shoulder joints seemed to protrude more than she liked, and could see the defined sinue of the muscles in her shoulders, chest and arms. Pulling her eyes away from her reflection, she hung the towel on a hook in the bathroom on the back of the door, turned, and walked naked into the bedroom.

Rose slipped on the pajama top and buttoned the middle three buttons and stepped quietly barefoot out into the main room of the cabin. Steve had been more than courteous of her feelings and her time. He wasn't asking her to talk right now, or answer any ultimatum. He just was happy she was here with him, and if she was truly going to be honest with herself, she was happy to be here with him too.