Rocky Mountain High

CHAPTER 4

     She was fucked! She had a stupid sunburn and the stupid stream made a fork on the land, and of course, she was pretty sure she had taken the wrong fucking path because the vegetation was getting pretty thick to her left, and following the stupid stream's edge was no picnic either. She was so thirsty she was tempted to drink the water from the stream, but she was sure that would just be a bacteria smoothie. Lee's farm was not the only one in the area and surely the runoff from all the farms would end up in that stream. She was in a horrible mood and she no longer thought the place was beautiful. Funny how your perception change as your circumstances do. She needed to take a breather because she couldn't walk another step. She knew she was better off staying off the forest but she needed a break from the sun, so she decided it would be okay to walk into the shade of the trees for a bit. She walked in and saw a couple of squirrels fighting over a nut. Her stomach growled at her loud enough to scare the furry rodents away. In their hurry, they dropped the nut on the ground and you would have thought they had dropped a Big Mac instead as fast as she walked over to grab it. It was a hazelnut, she loved the little things during Christmas so she knew they were okay to eat. She started to follow the trail of hazelnuts, hoping to find their source. All of a sudden she heard distant laughter in the air. She perked up her ears and listened. It sounded like children playing. She was saved! She began to follow the noise until she saw a clearing ahead and what looked like a small village from the past. Had she traveled back in time? The little kids she had heard were running around a mud hole and jumping in, getting all muddy. The small timber houses were situated around a big, tall tree that seemed to be the center of the small village. Aurora counted around 12 small buildings. There were some women cooking around a huge cauldron and suddenly she didn't feel so saved. What if these people were dangerous? Some Hills Have Eyes shit. She had seen plenty of horror movies that followed the pattern. Girl gets lost and finds people she thinks will help, only to get killed or worse in the process. She made sure to stay hidden for the time being. Whatever those women were cooking did smell fantastic though. She was looking around trying to figure out how far the little village went. She walked the perimeter of the village as silently as she could. When she saw an area with a few cars she got excited. Cars meant there had to be a road of some kind around. Then she saw it, it was Lee's truck and he was inside it with a woman. Aurora felt her chest explode. She wanted to walk over and slap him, but what right did she have to do any of it? None, that's how much. She had come to invade Lee's life out of nowhere. Of course, he had a woman, it was stupid to think a man like him wouldn't. The stupid girl was beautiful too. She had long, wavy dark hair, she kept tossing from side to side. Ugh! She hated this shit. She hated jealousy because she was so susceptible to the stupid emotion. Was this why he didn't want to go back? But why though? They just wanted him to debrief and give his mission to someone else. If anything that would let him get back here to his woman without having to worry about a mission. Unless...What if the woman was the mission? Aurora didn't what was going on but she saw him get out of the truck and put his arm around the tall woman's shoulders as they walked to one of the houses. Aurora felt the moisture of tears and felt stupid for crying. Sex with Lee had been a revelation, a door opening in her heart to a man she had loved for a long time, but that didn't mean it had been the same for him. For all she knew, she had just been another willing pussy for him. A bucket list item scratched off his list. Aurora checked to make sure no one was around and ran out towards the dirt road. Surely if she followed that it would lead her back to civilization.

Lee was trying very hard to follow what Margueritte was saying to him but he couldn't get the feeling of dread out of his stomach. He had sworn he had caught the smell of Aurora in the air, but that was crazy, she was miles away and he was literally in the middle of the forest. The baby in his lap began to shit so violently on his leg that the conversation halted and the hysterical laughter began. But the rip-roaring sound was no contender when it came to the putrefactive stench that exploded in the small room. Lee coughed and handed the small infant to her mother. " Damn! My eyes are watering. What do feed this poor baby?"

"I just breastfeed her," said Margueritte, taking the baby he was holding away from him at arm's length.

"I should let you do the changing for a change love," she said winking at a horrified Lee.

"No, thank you. I'm afraid I would drop her. That shit is powerful.

Margueritte laughed, and he thought about how much he liked the sound of her laughter. He would make sure one way or another that she could keep on laughing like that forever. After Aurora, he never thought he could love another until he met Margueritte. She also brought with her so much more than just her love. He would never let anyone or anything hurt his little family. He would protect them with his life.