Gabriel Brown: Collection of Short Alaskan Bush People Fan Fics

Talk to the Wind. Part 3

You were in love with Gabriel Brown. There was no way you could deny it any longer. After spending half a day with him and his family in Browntown, you knew he was the man you wanted to be with for the rest of your life.

But he wanted to only be friends and you didn't want to lose that friendship. So you kept quiet and tried to control yourself and not grab him around his thick waist and profess your love for him loudly and publicly.

Gabe was taking his turn washing up the lunch dishes and had refused to let you help him. He was putting on a little show for you; tossing the clean dishes up in the air and catching them behind his back.

"Ta-dah!" He would grin and you would dutifully applaud.

"Please stop encouraging him." His brother Bear rolled his eyes.

"Nope." You replied with a smile at Gabe. "I'm enjoying every minute of this!"

When Gabe got to the finale of his dishwashing performance, he tossed four spoons up in the air and caught them all confidently in a plastic cup.

"Woo hoo!" You yelled and clapped your hands, turning to laugh along with his dad who was sitting next to you.

Turning back to smile at Gabe, you barely heard his dad's low whisper to his mom.

"This one laughs at all his jokes and hasn't gotten tired of him yet. He'd better hang on to her."

Before you could process what you had just heard, Gabe's brother Bear stepped up next to you and smiled broadly. Bear had been watching you from the moment Gabe introduced you as "just a friend from town." You had been more than a little hurt at that, but you understood.

But ever since then, Bear and Gabe had been in a little competition for your attention and you were loving it. Bear and Gabe had fought to sit next to you at lunch and thankfully for you, Gabe had won. He laughed and joked with his brothers and sister and with every smile, you fell more and more in love with him.

"Leave my friend alone." Gabe yelled at Bear as he finished the last of the dishes and wiped his hands on the drying towel. "She doesn't need you breathing all over her."

Bear's smile was sweet as he held your gaze one more time before he stood up to leave.

"Maybe you can come back again and we can climb some trees together." He suggested and he backed away before he saw your mouth drop open in surprise. Gabe muscled his brother to one side and held out his arm to you. "Madam?" He said in a French accent. "Shall we go?"

You nodded and let him lead you to the beach where the skiff was waiting to take you back to town.
"It's been a wonderful day." You clung tight to his arm.
"My family really likes you." He smiled and you almost blurted out your feelings for him, but something made you hold back.
"Gabey, they are all so great. They made me feel right at home and it's easy to see why you love being together."

He smiled down at you and his blue eyes were so happy. His soft curly hair had fallen over his forehead and you wondered why you had never seen before how sexy he was. Oh, right. Curtis. The thought of Curtis brought a slight ache to your heart, but not as deep an ache as before. The day spent running around brown town with Gabe had taken your mind and your heart so far away from Curtis.

Gabe slowed his pace a little as you came to the beach. The air was still and cool and it felt so perfect being there with him. The ride back would be sad for you and you hated the idea of him sailing back alone after he dropped you off. Would he be opposed to spending the night with you in town? He turned and looked in your eyes and your heart began to pound. His smile was tentative and he hesitated as his gaze moved over your face. Was he ready to take things further than friendship, you wondered? The day had been so perfect and the two of you had shared so many fun and also intimate moments. Maybe he was ready for more.

"My brother Bear really likes you." He said and dipped his head a little.

You were taken aback.
"Why are you telling me this, Gabe?"
He shrugged. "He's a really cool guy. I wondered if you might want to see how things go with him."

Your anger rose more quickly than you had thought possible. You turned and stared hard into Gabe's face and poked a finger in his chest.
"Are you saying this because you've decided we will never be more than friends?"

Gabe blinked his eyes and looked away. Your heart sank and you wanted to turn your finger into a fist and punch him in the chest. When he didn't answer, you turned abruptly and stalked angrily toward the skiff. But only two steps into your dramatic exit, your loose rubber boot stuck fast in the mud. The momentum of your fast walk propelled your body forward and lurched you face first toward the wet, stinky mud. You threw your hands out to catch your fall, but the slippery ground snatched them out from under you and you collapsed in a heap as you landed face down in the soft mud.

Before you could even take a breath, you felt two strong arms lifting you off the ground to stand you on your feet. Gabe's arms were tight around your waist and he was holding you to him, pressing you against this chest.

"Are you ok?" The worry in his voice floored you.

It amazed you that you had just spoken so harshly to him and stomped away from him, but all you heard in his voice was concern for you. You nodded your head and let him steady you on your feet. He was clutching your waist and you felt the hardness of his chest muscles against you. It was almost mesmerizing as you stared into his blue eyes and tried to catch your breath. Your mind was a mass of confused emotions and you didn't know if you should slam your lips to his or push him away. But you didn't have to make that choice at all. Gabe made it for you.

Gabe yanked up the hem of his tank top and wiped the mud from your face and mouth. As soon as your mouth was clean, he lowered his head and kissed your lips gently. You were afraid to respond. With your eyes open, you stared at his cheek and his soft sideburns as he kissed you. And just like before, he moved away from and you smiled.

"Why do you keep doing that Gabey?" It really confused and annoyed you that he said he only wanted to be friends but he kissed you like a lover every chance he got.

Gabe shrugged his shoulders and reached for your hand, leading you the rest of the way to the skiff.

"I can't seem to stop myself." He grinned and a pink blush of embarrassment began to rise up his neck.
"We can be more than friends, Gabe. I'm ready." You were sure you were ready for a deeper relationship and it was looking like might be ready, too.

"I don't want to move too fast and mess things up." He said as he lifted you into the skiff and started the motor.
"You won't mess anything up. I won't let you." You smiled and let your hand rest on his muscular shoulder.

"We'll take it slow?" He asked.
"Yes." You agreed and resisted the urge to fly into his arms. Instead you kissed him gently on the cheek and sat down on the seat facing him.

----------
Pulling into the dock, you saw Curtis at the same time he saw you. Gabe had been smiling and talking and had leaned over to playfully yank on your leg when he saw your expression change. You tried to turn away before Gabe saw where you had been looking but it was too late. When Gabe turned his head and saw Curtis standing on the dock watching the two of you, a small frown creased his brow.

"Do you want to talk to him?" He asked quietly, his voice deepening as he grit his teeth.

"I...I don't know. I know things are over between me and Curtis, but..." You stammered and hated yourself for your indecision.

Gabe was such an amazing man. Why were you even thinking about talking to Curtis? After all he put you through and after spending the day with Gabe there shouldn't have been any question at all who you wanted to be with. But when Curtis raised his hand and waved at you, the smile was on your face and your hand was in the air before you could stop yourself. When you felt the soft hand on your arm, you turned back into Gabe's woeful gaze.

"Tell me again how you are over him and ready for a relationship with me." He squeezed your arm slightly as he spoke. His eyes were large and round and you saw his jaw tighten.

"Gabey..." You breathed out an agonized sigh as you looked from him back over to Curtis.

"Forget it." Gabe growled. "Like you told me. Talk to the wind, because I'm done here."

**Author's note** The next chapter will be the last. Thanks for sticking with me!