The Dance

Chapter 116 Cover of Night

Bear shuttled Matt and Jill back to the beach under cover of darkness. Matt hoped that his family had retired to their respective homes. His father, by now, had probably informed his mother that they had company in Browntown. It wasn't exactly the way he imagined introducing his girl- friend to his parents. Jill already felt uncomfortable meeting his dad in such a disheveled state of dress. She could only imagine how Billy must have described her to his wife.

Matt tried to reassure her that his mother would love her but Jill wasn't convinced. They arrived at Bear's tree house avoiding any additional family contact. The pair left Bear at the foot of his tree. "Sleep tight." He chuckled as he climbed the ladder to his little slice of heaven in the treetops.

Matt escorted Jill to the trapper shack and paused before opening the door. "It's not the Ritz, but it will keep out the weather and the bears."

"Bears?" Jill looked at Matt with one eyebrow cocked as they entered the trapper shack.

"Yeah, bears. Lots of them. Big hungry ones."

Jill moved closer to Matt. "Um, does that door lock?"

"Don't worry babe. That's why I have Betsy." Matt patted the rifle he carried on his arm. "I'm not gonna let any- thing happen to you."

"Uh huh. I'm holding you to that promise." Jill looked around the room taking in the surroundings. "Where's the bathroom?"

Matt shook his head and laughed. "You mean outhouse, right."

"Seriously, dude, where can I freshen up?" Jill began pulling her shirt off.

"Honey, you have a lot to learn about living in the bush. Rule number one, there are no bathrooms, kitchens or showers in the traditional sense. Rule number two, stay close to me. This ain't city living. And rule number three, never, ever leave the trapper unescorted. Bears, remember."

The expression on Jill's face was priceless. Matt felt sorry for her. Since she wasn't native to Alaska, he forgot her experience of visiting Browntown might be somewhat challenging for her. Even in Hoonah, she had the basic amenities of hot water, a private bath and a well-stocked refrigerator.

"Matt, really, I need to wash up."

"Sweetheart, it will have to wait until morning. It's dark and we really shouldn't venture to the creek tonight."

"Are you going to at least feed me?" Jill's stomach rumbled with hunger.

"We can sneak up to the main cabin and get something to eat. We'll just need to keep the noise down." Matt and Jill treaded lightly through camp and into the main house. They found leftovers from dinner which included biscuits and venison stew. Matt fixed a pair of plates and handed one to Jill. He filled a pitcher with water and shoved two glasses in his coat pocket. They decided it was best to take their dinner back to the trapper so as not to risk waking anyone. As they stealthily treaded down the path back to the trapper with hands full, Matt heard the crunch of footsteps on the path coming back from the outhouse.

"Evening Matthew, Jill." Not missing a beat nor stopping to chat, Ami passed the pair on her way back to the main house.

"Hi, Ma." Matt and Jill kept walking in the direction of the trapper minding their own business. Jill was mortified and Matt rolled with laughter. "Yep, we got some explaining to do tomorrow."

Jill was inconsolable. Again, this was not the way either of them planned to meet his mother. Matt wiped the tears from Jill's cheeks as she ate dinner across from him on the bed. "Your whole family is going to think I'm a hussy."

Matt tried not to laugh and replied back, "But, you're my hussy."

Jill only cried harder. Matt removed the plate from her hands and reached to pull her closer to him. "Come on, now, what's with all the tears?"

Jill couldn't make a coherent sentence as she sobbed into Matt's shirt. The emotions of the day had finally caught up with her and just spilled into a flood of tears. She was happy to be with Matt and their reunion was more than she had hoped. But now, she felt she had made an awful first impression on his parents. She smelled bad, looked bad and had woofed down her dinner like she had never seen food. And he still thought she was beautiful, tears and all.

"I think it's time for bed." She nodded and he helped her remove her clothes before climbing in the bed next to her. She rested her head on his chest and he placed kisses on her tousled hair. As her tears slowed, she fell fast asleep in his arms. He thought himself the luckiest man on earth and silently thanked Jake for bringing Jill into his life. For the first time ever, he could see something he never dreamed of before....a life with her.