“Are you sure you want to go? It’s a pretty physical hike.”
“I’m used to hiking. It’s not that much different from back home, although many of the creek beds there are dry this time of year,” Maria said. “It’s up to you, but I’d love to go with you.”
“Good, then it’s settled,” Josie crowed, then strode away with a purposeful air, already focused on her next agenda. “Kids, you better wash your hands before even trying to touch any of this food,” Josie said, tossing the baby wipes in their direction.
Dee jumped just as quickly as the twins to comply and Maria burst out laughing.
“She’s a force of nature, isn’t she?”
“Yes.” Stacie had to agree. With Josie distracted, Stacie pulled Maria aside, out of earshot and away from prying eyes. “You know she’s pushing this, right? You and me.”
“Yes. I’m aware,” Maria said, gazing up at her intently.
Stacie got the impression she was searching for something, not in her face, but all the way down into the very depths of her soul. Stacie shivered despite the heat. She became overly aware of how close they were standing, but like a fly caught in a spider’s web, she couldn’t escape. She was hypnotized by the exotic tilt of dark eyes against bronzed skin and the gentle humor floating in their depths. She swallowed and managed to look away. Her logical mind tried to do the math. Eight inches. Only eight inches separated them, and God help her, she could feel the warmth coming from the other woman’s body like a second sun.
“Tell me, does it really matter?”
Stacie closed her eyes and let that question wash over and through her. Her body answered in a thrill that rushed through her veins and sent her heart into a rough beat that pounded against her chest and filled her ears with the sound of the surf crashing into rocky cliffs.
“No. No, I don’t think so.”
Maria relaxed perceptively, releasing a tension that Stacie hadn’t even realized was there. “I think we have a lot to talk about.”
“I think you’re right,” Stacie admitted. A tentative smile crept up, almost as shy as she felt. “I have to warn you, I haven’t the faintest idea what I’m doing right now.”
Maria took her hands and squeezed them. “Me neither. What we need to do right now is go and eat this lovely lunch Josie prepared for us. Then we will go for a walk and see where our feet take us.”
“You know Josie is going to be impossible to deal with if this works out.”
“As opposed to now?” Maria quipped, flashing bright white teeth at her.
Stacie broke out laughing. “Yes. Now let’s get going before they send out the posse to hunt us down.”
*
The sound of children playing had faded away at least 10 minutes ago. It was a little after 1pm and it was getting hotter. Sweat trickled down Stacie’s back and made her shirt stick to her. The loose cotton flannel found a new home tied around her waist, leaving her dressed in nothing but a tank top and loose khaki shorts. She had no idea how Maria managed to hike in a skirt and blouse, but she did, bouncing around rock outcroppings as agilely as a mountain goat.
“We have to hike the creek from here on. The underbrush is too dense.” Stacie stopped and waited for Maria to join her. She had forgotten about this part of the creek, although as wide as it was in this area, it almost qualified as a river. “I’m not sure what to do about your skirt.”
“That’s not a problem,” Maria said. She gathered up her hem and tucked it between her legs and through her belt. The skirt was loose enough to leave most of her legs above her knees covered, but kept the fabric from dragging through the water.
“Ah, yes. I guess that will work,” Stacie said, biting her lip painfully. Her brow furrowed against the effort not to laugh, but it was better than getting into trouble, and she had a feeling that laughing at the look Maria was trying to pull off was going to do that. She waded into the creek, making sure her footing was secure on the wet stones beneath her shoes before reaching out to take Maria’s hands. She tripped coming down off the bank and fumbled into Stacie’s arms. “Easy here, the rocks are slippery.”
“How much farther?” Maria asked.
“Not far. We’re almost there,” Stacie said in a low, uneven voice. She was standing in a foot of fresh water yet her throat felt drier than a summer sandstorm. She wanted to laugh at the irony, but all she could do was lick her lips and try to stop trembling. Maria’s arms were still around her neck, and all the interesting bits of her were pressed against her. “Can you balance yourself?” she asked. Because I can’t move away from you.
“Yes, sorry. This bag must have put me off balance when I stepped down.” Maria tugged at one of the straps pulling at her shoulders.
“Here, let me take it.” Stacie offered. Maria stepped back a step to slip it off and hand it to her, giving Stacie some much needed breathing room. “It’s heavy. I didn’t notice this earlier, what’s inside?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. Josie brought it and suggested I take it with us for our hike. I assumed it was stuff we might need out here. A ‘just in case’ bag for emergencies.”
“Hmm. As curious as I am to see what she thought
