wasn’t sure if it were with resignation or disapproval, and he frowned. He wanted her to have both an enjoyable and challenging experience.
“It’s supposed to be cold tonight, Caleb,” she warned. “Are you sure you’re prepared?”
“Oh, yes,” he assured her. “I brought water, some snacks, a sleeping bag, and even some of those chemical warmers for camping. I also have some pepper spray in case I run into any unfriendly wild animals.”
Silence.
“Pepper spray, huh? Hm. Well, okay. But if I haven’t located you by 4 AM, or if anything feels dangerous, you’d better be signaling me somehow.”
“I can agree to that,” he replied.
“It wasn’t a negotiable request, my love,” she stated emphatically. Your safety is paramount to me, silly man , she thought while shaking her head.
He swallowed and amended his statement with, “Understood.”
“Much better,” she said in a more upbeat tone of voice. “I’ll be there just after sundown. Be careful. Love you.”
He smirked as the line went dead and tucked his cell phone into his belt holder. Then he went about covering as much territory as possible, spreading his scent around by brushing against trees and other surfaces.
By the time evening fell, it had turned very dark in the preserve. His scent-spreading efforts tired him out, so he stopped in a densely wooded area to eat some trail mix and drink some water. He was thankful he had packed a few bottles of water in his backpack. The nighttime air had a definite chill to it, and while activating a chemical hand warmer to place inside his winter coat, he mentally congratulated himself on bringing them. Fortunately, the cotton-lined leather gloves that he wore were doing an excellent job of keeping his hands warm.
He decided to trudge around a little more in order to stay warm and proceeded out of the trees and down a nearby hiking trail that led towards a high peak on the east side of the preserve. Despite the cool conditions, he thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and was pleased he had selected the venue for their latest challenge.
As time passed, he contemplated the relationship he had formed with Katrina. It was so different from any he had experienced with other women. He was unused to being the focus of her attentions, and despite her tendency to be overly protective and somewhat commanding at times, he nevertheless loved her for it. There seemed to be nothing he wouldn’t try to make her happy, including trudging around in cold, remote areas of Georgia during wintertime.
He glanced at his watch with a yawn, realizing nearly two hours had passed since he had last spoken with Katrina. Surely she’s at the preserve by now . He felt a surge of adrenaline reinvigorate his system and tried to listen more closely to the sounds around him. He considered that he needed to keep more to the trees so she wouldn’t easily see him and focused on trying to move more stealthily. Still, there’s a lot of territory for her to cover, and she may be miles away from me right now .
After no more than half an hour of quietly maneuvering between pine trees and listening for unusual noises, Caleb settled down a few feet into the trees from a nearby hiking trail and laid out his sleeping bag to try to rest up a little. The cool winter air penetrated his jacket, and he activated another hand warmer, slipping the spent one he replaced into his pack. He absently placed his backpack against the trunk of a large pine tree. He unwound his sleeping bag, slipped into it, and sat up with his back against the same tree. Zipping the sleeping bag closed, he was able to hide most of his face inside the enclosure for warmth.
As he listened closely to the natural sounds around him, he failed to notice when he was lulled asleep.
“Well, what have we here?” a deep voice resonated as he lurched awake.
Caleb squinted into the darkness to see a large man towering above him. His heart rate soared instantly, as he was completely
“It’s supposed to be cold tonight, Caleb,” she warned. “Are you sure you’re prepared?”
“Oh, yes,” he assured her. “I brought water, some snacks, a sleeping bag, and even some of those chemical warmers for camping. I also have some pepper spray in case I run into any unfriendly wild animals.”
Silence.
“Pepper spray, huh? Hm. Well, okay. But if I haven’t located you by 4 AM, or if anything feels dangerous, you’d better be signaling me somehow.”
“I can agree to that,” he replied.
“It wasn’t a negotiable request, my love,” she stated emphatically. Your safety is paramount to me, silly man , she thought while shaking her head.
He swallowed and amended his statement with, “Understood.”
“Much better,” she said in a more upbeat tone of voice. “I’ll be there just after sundown. Be careful. Love you.”
He smirked as the line went dead and tucked his cell phone into his belt holder. Then he went about covering as much territory as possible, spreading his scent around by brushing against trees and other surfaces.
By the time evening fell, it had turned very dark in the preserve. His scent-spreading efforts tired him out, so he stopped in a densely wooded area to eat some trail mix and drink some water. He was thankful he had packed a few bottles of water in his backpack. The nighttime air had a definite chill to it, and while activating a chemical hand warmer to place inside his winter coat, he mentally congratulated himself on bringing them. Fortunately, the cotton-lined leather gloves that he wore were doing an excellent job of keeping his hands warm.
He decided to trudge around a little more in order to stay warm and proceeded out of the trees and down a nearby hiking trail that led towards a high peak on the east side of the preserve. Despite the cool conditions, he thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors and was pleased he had selected the venue for their latest challenge.
As time passed, he contemplated the relationship he had formed with Katrina. It was so different from any he had experienced with other women. He was unused to being the focus of her attentions, and despite her tendency to be overly protective and somewhat commanding at times, he nevertheless loved her for it. There seemed to be nothing he wouldn’t try to make her happy, including trudging around in cold, remote areas of Georgia during wintertime.
He glanced at his watch with a yawn, realizing nearly two hours had passed since he had last spoken with Katrina. Surely she’s at the preserve by now . He felt a surge of adrenaline reinvigorate his system and tried to listen more closely to the sounds around him. He considered that he needed to keep more to the trees so she wouldn’t easily see him and focused on trying to move more stealthily. Still, there’s a lot of territory for her to cover, and she may be miles away from me right now .
After no more than half an hour of quietly maneuvering between pine trees and listening for unusual noises, Caleb settled down a few feet into the trees from a nearby hiking trail and laid out his sleeping bag to try to rest up a little. The cool winter air penetrated his jacket, and he activated another hand warmer, slipping the spent one he replaced into his pack. He absently placed his backpack against the trunk of a large pine tree. He unwound his sleeping bag, slipped into it, and sat up with his back against the same tree. Zipping the sleeping bag closed, he was able to hide most of his face inside the enclosure for warmth.
As he listened closely to the natural sounds around him, he failed to notice when he was lulled asleep.
“Well, what have we here?” a deep voice resonated as he lurched awake.
Caleb squinted into the darkness to see a large man towering above him. His heart rate soared instantly, as he was completely
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