the opportunity to come over, congratulate him on his narrow escape, and introduce themselves to April. It was like being in a fishbowl, and he could see that April was getting increasingly uncomfortable with it, too.
The straw that broke the camel's back was when reporters started showing up. Nathan knew at first glance that they were out-of-towners, and April's flinch confirmed it. "Those people were at my hotel earlier this morning," she murmured. "I don't really want to give interviews. I'd just like to leave."
"If we go out the front, they'll follow us." Nathan glanced around, and then beckoned Dave. "Hey, buddy, do me a favor?" He tossed Dave his truck keys. "Can you pull 'er around to the back? We'll be going out that way in a minute or two."
Dave laughed, but shouldered his way out past the reporters to do as requested.
April stood up. When she did so, the reporters zeroed in on her location. Nathan took her hand and tugged her along with him, like he was just going over to talk to Ellen at the ordering counter. Dave reappeared behind Ellen, and winked at him. Nathan ducked past both of them into the kitchen, with April half-walking, half-jogging behind him. The reporters started to follow, but Dave moved casually to block their path. He was a mountain of a man; they wouldn't be getting past him easily. And Nathan and April made their getaway.
13. April
Laughing and holding hands, April and Nathan stumbled out into the alley behind the restaurant. True to his word, Dave had pulled the truck around; the keys were in it. April scrambled up into the passenger's seat.
They couldn't even meet each other's eyes without breaking into laughter.
"This is ridiculous," April gasped, wiping tears of laughter out of her eyes. "I can't believe we're doing all this cloak and dagger stuff just to sneak away from your friends! Please tell me small towns aren't like this all the time."
"No, no," Nathan reassured her, laughing. "The next nine days' wonder will come along soon and they'll forget all about us. In the meantime, I suggest we find a place to lie low for the rest of the day, at least until the reporters go away."
"Well, bear counting is out for the time being," April said. "Seeing how we don't have a plane right now. I'm taking a little time off, anyway."
"You'd be willing to go up with me in a plane again?"
The look on his face touched her heart. "Of course I would. It wasn't your fault, and I could see you did everything you could to keep us safe."
Nathan broke into a relieved smile—the smile that still made her weak in the knees. "Well, how about a picnic?"
"On the tundra?"
He nodded. "If you want to. I've got a tent in the back of the truck. We don't have to come back until the vultures move on to their next target. Only if you want to, of course."
Peace and quiet. Just the two of them. "I think it sounds wonderful."
Nathan pulled into the parking lot of the town's little shopping center to pick up some picnic food. He planted a hand on her head and pushed her down across the seat. "Here, you better hide while I go get the stuff. If it's just me, I can get out pretty quickly, but if they see you? We'll never get away. I'll have to set fire to the building to provide a distraction this time."
April, giggling, lay down across the seat. The door slammed and she heard Nathan's brisk steps crunching away across the gravel parking lot. She folded her hands on her stomach and lay on her back, looking up at the underside of the truck's roof.
He was back in a few minutes with several shopping bags, which he dropped into the back of the truck. "Keep lying down," he informed her quietly as he slid inside. "Those reporters from Dave and Ellen's followed us here. They must've seen my truck."
April giggled softly and shifted her position so she was stretched out across the seat with her head in his lap. "How about this?" she asked, smiling up at him.
"Quit wiggling. You're not making it easy to drive."
April
The straw that broke the camel's back was when reporters started showing up. Nathan knew at first glance that they were out-of-towners, and April's flinch confirmed it. "Those people were at my hotel earlier this morning," she murmured. "I don't really want to give interviews. I'd just like to leave."
"If we go out the front, they'll follow us." Nathan glanced around, and then beckoned Dave. "Hey, buddy, do me a favor?" He tossed Dave his truck keys. "Can you pull 'er around to the back? We'll be going out that way in a minute or two."
Dave laughed, but shouldered his way out past the reporters to do as requested.
April stood up. When she did so, the reporters zeroed in on her location. Nathan took her hand and tugged her along with him, like he was just going over to talk to Ellen at the ordering counter. Dave reappeared behind Ellen, and winked at him. Nathan ducked past both of them into the kitchen, with April half-walking, half-jogging behind him. The reporters started to follow, but Dave moved casually to block their path. He was a mountain of a man; they wouldn't be getting past him easily. And Nathan and April made their getaway.
13. April
Laughing and holding hands, April and Nathan stumbled out into the alley behind the restaurant. True to his word, Dave had pulled the truck around; the keys were in it. April scrambled up into the passenger's seat.
They couldn't even meet each other's eyes without breaking into laughter.
"This is ridiculous," April gasped, wiping tears of laughter out of her eyes. "I can't believe we're doing all this cloak and dagger stuff just to sneak away from your friends! Please tell me small towns aren't like this all the time."
"No, no," Nathan reassured her, laughing. "The next nine days' wonder will come along soon and they'll forget all about us. In the meantime, I suggest we find a place to lie low for the rest of the day, at least until the reporters go away."
"Well, bear counting is out for the time being," April said. "Seeing how we don't have a plane right now. I'm taking a little time off, anyway."
"You'd be willing to go up with me in a plane again?"
The look on his face touched her heart. "Of course I would. It wasn't your fault, and I could see you did everything you could to keep us safe."
Nathan broke into a relieved smile—the smile that still made her weak in the knees. "Well, how about a picnic?"
"On the tundra?"
He nodded. "If you want to. I've got a tent in the back of the truck. We don't have to come back until the vultures move on to their next target. Only if you want to, of course."
Peace and quiet. Just the two of them. "I think it sounds wonderful."
Nathan pulled into the parking lot of the town's little shopping center to pick up some picnic food. He planted a hand on her head and pushed her down across the seat. "Here, you better hide while I go get the stuff. If it's just me, I can get out pretty quickly, but if they see you? We'll never get away. I'll have to set fire to the building to provide a distraction this time."
April, giggling, lay down across the seat. The door slammed and she heard Nathan's brisk steps crunching away across the gravel parking lot. She folded her hands on her stomach and lay on her back, looking up at the underside of the truck's roof.
He was back in a few minutes with several shopping bags, which he dropped into the back of the truck. "Keep lying down," he informed her quietly as he slid inside. "Those reporters from Dave and Ellen's followed us here. They must've seen my truck."
April giggled softly and shifted her position so she was stretched out across the seat with her head in his lap. "How about this?" she asked, smiling up at him.
"Quit wiggling. You're not making it easy to drive."
April
Similar Books
