Bound to Happen by Mary Kay McComas Read Free Book Online Page B

beginning to rise,” she said, observing the dull gray lightness around them. She noted, for the first time, that their campsite was smack in the middle of the road, very near the place where they almost had collided.
    “Dawn in my book is still the middle of the night,” he said drowsily. “Go to sleep.”
    “Well, actually, most people hold to the general consensus that the day begins at dawn, although technically it begins at midnight. But I think the idea is that if it’s light out, it’s day,” Leslie said, realizing how foolish she sounded but unable to stop the nervous prattle that was falling from her lips.
    Accustomed to coming awake slowly, it was a jolt to Leslie’s system to wake up and instantly have to feel awkward and agitated. Recalling their final discussion of the night before only increased her mortification. Where had the idea that this man could pass as a tree come from, she wondered.
    Slowly Joe turned his head to look at her. She couldn’t tell if he was angry, amused, or thinking about throwing a net over her. After several seconds, in a voice that was quiet and most sincere, he said, “The next two weeks are going to be very long, aren’t they?”
    Leslie didn’t know how to respond, and she no longer could hold his incredulous gaze. She began to slide away from him, carefully, so as not to disturb him anymore than was necessary.
    “I’ll be very quiet if you want to go back to sleep,” she said, growing cold again as his hands slipped away from her. “I’ll gather wood or something for the fire. I want to do my share. In fact, I think we should keep track of the food I eat, and then once I get home, I’ll mail you a check to reimburse you.”
    Joe made no reply. He continued to stare at her as if she’d suddenly turned green and grown antennae.
    “Are you okay?” Leslie asked, concerned. It hadn’t as yet been confirmed that he wasn’t some sort of escapee, although he had proved to be trustworthy during the night. Perhaps it was simply time for his medication, she thought sympathetically.
    He sat up suddenly and without answering her question, removed his coat and tossed it to her. “Put this on,” he ordered.
    “Oh, no. I can use—”
    “Look, lady,” he said, breaking in on Leslie’s objection in his usual discourteous way, “I don’t plan to argue with you everytime I say something. Just leave me alone and do what I say and we’ll get along fine.”
    Shocked by his sudden outburst, Leslie watched as Joe got to his feet. He looked as though he was as stiff and sore as she was, and it made her heart glad. As to how to react to his disposition, she wasn’t sure. If she were a man, she’d punch him in the nose. But his superior strength was too obvious for her to entertain that notion for long. And she certainly didn’t want to push him over the edge if he was, indeed, mentally unstable. Her best course of action, she decided, was to try to get along with him.
    Wordlessly she sat up and put the man’s coat on. It retained some of his body heat and felt wonderful, but she was certain he didn’t want to hear about it.
    She saw him nod his satisfaction and watched as he picked up the pan and canning jars they’d used the night before, then stomped off into the woods, taking the blanket with him.
    Leslie sighed her disappointment. Aside from his rather queer personality, Joe Bonner was a very physically appealing man. His long, thick legs and broad, muscled shoulders held a certain fascination for her and initiated the oddest sensation deep in her abdomen. And she found she was growing quite used to his “un” appearance. Leslie laughed softly. It was a good description for Mr. Bonner. He was untailored, unclipped, unshaven, and … unusual to her.
    Joe Bonner was an odd man indeed, Leslie decided as she got to her feet and began stretching her aching muscles. The previous night he’d seemed genuinely interested in her plight. The best part of him, his eyes, had