Unintended Love: A contemporary romantic novella by Harley O'Riley Read Free Book Online Page B

and pulled off the backpack that had begun to feel like it weighed a hundred pounds. The choice had been between the heavier backpack that would be more comfortable, and the lighter one made from parachute material tied together that didn’t have structure, or padded straps. Because either one had its drawbacks, they had worked out a system of trading off every hour or so.
    “How many miles do you think we’ve come?” she asked.
    She reached into her pack and pulled out a bottle of water for them to share.
    “I think about ten miles. Are you ready to switch?”
    She was ready to stop for the day, but she didn’t want to tell him that. She wiped the top off the bottle with her shirt and handed it to him.
    “No, that’s ok. I just needed a short break.”
    His shadow was long and the sun was well on its way down. Alex put his hands on her shoulders and began a gentle massage.
    “Let’s stop for the day. We have plenty of supplies. I don’t feel like I’m in a hurry. What do you think?”
    She looked at him gratefully. “Okay, I’m ready if you are.”
    They set up camp without speaking. Melanie noticed that they seemed to be in tune. When he needed her to hold a branch down so he could more easily break it apart, she saw and went to him. He was aware of her struggle to move a log to use as a seat and came to help. They did what they each could think of to make the campsite as comfortable as possible.
    Soon she was searching through the supplies for something to make for a meal. She longed for fresh food, but all they had were a few cans of beans and tuna fish and a lot of powdered nutritional shakes.
    “I don’t think I can even get creative with this,” she said under her breath.
    Alex looked over. “Anything will taste good. I’m hungry.”
    While Melanie was searching for firewood, she spotted some low bushes filled with ripe raspberries. She dropped the dry branches she was dragging back to their campsite, and popped a few in her mouth, relishing the sweet sour burst of flavor. Then she gathered as many as she could hold in her shirt before returning.
    When Alex saw her, he raised an eyebrow and smiled.
    “I see you found a lot of firewood.”
    “I found something better. Close your eyes,” she commanded.
    “What?”
    “Just close them. Trust me.”
    His smile broadened, but he closed his eyes. “Okay. I think I do trust you. Should I?”
    Melanie considered for a second. No, a little voice whispered; he really shouldn’t trust her and neither should Martin. She hadn’t thought of Martin in hours, and she shrugged off the thought of him now.
    “Well, in this case, yes,” she said. She placed a berry in his mouth and watched as his face lit up. He opened his eyes.
    “More please.”
    Melanie laughed. “I don’t know. I worked hard gathering all of these. What are you going to give me?”
    His eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. “I know what I want to give you.” He reached for her, but she spun away.
    “Oh no you don’t.” She wrinkled her brow in a mock frown. “You must give me something that I want before you have my sweet, delicious berries.”
    He came close, bent down and whispered in her ear. The sound of his voice and his warm breath felt like a soft touch.
    “Tell me what it is that you want. I’d very much like to make you happy and I really want your berries.”
    “A kiss for a berry. Nothing more, nothing less,” she said.
    “One berry for one kiss? That doesn’t seem like a fair trade.”
    “For you? Or for me?”
    “For you, as my kisses would be given for free.”
    But before Melanie could trade many berries, pushing them gently into his mouth after each soft kiss, they were interrupted by a loud crack of thunder that made them both jump in surprise, and a bright flash that lit up the late afternoon sky.
    Clouds had gathered in the sky while they weren’t paying attention. They hung low, ominous and purple, nearly blotting out the mountain views surrounding