Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“We just have to make certain all the food is put in the bear containers and all the smells are covered,” Shabina said. “We don’t want to attract them to this site. We can clean everything up carefully, Zahra. I’m used to scrubbing the stones and cooking pots so there isn’t evidence of food left for the bears.”
“Now can we talk about men?” Vienna asked. “Or one man at least?”
Shabina continued to work clearing the food. Stella and Harlow helped. They wanted the camp pristine from all food sources. Shabina kept her head down. She knew the inevitable had been coming. The women had come to support her so she wouldn’t be alone, but they were going to weigh in on whether her feelings for Rainier were realistic. She didn’t think talking about it mattered one way or the other since he didn’t return her feelings. If he knew, and maybe he did, he would consider her emotions juvenile. That would be even more painfully embarrassing.
“If I get a vote,” she said without looking up, “I vote no.”
“We’ve all had to endure the endless talks on men,” Stella pointed out. “Look at all the times we talked about Sam.”
A collective groan went around the campfire. Zahra covered her eyes. Harlow her ears. Vienna attempted to do both.
“Sam is dreamy, we get it,” Raine said. “No more Sam discussions or you get fed to the bear, baby or no baby.”
“I’m not having a baby,” Stella said decisively. “Stop saying that. You’ll jinx me.”
“Even if the baby looked like Sam?” Zahra asked, her mischievous expression very much in evidence.
Stella paused before she answered. “Well, if it could be guaranteed the baby had his eyes and his laid-back manner, then I’d have his child in a hot minute. But it would be a girl with a nasty little temper and she’d give me attitude night and day.”
“Which you would deserve,” Zahra said.
“Thank you, bestie.” Stella glared at her.
“What are friends for but to point out the obvious?”
Another round of laughter, which Stella took good-naturedly, told Shabina she was going to have to be okay with being in the hot seat next. It was all part of the friend’s creed.
She huffed a little, sank back in her chair and faced them. “Fine, then, but just know, this conversation is beside the point, Rainier has absolutely no feelings for me whatsoever other than he believes it’s his responsibility to keep me alive. In fact, he looks at me like a thorn in his side, kind of a child that falls apart at the drop of a hat.”
“I doubt that,” Harlow said. “Look at everything you’ve accomplished. You live on your own. You have a very successful business. You’re recognized as one of the leading ornithologists studying birds in the wild in North America, especially the Sierra. You graduated with honors from UC Davis, getting your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in well under the time it would have taken most people.”
Shabina found herself smiling at the staunch support of her friend. “Where do you get all this information? Raine? Have you been telling tales about me?” She knew better. Raine didn’t break confidences.
Harlow smiled at her, but there was an apology in her eyes. “I’m a senator’s daughter, Shabina. I make sure anyone I let into my circle of friends is someone we can count on.”
That told Shabina that Harlow was as wary as she was when it came to letting others into her inner circle.
“I do sound a little impressive when you put it that way, but I’m not sure Rainier would pay the slightest attention to my degrees. Just my security. He makes certain I keep up with self-defense, weapons practice and training of my protection dogs. He oversees all of that and occasionally checks out the security cameras to ensure they are working. Other than that, he’s out doing whatever it is Rainier does.”
Being the assassin Deadly Storms when he wasn’t doing the same kind of work for Blom. She didn’t add that. She didn’t want to think about it too much.
She found she was rubbing at her thigh again, something she had been so determined she would stop. It was more of a self-soothing gesture than to alleviate the ache. The scars didn’t hurt as bad anymore. Time, running and stretching had helped. It was one of those telling nervous actions Rainier—or Scorpion—would notice immediately. Scorpion would take advantage. Rainier would coach her until she was rid of it.
“You don’t know,” Zahra said. “If I were any man, I’d be falling all over you. Not only are you a successful businesswoman, but you’re gorgeous.”
Shabina laughed. “I’m not exactly thin.”
“Men like figures, Shabina,” Raine said. “Believe me, I know.” She was extremely thin.
Shabina gave a little snort of derision. “Weren’t we just talking about all the men who are courting you?”