* * *
Dani took a deep breath, pushing away the anger that she felt at the ranger's high-handedness. Her phone rang, and she glanced down, relieved to see it was her friend, Janna. She answered, turning her back on the ranger and concentrating on the call.
"Hey, I missed you at lunch. I brought you some gluten-free muffins to take with you, but you didn't show. Another last-minute meeting?"
The rapid-fire pacing of Janna's speech made Dani smile. "Not quite. I left a day early."
"You what?!? But I thought you still had tons of stuff to do."
Dani sighed. "I did, so I stayed up late and got it done. Then I finished loading up the car this morning and hit the road. I just arrived at the park a few minutes ago."
"Any particular reason why you moved up your time frame? Your schedule is...how do I say this...very precious to you."
That was Janna's polite way of reminding her of what she called her obsessive tendencies. "You probably schedule your bathroom breaks down to the last second. You must have had a good reason to move up your departure date. Spill it."
"Because I was really excited, Puchie...?" The rising tone of Dani's inflection didn't convince her friend.
"Bullshit. And don't call me Puchie, you know I hate it. Are you sure it didn't have anything to do with that meeting I mentioned?"
Dani rolled her eyes. Janna went after gossip like a terrier after a squirrel, and she knew Dani was holding on to a particularly succulent morsel. "Fine. You're right. I rearranged my whole fucking schedule because of my meeting with Dean Fischer. To avoid it, actually, but that didn't work."
"What happened?"
"Well, after you high-tailed it out of my office..." They had been discussing the plans for her fieldwork in her office when they'd been interrupted by a knock at the door. Jeffrey Fischer, Dean of Sciences and the man currently overseeing her tenure review, leaned against the doorframe and nodded at them. Before the dean could even manage to recall Janna's name, she'd jumped to her feet and rushed out the door, heading down the hallway and abandoning Dani.
"Couldn't be helped. You know I put my foot in my mouth whenever I get nervous, and deans make me nervous."
Dani wanted to laugh, but she was still too annoyed. Janna, self-proclaimed "Oldest Graduate Student of All Time," was Dani's closest friend. Although she was still a student, she was a few years older than Dani, who was junior faculty in the Department of Biology and struggling to make her way up the tenure ladder. They often met for lunch to discuss their academic woes. Dani always enjoyed their conversations.
Well, almost always.
"Let's just say the meeting was less about my research and more about whether I'd be all alone in the dark and scary woods."
"Seriously? I mean, the dean's always come off as an elite asshole, but not a creepy elite asshole."
Dani's gaze scanned the forest around her; then she risked a glance at the ranger who continued to carelessly pitch her meticulously organized equipment to the ground. She watched him for a moment, trying to keep her mind from dwelling on her lunch with Fischer. Forget it, focus on something else, she told herself, her mantra whenever circumstances became unpleasant. Although perhaps choosing the ranger as her current focus would be just as unpleasant, despite his handsome smile. "Anyway, I won't go into the gory details now--"
Janna jumped in, right on cue. "Don't think you're gonna get out of telling me exactly what he said!"
"I know!" Dani suppressed a groan. "And I promise to, the next time we have lunch together."
"When will that be? Won't you be out in the field for the next few months? I can't believe you've decided to camp, by the way. You never seemed like the outdoors type."
"Just because I'm from the city doesn't mean I don't like the outdoors."
Janna's tone betrayed her smirk. "So, have you been camping before?"
Dani hesitated before replying. "How hard can it be?"
"Look, I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure it won't be a cakewalk. There are bears and mountain lions. And the rainy season is about to start, and it gets pretty cold at that elevation at night. And did I mention bears?"
Dani blew out a frustrated breath that lifted her bangs off her forehead. "Come on, Puchie, it's not like I'm heading into the wilderness for forty years."
"I think you're underestimating the challenge you'll be facing. No hot showers. Mosquitoes. Bad weather."
"I'll survive."
"Really?" Janna said, her disbelief evident. "What about spiders?"
Dani's smile faltered at the mention of her irrational fear. "Stop trying to freak me out! I'm doing this. This grant is a huge deal, so why don't you just support me like a good friend and---" Her words were cut off by the gruff laugh of the ranger.
"What the hell did you bring this thing for?" he asked, holding up a camouflaged flashlight, one of five that she'd packed for her excursion. "Don't you use a flashlight in the dark? What good is camouflage in the dark?"
Dani sighed, rolling her eyes. Her friend, however, was instantly on alert.
"Who's that?"
"The park ranger," Dani answered, walking a few steps farther away and speaking softly.
"He sounds hot. Is he?"
Dani laughed.
"That's not an answer. He's hot, isn't he?" Janna never gave up. Dani wasn't sure if that tenacity was a blessing or a curse.
"Yeah, he is," she replied. "But he's also an asshole."
"Hmm, a few months in the woods with a hunky asshole. Things could be worse."
"Yeah, I could run into one of those bears you keep mentioning."