Chapter 6

It was midmorning a few days later when Caleb heard a vehicle approaching his cabin. He stepped out onto his porch, a cup of coffee in hand, and watched as a sleek black Mercedes pulled up between his truck and the professor's Outback. As the driver stepped out and headed over to him, Caleb wondered what business the man would have in his woods.

"Can I help you?" he asked as he made his way down the steps toward the visitor. As with all strangers, he was cautiously hostile.

"You're the forest ranger, I take it." The man's voice was cultured but had a nasal drone that was sure to annoy before long.

"And you are?" Caleb's voice was less than friendly.

"Dr. Fischer, Dean of Sciences at Central Willamette University. I'm here to check on a colleague of mine, Dr. French."

Surprise flashed through him, followed by the inkling of an emotion he couldn't name. Why should it bother him that another man had come into his park, looking for the sexy scientist?

Wait, Dean of Sciences? He must be her boss. The realization made him breathe a little easier, and he stuck out his hand to the man. "Caleb Hunt."

The other man took his hand, limply moving it up and down. Caleb noticed the carefully clipped nails on the unlined hand and wondered if the dean enjoyed a good manicure now and then. He didn't seem the type who tended toward fieldwork.

"Pleasure to meet you," Dr. Fischer said distractedly, his gaze jumping around from tree to tree. Caleb wondered how the man could simultaneously take in his surroundings while looking down his nose.

The dean took a moment to compose the expression of a man who didn't like the outdoors into something resembling a polite smile. "Ranger Hunt, could you please point me in the direction of my colleague's camp? I'm anxious to check on her progress."

Caleb fought the urge to raise an eyebrow at his words and lost. The man's arrogant tone got under his skin. The faster he got him to the camp, the faster he could hustle him back out of the park again.

"Right this way," Caleb said, bowing slightly while extending his hands in the direction of the ATV, not caring if his mockery was noticeable.

The ride to camp was possibly the most uncomfortable fifteen minutes of Caleb's life. The dean was not only a smug bastard, but he mistook his own haughtiness for charm. Conversation was near impossible. Everything that came out of the man's mouth sounded like a lecture.

"Dr. French is a dear, dear friend of mine," he said, and Caleb gripped the wheel so hard his knuckles turned a ghostly white.

Dr. Fischer seemed to take no notice of his companion's discomfort. "This little project of hers is quite amusing, don't you think? Although I don't buy her premise that one amphibian species is actually two, I suppose that even a null result is a result in some sense. Don't you agree?"

Caleb grunted in response and was treated to what must pass for a dean's laugh but which came out more like the whine of a tea kettle. "Of course you probably have no idea what I'm talking about," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Nevertheless, our dear Dr. French is a very ambitious woman, willing to put up with all this wilderness in the name of science, however misguided her attempts may be. Still, roughing it has got to be hard on the lady. I'm certain she'll appreciate my offer of a brief escape this afternoon."

"Escape?" Caleb asked, but before he could get an answer, they had cleared the last hill and were pulling up to Danielle's camp. He cut the engine but remained seated, breathing deeply and attempting calm, while the dean got out and wandered around the campsite. He watched as the slender fellow stuck his head in her tent, then pulled it back out with a look of confusion.

"She's not here," he said with frustration as he walked back toward the ATV.

"She's probably out in the field," Caleb replied, pulling out his phone and dialing her number.

"What?" Danielle seemed irritated when she answered his call.

Doubt punched him in the gut. Had their uneasy post-coitus comradery already turned into hostility? He hoped not. "You've got company."

"What?" she asked again, her voice rising an octave.

"I suggest you high-tail it back to camp," he said, then ended the call. "She's on her way," he told the dean, who'd finally settled into a camping chair. His look was one of vague distrust at the canvas material, but he carefully adjusted his shorts, pulling them up slightly to fold one leg over the other. Caleb thought the pose was supposed to be refined, but he thought it just a tad too feminine. Besides, what man with a decent sized member could fold one leg over the other comfortably like that?

Caleb finally climbed out of the ATV and headed over to the other canvas chair, sliding into it and turning his attention to the dean. He knew Danielle would return soon, but he didn't feel like leaving this self-important prick alone in her camp. Besides, he wondered what their relationship was and would look for answers in her reactions.

Was he more than her boss? He was determined to find out. In the meantime, perhaps he could get some more clues by making small-talk.

"So, Jeff, do you do any fieldwork yourself?"

The dean shot him a look of annoyance. "Jeffrey," he corrected and coughed politely. "No, I don't generally have time to gallivant off into the wilds. My position as head of Sciences makes that difficult."

"I see." Caleb repressed a burst of laughter at the conceited correction of his name. "Yet you found time to 'gallivant off into the wilds' today it seems."

The dean's smile was so smug Caleb wanted to wipe it off his face for him. Hard. "Well, Dani has always been a special case."

Dani? Caleb saw red.

"She's a very remarkable woman," the dean continued, not noticing the flush that crept up his companion's face. "And any chance to spend time with her is not to be missed. Even if I am charged with evaluating her progress, I'm sure she won't mind a little catching up on personal matters."

His voice dripped with hormones as he said those words. "Dani and I, we--" His words broke off at the loud snap of a twig nearby. Both heads turned to look as Danielle stepped out of the tree line and into the camp.