This is crazy. I was sure that Ana hated my guts. I’m still not convinced she doesn’t, but after the past two days, I’m so fuck-drunk that I’m willing to admit there’s a chance she doesn’t.

We didn’t go hunting the day after our first fuck as I’d made her agree to. Instead, she convinced me to stay home one more day, promising to spend the whole day and night with me. It was a price worth the delay, and we spent the next twenty-four hours in my cabin, eating food from the fridge between bouts of sex.

I’m not naive enough to think it was anything more than two people relieving a desperate need. Lord knows, I’d gone so long without sex I had enough stored inside my balls to fill a water tower, and poor Ana has just been the receptacle for all my raging lust.

But from her moans and enthusiasm, I know for a fact she’s enjoyed every minute of it. I swear, I’ve woken up more than once where instead of nursing my ankle, she’s nursing me back to another hard-on so she can get another dose of my cock.

What isn’t important are the positions, the multitudes of times I’ve left her full of cum, or whether she came on my fingers, my tongue, or my cock. What’s important is that we haven’t spoken about the past.

She’s declared over and over that it doesn’t mean anything and she wants to stay focused on the here and now, calling me a stubborn asshole every time I try to bring it up or talk about something more serious than ‘where do you want it?’

But I have hope. Hope that she’ll eventually listen. Hope that she might find it in her heart to forgive me.

It’s just going to take time. And with her only being here for a short time before she returns home to care for folks who actually need her help, time might not be on my side.

Our issues aren’t going to be resolved by me unburdening my heart. You can’t just forgive and forget in an instant after all these years. And she needs to know that I didn’t run because I’m a coward, even if I do feel like one right now because knowing that I’m going to have to come clean scares the shit out of me. All this time, I’ve dealt with it in my own way and without talking about it to anyone else. The burdens of the past have weighed heavily on my shoulders alone.

“You’re all set,” Ana says, bent over at my knee. The bandage and brace aren’t pretty, but they’ll fit inside my strongest boot, and that’ll have to be enough. “You shouldn’t put much weight on it, but it doesn’t seem like you listen to a thing I say.”

“I’ll be fine,” I reply, standing up and testing my ankle. It’s a lot better than I expected. Who knew that taking a day off my feet would help so damn much? Guess I just needed the right motivation for staying in bed. “I’m gonna let you do most of the work anyway.”

Ana stands up, gazing up at me and looking sexy as fuck. She’s dressed like some hunting calendar dream, cute in her jeans, boots, and a borrowed camo shirt that’s tied off. She’s not wearing a bra, and the curves of her breasts pressed against her shirt look tempting as fuck. The sight of her nipples pressing against the shirt is just for me. The whole picture is topped off with her bare face and a messy knot of her honey hair underneath one of my old ballcaps. “You sure keep saying that. Sounds like you want us to starve.”

I grin, knowing she’s mostly teasing. “We both know you brought enough food for a month, so we aren’t starving either way. Besides, even if we weren’t going out, Rex has to get out for a walk sometimes. No way he’d let me sit in here all day, jacked-up ankle or not. Unless you want to take him for a stroll while I kick back?”

Ana glances at Rex, who’s sitting by the door, ready and waiting, silently saying, Let’s go, let’s go! She shakes her head. “No, thanks. I’m still not convinced he likes me. I might just end up being the food.”

I laugh, teasing back. “Well, I’d happily eat you morning, noon, and night every day.”

She flushes and then says, “Close your eyes.”

I wiggle my eyebrows at her meaningfully. “Okay by me, but we are getting out to hunt at some point today so it’ll have to be a quickie this time.”

I hear her quiet giggle then a put-upon sigh. “It’s not always about sex, Aubrey. I have a surprise for you.”

I grin, keeping my eyes closed. “That still sounds like you’re talking about sex, best surprise I can think of.” The banter feels good. It’s been our go-to mode for the last day. Easy and light, nothing dark or heavy to test the blossoming connection we’re rekindling. That’ll come. It has to. But for now, this is working.

I hear the back door open and then close, then Ana says, “Okay, open.” I open my eyes to see her standing directly in front of me, handing me . . . a stick? I take it from her, confusion written across my face.

“It’s a walking stick, to help with your ankle while we’re hiking today,” she explains, as though that should be obvious. Actually, now that she says it, that’s completely apparent. I just didn’t think of it because I’m a stubborn asshole, as we’ve well established.

“No way. Where’d you even get this?” I ask, trying to hand it back to Ana, but she shoves it back toward me with open palms.

“I made it for you. And you’re using it today on our hunting hike or we’re not going.” Her voice is serious, inviting no discussion or argument. I realize this is her professional, I-mean-business tone.

I look at the stick again, turning it in my hands. It’s crude, nothing fancy or polished, just a long length of smooth wood. But she made this for me, spent time searching for the right one, debarking it, and prepping it. All the while, thinking of me. My heart fills with warmth. Progress. I’m making progress with her, slowly but surely.

I nod and plant the end on the floor. It’s perfect, just long enough to give me good support, and strong too. It’s slightly against my dignity . . . but it’s only temporary, and besides, Ana made it. “Fine, fine. I’ll use it. Ana . . .”

I wait for her eyes to meet mine, the smile already plastered on her face at my agreement to use the stick, and I realize she expected much more of an argument. “Thank you.”

Her smile spreads wider and her eyes shine, and I think she might actually be tearing up a bit. Shit, is that good? Bad? I don’t know for sure, so I redirect as quickly as possible. “Come on, I’ve got the place picked out already.”

We go out to my ATV, quickly loading up with what we’ll need for the day as Rex runs back and forth from the shed to the house on a loop, following in our footsteps. Apparently, the day indoors yesterday made him a bit antsy too. I give him a pat on the head and instruct him to ‘watch the house’, and he lopes off, setting a path around the perimeter of the cabin. Ana laughs, but I assure her, “Don’t worry, he won’t walk paces the whole time we’re gone. Just for a bit until he’s confident there’s nothing looming, then he’ll take turns on the front porch and then the back, laying out and dozing off and on.”

She shakes her head in disbelief but climbs on the ATV behind me and we drive out. It feels good to have her arms wrapped around my waist even over the jackets we’re wearing, and I’m a little regretful when it’s over. “We walk from here. Don’t worry, it’s not far, just about two hundred yards.”

The day’s beautiful as we slowly make our way through the woods with clear blue skies above us. A cool wind is coming down from up-mountain, and the hint of moisture in the air’s even better. It’s exactly what we need to stay fresh as we hike the short distance. Of course, I use the walking stick Ana made me, willing to ding my own ego if it puts a smile on her face.

“Here we are,” I note as we reach the spot, a deer stand that I use a lot. “Up and at ‘em.”

I unsling my light pack and climb the handful of steps using just my left leg in an awkward hopping motion, leaving Ana down on the ground, scowling at me. “What the heck are you doing?”

I reach the top, and it’s hard not to laugh as I look down at her. She’s so cute when she’s indignant. “You told me I need to stay off my ankle. That’s what I’m doing.”

“And what am I supposed to do?”

I grin, pointing back at the cases on the ATV’s cargo rack. “All the work. While I watch.”

“You’re out of your mind!” Ana says, huffing. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“You’ll learn, Miss Nurse,” I joke.

Ana throws her hands up, picking up the smaller of the two hard cases. “I can’t with you! You know this is blackmail, right?”

I smirk at her cockily, wagging a finger. “It’s just about patience. How are you supposed to nurse my ankle if you don’t have any patience?”

“Trust me, I have a lot of it,” Ana says as she hands up the first case. “Just not much for an overgrown asshole.”

I grin, looking into her beautiful eyes and lowering my voice until it’s husky the way she likes. “Don’t forget, this overgrown asshole knows how to dick you until you’re screaming at the top of your lungs. So I’m useful for something, at least.”

Ana drops the few feet down, growling as she stomps over to get the next item to hand up.

I have to grin as she stomps off, nearly foaming at the mouth. I enjoy seeing this side of her. Sweet Ana, all flustered and sassy with pink cheeks, turns me on. She stays gone for a good five minutes before coming back to hand me the second case. Then she stands there with her hands on her hips, looking up at me.

“Alright, what am I supposed to be doing?”

I look down from my seat and nod, grinning. “I knew you’d see it my way. Climb on up here, and don’t forget the knapsack.”

Ana obeys, and when she reaches the stand, she looks around. It’s a little tight, but not too bad. I didn’t build this thing to have more than one person in it, but she’s so small, we can squeeze in. “No funny business. You might not believe me, but I do know my way out of here. I’ll leave you high and dry.”

“Then you’d be guilt-ridden forever,” I tease, opening up the smaller of the two cases and taking out the pieces. “Now, here’s what you’ll be using.”

“A . . . crossbow?” Ana asks before stopping.

“Yep. You can’t learn to use a bow in one sitting, but a crossbow’s a lot like a rifle,” I explain, locking the pieces into place. “Aim and shoot. Ever shot a rifle?”

“Only shooting I’ve done is laser tag with Trey,” Ana admits. “Does that count?”

“It could,” I hedge. I finish assembling the crossbow and then set it aside to put together my bow. “This is just in case you need backup. Now, let’s see how you handle the crossbow.”

I demonstrate, putting a bolt in an old target I have set up on a tree before handing it to Ana. “Your turn.”

She looks at the bright green bolt sticking out of the tree, then looks at me. “You want me to do that?”

I nod. “Bring the stock up to your shoulder . . . just a little higher. Get this on your cheek.”

I guide Ana through how to shoot, moving behind her and adjusting her as needed. Holding her still, I’m aware of her body and how warm she feels in the cool stand, but I keep myself professional even as my cock hardens and presses against her ass. “Now, when you want to fire, you stroke the trigger. Don’t yank it.”

Ana lowers the crossbow, looking back at me. “Stroke it, don’t yank it? Really?”

“I didn’t mean it as a pun, but it does sound like fun, doesn’t it?” I grin, leaning in and kissing her quickly and deeply. When our lips break, I’m smirking hard. “Now, you ready to try and fire something?”

“I still don’t get why you don’t use a gun,” Ana says as I recock the bow and seat a bolt. “Isn’t it easier?”

“It is, but this always feels like a more balanced battle to me. Now, just like we practiced.”

Amazingly, Ana’s a natural, hitting the black circle I’ve painted on the target wood with her first three shots without even needing a single hint. “Wow, I’m a deadeye.”

“Don’t get too cocky. Now we wait. The boar come through here, usually around sunset.”

“Sunset?” Ana asks, surprised. “But it’s barely after lunch!”

“And we needed time to make sure you could shoot right and not scare off the boar,” I explain. “Now . . . quiet.”

Silence drops between us, the crossbow set aside as we settle in to wait. I let her sit up front, my body close to her so I can talk quietly with her. “How’d it feel to hit the target?”

“Good,” she whispers back.

“You’re a natural. Ana, look, I feel like I should . . .” I start, my voice barely a whisper in her ear as I tempt fate, and her anger, by trying to explain about our past, about what happened.

She knows where my mind is heading, though, and puts the brakes on that train of thought with a sad sigh. “Don’t, Aubrey. Really . . . don’t. This is nice, we’re having fun, and I don’t want to turn the rest of my time here into a trip down memory lane, especially when it’s a sad and angry trip.”

I nod and feel her tense up, feel the gap widening between us, yawning wide and dark and dangerous. It takes every bit of strength I have, but I push the words deep down, trying to respect her wishes even though I desperately want to force her to listen.

It’s quiet for a long few minutes, the tension slowly melting as we wander through the past in our minds, in our hearts. We stay close, our bodies pressed against each other, even if the distance of our souls stays static, much to my frustration.

We wait as the afternoon stretches on, not saying much as we wait. When my watch says it’s getting close to four, I recock her crossbow and set a hunting broadhead into the groove.

I get my gear ready too, my bow poised in case Ana needs it. About thirty minutes later, I hear the first rustles in the woods, and coming down the game trail is a doe, still skinny after a long winter. But that’s not what we’re here for, so we let her pass.

Ten minutes later, there’s another rustle, and a boar emerges. The Bear Mountains actually have more boar than bears nowadays, too many hunters looking for a trophy and too many developers taking the bears’ territory. Boars, though, are officially vermin by the state because they’re so prevalent, and they’re fair game.

But this boar is small, likely still young, and not suitable to hunt yet. I whisper to Ana, “Not this one.”

We wait for over an hour, watching the sun dip toward the horizon and the forest come to life with nocturnal creatures. But though we see a few more deer, no more boars come near our hunting post. I do need to hunt to restock my freezer supplies, but I’m just enjoying being wrapped around Ana, her back to my front as the orange light casts a glow over us.

Finally, we give up and head carefully back to the ATV for the ride back to the cabin. We might not have had a successful hunt, but I feel like Ana is slowly warming to me, even if she did shut me down on having a serious discussion again. But I’m wearing her down, and if nothing else, she’s getting more comfortable around me, letting her guard down more and more, letting me in. Eventually, she has to listen, or maybe we can just pretend the past never happened and move forward from here.

We don’t have fresh meat for dinner, but luckily, I’m always well-prepared and Ana really did stock up for her vacation. Rex is practically drooling on the ground as the low flames lick at the chicken breasts we’ve skewered and placed on a makeshift grill that lays on the open firepit.

“So this is what your life is like,” Ana says as I turn the skewers. “You do this often?”

“More often than not. Usually not chicken, though I’ll admit I go into town to get some things.”

Ana shakes her head, looking at me sideways. “I’ve imagined what you’d be like, where you’d be, many times over the years. Never expected this. You were so . . . different.” She chuckles. “You were about as far from a loner as it gets. And look at you now!”

I swallow, looking down. It’s the first time we’ve mentioned our pasts, and suddenly, it’s my time to feel nervous. “It’s what I had to do to survive.”

She can see the darkness in my eyes and turns, tilting her head as she looks at me carefully. “What do you mean, to survive?”

I stare at her long and hard, trying to think up a way to start because this is the opening I’ve been waiting for, my chance to explain how my life went sideways and I left her behind, even if I didn’t want to.

Before I can answer, a growling sound with a familiar stench wafts our direction.

“What the hell is that smell?” she cries, backing away. “God, that’s fucking rank!”

“Skunk,” I growl. “The fire scares it so it’s scenting, I guess. Probably just wants food.”

Rex barks in the skunk’s direction, the scruff of his neck rising.

“No, Rex!” I command, hoping Rex remembers. The last time he tangled with a skunk, he got sprayed. It took a day for him to see right and a week of tomato juice baths to get the smell out of his fur.

“Let’s get back,” I growl, pointing toward the cabin. “You don’t want that smell getting into your clothes and your skin, trust me.”

Ana doesn’t need any more convincing, running while Rex stays with me as I follow, limping along. I think about how funny it is. The conversation I’ve worried about having for years . . . and it’s stopped in its tracks by a skunk.