Lost & Wild: A Joshua Brown Story

Chapter 4 - Arriving in BrownTown

CHAPTER 4

No one had calculated how long it would take to unload the extra people and all of their gear, plus the Brown's and their crew. It took much longer than anticipated, even when the production crew borrowed the skiff from their house boat to tandem from the Integrity to the shore. The massive tent structure took the two boats at once, only able to put one person on each boat, who then had to heave the heavy bags from the skiff to the shore, one by one. Harper waited until she would be one of the last to ferry for shore, following Gabe around as he instructed her on how to shut up the boat properly while it was anchored in their little inlet. One cameraman, Joe, stayed behind with them to capture the routine.

Gabe wasn't shy about reaching his hand to help pull her up or lending a hand to help steady her legs if she was above him. She just had to grin and roll her eyes a little, still impressed that it seemed to effortless on his part to lift her. She wasn't tiny by any means, nearly as tall as the tallest Brown's and was pretty toned herself. She prided herself in being healthy, not thin. ButGabe could lift her with barely any effort, or at least any he showed. 

Gabe, Harper, and Joe waited on the deck as the skiff approached, Bam steering. He tethered the skiff to the boat and steadied at as Gabe jumped down. Joe slid over the side, careful to maintain his balance with the camera mounted on his shoulder, shooting as Harper swung her legs over the edge of the boat. Without waiting for her to slowly lower herself down, Gabe stepped up on one of the seats of the skiff, gripping Harper by the waist, bringing her down on the seat in front of him.

"All safe and sound!" He grinned.

"Thanks," she said, hoping her blushing wasn't noticeable as she lowered her sunglasses over her eyes. She quickly found her way to the back bench in the skiff and braced herself for the takeoff. She peered back at Bam when the boat didn't move.

"Safety first." He said motioning towards the life jackets. She noticed neither the Joe, Gabe, or Bam were wearing them.

"I can swim." She said, refusing to put it on. She wasn't breakable, "It's 100 feet, if that." She said motioning towards the bank.

"Respect the danger, girl" he chided, securing the life jacket around her neck and fastening it before she could react. She shot him a dirty look, though through her sunglasses, may be been difficult to see. The satisfied smile on his lips told Harper he received her feelings though. She huffed as the skiff lurched forward.

As they neared the shore and began to slow down, Harper yanked the life jacket off and threw it into the floor boards, not happy being man-handled by these boys. They obviously didn't know her and how she was. When they got to their small makeshift dock, everyone was still there, organizing how to transport their gear. Harper bailed out of the skiff, almost knocking Joe into the water as she skulked over to the pile of bags. She shouldered her two bags and as many tent bags as she could manage without dislocating her shoulder.

"C'mon you guys, it's not rocket science, just pick up a god damn bag and let's go!" She said traipsing through the marshy grass towards the woodline.

"We can help with these." Noah said picking up a bag.

"Yeah, let me help you." Matt said, starting for where Harper was waiting for them.

"Ahem" Koby cleared his throat towards Matt, his eyes wide with warning. He made a slashing motion across his throat as if to tell Matt to back off. He instead grabbed a couple bags laying on the ground and attempted to jog through the sloshing mud to catch up with her. It took several yards to catch her.