Lost & Wild: A Joshua Brown Story

CHAPTER 6 - The Art of the Deal

 CHAPTER 6

A short time later, the four women arrived back at camp, Bam following them with a bundle of shimmed wood over his shoulder. They both walked behind the rest, Harper slightly ahead of Bam. She tried to not keeping looking at him, but she couldn't help but steal sideways glances of him. Every time she tried to, it was clear he was looking at her. She wished she had her hair down, crazy as it could be, she could at least hide her face. She needed a minute. She wasn't sure what had just happened.

She wasn't great with men, she'd had a string of bad luck when it came to guys and while she hadn't gone as far to 'swear off men forever'. She'd been very careful over the years after having her heart repeatedly broken. That was one reason she enjoyed her cousins company so much. She knew with them she didn't have to worry about being objectified or pursued. To be fair, before the trip, she'd worried about being around these 5 guys. She was worried something like this would happen. But she didn't expect that she'd let it go so far, so soon. She was so used to having the upper hand, the control. Bam so effortlessly won her over, it scared her a little.

She wanted to talk to him. She needed to have him hear her. But how was she ever going to do that? The cameras were already on them the second they emerged from the woods. How was she going to tell him to meet her in secret without someone, anyone knowing? And how were they ever going to sneak away far enough to know they wouldn't be heard or seen? Harper rubbed her head, starting to feel a dull ache creep in.

They took the berries inside, Harper and Bam's eyes following each other as he went on to the trapper shack and she walked up the front porch. Watching him, she missed the last step, falling into Rain and almost knocking her over. The cameraman, Tad, caught it all, his face seemed to question why she was looking at Bam so long. She ignored his silent question and continued in the big house, apologizing to Rain, who just laughed it off.

Harper, wanting to show off what culinary skills she had for cooking in the woods, offered to use some of the berries to make a sweetbread that was laced with goat cheese and berries and finished off with a berry reduction. She offered her labor as thanks for letting them stay on their land. But as part of her deal she requested to be alone to make it, telling the women she'd finish up with the kitchen chores while baking and they could relax and take the rest of the morning leisurely.

Harper had finished her dough and left it close to the stove to rise. She cleaned up the mess she had made and began pouring the rest of the berries she didn't need into the jars they'd already sterilized. It made her think of canning veggies with her grandmother when she was little on their sprawling Missouri farm. She smiled remembering the warm summer days and how she'd steal a pea pod when her grandma wasn't looking and pop it into her mouth.

"I've never seen putting up berries make someone smile that much before." Matt said from the doorway. She jumped a little, not having heard him come in.

"Good God, Matt, how the hell did you sneak in here? Normally, I can hear you coming from a mile away." She teased, tightening the lids. She took an arm load to the boiling pot on the top of the stove, placing them gently to set the seals. When she turned back, Matt was behind her, the rest of the jars piled in his arms.

"Stop doing that!" She said, almost jumping again, but giggling this time. She took the jars from him a couple at a time until they were all in the pot and covered them. Turning back to face Matt. He was too close to her. She felt uncomfortable now...She didn't need this from two of them in one day. And the honest truth was, she hadn't felt nearly as strong of an attraction to Matt as she had to Bam. But she didn't want to hurt either of them. She didn't want things to get even more complicated. Harper slid by him, checking on her dough