Page 15 of Keeping Amanda
First, he needed to make sure there weren’t any animals that had already taken up residence.
Pulling out his KA-BAR knife, Buck slowly approached the boulders. It didn’t take him long to see there was indeed a small space between two of them that would provide a perfect place to get out of the weather. There was moss, leaves, and other greenery covering the formation, and he was surprised he’d even spotted the boulders in the first place. At first glance, they looked like just another small hill in the jungle. Another overgrown pile of roots and earth.
Luck was on his side for sure, because on the other side of the formation, he discovered that over time, water had formed a natural vertical trough in one of the rocks. Fresh water would be easy to secure by putting one of the cans under the trough, catching rainwater as it was channeled through the depression in the rock.
Hurrying back to where he’d left Mandy, Buck found herstanding unnaturally still, as if she was afraid to move even one muscle.
“It’s okay,” he said gently. “Come on, I found a place you can rest during the day.”
He took her hand in his, and once more it felt more natural than he ever would’ve thought. He led her to the rocks and pointed to the small cave-like space. “After we eat, you can crawl in there and sleep for as long as you’re able.”
“What about you?”
“What about me…what?” Buck asked.
“Where are you going to sleep?”
He frowned. “Out here.”
“No. Not acceptable.”
“What? Why?”
“I’m not going to take the only shelter if that means you’re out here in the rain. And don’t tell me it’s not going to rain. Italwaysrains. Every damn day.”
“Mandy—” he started, but she lifted her hand, palm out toward him.
“No. Not happening.”
Buck couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did you just hand-palm me?”
“Yes. Because you were about to say something stupid.”
This entire conversation was ridiculous, but Buck found himself smiling anyway. “You’re at the end of your rope. You need the rest,” he cajoled.
“So do you. More than me, actually. Because without you, I’m as good as dead out here, and we both know it. You’re the one carrying the pack of supplies. You have the compass. You know what you’re doing. I’m just along for the ride. I can handle being hungry, tired, thirsty, whatever. All I have to do is put one foot in front of the other.Youneed to stay sharp. Keep us going in the right direction. Stay strong so you can continue to carry thebackpack. I’m extra baggage here, Nash—you’re the important one.”
“No,” he said firmly. “Not true. If I’m constantly worried about how you’re doing, I won’t be able to fully concentrate on other things. And if you fall over with exhaustion, neither of us is getting out of this damn jungle, because I’m not leaving you. So you need to get it out of your head that you’re expendable here. That you’re not as important as me. A team is only as strong as its weakest member. And I don’t intend for either of us to be weak.”
Mandy’s lips were stubbornly pressed together, and Buck was surprised to find how much he enjoyed sparring with her. If this could be counted as sparring. And she was fucking adorable when she was being all bossy.
She was a complete mess—dirty, sweaty…she even had a bug bite in the middle of her forehead—and Buck couldn’t help thinking if he wasthisdrawn to her when she wasn’t at her best, what would it be like when she was rested, not stressed out, and all cleaned up?
She looked at him, then at the hole between the rocks, then back at him. “You aren’t huge. I mean, it might be different if you were like, six-six or something. But I think we can both fit.”
Buck frowned harder. “No.”
“Why not?”
For the life of him, Buck couldn’t think of a single reason why they shouldn’t get comfy in that tiny little space together. In fact, the idea appealed to him. He tried to tell himself it was simply because he’d be able to keep watch over her easier if he was holding her. Could monitor her breathing and heart rate. Make sure she was resting comfortably. And if someone did happen upon them, he could communicate with her more easily, tell her what to do, since they’d be right next to each other.
“Right,” she continued, when he came up with no good reason to avoid sharing the space. “We’ll eat, then get somesleep. And when it gets dark, we can start off again. I do have one question for you though.”
“What’s that?” Buck asked.
“How do you feel about creepy-crawlies?”
“What?”
