Page 24 of Keeping Amanda
It was Amanda’s turn to laugh. “Seriously?Everything’swet. Including me.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. They sounded way too suggestive. But any hopes of Nash letting her unintended inuendo slide were dashed when his smile grew and one of his eyebrows went up.
“Sorry, that came out wrong,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat.
Thankfully, he didn’t prolong her embarrassment. “Lookunder leaves. And under other branches that might be on the ground. Anything buried under other stuff won’t be quite as damp.” Then he looked over at Rain and said, “Watch her, boy.”
As if the dog could understand exactly what Nash said, he got off his belly and stood, looking like he was patiently waiting for Amanda to go looking for wood so he could do just as Nash asked—keep watch over her.
“Don’t go far,” Nash warned.
He didn’t have to tell her that. Amanda wasn’t going to go out of sight of the man who’d become her lifeline. She was well aware it probably wasn’t healthy for her to get so attached to someone who’d be leaving as soon as they arrived back in Guyana. But she couldn’t help it. He was not only kind, and obviously competent in the jungle…he was easy on the eyes.
She felt like the worst kind of hypocrite for thinking that way, though it was difficult not to. Seeing the man with his flight suit plastered to his body because of the constant rain wasn’t exactly a hardship. But she would’ve been just as grateful and relieved she wasn’t alone in this…adventure—could she call it an adventure, when it wasn’t something she’d chosen to do?—if the man who’d stayed with her had been a hundred pounds overweight and as out of his element as she was.
Turning her attention to the task at hand, she set out to look for branches and sticks that would be dry enough to build a small fire.
She made several trips back and forth from the trees around them to where Nash was skinning and gutting the animal. By the time he was ready, she’d managed to find a decent amount of sticks for a fire.
The look of approval on his face warmed Amanda from the inside out. He quickly got a fire going with the matches he’d pilfered from the kitchen tent—which was impressive, since everything was so damp—and heated the small pan they’d also stolen from the rebels.
The smell of the meat cooking was almost torture. Amanda could literally feel herself salivating. The porcupine looked huge when she’d first seen it, but based on the amount of meat in the pan, she realized it was only going to provide a few decent mouthfuls for each of them.
Even Rain was completely focused on the fire, or more specifically, what was cooking over it. He kept licking his lips, and he drooled as he patiently waited for the meat to finish.
“Eat slowly,” Nash warned, as he moved the pan off the fire. “Not only is the meat hot, you don’t want to upset your stomach. It would not be good if you threw it up.”
Amanda nodded, but didn’t take her gaze from the meat. Minutes later, it had stopped sizzling and cooled enough that Nash deemed it safe, and she was more than ready to try it. They didn’t have any kind of spices or salt—but when the meat hit her taste buds, it was one of the best things she’d ever eaten in her life.
Being hungry changed everything. How she looked at food, portions, the world at large…and it made any pickiness she might’ve had disappear forever.
As she ate, she was aware of the dog’s attention. His gaze was locked on her fingers as she licked them after each bite, and on her mouth as she chewed. After a moment, guilt hit Amanda hard. Rain was probably just as hungry as she was, maybe even more so.
As much as she wanted to shove the rest of the meat into her mouth, she tore off a small piece and held it out toward the dog.
“Mandy,” Nash warned, but she ignored him. What she was doing wasn’t smart. But she could no more ignore the dog’s starving state than she could ignore one of the kids back at the school when they needed a hug after a bad day.
Rain trembled with the desire to take the meat, but fear held him back. He wouldn’t take the two steps necessary for him to get close enough to accept the food from her fingers.
Amanda could’ve tossed the meat to him, but she didn’t want it to land in the dirt. Which was silly, as Rain definitely wouldn’t have cared…but she simply couldn’t do it. So she grabbed a nearby rock and put the meat on that, then slid it as close to Rain as she could get.
The second she leaned back, the dog moved, snatching up the meat and swallowing it without chewing.
Amanda giggled. “Did you even taste that, boy? Come on, you have to eat slower, enjoy it.”
She appreciated that Nash didn’t say anything as she continued to share her meal with Rain. After each small bite, she tore off a smaller piece to give to the dog.
After a moment, Nash said, “You’ve got a tender heart.”
Amanda shrugged. “He needs it as much as I do.”
“He’s probably catching rodents or something. He’s most likely getting more calories than you are.”
But Amanda didn’t care. It felt good to be able to provide for another creature. She certainly wasn’t very able to provide for herself, was relying on Nash for her basic needs. She liked being able to do the same thing for the dog. “One more piece, then it’s all gone,” she warned, as she held out the last small piece of meat. She’d eaten her last bite, and as much as she wanted to eat the bite in her hand, she couldn’t deny the little dog the luxury.
As she leaned over to place the meat on the rock, Rain stepped forward. He took the food from her fingers so delicately, it was almost as if someone had trained him to do that exact thing.
Amanda turned toward Nash. “Did you see that? He took it straight from my hand!”
