Jamie and her Jaguar

2

2 weeks later

“This is just great. Food is gone, leg… swollen. This is a disaster.” I muttered and grumbled as I looked over the map I still had. It has been soaked after the rainstorm a couple days ago but with some sun time… it was as good as new. Sort of.

I scanned the ideal way to help, remembering what they told me at the B&B of some distant cabins and one set that had an emergency phone for any skier or hiker that ever got hurt. I made a walking stick for my height and took off slow and steady.

It would take me two days to get there and I’d be starving and dehydrated, but I would get there. This is so not what I needed to happen on this vacation. Where was the fun in this?

Maybe it had been my childhood rose colored glasses. Being dirty was fine, being cold at night was fine… wandering around unmarked trials, running out of food, hurting myself and not having anyone to help me was NOT fun.

I rested that night, getting the tent set up, my sleeping bag rolled out and I was mostly comfortable on the soft grass, but then I heard a gruff roar and worried there was a bear near by. Any bear around here had to be a Grizzly. I was in no shape to be near one. Let along have the guts to stand up to one. I had bear spray somewhere but does that even really work? And if I get sprayed? Not a chance I’d live too.

I stayed in my tent, praying to too many gods and goddesses and Mother Earth and just about anyone that would listen to help. To protect me to make me invisible. But then there was a softer panting outside my tent and I saw what looked like a big cats shadow walking around my tent. Were there bobcats or mountain lions here?

I gulped and waited again. Not needing to freak out again. I waited an hour, the sun making the tent hot and I chanced a look outside. I saw no animals, but I ventured out, keeping my head on a swivel, and I made sure to pack things quick before I took off.

I was walking down a thin trail when I heard twigs snap and I looked down, hoping something was down instead of above and when I didn’t see anything moving I started to move my eyes back and forth slowly. At least if it was the big cat they might kill me faster.

I turned, wincing as I put more pressure on my bad ankle, and when I saw the colors of the cat and held in my scream. It held my eye contact and I tried to keep my breathing even and control my fear. It was going to kill me. I’d be a bloody shredded mess.

I took an involuntary step back and yipped when my bad foot had too much pressure and then I over compensated, swinging my arm to try and catch something, I looked like an i***t before I skidded face down the ledge and luckily the panther or leopard or whatever it was thought I wasn’t worth the effort and didn’t follow me down for an easy meal.

I wasn't sure how much longer it was, but I was being carried, in strong arms... and when I opened my eyes I saw tan skin and the sun and I grunted and shoved my head into his chest as the man kept carrying me. He told me to be careful with my head and he would help me when we got back to his place but the splitting headache had me passing back out.

"Come on girl... wake up." I heard someone talking and I moaned and shushed them and I heard a grunt ."Open your eyes." I felt something cold and then a bite of pain as something touched my forehead and I pushed the object away. "Open them, come on." I heard someone calling, and if it made them shut up so I could go back to sleep I would do it. I opened my eyes and then froze as I saw a very handsome guy sitting on his knees in front of me. "Can you tell me your name?" He asked me and I gulped.

"Jamie." I told him and he nodded.

"Hi Jamie. I am Luke, do you know what happened to you?" He asked and I blinked and raised my hand to my head. I just cleaned that, let it sit." He told me, taking my hand and bringing it back down so I didn't keep touching it.

"I fell?" I guessed, and he nodded.

"That you did, I found you at the bottom of a ravine." He told me and I nodded then tried to keep thinking.

"What were you doing down there?" I asked, knowing I should be grateful, but I wanted to know if he had found me before I was out there too long. Did I have all my body parts? Was I hurt anywhere else? Did the panther eat my leg? I sat up fast, almost knocking my head into his, but he had fast reflexes and got out of the way before steading me.

"There was a big cat." I told him and he looked almost amused. "Like a panther or something. All black, but the eyes-"

"We don't have panthers here." He told me and I rolled my eyes because I knew I sounded ridiculous.

"I know that, which is why I freaked out when I saw one." I told him and he smirked.

"Ok, big cat, maybe there was one, but why were you at the bottom of the ravine, and why is your leg swollen? Did you hurt it?" He asked looking at it now and I was glad I could see both legs, all ten toes, and I pulled my hands up and counted fingers too, which made three hurt and I winced. "Fingers hurt?" He asked as he saw me flinch. "Did you fight the big cat?"

"No, I think I tried to sop my fall by grabbing something." I told him noticing how he had a big kit for things. "Are these the cabins we're supposed to use for emergency calls?" I asked, looking around. It was nice for not being the busy season.

"No... we're in my home." He told me and I nodded as I kept looking around. I didn't see many pictures, but there were some things that just screamed 'man lives off the land'.

"It seems nice, thank you for bringing me here." i told him and he nodded before he sighed.

"It was here or nowhere. There's a major flood warning for the next week. I was out clearing some trees of the ravine so it could flow away from my place." He told me looking up and into my eyes and then he looked around. "We are staying here for a week, are you ok with that? I can maybe get someone to drive down-" He was cut off by some loud thunder and I shivered. "But the storm has started and no one will want to head down to me."

"Are we safe here?" I asked knowing that was the main thing we needed to be considering here.

"Safe and warm. I have food for months in an old ice box, even if the power is cut I have things keep us warm and food to eat-"

"Are you a survivalist?" I asked wondering if that was a thing all the way up here.

"No... just self sufficent. This was my grandfathers cabin when he was ki- when he was younger. Made it himself and he had my father and uncle here as kids with hsi wife before they moved into a bigger place closer to town." He told me and I nodded as I heard more about how he had been taught to take care of nature and how if you do, nature takes care of you.

"I don't mind staying here if you have room and extra, I can pay you back for anything you need when we an go-" I jumped this time as thunder seemed to roll right through the house.

"Here... let's get you up and maybe cleaned. You can take a shower, just keep the head bandage dry." He held out his hand and I let him help me up. "You shower, rest in the other bedroom, and I will get some stew cooking with a hot fire." He told me and I nodded slowly, hating how my head seemed to spin if I moved too quickly. "And don't worry about the lights, I also have a generator." He called after me and I nodded knowing that wasn't a big thing for me right now. I wanted to get clean and warm.

"Oh... do you have any clothes I can use?" I asked, turning back before I was in the bathroom.

"I have a few long sleeves and some sweats. I will put them in there when I get a towel for you." Luke told me and I nodded as I made my way into the bathroom. I turned the light on, and kept my shock at how dirty I was to myself. I had mud down the side of my face the bandage was on... and I had mud and a leaf on my neck and I could only guess how much was all over my body as I pulled my shirt away from me and the mud seemed to flake off.

I watched him emerge from what I was guessing his room, and he held out a towel, and some of his clothes for me. God he was hot... and I was a mess. This is the story of my life. No man like him would want me.

"There is also a small rag to clean your face, just try and keep it dry, I only have a couple more bandages."He told me and I nodded. Thankfully, I was a fast healer most of the time. Things that looked horrible would go way in a week.

I got the hot water going, cleaning up and scrubbing the dirt away, I was relaxed and cozy when I stepped out I was hit with the smell of a divine hot meal. I hummed as I got closer and he looked over his shoulder at me and sent me a smile before showing me he was cutting up some bread.

"It's almost ready. How long can you last?" He asked and we both laughed as my stomach made a growl that would put a bear to shame.

"Not long. I was starving when I fell, I ran out of food, a bad map, and I had been hiking for two weeks so I am exhausted." I told him honestly. I didn't care if the bed I was going to lay in was 50 years old. It was a bed and it would be glorious.

"Were you lost those two weeks?" Luke asked and I sighed before hearing my stomach speak again. "Let's get some food in you before you tell me what you were doing." He had a deep rich chuckle and something inside me was perking up and wanting to hear it again. He was handsome, caring, and funny... not to mention he could cook if the smell was anything to go by. He was a catch in deed and I was embarrassed to say I was happy to be alone with a hot stanger.