Made Marian, Volume One by Lucy Lennox

2

Jamie

I was standing on the edge of the wide river about four miles from the truck. I’d hiked in to assess a beaver family I was keeping my eye on. I sat down quietly on a piece of log by the dam and caught my breath. The week’s cold snap had broken to give us a warmer afternoon, so my fleece was tied around my waist. I slowly set down my backpack and stretched my shoulders.

One of the reasons I loved my job was the peace and quiet. The sounds of the birds flying through drying leaves and the water burbling over rocks were so much nicer than the sounds of horns honking and music blaring. I felt at home in the park. Denali was my most recent posting, but I could be happy in almost any of them. Give me plants and water and animals, and I would be happy every time.

I sat quietly for a while, waiting. Out of the corner of my eye I saw them. Two kits peeked out at me from behind a crisscross of broken twigs. I pretended to ignore them.

One of these two cuties was the offspring of the monogamous pair who managed this dam. The other was a rescue from Mount Rainier that I had introduced as a baby into this family in hopes they would raise it with their own kit. So far, everything was going well.

Beavers mated for life. They had traditional families like on the show Leave it to… well, Beaver. This pair had a modest-size lodge and the kits hid behind lodge walls while they figured out what to do with the big scary animal sitting near them (me).

I wore forest colors to blend in—a drab park service green T-shirt with dark khaki cargo pants. Despite popular belief, I wasn’t really a park ranger. Everyone assumed I was one because I dressed like one and worked in the park. My official job was independent wildlife consultant. I had a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a doctorate in veterinary medicine with specialty training in wildlife management.

One of the kits poked a nose out of the sticks and started tentatively moving a paw. I could almost sense the moment he recognized me because his posture changed and he came scampering out of the enclosure, his buddy not far behind.

They ran clumsily over branches and rocks before arriving at my boots. One of them sat up on his hind legs and put his tiny front paws on my pants cuff. The other clawed up onto the log and snaked his way onto my lap. I kept my hands to myself and said softly, “Well, hello, tiny friends. Fancy meeting you here.”

They chattered at me as if they were telling me about all the adventures they had in the week I’d been away from them. They moved around like little brown flashes of fur and when they ran through the water, shiny drops glistened on their coats. Clearly, the kits still carried the exuberant joy of youth and the ease of not having to worry about food and shelter.

I noticed movement inside the lodge and assumed it was one of the parents. The two adult beavers knew me even though they used caution around me when the kits were nearby. I wasn’t surprised he or she was staying hidden. While the babies tittered around me, I told them about my crazy week in Napa with my family and even told them about the arrogant photographer who kept bugging me.

I enjoyed the conversation with Pete and Repeat. Maybe it was because they listened without giving opinions. Telling them I’d be back the following week to check on their work, I stood up and slid my backpack on. Before getting back to the trail I noticed one of the adults come out of the lodge and wobble down a giant tree trunk connecting to the opposite riverbank.

Back in the truck, I drank deeply from my water bottle. I made some notes in my field journal and headed back the twenty miles to my cabin for dinner. My place was very remote down a gravel road. I loved it. The little cabin sat on more than twenty acres of Denali wilderness.

My truck tires turned onto the gravel road with a familiar crunch and a moment later I heard muffled barking. It sounded like Sister was really riled up about something. I pulled up to the front steps and noticed a white Chevy Tahoe I didn’t recognize with rental car stickers on it. I saw Sister’s big black-and-white paws up on the front windowsill and her slobber made wet tracks on the window.

I retrieved my bear spray from the seat beside me and opened the truck door. Walking around the strange vehicle in a wide circle, I approached the driver’s side. As I peered in, the door opened and out stepped my fucking libido.

The man was stereotypically tall, dark, and handsome in a rugged way, but he was also muscled like an athlete and manly as all fuck. As he stood to his full height, I subconsciously stepped back to take him all in. He was several inches over six feet, so he towered over me. His dark hair was shorter on the sides but wavy on top, and he sported at least a day-and-a-half’s dark growth on his cheeks. The man had striking blue eyes that bore into me so intensely I should have been afraid, but for some reason I wasn’t.

My grip loosened a little on the can of bear spray as I asked, “May I help you?”

“Are you Jamie Marian?” he said as a slow, lazy grin appeared on his lips. Damn. I recognized that voice.

“You have got to be kidding me.” I gawped. “You’re Theodore Kodiak?”

“My friends call me Teddy,” he replied, holding out his hand for a shake. I ignored it.

“How do you know where I live? And showing up with no warning? That’s a bit creepy, don’t you think? Give me one good reason not to call the cops.”

He chuckled and pulled his hand back. “What, out here? Surely it would take an hour for anyone to get here from anywhere. Plus, I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk. The people at the ranger station told me where to find you. I’ll be as gentle as a kitten, sweetheart. I promise,” he said with a wink. He reached into the backseat of the Tahoe to pull out a large well-worn backpack. “Ask me in for a drink?”

Sister had started hurling herself at the door by this point so I threw Teddy an angry glare before going over to unlock the front door and let her out. She came bounding out in a rush of vicious glee and threw herself wantonly at her new love interest. Teddy held out the back of his hand for her to sniff then squatted down to pet the hundred-pound slut.

“Who’s this?” he asked.

“That’s Sister. And she’s very violent. Watch yourself.”

I walked into the cabin and slammed the door behind me, twisting the lock. Kicking off my boots, I walked across the wood floor in my socks toward the bathroom.

The interior of my cabin was made up of one big, open room that had a tidy kitchen and a wood table with four chairs on the left and a living area with a comfy couch, an old recliner, and a flat-screen television on the right. Straight ahead was a door to a bedroom with a full bathroom tucked out of view behind the kitchen. There was a ladder up the side of one wall to a sleeping loft over my bedroom in case I ever had guests stay over. When people visited, they usually stayed over rather than driving the long distance back to any kind of civilization.

I heard Teddy knocking on the door. Ignoring him, I headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

As I showered I thought about the photographer outside. When he originally emailed me, I looked him up online. His work was stunning. Obviously I was a sucker for good wildlife photography, but these images had something extra that made them stand out. I didn’t know much about photography to know what that special something was, but I wasn’t the only one who saw it. His work was featured all over the world in magazines, books, and galleries. There were even some displayed in museums. I couldn’t believe how popular his photographs were.

I finished showering and put on sweatpants, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and thick socks. I returned to the living area to the sound of more knocking.

“Jamie, open up. I need to use the bathroom.”

“Use the woods. Or better yet, head to your hotel. There are bears out there,” I responded calmly through the door.

I heard him blurt, “Fuck.”

I padded over to the kitchen for a glass of water and returned to my bedroom to sit down at my laptop. I caught up on some email and ordered some new long underwear online.

A few minutes later I looked up at the sound of rain on the window and realized the sky had gone dark. I looked back down at the computer screen for a few minutes before hearing a rap at the bedroom window in front of me. Teddy stood outside my window, soaking wet, holding up a wet Sister.

Goddammit. I forgot Sister.

I gestured for him to walk around and I met him at the door. I opened it and felt Sister rush past before giving off a huge sprinkler shake inside the door. My eyes narrowed to warn Teddy against similar behavior.

“Can I come in, Jamie? It’s really cold and dark and wet out here. Can I just dry off a little? Please?”

The man was fucking adorable. His hair stood up in wet spikes, and drops glistened on his eyelashes in the light from my cabin. I felt a little sorry for him and decided to calm down.

“Why the hell didn’t you just get into your car?”

He looked at me, indignant. “And leave Sister alone out there, wet and afraid? You’re a cruel man. I saved your baby. The least you can do is loan me a towel.”

I sighed and let him in, walking off to fetch some dry towels. As I dried the dog, I apologized to her. “I’m so sorry, girl. I didn’t mean to forget about you out there. Poor Sister.”

Teddy rubbed a towel over his hair and tried unsuccessfully to dry off his shirt and jeans. The jeans were plastered to him, hiding nothing. Not the long, muscular legs or the long line of… Anyway, nothing sucked worse than wearing soaking wet jeans. Served him right.

“Why is her name Sister?”

“When she was a puppy her black-and-white markings looked just like a nun’s habit. Now that she’s much fluffier, it’s harder to see. The rescue place named her Cookie, but my friends wouldn’t stop calling her Sister. It stuck.”

I got up and headed to the kitchen. “Do you want a cup of coffee? I’m going to make some.”

“Coffee would be great, thanks. Can I use your restroom?”

I gestured toward my bedroom door. “Sure, before you get to the bedroom door, look left and you’ll see a door behind the kitchen.”

As soon as he had grabbed his backpack and started walking in that direction, I remembered the care package my brothers had sent me to celebrate my new singlehood. There was a huge box of condoms, lube, outrageous dildos and tacky jockstraps sitting out in the open on the bathroom shelf. I felt blood rush to my face and I started to call out for him to wait. Too late, he was already through the door. Shit.

Okay, Jamie. The man is clearly old enough to know that men have sex and stupid-ass brothers who send prank shit and who are now going to die. Calm your ass down.

I busied myself starting the coffee and then checked on Sister. She was happily licking the rest of the water off her before settling onto her bed in the corner. I heard the shower turn on in the bathroom.

Well, make yourself at home, asshole.

When he joined me in the main room I saw he had changed into gray sweatpants and a black hoodie sweatshirt that said Pratt in bold yellow letters. He was barefoot.

He accepted a mug of coffee with sincere thanks before adding cream and sugar from the counter. When he sat down next to me at the kitchen table and started sipping his coffee, I spoke. “Listen, Theodore—”

“You’ve decided not to call me Teddy? I feel like I’m at work when people call me Theodore.”

“You are at work.”

“Oh, right. Glad to know I got the job then. Continue,” he said with a shit-eating grin.

I looked at him with annoyance at his assumption and then my brain caught up with something he said.

“Hold up. Wait. Holy shit. Are you telling me your name is Teddy Kodiak?” I blurted, breaking into uncontrollable belly laughs. “As in Kodiak, the type of bear? … Are you saying your name is Teddy Bear?” I felt tears stream out of my eyes and I almost snorted.

He raised a brow and stared me down before one side of his mouth drew up in a grin.