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Since we had the ATV to haul stuff part of the way, we'd been able to bring real food for the first day of this trip. I packed fried chicken and potato salad with brownies for desert. Plus, I had a thermos of sweet tea.
"You look happier with this food, than you were with the MREs."
"Much. Less hiking, better food, and great company. I might get to like being outdoors after all," I said as we sat around the fire.
"Then you might be a convert after this," Tom said, as he walked back from the ATV with a bag of marshmallows and two sticks. We roasted the treats and had a really nice night getting better acquainted.
As we'd done before, Tom let me get settled in the tent before crawling in with me. I had snuggled down into my sleeping bag but couldn't get comfy.
"You OK?" Tom asked after I'd fidgeted around a bit.
"Yeah. I just can't seem to get comfortable.
"Maybe this will help," he said, turning over and putting his arm around me. I snuggled up to him with my head on his shoulder and fell asleep.
I was still sleeping, when he unzipped the tent flap from outside and said, "Water's hot if you want some tea."
I got dressed, ran my brush through my hair, and crawled out of the tent. This time, I'd come prepared with high-quality Earl Grey tea bags. I'll admit to being a bit of a tea snob. It was nice to be able to start my morning with a hot cup of tea just as I would at home. We ate brownies for breakfast and saved the granola bars to eat as a trail snack later.
"Today, we'll be on the ATV until around noon, and then we'll be hiking," Tom said before he started the ATV. We were climbing pretty steadily now as we made our way into the mountains. During one of our breaks, Tom pulled a gun from a pocket on his pack and put it in a zippered pocket of his cargo pants. Then he took a rifle out of a case on the ATV and moved it to the top of the gear, securing it with bungee cords. "We'll be entering the area that's been off limits. I figure we should be prepared in case the aggressive bear stories are true."
I pulled the gun Chance had loaned me out of my pack and put it in the pocket of my jacket.
"You know how to use that?"
"I think so, but I hope I don't need to. I'm sure Chance must have told you he showed me how to shoot."
"He might have mentioned it. Does it bother you that Chance and I are friends?"
"Not exactly. It's just a little weird, I guess."
"I'll admit this whole situation with the will and the journals and Chance's injury has been pretty crazy."
After we stopped for lunch, we double-checked that our packs had everything we needed in them, and Tom pulled the ATV underneath the boughs of a huge pine tree. The vehicle was well hidden. "You ready for this part?"
"I guess so. I can't imagine what Harry wants us to see so badly. In my head, we get to the spot and find an amazing view, and that's all."
"I knew your Uncle. I'm pretty sure there'll be more to it than that."
As we walked, Tom told me everything he could remember about my Uncle Harry. I was glad to learn more about the man that was having such a big effect on my life these days. Based on the stories I'd heard, Harry was even more of a character than I knew.
For the past few minutes we walked in silence, I heard something off to my right and stopped to look in that direction. Either it was some normal forest sound or Tom didn't hear it, because he kept on walking. I looked around but didn't see anything. The feeling was back though. The feeling that someone or something was watching us. I quickly caught up to Tom, and we walked a few more minutes before I moved beside him and grabbed hold of his arm. He stopped and searched my face for an explanation. I pulled him down so I could whisper in his ear. "I feel like someone or something is watching us."
"Did you see or hear something?"
"I heard a noise off to the right a ways back, but you didn't seem to hear it. I looked around but didn't see anything."
His eyes darted around before he took my hand and pulled me off the trail into a thick stand of trees. With hand signals, which I only hoped I was interpreting correctly, he motioned for me to keep watch while he pulled out his gun and checked it. He took the rifle and slipped its strap over his head so the weapon was accessible. Once he seemed set, he bent down and whispered in my ear. "Check your weapon. Make sure you can get to it."
He stepped away and took to scanning our surroundings as I pulled out the gun, checked it, and put it back in my pocket. He walked behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him and saw that he was still scanning the woods around us. "I don't see anything, but from here on let's be quiet and alert. You go in front. I'll stay close. If you hear or see anything, stop. Even if you just feel it. OK?"
I nodded my head, too scared to speak.