Kill My Time-LH

*Chapter Fourteen*

Rhiannon ran around the campground with glee gazing at the leaves that were now changing color being that it was now mid October. Her green eyes were wide in awe of the beauty of the forest. She hadn't been out of the city in years. She closed her eyes taking in the scent of camp fires and s'mores from other campers.

Luke was off in the distance setting up the tent. It was just big enough for the two of them. It was difficult for him to find a tent in the city. Apparently nobody in Philadelphia camped. If he were back home with his parents in Australia, he would surely have been able to find a tent with much ease.

Luke was putting the finishing touches on the green tent when he saw Rhiannon ambling toward him out of the corner of his eye. Her short arms were filled with wood for the campfire. The wood was stacked up all the way up, just under her chin. Luke wondered how she was able to carry all of the wood by herself. She surely didn't look the type to do labor of any kind. She was petite, but not frail. This was something Luke would come to learn of the woman.

Rhiannon tripped on a tree root. The wood was stacked so high, she couldn't see where she was going. Before the wood could tumble to the ground in front of her and make her stumble more, Luke was there steadying her movements.

"You okay there, Wildflower?" he stifled a laugh while taking some of the wood from her arms. She looked up at him gratefully. She was no stranger to hard work and lifting, but it was nice to have some help.

"I'm great. Thanks for the help," she said while dropping the rest of the wood next to the rusted fire ring. She shuffled her shoe back and forth in the dirt waiting to see what Luke wanted her to do next. She watched as he bent down and started placing the wood in the ring in a teepee shaped formation. The muscles in his back flexed slightly as he lifted the wood from the pile. She could see his calf muscles straining in his jeans from his squatted position. His tongue poked out of his mouth in concentration. As he pulled a lighter out of his pocket, he glanced over at Rhiannon. "Could you run to my car and grab the cooler and the bag in the trunk? I need a little extra help starting the fire."

Rhiannon wasn't sure what he could have possibly brought in a cooler to help him start the fire, but she did what he asked anyway. She heaved the cooler out of the trunk of Luke's car, barely able to lift it. "What did you pack in this thing? It's heavier than the wood," Rhiannon complained. Luke jumped up to help Rhiannon, but stopped when she yelled out, "I'm an independent woman, I don't need your help."

"Okay independent woman, why don't you come over here and start the fire then?" Luke said with a smirk. Rhiannon huffed looking at the fire ring with doubt. She had never actually started the fire by herself. Someone else was always around to do it for her. With as much confidence as she could muster, she grabbed the lighter out of Luke's hand, her fingertips grazing his lightly. Resting on her knees, she grabbed as many twigs and dried up leaves she could find. With the lighter in her hand and the leaves and twigs tucked under the teepee, she lights the leaves. Luke laughs at her disappointment as the logs didn't catch on fire.

With a pout on her face, she handed Luke the lighter again waiting for him to light the fire. "You see, the trick here isn't the dried up leaves, it's this," he hands her some dryer lint. Her brows furrow. "Dryer lint is really flammable. That's why dryers catch on fire all the time because people don't clean out their lint traps." Luke smiled proudly.

"That makes sense and all, but I'm more concerned about why you just have a bag of lint in your cooler."

"I don't keep a bag of lint in my cooler, you goof. Unlike you, I knew we were coming here," he said as he shoved her arm lightly. Rhiannon's lips turned up into a half smile.

"So what are we doing on this camping trip then, Lu?" Rhiannon cocked her head to the side while pushing his arm back. Luke grabbed her wrist and pulled her into him.