Stranded with My Stepbrother

Chapter 28

Jocelyn and I both walked to the edge of the water and waved our arms over our heads.

I looked briefly behind us and saw that the note had smoldered completely to ash.

-Jacey-

“... So what you’re saying is some kindly fishermen took you to the old fly-in camp and just left you there?” my father said for the thousandth time.

It was a simple lie, but I wasn’t used to lying to him. I had to, though, because I didn’t want Caleb getting in trouble for what had happened to Bill. I also didn’t want the lumberjacks to make good on their threat.

“We told them it was close enough to camp. Then they didn’t have to do the pull-through,” I explained.

“You should have asked them to bring you all the way to camp,” Jeanie added her two cents, her hand on Caleb’s shoulder as we sat side-by-side on the picnic table bench in our camp. My father was on my left side. Jeanie was on Caleb’s right.

My father nodded his agreement. “That was rather stupid of both of you. On top of stupid.”

Caleb scowled and opened his mouth to say something to my father, but I squeezed his knee.

“The conservation officer was just about to call in the Mounties. Do you know that?” my father went on scolding us.

“It was nice of them to give you some clothes,” Jeanie said. “But still, it would have been better if they’d brought you back to us.”

“Now some perfectly good fishing gear and a boat motor are at the bottom of the lake because you two had to go off in a huff into a storm,” my father fumed.

“Gee, glad you were so concerned about us,” Caleb cut in sarcastically.

My father stabbed a finger at him. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Caleb stood suddenly, Jeanie’s hand falling away. “Actually, you are. If you need me, I’ll be up on top of the hill.” He began stalking off in the direction of the john, then up the hill past it.

My father rose to pursue him, but Jeanie caught his wrist. “Just let him blow off some steam for a little while. I know he knows he did wrong, just like Jacey knows.” She turned to me. “We really are just glad you’re back in one piece.”

If only she knew how iffy that had been. “I’ll go after Caleb. Maybe I can talk him down,” I offered.

“I suppose, if anything, this trip was a success because you two are actually getting along and not having all this awkward pussyfooting around,” my father grumbled.

“We worked everything out while we were lost,” I said. “Don’t worry. We’re okay now.”

“Almost worth the loss of a motor.” My father stood. “I suppose you can go do Caleb duty while Jeanie and I make dinner. We have a birthday cake here for you. Shame you were lost in the woods on your birthday.”

I shrugged. “Thanks for the cake, but Caleb still made the day special.”

“Oh?” Jeanie asked. “How so?”

He fucked me senseless under a sky full of shooting stars. “We watched some shooting stars,” I smiled.

“That Caleb. He’s a good boy,” Jeanie said, following my father into the cook tent.

“Don’t be too long. Dinner will be ready within half an hour,” my father grunted.

I sighed. I really had to impress on Caleb that my father wasn’t really that bad a guy, and that he was never going to change.

Now in my tennis shoes and sporting some nice blisters where the boots had rubbed me, I walked up the path to find Caleb.

He was sitting on a large boulder at the top of the hill, drawing with a stick in the scrub grass. When he saw me, Caleb rose and wrapped me in his arms, kissing me hungrily.

“Caleb!” I protested when he shoved a hand up under my shirt and bra.

“Don’t say ‘no,’” Caleb begged me. “Please.”

I knew some of this had to be Caleb screwing me so he could screw over my father, but I also knew he was raw and emotional. Hell, I was raw and emotional.