Page 59 of Blackwood

“What makes you say that?” He scanned the ground, which looked much the same as the earth in the rest of the woods.

“Look.” I pointed to the nearest tree. “That’s a bur oak. A notoriously slow grower. It looks about”—I glanced up and did some quick math in my head—“ninety feet high. That means it’s probably a hundred years old, tops.”

“So, that means what exactly?” He cocked his head to the side.

“Nothing on its own, but look at all the shagbark hickories around here.” I pointed out the nearest five trees. “They’re native to these parts, but not in this concentration.”

“So are you saying someone planted them? Because that’s not possible.” He leaned on the nearest oak.

“No. Of course not.” I kept walking through the trees. “This many hickories in various states of growth—they all grew here on their own, but they didn’t start out that way. The Choctaw preferred hickory for all sorts of crafts and projects and also ate the trees’ nuts. So, what the trees are telling me is that, more likely than not, a Choctaw camp was located in this area within the past few hundred years. The hickory trees mature and die relatively quickly, so these weren’t standing back then.” I rubbed my hand down the gnarled bark of the nearest tree. “But their ancestors were.”

Some brown stalks caught my eye. “And this.” I knelt. “Look at all this sassafras. Dormant now, but thick in the summertime. The Choctaw used sassafras in all sorts of medical applications.” My spider-sense tingled out of control. “Something is here. Has to be.”

He walked over to me, his lips twitching. “Would it be weird for me to say that watching you work and figure shit out is a turn-on for me?”

“Not at all.” I pointed to a spot amidst the sassafras. “Let’s dig.”

He sank the shovel into the dirt. “Yes, ma’am.”

I watched as he dug. After a few turns of dirt yielded nothing, I had him dig every few feet on a straight line toward the nearest stream. While he dug, I used a hard rake and scoured the ground in concentric circles around the grove of hickories. If anything lay close to the surface, the rake would disturb it and, hopefully, bring it to my attention.

I checked my watch. We’d been digging and raking for an hour with no luck. Garrett was halfway hidden behind some tree trunks and only had a few more spots to dig before he got into the marshy area next to the stream.

Leaning on my rake, I wiped the sweat off my forehead and stared at the scored ground. “Shit.” I’d really hoped we’d find something.

“Hey!” Garrett’s deep voice cut through the cold.

Adrenaline shot into my veins, and I hurried toward him. “Find something?”

He sank onto his haunches and plucked something from the fresh dirt. “Arrowhead.”

“Crap.” I took off my gloves and held out my hand.

He dropped the arrowhead into my palm. “I thought finding something was good.”

“It is.” I picked my way to the small stream and dunked the artifact into the clear, cold water. Swishing it around, I drew it out and stared at the rough divots along the shaft. “It’s just that I wanted more. But it’s a good start.”

Garrett laughed. “So you found what you were looking for, but you won’t be satisfied until you have it all?”

I glanced at him over my shoulder. “Look who’s finally on the same page.”

His jaw tightened. “We need to get home.”

“Why?” I stood up and stowed the arrowhead in my pocket.

“Because it’s time you became acquainted with a few of my favorite toys.”

I walked over to him and tugged on his beard. “I’m so very scared, Mr. Blackwood.”

He gripped my ass and lifted me until I had to straddle him. “Taming your smart mouth is going to be a real pleasure.”

I affected an innocent pout. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He walked until my back struck the nearest tree. “I think you do.” He licked across my lips, then forced his tongue into my mouth.

I opened for him as he pressed me into the tree, his cock already rock-hard against me. He gripped my ponytail and yanked my head back. His teeth hit my throat, teased with a little pressure, then bit down.

“Garrett!” I dug my nails into his side as he kissed back to my mouth, the force of his kiss creating a shockwave of need in me.

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