Page 7 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
“To the very peak, Lena. I’ve camped out here enough to know every tree and every trail by heart.”
The affection and pride in his voice as he speaks tells volumes about how much he loves being in nature. It warms my heart to hear his inspiring and beautiful words, and to see someone love something to this extent.
“Now that you see what Whitefish truly has to offer, I’ll take you guys over to another spot I like to visit, where I’ll catch somefresh fish for you guys. Once that’s done, we’ll eat them there, the way I always do when I’m camping.”
“I’m gonna throw up,” Sophie announces, and my gaze snaps to her.
“Why, Soph? You good? What did you eat?”
“I’m talking about the yucky fish, Mom. I don’t want to eat that,” she tries to whisper, but the wind carries her words.
“You’ll love the fish, Sophie, you have my word. But if you don’t, feel free to puke it all up.”
As Tanner leads us to the spot in question, the sun rises to its highest point in the sky. We take off our sweaters, and Tanner walks only in his undershirt. His golden skin glimmers under the sun, his sweat adding a shimmer to his body. I find my gaze stuck more often than not on his corded shoulders and forearms as he snaps branches from trees with his bare hands and picks out little berries for us to eat.
We trudge along a well-worn path to end up near a river. To call it a river seems like an exaggeration. It’s more of a trickling stream. The water is crystal clear, the rocks and sand below the surface clearly visible.
“You want to know something cool? The water’s warm right now,” Tanner tells us as he wets his hands and then splasheswater on his face. His earring catches the sun’s rays, winking at me. “It’s also clean enough to drink.”
“This is where you’ll find your fish?” I ask him as he holds Sophie’s hand while she peers at the water.
“Yeah. The fish are gonna come out any moment now. I’ll show you guys how we get our dinners here, and maybe you can do it yourself, because going to the store is a hassle no one here needs.”
“You have a jeep!” I point out incredulously. “Why aren’t you just driving to the closest store?”
“I hate driving. And why would I get frozen meat from the store when I can get it free of charge and have it as fresh as can be?”
I blink, unable to refute his statement. “But can’t we just ask you to bring some for us when you go hunting? Why do we have to learn to hunt ourselves?”
“Yeah, Tanner!” Sophie pipes in, ever the fan of whining. “Please!”
“Well, Icouldbring you food.” He sighs loudly, pretending to be annoyed. “But regardless, you should know how to do it in case anything happens to me. It’s a necessary skill to have in the mountains.”
“Mom and I have you to protect us, Tanner!” Sophie says cheekily. Tanner pauses for a moment, his eyes flitting to mine. In the bright light of the day, I can see gold specks that glimmer in his irises.
“Don’t you doubt that for a minute, Sophie,” he says, his expression oddly serious.
The fish emerge not long afterward, stealing Tanner’s attention. In a matter of five minutes, he’s managed to catch two healthy fish, and he even sets up a little fire to cook them. He claims that they’ll have a tasty, smoky flavor once he’s done, but I don’t fully believe him.
He takes a few bites from the raw fish, grinning when Sophie and I make identical noises of disgust.
“Sushi has raw fish in it, too,” he defends himself.
“I hate sushi.” Sophie wrinkles her nose as she eats the little bites that I hand her from the grilled fish I’m eating. I echo a similar sentiment.
“City girls aren’t as brave as I thought they were, huh?” he teases us, and I cast him a look.
Tanner takes us back home in his jeep when the sun is well on its way down. Sophie’s missed her nap time and is tired and grouchy. I think that the Sanders have done enough outdoor activities for today.
As Tanner places a sleepy Sophie on her bed, I watch the two of them. Sophie snuffles for a moment, then snuggles into her blankets.
We make our way out of her room, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I close the door behind us.
“Thank you for making time for us today on such short notice, Tanner,” I say honestly.
“Don’t thank me yet.” He grins mischievously. “I want to teach you how to hunt. We still have ample hours left in the day. Come with me.”
I nearly roll my eyes. “You were being serious? I’m not good at sporty stuff like that.”
