bother.”
Cheyenne and Cathy shared a look before bursting out laughing , earning a quizzical look from Hadley. “One, because you love us,” Cathy said.
“And two,” Cheyenne chimed in, “because if you weren’t here with us, you’d be wiping up spills and chan g ing poopy diapers while Cam beckoned for another beer because he had such a long and ‘stressful’ day at work.” Cheyenne made air quotes to emphasize her annoyance.
“Stressful my eye,” Cathy snorted. “I’d like to see him survive one day in that mad house and come away even half as sane or polished as our Leelee here.” She shuddered. “Believe me, I have spent an afternoon in the Silverman household, and I for one, have gained a new-found respect for mothers with toddlers.”
“Hey, it may be rough at times, but I hardly think it was that terrible,” Hadley defended.
“Rough? Rough ? Leelee , my dear, I would gladly walk into a war zone, bullets whizzing past my head, before I spent another day under your roof. Those aren’t children. They are monsters.” Cathy stabbed a hot pink fingernail at the air between them to accentuate her point.
“Monsters!” Hadley screeched, taking offense. “My children may be a little high strung at times, but they hardly earn monster status.”
“One of them ate my purse strap, Leelee! In my book that qualifies as a monster.”
Silence enveloped the tent; the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The women exchanged looks both heated and unsure. Out of the blue, Hadley erupted in a fit of laughter, leaving Cheyenne and Cathy puzzled. They may not have known what set it off, but in a matter of seconds, everyone in the tent was holding their sides and gasping for air.
“You’re right , Cat. They are monsters.” Hadley breathed deeply, her attempt to calm herself an act in futil i ty.
“Yeah, but they’re your monsters, and I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.” Cathy leaned over the small lamplight nestled between them and offered Hadley a hug , which was accepted immediately.
“Alright ladies, I think it’s time to hit the sack. We’re going to need all the energy we can get if we’re g o ing to rise with the sun.” Cheyenne reached out and flipped the lantern off , immediately plugging them into darkness. The wind whipped outside the tent walls as the chilly night air tried its best to beat its way inside. However, that wasn’t what kept the women from getting a good night’s sleep. It was the strange animal noises coming from somewhere nearby.
The sun was just breaking over the horizon when the women stumbled from the tent to join the men in the middle of the small campsite. Cheyenne noticed almost immediately that their tent had already been broken down and packed away. Kris was knelt down in front of the por t able cook top heating water.
“Coffee,” Cheyenne croaked. She wouldn’t be fully awake until she had her morning dose the black stuff , and the last thing the team needed was an irritable grizzly lea d ing them to their death. She would need to be operating on all cylinders to get this mission accomplished.
Kris held up the lid to the thermos. Cheyenne a c cepted and tossed it back , grimacing as it burned a path down her esophagus and smiling serenely when it warmed her insides.
“The guys and I will tear down in a few.” H e tipped his head indicating the women’s tent. “I already mapped our next path up the mountain. We’ll cut through the trees to the west. There’s supposed to be a path cutting through there. We’ll follow that. It should be a straight shot from there.”
Cheyenne stared at him blankly, her eyes following his every move as he passed out small cups of coffee to everyone until the pot was empty. He packed fresh snow into the thermos and tucked it away in his pack then turned back to finish breaking down the cook area. Hadley, Cathy, Sebastian and Harold milled about sipping at the foam cups.
Looking around,
Cheyenne and Cathy shared a look before bursting out laughing , earning a quizzical look from Hadley. “One, because you love us,” Cathy said.
“And two,” Cheyenne chimed in, “because if you weren’t here with us, you’d be wiping up spills and chan g ing poopy diapers while Cam beckoned for another beer because he had such a long and ‘stressful’ day at work.” Cheyenne made air quotes to emphasize her annoyance.
“Stressful my eye,” Cathy snorted. “I’d like to see him survive one day in that mad house and come away even half as sane or polished as our Leelee here.” She shuddered. “Believe me, I have spent an afternoon in the Silverman household, and I for one, have gained a new-found respect for mothers with toddlers.”
“Hey, it may be rough at times, but I hardly think it was that terrible,” Hadley defended.
“Rough? Rough ? Leelee , my dear, I would gladly walk into a war zone, bullets whizzing past my head, before I spent another day under your roof. Those aren’t children. They are monsters.” Cathy stabbed a hot pink fingernail at the air between them to accentuate her point.
“Monsters!” Hadley screeched, taking offense. “My children may be a little high strung at times, but they hardly earn monster status.”
“One of them ate my purse strap, Leelee! In my book that qualifies as a monster.”
Silence enveloped the tent; the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The women exchanged looks both heated and unsure. Out of the blue, Hadley erupted in a fit of laughter, leaving Cheyenne and Cathy puzzled. They may not have known what set it off, but in a matter of seconds, everyone in the tent was holding their sides and gasping for air.
“You’re right , Cat. They are monsters.” Hadley breathed deeply, her attempt to calm herself an act in futil i ty.
“Yeah, but they’re your monsters, and I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.” Cathy leaned over the small lamplight nestled between them and offered Hadley a hug , which was accepted immediately.
“Alright ladies, I think it’s time to hit the sack. We’re going to need all the energy we can get if we’re g o ing to rise with the sun.” Cheyenne reached out and flipped the lantern off , immediately plugging them into darkness. The wind whipped outside the tent walls as the chilly night air tried its best to beat its way inside. However, that wasn’t what kept the women from getting a good night’s sleep. It was the strange animal noises coming from somewhere nearby.
The sun was just breaking over the horizon when the women stumbled from the tent to join the men in the middle of the small campsite. Cheyenne noticed almost immediately that their tent had already been broken down and packed away. Kris was knelt down in front of the por t able cook top heating water.
“Coffee,” Cheyenne croaked. She wouldn’t be fully awake until she had her morning dose the black stuff , and the last thing the team needed was an irritable grizzly lea d ing them to their death. She would need to be operating on all cylinders to get this mission accomplished.
Kris held up the lid to the thermos. Cheyenne a c cepted and tossed it back , grimacing as it burned a path down her esophagus and smiling serenely when it warmed her insides.
“The guys and I will tear down in a few.” H e tipped his head indicating the women’s tent. “I already mapped our next path up the mountain. We’ll cut through the trees to the west. There’s supposed to be a path cutting through there. We’ll follow that. It should be a straight shot from there.”
Cheyenne stared at him blankly, her eyes following his every move as he passed out small cups of coffee to everyone until the pot was empty. He packed fresh snow into the thermos and tucked it away in his pack then turned back to finish breaking down the cook area. Hadley, Cathy, Sebastian and Harold milled about sipping at the foam cups.
Looking around,
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