Grayson loved the Canadian wilderness. He lived in a small cabin on the south end of Princess Royal Island. Summers were cool and clear. Winters could be a little rough but living right on the sound, the water pretty much kept the air warmer. Salmon were plentiful and easy to catch from his kayak. When he needed meat, the forest abounded with venison, partridge and elk. His cabin was very difficult to find unless you were looking for it and nobody was because nobody knew he was there. He hadn't had a visitor in fifteen years. He would kayak up the inlet to Butedale sometimes to buy salt, fishing gear and medical supplies.
He heard the floatplane long before he saw it. It was near the water trailing smoke. He paddled toward where he thought the crash site would be. The Cessna was ablaze as it cartwheeled into the sound two hundred yards from his kayak. A body was hurled from it as it hit the water. He paddled rapidly toward the plane as it sank. There was one life jacket among the debris. As he closed on it, he saw a blonde head bobbing on the waves. It was a girl about thirty or forty years old. He didn't see anyone else and assumed that any others went down with the plane.
He yanked the girl across his kayak and paddled back to his cabin. Throwing her over his shoulder he took her into the cabin. She was knocked out, cold and wet. He took her clothes off, dried her, wrapped her in a blanket and laid her gently by the fire.
By the time the coffee was hot the girl was stirring. She woke up screaming and trembling. He sat in front of her and watched while she opened her eyes and looked around. She stopped screaming when see saw him sitting there.
"Where am I?" she mumbled.
"You are in my cabin on Laredo Sound in British Columbia." He answered.
"How did I get here?"
"Your airplane crashed. Were you the pilot?"
"No, I hired a pilot to fly me to Sitka. My old man got mean so I divorced his ass and he got meaner so I blew out of Seattle to go somewhere he couldn't find me."
"Well this must be the place. Nobody on earth knows we're here."
"Where are my clothes?"
"They're drying by the fire."
"How did they get by the fire?"
"Well, you were completely soaked and icy cold. I took them off and wrapped you in that blanket so you wouldn't die of hypothermia."
"Thanks. So I guess you've seen all of me then."
"Yeah, pretty much. I didn't do a close examination, but you appear to have all the equipment."
"You mean you didn't feel me up or anything?"
"No maam. You were dying from hypothermia. I had to get you warm in a hurry."
"This floor is hard. Can I sit by you on those cushions?"
"Sure."
She dropped her blanket and settled next to him on the cushions.
"Don't you want something to cover up with?"
"What's the point? You've already seen what I've got. Also, I'm not really a modesty freak."
She snuggled up to him and laid her head on his shoulder. She was trembling and shaking.
"Are you still cold?" he asked.
"No, I'm still scared. One minute we were flying right along and the next there was fire everywhere. I was choking on the smoke and then we hit the water. I don't remember anything after that. Then I woke up here. I'm still a little unsteady but I'll get over it. Just let me rest against you for a while."
Soon he heard her snoring softly on his shoulder so he put his arm around her and gave her a little hug. She smiled in her sleep. That poor girl must be completely confused, he thought. He pulled her closer and took a nap. He woke up when he felt her stir.
"You still didn't feel me up, did you?" she said.
"No maam, I don't even know your name. I'm not in the habit of feeling up strangers."
"Well, my name is Kitty Barns. Who are you?"
