The city many miles behind her, Veronica shifted her truck into low gear for the long climb up onto the mountain. Keys to the cabin jingled occasionally on the other seat as the vehicle bounced over the rough surface of the gravel drive. This was a long and overdue vacation from the plugged-in world. It was with a small triumphant feeling that she turned off her cellular phone and set the email to auto-reply before packing up her gear and leaving. The cell would be for emergencies only, and she figured there were only so many urgent problems she might encounter alone in the woods. Veronica was no stranger to the outdoor world, she'd been a camper and hiker since childhood and was aware of the dangers out there, and was perfectly willing to face whatever these northern woods could offer. In fact, she embraced the idea. An avid stargazer, she also looked forward to night skies not polluted by big city light. Though the weather forecast called for the possibility of snow, she held hope for clear skies despite the cloudiness.
This three-day weekend was just what she needed. No rotations. No on-call. No IV feeds beeping in the middle of the night. No patients. No oxygen masks. Nothing related to the hospital could get to her out here. All in all some time alone was in order. Lately, her stress levels had been through the roof.
Soon enough she found herself at the cabin. Grabbing the key-chain from the passenger seat, she killed the engine and hopped out of the truck. Veronica stopped to stretch and breathe in the scent of early spring in the woods. So clean and invigorating, she thought as she went to and opened the cabin door. A quick glance about assured her that there had been no wild or hostile visitors, and she went outside to begin the chore of bringing in her gear.
No sooner had she finished bringing everything in and kindling a small fire in the stove, when she heard the distinct sound of an approaching vehicle. With a frown she went outside, only to find another truck coming up the lane. Wondering what this was about, as there were no other cabins in the area and the drive was supposedly private, Veronica stood on the step with her hands on her hips and watched the truck park close to her own.
The door to the intruding truck opened, and its occupant stepped out. He was attractive, she thought, but at the same time wanted to know why he was there and was momentarily annoyed.
"Hi. Are you Veronica?" he asked with a friendly tone, to which she replied with a slight nod as she wondered just why he knew her name. He must have noticed her demeanor, and quickly added, "This is my dad's cabin. Dad sent me up to prime the water pump for you," the young man stammered in his response. That was fine, thought Veronica, as she hadn't been aware that such needed doing at the place. Her supervisor at work knew the man who owned the cabin, and had made the arrangements for her visit at a time that the owning family wouldn't be using it.
"Fine, then. The pump," was Veronica's terse response before she turned and returned to the cabin.
What a nuisance, she thought. Couldn't the owner have simply left instructions, or did they assume she was unable to do such a simple chore? It didn't matter, she figured. What's done is done.
A short while later there was a knock on the door and before she could answer, her 'visitor' stepped through the door. When he saw her frown, he quickly apologized and said something about old habits.
"Great. Is that all?" replied Veronica. There was no response, and she realized that this guy was staring at her chest. Her tits were large and round, and even she had to admit they looked good in the cable-knit sweater she was wearing. When finally he realized he was caught staring, he looked up toward her eyes and pretended he didn't feel his face turning red.
"Uhm. Yeah. That's all I guess. But." His words trailed off.
"But?" she asked. "But what?"