Two in the Bush

Author's Note: I would like to express my deepest appreciation to AsylumSeeker for so generously providing his editing expertise. His input has proved invaluable to this first-time author. Please note that any errors contained herein are solely my responsibility.

~**~

The bush plane shook as it flew into a current of air. Julia gripped the seat, the blood leaving her knuckles.

"Just a little turbulence," the pilot said cheerfully, as if in response to her unspoken fear. "These little planes get tossed around more easily than the jets you're probably used to, but don't you worry. I've been flying out in the bush for twenty seven-years and haven't met a current yet that I couldn't navigate."

That calmed her a little. Julia took a deep breath and loosened her hold of the seat enough so that the color returned to her hands. She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh I'm not worried," she lied, betrayed by her shaking voice. "Uncle Ray assured me that you're one of the best, so I know I'm in good hands."

The pilot eyed her curiously. "I must admit I'm a little surprised that Ray would agree to let his young niece stay alone at his cabin for an entire year. You do know you'll be nearly three miles from the nearest neighbor, and a good fourteen miles from town with no road to get you there? It could get awfully lonesome in that little cabin those long cold winter months."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy to convince my uncle. It took me three years to persuade him, and he agreed only under certain conditions," Julia explained. "He'll be flying out here in September to check in on me, and then he plans to return in January as well. He's also made arrangements with his neighbor to stop by from time to time.

"Uncle Ray stocked up enough firewood to last me the whole year, so I have plenty of fuel, and I intend to have enough food on hand at any given time to last me for months."

Julia continued, "Besides, if worse comes to worse, I can always take his snowmobile, I mean snowmachine," she corrected, reminding herself to use local terminology, "into town and rent a room if living off the grid ends up being too much for me to deal with. That was another one of my uncle's conditions, and he arranged a place for me to stay if it comes to that."

"Well, it sounds like you have put a lot of thought into it," the pilot admitted, "and it's good you have a backup plan. My apologies; I didn't mean to pry. It's just that a lot of folks get these romantic ideas about living here, and those who aren't properly prepared..."

He said no more, and didn't need to; she knew what he was going to say.

"I know it's not going to be easy," Julia acknowledged. "I'd like to think I'm a resourceful person, though, and I do have wilderness and survival experience."

"Well, that's good. You'll likely need to use those skills before your year is up."

Julia nodded her agreement and turned her eyes to the window, soaking in the Alaskan landscape as the plane's shadow skimmed along the undulating, tree-covered surface below, following their path.

Even now she saw a moose rising from the surface of a shimmering lake that was bordered by a thick swath of trees. Far in the distance the snow-covered mountains rose bold and majestic, welcoming her to her new home. This was the romance the pilot was talking about, Julia thought in awe, a giddy grin splitting her face; this place was amazingly, breathtakingly beautiful.

It was some time before the pilot finally spoke. "Well, we're coming to it."

Julia looked up, her eyes following his pointing finger. A wide ribbon of water came into view from behind the trees. In the distance she could see a small clearing with a cabin and other small buildings on it, and then another. Must be her "neighbor", she thought to herself with a smile. Beyond that, a little further in the distance, she saw the buildings and homes of tiny Eagle Eye, Alaska.

The cabins, and then the town, seemed deceptively close together from this vantage point, but Julia knew she would be effectively cut off from them. Never had she lived so far from a town, let alone the nearest house. She felt a thrill of excitement for the adventure looming, right now, before her, and her stomach flipped a little.

"Hold on tight, darlin'. We're going in."

Julia braced herself with her hands, her whole body tight. A soundless prayer formed behind her lips. Breathe, she reminded herself, don't forget to breathe. Flying made her uncomfortable, it always had, but the worst part was taking off. And landing. Damn, that clearing looks awfully short.

To her surprise and relief, they landed and came to a stop with plenty of room to spare. Used to runways thousands of feet long at major airports, it was hard to believe any plane could land in a space that tight. When they had come to a stop the pilot turned to the woman with a smile.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked.

"Best landing I ever had," Julia answered truthfully.

He grinned broadly. "Thank you kindly. Well, little lady, what do you say we unload your things and get them to your new home?"

The plane had landed about a half mile south of the cabin, and after several trips back and forth between the two of them, all her things were off the plane and inside the house.

Julia took a moment now to look around her. Even though she hadn't been here for close to twenty years, not much had changed.

The sturdy handmade furniture was a little darker in places from decades of hands touching the same areas over and over. And the woodstove looked newer than the one she remembered.

But there was the old kerosene lamp on the middle of the little kitchen table, and the porcelain wash basin and the steel tea kettle with the wooden handle on the kitchen counter. She could also see from where she stood that the quilt on the bed in the tiny bedroom was the same one Aunt Shirley had pieced together the first summer Julia stayed with them at the cabin.

Julia opened the shutters to let the light in.

"I'll have us a fire going in just a minute if you'd like to stay for a cup of tea," she said.

"Well, just for a minute. I don't like to say no to a pretty lady," the pilot answered.

Metal pail in hand, Julia raced to the river and filled it with water. Then she grabbed an armful of wood from the lean to and had a fire going in the woodstove in no time. She heated some water in the tea kettle and shortly thereafter, the two were enjoying their cups of tea as they sat around the kitchen table.

"I assume the neighbor your uncle was referring to was Ben Anderson," the pilot remarked. "Fellow lives just short of three miles southeast of here, following the river. We passed over his place on our way in."

Julia nodded. "Yes, my uncle said he's a bachelor, been living out here year-round for many years. Good neighbor. Uncle Ray told me he'd gladly help me out, to just tell him I'm Ray's niece and he'd take care of me."

The pilot smiled into his cup as he took a drink. "Yes, I reckon he'd give you anything you need if you only ask for it, a pretty girl like you."

Julia could hear the edge in his voice and cocked her head, looking at him. What was he implying? She didn't have time to think more about it before the pilot spoke again.

"Yeah, Ben's a decent fellow, real hardworking. Quiet, keeps to himself, naturally, but he'd give the shirt off his back to help a person in need."

Everything he's saying about this guy is virtually word for word the same things Uncle Ray said about him, Julia thought with some consternation. Decent. Hardworking. Generous, but keeps to himself. Glad to know he's a good neighbor, but couldn't they be just a tiny bit more descriptive?

And as far as his physical appearance, the most Julia could get out of her uncle was that he was "sort of a big guy, tall, with brown hair." Not that it should matter what he looks like, she reminded herself, but still it would be nice to know a little something more about her nearest neighbor for the next twelve months. For all she knew he was some wild-eyed freak, decent and hardworking notwithstanding.

Julia started suddenly at the squeak of wood on wood and her eyes focused to see the pilot standing up from his chair.

"Well, young lady, it sure has been nice talking with you, and I thank you for the tea, but it's getting late and I best be heading off," he said.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like something to eat?" Julia asked quickly. She had been looking forward to the solitude, but felt a small jump of panic in her gut at the realization that her last human contact, perhaps for some time, was leaving.

The pilot smiled, but shook his head. "Thank you very kindly, but I've got a date with my old lady. Haven't seen her in a few weeks and we're anxious to see each other. We've got a lot of catching up to do and I'm already late in getting started," he explained with a mischievous smile and a knowing wink, the wrinkles creasing around his twinkling brown eyes.

Julia laughed and felt her face flush shyly.

The pilot's face grew soft and he said quietly, "Are you sure you're gonna be alright out here, darlin'?"

"I'm sure I'll get along just fine," she assured him. "After all, Uncle Ray was right about you. I'd like to think he has good judgment about other things too."

The pilot grinned. "Well, you're right about that. Ray's a sharp bastard and I don't suppose he'd agree to this if he wasn't sure you were up to the task."

He wished her well and they shook hands warmly before the pilot disappeared into the woods south of her uncle's clearing. Julia sat in one of the wooden chairs outside of the cabin waiting for the plane to disembark. Before long she heard the rumbling of its engine. Julia shielded her eyes from the light reflecting off the river as she glimpsed the small craft lifting into the air and disappear from sight.

"Well," she said to herself, breathing in the crisp air deeply, "here I go."

~**~

Julia worked in the garden patch, pulling weeds from around the tiny potato plants. Her black hair was glossy in the warm sunlight, pulled back in a ponytail. A loose strand kept getting caught by her sweating forehead, the hair tickling her flushed cheek. Her body was drenched in sweat, her clothes sticky. Living out in the wilderness was hard work.

"Ugh," Julia grimaced. "I wish I could just take off my clothes and cool off in my bare skin."

Suddenly, it occurred to her that she wasn't living back in Seattle. It was funny how, even though she had been living out here in the middle of nowhere for the past two weeks, she still often thought in terms of civilization. Of course she could take off her clothes! She laughed aloud delightedly.

Wasting no more time, Julia quickly stripped off her clothing until all that remained were her soft leather moccasins. The cool air flowed over her skin and she sighed with pleasure. "That's more like it," she said to herself with a smile.

Julia loved being nude. Even as a toddler she would run away from her mother in the middle of changing her diaper. Over the years she continued to display a free-spiritedness which alarmed her deeply religious parents, and they worked hard to replace her openness with shame and humility.

But their only child chafed under their strict directives, and over time Julia's relationship with her parents grew strained and eventually they drifted apart. Julia found herself more closely aligned with the quirky older brother of her father. Uncle Ray didn't share her love for conversation, but they did have in common a deep affinity for the outdoors and living life on one's own terms.

She hadn't seen her neighbor since she'd arrived—she hadn't seen anyone since the pilot left—and, well, she didn't expect to anytime soon. Julia knew the guy kept to himself and she figured she'd maybe stop by his place one of these days to introduce herself. But she wasn't ready to do that yet.

To be honest, Julia felt she had something to prove. She appreciated that her uncle had gone to so much trouble to make sure she had people looking out for her, but she wanted to do this herself.

She had to admit it was unnerving when she first saw the size of the woodpile behind the cabin, and had felt some embarrassment while recalling how stubbornly she had tried to argue with her uncle about the extent to which he insisted he help her before he would agree to let her stay here.

Nevertheless Julia did have the firewood she needed. After a few trips into town, along with the supplies she had already brought in with her, she would have enough food and fuel to last her through to spring at least. Julia didn't see any reason to be in a big hurry to meet her hermit neighbor. Besides, he probably had better things to do.

A bead of sweat dripped from her forehead, stinging Julia's eyes. She wiped her hand instinctively across her face before noticing that her fingers were caked with dirt. I could use a bath, she thought to herself. The solar shower was out around back, but it only held enough water for a three-minute shower and her fingernails were encrusted with dirt.

It'll be cold, but I'll take a dip in the river; that'll get me clean, she thought. She put the trowel in the tool shed and made her way to the water's edge.

Julia quickly dunked herself under the surface knowing that it would help her body adjust to the river's brisk temperature. She let the gently flowing water wash the sweat and dirt from her skin.

Ben hiked along the trees just shy of the river. He was coming close to his neighbor's cabin and planned to stop by before making a trip into town. Ben wanted to see if he could borrow Ray's canoe; his own boat had sprung a leak and needed repair. If worse came to worse he knew he could drive his all-terrain vehicle into Eagle Eye, but he preferred the quiet of the river. Motorized vehicles seemed intrusive out here, and he tried to avoid using his whenever possible.

Besides, he had to go check on the old man's niece anyway, make sure she was alright. He'd seen her plane come in a couple weeks ago and had agreed to look in on her from time to time; he figured it was about time he got around to doing it. Apparently she had some wild notion of spending the year in her uncle's cabin. Ben wondered if she knew what she was getting herself into.

It seemed a little foolhardy to him but he wasn't one to judge, and he wished her luck. He just hoped she was as self-sufficient as Ray had assured him she'd be. He had too much work to attend to at his own place for her to pester him about every little thing she had failed to take into consideration.

Just before reaching the clearing he heard a splash coming from the river. His senses alerted, Ben proceeded cautiously, just in case it was a bear or some other large animal and not his neighbor.

It was no bear. It was a woman. She was shorter than average, with tan skin, and had shimmering black hair that flowed in wet, wavy strands about her shoulders. And she was entirely, utterly naked. His eyes grazed over her dripping body, lingering over her full curves as she left the water.

Her dark nipples were tight from the cold. He shivered and moved his eyes to her face. Her face, like her body, was rounded, with high cheekbones and full lips. Her eyes were dark brown with a slight almond shape.

This was his new neighbor? Ben felt his cock growing stiff in his pants.

The woman bent down to pick up her discarded moccasins, rewarding him with a flash of her full bottom as she shared, just for a moment, a glimpse of her pussy lips peeking from the dark curls between her legs. Ben's mouth went dry, his eyes following her body's every movement as she walked, hips swaying, toward the cabin.

She went inside for a moment, but to his amazement she returned outdoors with only a towel. After drying herself off she sat down on one of the wooden chairs.

Ben stood transfixed.

Suddenly, without thinking, he stalked closer to the cabin, his years of experience as a hunter allowing him to slip silently and hidden among the trees until at last he was not far from where she sat. He could hear her talking to herself if he concentrated.

Julia stretched for a moment and sat down in the wooden chair that her uncle had built. She sighed with contentment. "That was cold, but God did it feel good," she said to herself, running her fingers down her slightly damp skin.

The moisture cooled her body, raising goose bumps as she absentmindedly stroked her arms and belly. Then her hands slid to her chest, and cupping her breasts, she felt her nipples jutting almost painfully with cold. Julia shuddered in reaction to her touch and felt a twinge in her groin.

"Mmm," she murmured, pinching and rolling her nipples between her fingers. The bad thing about being out in the middle of nowhere is having no one around to fuck, she thought. Maybe I should go introduce myself to my new neighbor after all; both Uncle Ray and the pilot said he would give me anything I need.

Julia felt a throb and a surge of wetness. Sliding one hand slowly down her abdomen she continued with her fantasy. "Oh I wonder if you'd like that, wilderness man," she said aloud. "I bet you have even more pent up sex than I do, out here in the bush all alone."

Ben's head jerked at the words tumbling from the woman's mouth. "Wilderness man"? He strained to listen more closely as his crotch flooded with heat.

Julia gasped as her fingers slipped down to the patch of dark hair between her legs. She felt her pussy pulsate as she reached between her lips, slicking the juice from her slit to her clitoris. Julia's back arched and she groaned loudly at the touch to her aching clit. She then spread her legs wide and hooked them over the chair's arms so she could work on herself more easily.

"Oh yes, baby, lick my clit, eat my pussy," Julia begged her imaginary lover, rubbing her slick fingers round and round her clitoris.

Ben stood hidden, just a few feet away, his cock tightening painfully. He had gotten hard the first moment he stumbled upon this naked woman. But to see her now, wildly stroking herself, maybe even thinking about him... He was ready to throw her on the ground and take her, right now, and it was only by sheer force of will that he remained where he was.

If he didn't do something soon he was going to explode in his pants. Quickly, but quietly, Ben opened the front of his trousers, his cock head straining out the top of his underwear. Grabbing at its base he began to stroke himself, up and down, in time with her increasingly urgent rhythm.

Lifting her ass off the wooden seat Julia moaned, "Ohhh, please fuck me. Fuck me and fill all my holes with your hard cock," as she ground her clit more and more furiously.

Ben grunted at her plea as his fist slid up and down his shaft, faster and faster to match her speed. "I'll fuck you anyway you please, baby," he muttered, his eyes glued on her sopping cunt. He could tell she was close to the edge now.

Julia stiffened and screamed with her orgasm. She screamed so loudly it disturbed the birds perched in the trees surrounding her cabin and they scattered about in confusion. As Ben watched her chest heave and her cunt twitch, his own orgasm came rumbling from his balls, his semen spraying the tree trunk. It took great self-control not to roar as he released, he was so turned on.

The woman sat resting, waiting for her breathing and pulse to quiet, her legs still wrapped around the arms of the chair. After a few minutes she began to return to herself and it was then that she noticed the air felt a little cooler than it had before. Well, I better go put something on, she thought to herself with a wry grin. After all, this is Alaska.

Julia untangled her legs, got up and went into the cabin. She slipped on a pair of knit pants and an old long-sleeved T-shirt. After picking up a comb she walked back outside, combing her hair, thinking about dinner. She had worked up quite an appetite.