Man on Fire

The Hunted

Three Weeks Later – Arwana’s Perspective

Things were shaping up. The school, again, wasn’t at all what she had been expecting. It was virtually a one-room shindig.

She was to have 31 students ranging from kindergarten to high school. She had one teacher’s aide, a mother of one of the students.

The children were a mixture of the logging, tourism trade, and the native people that made up Warbly. She had already met most of them and found them to be both respectful and delightful.

It was going to be a good year. She’d made the right choice.

She turned off the Jeep’s ignition and got out. Her accommodations were better than expected at least and truly she felt herself blessed by the generosity of the small community.

She’d met practically almost everybody as in one way or another, they had come hunting for her. Now more than ever she felt the burden of not letting them down in the tasks that she had been assigned in regards to the children, which she was learning quickly, was the most important thing for these people.

Their children meant absolutely everything to them. What a refreshing change from the suburban environment that she had come from, where children were hustled off to day care centers and babysitters and thought of as being a burden for the most part.

No, Warbly was a refreshing change, even if it was a bit of a boring one. There was nothing to do! Nothing!!!

Most evenings she spent sipping coffee and reading. In her move here she’d made the decision to give up watching TV good thing too, because what channels were locally available here were enough to drive one nuts.

Closing the door of the house behind her, she went in and sat down in her favorite chair and watched the fading of one more day’s sunlight from off the land. When it was gone, she was left altogether alone with her thoughts once more.

Alone. She hated it.

There were a few young women in town around her age, but she had nothing in common with them. Every timberjack for miles around had made a point to stop her and tell her his name.

Two had even made proposals. It had actually been quite comical.

As a whole there were only too many men who would like to be filling out her evenings, but she didn’t want any of them. Idly her fingers played with the keys of the Jeep. She wanted him, and only him, with a sigh, though she reflected on the fact that he, unlike all the other men avoided her as if she had the plague.

His keeping distance with her had nothing to do with lack of attraction of that she did know. No, the more and more she learned of the said, Cliff Haynes, the more she admired. And it was in point of fact that his biggest restraint, big mountain man that he was all boiled down to the simple fact that he was shy.

It was hard to believe a man that had everything going for him like he had could be shy towards a woman, but it was the truth. In addition to being an introvert, he was also deeply religious.

Every Sunday she saw his truck parked at the lone church in town. That was the only time he showed his face around town.

Well, tomorrow she was going hunting. She was going to church.

She hadn’t gone to a church since she’d been a girl in pigtails. Tomorrow promised to have unwelcome remembrances of the past, but she’d come to the conclusion that being alone in life was simply not for her.

Still, she’d rather be alone than ever let herself fall into the narcissistic clutches of another man like Steve. No, her former boyfriend had all but destroyed her will and desire to live life and she would never let that happen again!

Cliff on the other hand, though definitely was not Steve. Where Steve had been loud, Cliff was quiet.

Where Steve had used her body because she was pretty enough to be with, Cliff had looked at her like he had wanted to mate her and bring forth children into the world. The very thought of having a child to Steve was as if someone had made a horrible joke.

Where Steve had been superficially macho, Cliff was primal male. What Steve had thought himself to be and often stated as if it were so, Cliff already was in the hearts and minds of everyone that knew him.

He was a caring individual with a good heart. In the past three weeks she’d done all she could to learn about him.

By now it was definitely no secret in the town as to her interest in Cliff and she found everyone for the most part only too willing to be ready sources of information. Whether it was how Cliff has loaned them money and hadn’t even charged them interest, split firewood when their arm had been broken, pulled them out of a ditch in a snowstorm, helped them build a house, unpaid of course, to on and on and on.

From the appearance of things Cliff was someone who was always doing for others. He employed half the loggers in town and he paid them well too.

In regards to her he’d been true to his word and had her car brought to the town’s only workshop where it still sat waiting for parts that hadn’t come yet. In all this time he hadn’t done anything to get his Jeep back.

Twice driving along the road, she’d seen grizzly bears and each time she’d relaxed in the knowledge of the pistol that he’d loaned her. It was a comfort as well when considering some of the loggers.

None of the ones that worked for Cliff were a problem, but some of the others were as dirty as they came. One in particular, especially creeped her out.

He’d followed her around town more than once and the desire to gift him with a bullet had been especially thought over well and truly and the conclusion was that if he gave her cause she would grant him one without prejudice, so far though he had done nothing but watch her. It didn’t help her nerves any living alone with stalkers lurking about either.

Pulling her mind away from disturbing thoughts of Zach Rogers she dwelt once more on the fact that she would see Cliff tomorrow. She closed her eyes and did what she did a lot of lately and that was to fantasize about how it would be like to be with Cliff.

She’d come a very long way looking for a change and he was it, only he was playing hard to get. Did she really want a man that was easy though? No, definitely no.

Her mind built her the image of Cliff and she moaned as an image of him naked and above her, inside of her came sharply to mind. Slipping a hand down, she unzipped her jeans and her fingers found the dampness of her panties.

She rubbed all the while imagining him and before long she cried out and gasped as pleasure waves shot through her. Only too soon though the orgasm was over and she was left once more alone and achingly unfilled.

In anger she slammed her fist down on the chair arm even as her body was wracked with an insatiable need to be taken. Tomorrow things were changing!

She’d given him his space, but that was over. If he wouldn’t come to her then she was going after him.

He was worth whatever embarrassment she might encounter in the process. Church in the morning wasn’t something she looked forward to for the sake of the soul to be sure.

Oh, she believed that a God existed. In fact, she was quite sure that He did, and she was just as sure that He was the same one who hadn’t answered her prayers as a girl and had let her father die.

No, she had no use for God, but Cliff was another matter. While she desired him for his appearance to be truthful, she wanted to be with someone who was so positive in nature as well.

That he believed in God was okay, as long as he didn’t insist that she likewise believe then she could deal with that. She’d already been forced to change from who she was as a person ever to do it for another no matter how amazing he might be.

School was about to start in a week and from all accounts winters here were hard and she definitely was not going to spend it alone.

*********

The Next Day

She was here! Why was she here?

An intense need for spiritual guidance? Though true, highly doubtful.

I glanced at her and saw that she was looking at me. She was beautiful.

Clothing was definitely more modest today, but it did nothing to hide the fact that she was one of the most delectable creations of flesh God ever made. She smiled at me and I looked away.

The rumors were true then. She wanted me.

She’d come to church today for the express purpose of hunting me. I could truly say that I had never been pursued like this before.

I didn’t know what to do so I stayed put. The service began and in general the sermon was a complete blur. I couldn’t concentrate, and finally I left off trying to focus and silently talked with God, even as the pastor spoke on in the background.

My first thought was, “Help.”

“Why, son?”

“She scares me.”

“Not true.”

I was silent for a long moment and then I rephrased my statement, “I’m scared of how out of control she makes me feel.”

“True. So deal with it.”

I blinked. Deal with it? What did that mean?

“I…… help?” I asked lamely at a complete loss.

“Son, look at her.”

I did.

“Tell me, what’s wrong with her?”

Honestly, I confessed, “Nothing. At least on the outside.”

“Exactly and whose job is the inside left to?”

“You.”

“Don’t hold back Cliff. You are free to claim something that you want, but see first that it remains yours.”

Feeling shaken I confessed, “I need help to do that.”

“My help is freely given to one who has helped so much. Do not fear son, I will keep you.”

“Is she right with You?”

“No.”

“Then why would You want me to be with someone who’s lost?”

“You catch more flies if you use honey.”

I blinked, “But I’m the one in danger of the trap!”

“No son, you’re the bait.”

Sitting a little straighter in my seat I pondered on what had been said. It was humbling to be referred to as a piece of meat, but if that was to be my reality then so be it.

As the sermon came to a close I whispered audibly, “Thy will be done Father.”

“Thank you son. Obedience is hard to learn and yet you excel at it.”

As people were standing to leave I prepared to face the huntress, but strangely, I felt an urging of the Spirit of God to leave and immediately I did just that all the while wondering why God would have me draw close only to have me fly away before contact. I didn’t understand it, but I did what I was told to do.

In a way I had come to learn in life that obedience comes before understanding. God had a plan somehow and it had come to involve her and while part of me rejoiced the rest of me wondered at how I would keep my hands off of her and not go too far too soon.

That side of me, I silenced with the acknowledgment that God had promised to help me and help me I knew He would. He never went back on His promises and it was impossible for Him to lie, that said there were certainly times and situations I did not understand and this was one of them.

*********

Arwana’s Perspective

He’d left, practically fled the church. She hadn’t gotten the chance to say even one word to him. She’d sat through that whole sermon just to have the opportunity to say hello and now he was gone.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the new teacher. I was hoping that you’d come sometime.”

Arwana turned to face the pastor and forced a smile of greeting. The truth was the man completely unnerved her.

She’d met him several times and in a way he was her boss being the chairman of the school board as he was. Both he and his wife had been nothing but nice to her since her arrival, but he had a way with his eyes that said he saw past the surface she displayed for people to look at. It was like he saw that her smile right now was forced and hadn’t been won over by the deception of it at all.

“Hello pastor. I….. well…… its been a few years since I attended. It hasn’t changed much.”

Far from being affronted he smiled and said completely off-topic, “You strike me as a woman on a mission.”

Arwana nodded and deciding to be completely honest, she said, “I suppose I am.”

“Hunting God?”

Looking him right in the eyes, she said, “Hunting a man. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to be going.”

He nodded and said, “Come back any time and Miss. Collins……?”

Arwana turned back and he said, “It’s good to have you here in Warbly. Hunting is a way of life around here. Sometimes in the hunt one gets more than one bargains for. Having some faith in something more than your bullet to get you the prize comes in handy sometimes.”

Arwana nodded and continued on somewhat puzzled by the pastor’s statement. She’d half thought she’d be fired for her boldness in such an upright little community and the reversal in reply from the key member of it was puzzling.

*********

Pastor Henry watched her go.

“Henry, what are you thinking?”

Pastor Henry turned to his wife Patricia and smiled, “Oh, nothing dear.”

Her eyebrows rose leadingly and he chuckled before adding, “It would seem that the hunt is on.”

Patricia pursed her lips together and then said, “I know, I’m not sure that I like it. She’s well…… quite brazen.”

Pastor Henry nodded, “That she is. It doesn’t hurt to be full of spirit though. I just wish it was a little better directed, which seems to be on the way.”

“What do you mean Henry?”

“Cliff will be good for her. She may see what she thinks he is, but she has no idea.”

“It’s a bit like offering up a sacrificial lamb isn’t it?” Patricia responded back askance.

“Oh, Cliff can take care of himself, of the two he is better equipped to succeed.”

“How so?”

“Well, for one he has God on his side. You should have seen him during church, completely zoned out from start to finish.”

“And that’s positive how?” Patricia queried.

“Peace, the look of sheer peace he had on his face at the end. No, she may not know it yet, but I think God has a plan for those two that stretches beyond whatever her goals of the moment may be.”

Patricia looked away for a moment before looking at Henry directly in the eyes. They were the only ones left in the church.

Quietly Patricia said, “She’s not the type to stay on here for good. She will leave.”

Henry nodded, “If we’re both honest such is the case for Cliff too. He’s hidden out here from the world for far too long.”

Patricia’s eyes watered up and Henry moved closer and put his arms around her and she put her arms around him.

Softly he said, “Sometimes the better act of love for those you care for the most is to realize that it’s best to let them go.”

Patricia nodded and closed her eyes as she cried softly against her husband’s chest. Ever since Cliff had come to town penniless and broke some 10 years previous the two of them had taken Cliff in and treated him like the son they never had.

It was hard to let go of someone special, it was even harder still in the moment to trust that God was doing a good thing by bringing someone into their adopted son’s life that had the ability to crush his heart and not think twice about doing it.