The Bachelor, David Dower [uplifting books for women .txt] 📗

she asked, looking at the radio in his hand.

He shook his head no.

“Okay, fine, let’s set up camp.”

Zach tried to hide the smile that was forming on his lips because if Julianne as much as noticed it, he knew she would only think him selfish, insensitive and everything but nice. He concentrated on putting up the tent while she tried to talk with some of the crew on the radio to ask for progress. Again, she was disappointed. Her face was painting worry all over it. He knew she was kind of close to Pauline.

“I’ll go get some woods for the fire,” he said when they were finally done. He started walking away and it happened too fast. He was on his feet one second, and then he was not. He didn’t see the slope a few meters away. He just found himself facing the earth. “Shit!”

“Are you okay?” Julianne asked above him, her face concerned.

Zach grunted. Yes, of course he was fine. He knew karate and he knew how to land on the ground without twisting a joint. But he also knew how to fake it to gain sympathy.

“I think I hurt my leg,” he said, contorting his face.

“Let me see,” she reached out but he shouted. “What? What’s wrong?”

“My shoulder hurts like hell,” he lied.

“Can you get up?”

“Not alone, I can’t,” he groaned.

“I’ll help you,” she said and he gladly welcomed her arms. Okay, it was a foolish trick, but it worked for him. Until she suggested, “We should probably call for help. You need immediate attention.”

“No, no, no,” he said too quickly. “I’m going to be fine. I have a bandage in my bag. Don’t take the other teams away from looking for the ladies.”

She eyed him suspiciously and he almost shrunk down the ground in fear of being found out. “Okay…” she said slowly and helped him to his feet. He dramatically limped all the way back to the tent.

“I’ll do the fire. Are you sure you’re okay?” she said when he was settled down.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a little pain,” he said with a feigned grimace.

Julianne looked at him, her keen eyes studying him intently. “I’ll collect some woods first before it gets dark. Then I’ll see to your wounds,” and then she was gone, her steps careful.

Zach bent his head and smiled inwardly. This was going to be a great night for him. Chapter 8

Zach had wanted to tell Julianne that he was completely fine, but the attention she was giving him kept him from doing it. She looked at the gash on his palm and took care of it. She helped him bandage his allegedly twisted ankle. She even touched his face with her fingers to apply an antiseptic cream. That was why he wouldn’t dare tell her he was fine and that he could perfectly mend his own wounds.

Yes, yes, call him whatever, but he didn’t care. No one was around to scold him of his little lie. For all he knew and feared, tonight might just be the last time that he could have with her.

“How’s your shoulder?” she asked, eyeing him through her glasses.

“Its fine,” he said with a smile, “just a little sore, I guess.”

Julianne just nodded and started building a fire.

“Let me do that,” he said, reaching out.

“You’re injured,” she said.

“I’m fine. I think I can handle building a fire,” he squatted beside her and prepared the twigs.

 *****

Julianne got a weird feeling as she looked at his hunched back, his eyes focused on building a fire. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she looked at his injured ankle.

“Yes, I’m okay,” he said over his shoulder and she saw something in his eyes.

Being a writer, you would develop the ability of reading people such as detecting lies. And seeing Zach’s eyes, she knew he was lying about something. “You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“Okay, I’m sorry!” he said, hastily turning around to face her.

Julianne was stunned. She didn’t expect him to blurt out the truth that early. And then anger rose up. “You’re such a jerk!” she threw the first thing her hand was able to grab and it was a small twig.

“I’m sorry, Jules, I didn’t mean to drag it for so long.” He stood up and walked towards her. Julianne stared at his foot.

“You’re such a bastard, you know that? You made me worry over nothing?”

“You were worried?”

“Of course I was!” she screamed. “Don’t expect me to believe anything you say the next time, Zachary.”

She stood up and took her bag with her and started walking.

“Where are you going? Jules, come on. I was going to tell you but I was afraid you’d do exactly what you are doing now.”

“Oh, yeah? You should have been a better liar then! You think you can play with me?” she said exasperatedly.

He followed her deeper into the woods. “Jules, come on, you’re angry, I get it. And I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise. Let’s just go back and talk about this,” he said beside her.

“Don’t touch me!” she cried out when he touched her arm. “You know what I hate the most? Liars! And you’re the biggest one of them!”

She continued walking, stumbling on her feet with all the fallen twigs and uneven ground.

“I’m sorry, let’s just go back…” he said more gently. Then he turned around and said, “Where are we?”

“I don’t know and I don’t freaking care. Leave me alone.”

“Jules, I don’t think I know where we are,” he said, his tone serious. He was already circling on his feet, looking around the premises in confusion.

“You said you know this damn place by heart,” she snapped, her heart starting to race. She did not really plan to go further. She just wanted to get away from him.

“I was just exaggerating when I said that,” he explained, looking around.

“Zachary, if this is one of your tricks, I do not like it at all!” She was now looking around herself. It was dark and she couldn’t find a trace of where their tent was.

“Jules, I swear on my grandmother’s grave I’m not playing tricks right now,” he replied, his eyes seriously and utterly honest.

“This is your fault!”

“How can it be—okay, okay,” he held up his hands when he saw her face, “It is my fault. Do you have a map?”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“A compass?”

“No.”

“The radio?”

“I left it in the tent.”

“Can you shout?”

“What?”

“We don’t have any options now, right?” he looked around. “We’re lost.”

“We couldn’t have gone too far,” she said, not wanting to admit that they were lost. “We just have to retrace the trail we took. And don’t touch me!” she added when he took her elbow.

“Jules, I think we didn’t pass that way,” he said as she started to walk towards the right.

“Then where do you suppose we came from?”

It was dark now, the sun completely gone. It would have been easier if they had built a fire already. She continued on and he followed her.

“Stop following me, Astor,” she hissed.

Zach looked at her like a lost little boy, “I don’t want to leave you alone in these woods,” he said.

“I don’t want to be with you,” she emphasized each word.

“But we’re lost and it’s dark. I suggest we wait until the sun rises. I’m sure we can retrace our track in the morning.”

Julianne was stubborn and proud and she wouldn’t in any way follow his advice. “I’m going back to camp,” she said defiantly.

“Jules, it’s impossible,” he raked his fingers through his hair.

“I have a plan,” she snapped and went on.

“What plan?”

“I plan to go straight ahead. I will eventually come out of the woods and out into a beach. I will circle the island after that and eventually go back to camp and into our cabin. Then I will pack my bags and go home.”

 *****

Zach realized it was a good plan, except the last part about packing.

“You can’t leave,” he said. “You have a contract, remember?”

“I don’t care about my contract anymore. The job can go to hell.”

“But Jules, you’re angry and you can’t make decisions while you’re angry,” he said desperately.

“Why do you have to make things impossible?”

“I’m not, you are,” he said and he regretted it the moment the words came out of his mouth.

“I wouldn’t if you will let me go home!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll cut you a deal,” he said, still following her deeper into the woods.

“I’ve had enough of your deals.”

“I will let you go home eventually,” he promised.

“When is that?”

“I don’t know, but I will,” he promised.

“Even if we get out of these woods alive, I don’t think I can agree to that.”

“But I promise to let you go home.”

“Look, Zachary, I don’t want to talk about this right now. I just want to go back to camp.”

“But are you going home?” he asked. He didn’t know if he would like that if she would pack her bags and go home.

“Yes,” she said.

“Jules, it will be a breach of contract. You will pay a high price for that.”

“I know,” she nodded. “But I’d rather do it than stay in this island with you.”

He felt like he was slapped by that one. “That hurts,” he muttered.

“Good.”

“Like it really hurts,” he added.

“Oh, please, it’s just your lying ego.”

“Of course not,” he said, his anger starting to rise up. What could he do to prove to her that he was actually sorry and that he was honestly truthful when he said he liked her? “I’m telling the truth when I said I like you. You wanna know why?” he asked.

“No,” she answered, slapping a bunch of leaves out of her way.

He continued anyway, “I like you because you’re different. You’re beautiful despite what you think. You are an amazing person and you don’t even seem to care. And I know you’re starting to like me too.”

“What?”

“Yes, I know you like me too, Jules,” he grinned.

Julianne stopped walking, faced him and said, “I don’t.”

Zach knew his strategy was working. “And I know you’re leaving because you’re afraid of your feelings.”

“That’s absurd! I’m leaving because I can’t take any more of your stupid games and tricks and everything in this stupid show!”

“No, I think you’re leaving because you’re starting to like me and you’re afraid to admit that.”

“Impossible,” she uttered strongly.

“Then prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“That you’re not afraid.”

“I am not.”

“Then stay,” he challenged. “If you get into the top three and you still want to go home, I’ll let you go home. Just prove to me that you’re not afraid to like me and that whatever I do, you won’t be swooned.”

Julianne looked at him with blazing eyes. She was angry, he was sure of that. But he didn’t want her to go home just yet.

“Top five,” she uttered.

“Top four,” he bargained.

“Deal. Top four and I’m going home,” she finally said.

Zach almost jumped. “Deal,” he grinned and held out his hand. “Top four and you’re going home.”

Julianne just stared at his hand and turned around.

Damn the woman! She was as cold as ice and hard as stone. He would have to think of some ways to break her. Things didn’t work out as he hoped today, but once they found the missing girls and were back on track, he would definitely do his best to win her.

You don’t really want to do that,