Scarred Beginnings by Jackie Williams Page B

gratefully as he bit back another shiver.
    “Good idea, if you don’t mind that is.”
    She smiled and tossed him a bunch of keys as she turned towards the cable car again.
    “Oh , you might want to test out the heaters in the cabins. I put in oil fired ones rather than wood burners. They heat pretty quickly, but you should make sure they are all working perfectly. I didn’t think fishermen would be so interested in lighting fires.” Her smile turned into a wide grin as David shook his head in resignation at being found out so easily. He gave in.
    “Thanks sis. I’d rather forgotten that I’ve become attached to a desk for the last year. I’m out of practise with all this action man stuff,” he confessed as Ellen pressed the button in the car and began the long assent up to the top of the ravine.
    Ellen looked back at him.
    “Go and get warm. I’ll be back in about an hour with the car.”
    David waved her off as the cable car began to climb the steep face of the ravine. He looked up at the zip wire again. It had been brilliant fun. He looked down at himself. The water dripped slowly from the bottoms of his trousers. He looked up and noted that the cable car was already halfway along its route and he wondered if he had time for another go on the wire before Ellen came back to collect him.
    He strode to the nearest cabin and opened the door. It looked simply furnished, probably the least extravagant room he had seen on the whole estate so far but Ellen had still used her own taste and innate style. The cabin was a perfect mix of rustic pine and slate. There were a couple of rugs across the floor between the small, throw covered settee and the kitchen area. A peninsular counter with bar stools for eating purposes split the room. A door at the back of the first room led into a cosy bedroom.
    There were two single beds pressed against each side wall, a nightstand between them with a reading lamp and small wardrobe behind the door. A side door led to a slate tiled shower and toilet area. He walked back out to the lounge and flicked on the oil filled radiator then glanced out of the window to see how long it would be before he could call the cable car back down. It was already at the top and he quickly left the cabin.
    Grinning wildly a few minutes later, he leapt from the head of the ravine once again and plummeted at incredible speed towards the river. This time he lifted his heavy legs and almost sat in the surging river water, saving his back and arms from the wrenching but soaking the whole of his bottom half again. It was a huge rush and his heart pounded as the adrenaline surged through his frame.
    He felt alive and happy. He grinned as he clambered up the river bank and made his way towards the cabins. He was loath to admit it but he’d missed this type of exhilaration. Although his new job in the army had kept him occupied it hadn’t been physical at all and he’d needed to go to the gym daily to keep his fitness up.
    It was darker in the cabin and he peered out of the window watching as t he shadows dipped below the edge of the ravine. He looked down at his watch. It was later than he’d thought. There was barely enough time to get warm and dry before Ellen arrived with the car and he hadn’t even glanced at the other huts yet.
    He dashed around each one of them, flicking switches and testing water pressure before he strode back into the first hut and pulled off his trousers. They had dried off a little while he’d carried out his hurried inspection but he hung them over a rail before the heater in the hope that they would dry some more. He lay a towel over the settee and sat on the edge to unclip his legs. He wiped them all over with another towel and placed them close to the heater. They looked dry enough but he didn’t want to take any chances with them.
    The socks covering his thighs were another thing altogeth er. They were soaked through and there was no way he would be able to put them and his