“What?” Ridge frowned and lowered his plate. “Why not?”
Lani clasped her hands behind her back, which made her look like a child caught in the middle of a naughty act. “Well, we decided to stay here a while longer and do some more exploring.”
“We decided?” By this time Ridge’s frown had descended into a full-fledged scowl. “You and Aurelio?” He didn’t say the rest of what he was thinking but from the look on Lani’s face he could see she knew exactly where he was going. She could read that he was pissed that their decision hadn’t included him. “Not we,” she said quickly. “I. I was the one who decided we should stay longer.”
Ridge’s eyes narrowed as he watched her. “May I ask why?”
Maybe Lani thought his question meant he was willing to have a discussion because her stance relaxed and she loosened the clasp of her hands and reached out to pluck a leaf from the bush beside her. “Aurelio was telling me about another plant,” she said, “one I’d never heard of before. He said I can get some not far from here. If we just hike for eight miles east of here we’ll get to the grove-”
“Are you out of your mind? After we risked our lives to get your plant samples you want to find more? You’re a sucker for punishment or what?”
Eyes wide and her look earnest, Lani shook her head. “You don’t understand, Ridge. Aurelio told me it’s a healing plant, known in Brazil for ages. What if it’s the answer to some of the diseases running rampant in our country?”
Ridge gave her a skeptical look. “I thought those other ones you got were the answer.”
“We don’t know. Don’t you see? It could be anything. It could be the one Aurelio’s telling me about.”
As she called his name Aurelio stooped down, sat back on his haunches and began poking at the almost dead fire with a stick. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there right at that moment.
“Sounds like a wild goose chase to me,” Ridge said with a snort. “If you ask me, the best thing we could do is pack up camp and head on out of here before more bad luck befalls us.”
“Well, I didn’t ask you,” Lani shot back at him. “And what kind of bad luck are you talking about?”
“Didn’t you say those bushes you got were bad luck? I got cracked on the head, didn’t I?”
Lani gave him a look of pure exasperation. “That had nothing to do with it. You didn’t look where you were going and you slipped. Now if you’d only paid attention-”
“So you’re calling me careless now?” The rest of his breakfast forgotten, Ridge put the plate on the ground and stood up. “It was dark in there, and slippery. It could have happened to anybody.”
“And that’s exactly my point. It could have happened to any of us. It had absolutely nothing to do with bad luck brought on by my plants.” By this time Lani was getting so worked up her chest was heaving.
But if she thought her show of emotion would sway him she’d better think again. “We’re leaving,” he said, "and not to go traipsing through the forest again. We’re going back to the city. Today.”
Lani’s brows fell. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
Ridge gave her a cool stare. “You can’t go if I don’t let you.” Then he gave her a mirthless smile. “You’re not going into the woods unless I go with you. And I’m not going with you.”
“I’m going,” she snarled, “and you can just sit here and grow moss till I get back. I don’t care.” With that she stalked off, heading in the direction of the stream.
“I’m packing up,” Ridge yelled after her. “When you get back we’ll be ready to go.”
She didn’t bother to answer but just kept walking.
Ridge shook his head. Hothead, that was what she was. Why did she think she should always have things her way? He glanced over at Aurelio who still stooped by the fire, looking uncertain. “She doesn’t understand that I’m doing this for her own good,” he said, trying to downplay the quarrel and reassure their guide. “This place is dangerous. She got what she came for so it’s best to just get on out of here before anything else goes wrong.”
Aurelio nodded. “We go now,” he said solemnly. “Don’t push our luck.”
“Now you’re talking.” Ridge gave him a nod of approval. If only his woman would get the point as easily as Aurelio did. Muttering to himself he strode toward his tent, ready to dismantle the thing and pack it into the Jeep.
And that was when the second stroke of bad luck befell him. Just as he went around the boulder to which they’d secured the tent Ridge stepped down onto a pile of pebbles. Loosened by the pounding rain of the night before, they shifted under his feet, making his ankle twist under him, sending him tumbling to the ground.
It was his yell that brought Aurelio hurrying to his side. “What is the matter? You are hurt?”
His face contorted in pain, Ridge looked up from where he’d fallen to the muddy ground. “God, this hurts. It feels like I sprained my ankle.”
“Not good.” Aurelio clucked his tongue, looking worried. “Not good.” Then, like he was forgetting he was a hundred pounds lighter than Ridge and twice his age, he tucked his shoulder under the injured man’s armpit and reached his arm behind his back to hoist him up.
“No, that’s okay.” Ridge pushed him off, but gently, and then he rolled over and onto his knees. “I’ll crawl if I have to.”
“No, you stay there.” Aurelio got up. “I will go and find the doctor.”
Ridge groaned and he was just about to tell Aurelio not to bother but the man had already disappeared into the brush. He could just imagine what Lani would say when she came back and found him like this. Clumsy, that’s what she would call him, and careless. And if he answered her like he wanted to, then that would be the start to yet another argument.
By the time Aurelio came back with Lani, Ridge was back inside the tent, lying on top of the sleeping bag. His ankle hurt so much he had to grit his teeth to keep from groaning out loud.
He was in the middle of a suppressed moan when the flap of the tent was flung open and she tumbled in. “What happened?” she asked, looking more concerned than he’d expected. “Are you hurt bad?”
Ridge drew in a slow breath. “Aurelio told you what happened?”