I kissed her tenderly on the cheek, my lip still hurt. I put some more wood in the stove, grabbed a quilt and sat down in my chair. Watching her climb...the ladder, that independent feeling of not needing anyone begin to slip away. I was up early and cleaned up and thought Sherry would have to clean up. I hung a sheet in front of the wash stand and laid out a washcloth and towel. I brought in a sirloin steak laid it on the stove to thrall out, and then I sliced it into 1/4 of inch thick strips. That the breakthrough piece of knowledge got overlooked. Earlier in her career her Sarah would have been a major stickler for going over everything on the last day 3 times over. Over her time though her trust of her team out grew that need. She knew she had a top notch team. That they wouldn't miss anything. Now whether that was because they didn't want to deal with that or because they were just that good was up to them.The rolling case was packed and they were moving it over to the lift to. "Your deecrets are the most fearsome animals around here, Nora. In the old days even the wilderness was managed, it is only during the last few generations things became neglected."They jogged for at least an hour. Varna's legs were burning, her breath coming in short gasps, and she had started to stumble from exhaustion when Nora called a halt in a small clearing. Varna sunk to her knees, and took large gulps of air as her heart smashed against her ribs. She swung her knees round and lay down. Thinking of the Captain naked brought a sly grin to her face. That might not be so bad after all.She headed out the door toward the Professor's hut. She needed to talk with him about the fruits.The Professor tied the last knots, and slid the double-sized bed towards the wall. He had to adjust the position of his lab-table and trunk, but it all fit. At least he didn't have to rebuild the hut.He stood back and admired his work, thinking about the workout he wanted to give it.There was a tap at.