The night smelled seriously of rain, and Megan was happy they had gone with a cabin that, bonus, had windows with screens and a fireplace! While Mark was out with his new found camper buddy fishing, and she hoped, having some quality guy time, Megan was busy transforming the cabin from a dusty, faintly moldy smelling dwelling, to a homey, clean haven from the rainstorm she sensed was coming.

When they first arrived, Mark had started stacking the firewood, checking the fireplace flue and prepping for a fire since the nights got so cool up here in the mountains. He had met a fellow camper gathering some dead wood brush to help start the fire later. This camper, Roger, told him of a hot fishing spot and they had since thrown together an impromptu fishing trip. Megan had some time to herself and quite a work list.

Megan had decided as she watched them walk off that the rest of the week the chores were to be shared! Turning to just inside the cabin door she took a deep breath and dove in. The bathroom got the antibacterial scrub down, and her replacement shower curtain was put up. Candles went in here as well. Megan had washed up and then stowed the food; imperishable stuff on the shelves in the pantry, and the more perishable items were in the camper's cooler powered by a mini generator. Then there was the dusting and washing involved in giving a touch of home to the cabin. She sang along wth the transistor radio with the dust rag moving to the beat wondering exactly WHEN had her much loved teenage songs become "classic" rock?? The great room had the screens brushed down and the floor swept.

All surfaces capable of being polished were going to be shining softly in candle light tonight, she mused as she was arranging candles in jars on either side of the fireplace screening; loving the vanilla spice smell of the wax mingling with the clean smelling furniture polish she wiped the mantle and hearth done with.

The back of the SUV was very nearly beyond full, but she had everything she needed for this week with Mark, they had planned it for months. Working so hard, they really needed to schedule Holiday, and before the holiday, the planning for it. They had discussed in the car coming up how much they were looking forward to time together. anticipation is half the fun! A whole week! She became aware of some advertisements on the radio and so she turned it off and turned to her thoughts.

Megan counted her blessings in being with Mark. She knew, because she was told so on a regular basis that he felt the same way about her, she reflected as she struggled to get the mattress turned and fresh linens put on the oaken bed. She smiled with the additon of some of her scented powder in the pillow cases and between the sheets and the mattress cover, she remembered Mark telling her last week how nice it was that their bed always smelled so... "sensual," he had said. Plenty of what went on in their bed was sensual, a feast for the senses, touch and taste, sight and smell, oh yes, she was very happy to have found Mark, who had appreciation of the same things in bed.

In the last conversation of a serious nature they had about their relationship, they had both agreed how happy they were to have found each other, reflecting that you soemtimes have to be with a situation that is hellish to appreciate heaven on earth. Even then they recognized they had to contribute to it. Rinsing up the dishes she had unpacked, she felt extremely grateful that both of them had been in serious relationships. That they had already both come to realize that good solid loving relationships take effort. Also that the joy that goes into the efforts to grow a relationship is solely determined by the partners within the partnership; certainly not by the media, or other people's opinions.

The evening of that conversation had been interesting, she thought as she prepped the meat and potatoes for the slowcooker and set up the second generator to accomodate the cooking. The conversations had been interesting as well. Mark had come home late from work in a serious mood. A co-worker he admired had announced that he was getting a divorce, that his wife had left a note and not much else; the guy was devastated. He had been clueless as to why and determined to make whatever changes he had to in order to be a better husband so that maybe she would take him back. Over a drink after work, Mark had told him to make whatever changes would make him happy to be with himself, and not count on getting back with her, because the only person he could change was himself.

As she gathered flowers on a break she recalled that she had been angry that Mark had not called and was late getting home. He had took her in his arms and held her for the longest time. Over dinner he had told her about his coworker and had put off the dishes to take her into the bedroom and with an urgency that heated things up, his passion about it had stirred her. Nipping her earliobes and nipples, firmly grasping her thighs as he opened them, he drove into her as if he were after the hounds of hell to banish the demons from his mind. She matched his thrusting with her own, his ardor with passion unleashed, both of them cumming at the same time, hard. It the quiet of the panting afterward, in a suffused sort of afterglow he had disclosed some very tender thoughts. It had been sort of a wake up call for Mark, "to be grateful," he said, "that we discuss stuff between us". He had told her that he "valued what we have and never wanted to lose it." He had actually thanked her again that she "was the kind of woman he could talk to about anything".

That had started long before they had gotten married, talking meaningfully and respectfully about anything and everything. Things could be so very unbalanced otherwise, she mused as she arranged some wildflowers she had gotten on her break in a mason jar she then placed on the freshly scrubbed and tableclothed wooden table provided. The flowers were so beautiful, the reds, purples, blues and yellows just brightened up the table and she smiled, just because. Miracles, they were all around.

When Mark had, in the beginning of their relationshp expressed the importance of good communication and nuturing of a relationship, before she did. That opinion was something she was very glad to have found she had in common with Mark. The near electric connection they had felt to each other upon meeting each other, each had learned the hard way, could not always be trusted.

Briefly, she recalled how unbalanced life had been in her first marriage, as she washed dried and put away the dishes on the lined kitchen cabinets; she consciously chose to put aside memories that did not serve her well, and focused on how good it had felt to finally be with a guy who valued the love that goes into a marriage enough to fight for it.

Her thoughts drifted to how good Mark had felt under her hands that morning, as she wiped down counters after the dishes were doen and set up the table with newly found candles on either side of the flowers. She loved the way he sighed as he woke, slowly becoming aware of the heat of her mouth out of the mists of sleep, as she woke him with a blow job. Sighing herself she made a mental note to do that again on this trip at least once or twice. What fun!

Looking around the tidy cabin, feeling pleasure in a job well done, Megan headed to the shower... just as the meal in the slow cooker was nearing completion as well. Megan stepped into the bathroom, delighting in the smell of home cooked meal prepared, knowing two delightful simple salads were chilling in the cooler. The sandwich she had thrown together earlier was a fond memory and her tummy growled.

Megan braced herself and stepped into the shower's cold spray and shampooed up her auburn hair before lathering her lightly tanned reasonably fit body, loving the feel of her hands on her body. She hummed as she scrubbed her face and then rinsed it quickly before going down her neck to her shoulders and armpits, freshly shaven, and then washing away the dust and dirt from her chest and down around her generous more than a handful apiece happy breasts... laughing out loud at the thought of happy breasts... loving the feeling of her nipples being all taut and at attention, the water being fairly chilly... to put it mildly, the rest of the shower was brisk and thorough and as quick as possible with caution not to slip, given that the need to be clean far outweighed the price of the cold water. "Home Alone", flashed through her mind with the checklist of all cracks and crevices being washed, setting her to grinning despite some muscles that were already beginning to complain. A mental note to increase her workouts for endurance was registered.

She stepped out of the shower onto the soft fluffy shower mat outside the shower and into some sweet smelling fluffy towels. Vigorously drying herself off and slipping into one of her favorite thigh high sleep shirt night gowns, and matching robe for warmth, she combed out her conditioned hair, giving thanks that the fluff and go styling worked for curly auburn hair. She brushed her teeth, then put on some lovely smelling face moisturizer and a touch of blush and mascara, not for the first time wishing she had eyelashes and brows that stood out more, but resolving to be grateful for them, as a nurse, she had seen people without them, having been burned off.

Humming, to distract from those thoughts, she rubbed her hands together to warm them before "lotioning up" her arms and legs and put a dab of perfume from out of her camping bathroom kit behind her ears and grinned at other strategically placed perfume spots anticipating a loving night... with a rush of contentment washing through her, she opened the door to the great room/bedroom... the soap and water clean smells of the shower and her lotions gave way to homemade stew and the vanilla spice of the candles! A breeze of rain freshened air came through the screens and she noted that the storm had begun and wondered briefly where Mark was, it was nearly dusk out.

She was surprised to see candles on the polished oaken mantle now gleamed softly asmore jarred candles on the hearth gave glow to the sides of the screen designed with deer and bear in the ironwork to keep cinders from flying out of the fire and burning the place down around their ears. The shades had not been drawn, she had forgotten to do that. The table was set, and now the salads were waiting, and she saw that Marks boots were just inside the door, but, looking around the cabin, Mark was no where to be found.

She tamped down a feeling of... "Where is Mark? And what is going on here??" When she heard the door open and saw his much loved and familiar frame fill the doorway. "There you are!" they said together and then laughed.

Mark began in a rush, "Meg, you did a hell of a job on this place, shit, I am sorry I didn't get back sooner but I wanted to clean the fish we caught before bringing it back... its so much easier in the river, I am glad I made it back before nightfall anyway, am I glad to see you! "