Rocky Mountain Lawman

chapter 11



Don radioed that he wouldn’t be coming back out that day. The two of them sat in the shuttered cabin, listening to the rain drum, in darkness except for the oil lamps. The woodstove held the storm’s chill at bay.

Cozy, except that it felt like a bunker, Sky thought. That was her fault for wanting the shutters closed. All of a sudden she remembered what Craig had said about when he came home from the war and he couldn’t stand a closed door even in his own apartment.

“Craig? Are these shutters making you feel uneasy?”

“Not really. I can’t see much from the windows anyway. I’d have to patrol occasionally regardless.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

His gray gaze was steady, his eyes an exact match for the dark clouds outside. “I know. I’m fine. I’m luckier than most. I got past it.”

But she wondered. “You chose a career that keeps you in the middle of nowhere away from people most of the time.”

His eyes narrowed and his face seemed to tighten. “I like it.”

“I can see that. And you said you’d always been interested in forestry. But...what if they sent you to a busier place? Would you still like it as much?”

“I started in a busier place before I came here.” His tone grew a little edgy, almost defiant.

“Okay.”

He leaned across the table toward her. “What are you trying to say, Sky? That I’ve got a major hang-up?”

She felt herself blanch. “No. No, it never crossed my mind!”

“Then what’s crossing your mind?”

The truth was, he was right but she didn’t want to admit it. Only a few days ago she’d dissociated for no good reason for the first time in years. Renewed lack of trust in her own mind was leading her to question him, perhaps seeking reassurance that he, too, occasionally got bitten by the past. “I guess...well, you saw what happened to me. That hasn’t happened for years now. Maybe I just don’t want to feel so abnormal.”

His expression altered completely, speeding from astonishment to concern. “You’re not abnormal.”

“How can I tell that?”

“You have to believe that. You’ve been in a war, you came back and you actually managed to put a life together for yourself. Some guys can’t do that, yet they’re normal, too. Damn it, Sky, can anyone go to war and come back unchanged?”

She knew the answer to that, knew it all too well. Her work with vets had even taught her how bad it could get, and how lucky she was.

“I don’t blame you for being uneasy,” he went on. “You got caught unexpectedly by something that you thought was behind you. That chips at your trust in yourself. I get it. But look at the past few days and how much has been going on. You haven’t slipped away. In fact, you’ve stayed front and center. You’re okay.”

She remained mute, trying to accept his reasoning. The army had taught her a lot of confidence, but it was confidence in other things, things that didn’t often matter in civilian life. Overall, though, apart from Hector, she’d built a pretty decent life for herself. Day by day, Iraq slowly faded into memory. It almost never surged up fresh anymore.

“It’ll keep getting better,” he said. “Man, I put a Mossberg in your hands the other day and you didn’t flash back. What makes you so unsure of yourself?”

Plenty, she thought. Hector had undermined more than her womanhood, she suspected.

“I guess,” he continued, “that some people might think I’m hiding out here. I don’t feel like it. I feel like I’m doing something really important, protecting this forest, this habitat, this environment for future generations. This place is teeming with life and I love it. I love watching the seasons change, watching plants grow, watching boulders tumble and streams rush. I love learning how things interact with each other, and how interdependent life really is. Being out here is almost a form of enlightenment for me. It’s a different kind of city, but every bit as important to our survival.”

“Maybe more so,” she agreed. With a sigh, she let go of the troubled feelings. “I love it here, too. More than once since I arrived I wished there was a way I could stay. There’s a connection of some kind here that I don’t get in all the hustle and bustle of a city. There’s even more time.”

“Time?”

“Time to just experience without racing on to the next thing on some to-do list. I must have spent a couple of hours sitting in that gorge, just soaking it in. I’d never do that at home.”

“Of course not. There’s always something that must be done.”

“Exactly.” She gave him a crooked smile. “And plenty of guilt if you don’t do it. I have a friend who says the best vacation she ever took was a cruise.”

“Really? That’s never appealed to me.”

“Me either. But she said that while she was out on that boat she was completely cut off from her everyday life. There was absolutely nothing she could do about anything at home. She couldn’t even get a phone call. She said it was the most free she’d felt in her life.”

“I know that feeling, except I’m tethered by a radio.”

“Electronic leashes. I work with a guy who says his cell phone is his electronic leash.”

He smiled. “Good description.”

“Anyway, I’m probably worrying about nothing.”

“Well, that’s the other side of being cut off like this. If worrying is your thing, you have plenty of extra time to do it.”

He hesitated. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you back to town?”

She shook her head. “Then I’d really worry. About what’s going on out here.”

“Rock and hard place.”

“Not really. I’d rather be here.”

“Things could get dicey.”

“Things are already dicey,” she argued. “Someone was watching the cabin. Someone followed me yesterday and went through my things. I realize I’m no expert, but none of this is striking me as innocent.” In fact, if they wanted to talk about worries, Buddy and his friends would be right at the top of her list.

“The ATF is coming,” he reminded her.

“Right. Like that’s going to prevent something from going critical. Like you’re not going to be in the middle of it.”

“You’re worried about me?”

“Why does that surprise you?”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “It’s been a while since anyone worried about me. It’s a nice feeling.”

That spoke volumes to her, and she thought about what it might be like for him. His parents and one brother had abandoned the continent for distant shores. Life had taken all of that away from him just as it had from her, and then he’d chosen the kind of life that kept him mostly alone.

Oh, clearly his fellow rangers and his boss were friends, but from what she had seen they weren’t the kind of friends he’d be spending a whole lot of time with. So he was alone with his forest, which had a lot of advantages but didn’t provide the kind of companionship most people needed.

Of course, these were his choices. Maybe she ought to pay attention to them instead of sitting here trying to establish links with him. Instead of thinking about how much she wanted him to make love to her again.

Instead of realizing that she felt less alone with him than she did at home in Tampa with all her friends. Less alone than she had felt during her time with Hector.

Wow. That was heavy. Dangerous, too.

“Something wrong?” Craig asked. Damn his perceptiveness.

“I’m fine,” she answered, keeping her tone firm.

For a few minutes they sat in silence, the puzzle still scattered on the table in front of them. One corner of one tower had begun to rise, and they had most of the edge done. Their efforts had been casual. No pressure. No demands.

The day had brought enough pressure and demands. And to think that earlier they had both thought they were going to have a vacation day in the rainy woods. It hadn’t exactly worked out that way.

But when did anything ever go according to plan?

Craig stood up. “I need to feed us. I hope we have enough left since we didn’t go to town today. Unless you want to run in and have dinner or something.”

She thought of the long drive along the forest service roads in the rain, thought about returning to civilization and people, and shook her head. “If we can manage it, I’d rather stay here.”

She caught the hint of a smile from him. “Let me go see what we have left.”

They had plenty for tonight. Not all the ice in the chests had melted, and they yielded cold cuts and a small jar of mayonnaise. An unopened loaf of rye bread sat on the shelf. There were even a couple of tomatoes that were still firm.

Sky cleared one end of the table, remarking, “I suppose we ought to just put this puzzle away. It’s getting to the point where we have to keep laying out the pieces.”

“If you’ve had enough of it. I don’t mind having to straighten them out again.”

“Maybe we should have put it on the floor.”

“Where?” he asked humorously. He brought some paper plates over, too.

She lifted one. “Conservation?”

“Recycled paper. Easier to toss it on the fire than try to wash up, especially come winter. It’s also useful for starting a fire if someone gets stranded out here.”

“True.” She hadn’t thought of that, but if people came out here to ski or snowmobile in the winter, and got into trouble, the forest service cabins might be all that stood between them and death. “Do you keep the cabins locked over the winter?”

“Absolutely not. Toolshed, yes, cabin, no. Not this far out. If someone gets in trouble out here, they’re going to need every possible little edge.”

“Does it happen often?”

“Once in a while. That’s why it’s so important to check in with the office before you come out here. If someone doesn’t come back, we definitely need a starting point. Searching a few thousand square miles is no joke.”

By the time they finished eating and had cleaned up, it was still raining steadily. When Craig went out to check on Dusty, she followed. The woods had grown so dark with the clouds and approach of night they almost looked like a ragged black wall.

She thought Dusty gave them a look that spoke volumes as he stood beneath the overhang. “He’s sick of it,” she remarked.

“Can’t say I blame him. He likes to be moving. Mustangs will often cover fifty miles a day just grazing. He’s not much different. He must feel like a prisoner.”

Dusty watched almost indifferently as fresh feed was laid out. Craig spent a few minutes patting him and talking quietly to him, but as he turned away, something changed.

Dusty nickered, but not that one little friendly nicker. He did it repeatedly, bobbing his head and pawing at the ground.

“Bear?” Craig asked, looking at the horse. Sky immediately peered around them.

Dusty shook his head and emerged from beneath the overhang, trotting around the corral as if he was disturbed. Twice around, then he reached a point where he actually reared up and pawed the air.

“I’m getting my gun,” Craig said. Apparently he didn’t need to hear it again. “Come inside.”

“I can help.”

“I’m sure you could, unless it’s a bear. If it is, we don’t want to spook it. Nor do you know how to deal with one.”

“From what I hear there’s not a lot of dealing to be done.”

“Depends. Just do me a favor and stay inside. I don’t want it to escalate if this is a bear.”

Reluctantly she took up a post in the open cabin door. “I’m at least going to keep an eye out.”

“I can live with that. Grab a couple of pans. If you see us come running out of the trees, start banging them.”

She could do that. She grabbed the frying pan and the saucepan, then resumed her post. He left with his Mossberg and a strong flashlight.

She was surprised when Craig came around the corner from the corral riding Dusty bareback. She didn’t have a lot of experience with horses, but riding without a saddle or stirrups struck her as risky.

But she was glad he wasn’t going on foot. Dusty made him appear a lot bigger and might prove to be more help by far than she could be. If it was a bear.

She didn’t want to think it was a human threat. Although Dusty wouldn’t have responded to that, would he? He hadn’t reacted earlier.

Then she wondered why Craig was even checking it out. If it was a bear, wouldn’t it be wisest for them both to remain inside?

Dusty, she realized. He didn’t want the horse out there by himself if a bear was hunting. TV animal specials popped up in her head. Bears wouldn’t be hunting at this time of year. Didn’t that come later in the summer, after they’d fattened up on berries and stuff? But what if this were a grizzly? From what she understood about them, they didn’t need a whole lot of reason to kill. Maybe that was wrong. She cursed her lack of knowledge. All she knew for sure was that if some bear was hanging around it might well have cubs, and that was a big problem.

Minutes stretched by as her nerves grew more taut. Where had they gone? How could they see anything in this lousy light? Well, he had taken that flashlight, although she wondered how he was going to juggle everything. Riding bareback, no holster... Maybe he could control Dusty with his knees?

Yeah, as long as the horse didn’t rear. But maybe Dusty wouldn’t rear with Craig astride him, and being free to run from a threat. Maybe he’d only done that because he was confined, or because he was trying to warn them.

God, she didn’t know the first thing about horses either. She’d come out here with all a tourist’s knowledge, which was to say zip, into an alien world as blithely as if she were taking a stroll down a sidewalk back home. The forest was beautiful, but she was kidding herself if she thought it held no threats of its own.

Just as she considered banging the pots to relieve her own tension, Craig and Dusty emerged from the trees. Craig rode the horse around the clearing in the rain, apparently letting him work out any remaining restlessness. Then he came to the small porch.

“Bear,” he said. “Gone now.”

“Will Dusty be safe?”

“Let’s just say all mama wanted was her cub, and they weren’t thrilled to see me. They took off. I’ll be right in.”

He leaned down to pass her the shotgun and flashlight, then touched Dusty with his heels. She watched them disappear around the corner again, then realized she was trying to juggle too much: a shotgun, a flashlight and two pots. Sheesh.

She hurried inside, dropped the pots on the table along with the flashlight, then checked the shotgun to make sure the safety was engaged. It was, so she put it back on the shelf.

He was crazy, she thought. He’d gone out there in the dark looking for bear. Crazy. Except how could she judge? He understood these woods and probably had an encyclopedic knowledge of bears. He knew what he was doing.

But he was still crazy.

She didn’t have to wait long after she put everything back. He strode through the door after shaking his slicker off and hung it from a hook on the back of the door.

“A bear,” she said. “A bear with a cub. And you went out for a nice little chat?”

“Only to persuade her not to forage around here, at least not right now. I think she was drawn by Dusty’s grain. If no one’s here and we leave a sack outside, it often goes to the bears and other critters. No big deal.”

“No big deal,” she repeated. “A mama with cubs is no big deal.”

“Not as long as you don’t get between them.” He sat at the table and flashed a grin. “It was okay. We had a meeting of minds.” Then his smile faded. “It was strange, though. She was an awful long way from her cub. Like something had disturbed them. I’m wondering if the cub let out a distress howl and that’s what set Dusty off.”

“Like something had disturbed them?” She put her forehead in her hand. “What the hell would...” She trailed off. “Oh. Buddy’s friends. Well, I hope he got mauled by mama.”

“As a rule,” Craig said, “black bears don’t cause unnecessary trouble. Unless someone actually threatened her cub, she’d try to lead him away or scare him off, then go back for her cub. As a rule.”

“But not always.”

“No. And she may be headed for trouble, because right now the smell of humans around here must be thick, and she shouldn’t have come so close. Or maybe all the rain masked the human scent. Regardless, we’ll have to keep an eye out, but for the moment, I’m not worried. She took off with her cub once she knew she’d been spotted. That makes her a smart bear who should live a long life.”

Sky supposed she should be glad about that. “How’s Dusty?”

“Better now that he got some exercise. And now that he knows the bear took off.”

“One more question.”

“Yeah?”

“Who the hell leaves grain outside in bear country?”

He broke into a laugh so hard she could see his eyes moisten.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded.

“You just surprised me. That question was spot-on.”

“Then explain it.”

“Sometimes someone gets forgetful. Right now, though, since I’ve been corralling Dusty, there’s enough feed out there to draw attention. My guess is mama and cub started coming this way a day or two ago, browsing as they went.”

“I still don’t see what’s funny.”

“Only because you have no idea how many times I’ve had to explain to hikers and campers why they shouldn’t sleep close to their food, why they should hang it from trees and so on. Endless explanations. Nobody explained it to you, but you got it right immediately.”

“It just seems obvious to me.” She was surprised how much it relieved her to be certain he didn’t see her as silly or stupid. And it reminded her of how often Hector had made her feel that way. Not constantly or she would have walked out. But often enough that she remembered it. God, what had she ever seen in that man?

“You have no idea how un-obvious that is to most people. Are you mad at me?”

“No, not really. I was just so worried when you went out there. I guess I’m wound up.”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Now, sure. So you think somebody was out there again?”

“It’s possible.” The last of his smile faded. “The list of things that would worry a she-bear is pretty short. It can’t have been wolves because she’d be dealing with a pack and wouldn’t leave her cub’s side. We haven’t reached mating season yet, so it’s unlikely a male would be anywhere near. That leaves humans. What really bothers me, though, is that the cub wasn’t up a tree. I wish I could find out if it’s hurt.”

“Don’t even suggest going back there to find out. Not alone.”

“I won’t. But if I find out somebody hurt a cub, there’ll be hell to pay.”

Despite the warmth inside the cabin, Sky felt chilled and rubbed her upper arms with her hands. “I had no idea a small vacation in a national forest could turn so adventurous. Call me naive.”

“I can escort you back to town.”

“No!” She was vehement. “I’m not letting those creeps run me off, and I’m not leaving you here alone. They seem to have an interest in one of us. Most likely you.”

“So what’s your plan, then, Sky?”

She thought she read more in his eyes than simple curiosity, but she couldn’t be sure. “I’m going to go out as soon as the rain passes and do what I’ve been doing. If I can keep one or two of those guys busy, that’ll help. After today it’s obvious they’re interested in a lot more than what’s happening at the edges of Buddy’s property. In which case, me carrying on like there’s nothing to worry about might lull them.”

He nodded slowly. “Maybe. Especially after they’ve seen we’re hanging out together.”

“Exactly. So tomorrow, assuming the rain lets up, we carry on as if we’ve forgotten all about Buddy and Cap.”

Boy, did she wish she could forget all about those guys. She wished this was just an ordinary vacation, that she’d met Craig under ordinary circumstances, that they could tell the world to go hang and spend the rest of the day exploring the burgeoning attraction between them.

That’s all she wanted. A little peace and quiet to find out what it would be like to be with Craig fully, to find out if he could take her to those heights again when they weren’t constricted by clothes. To find out if she could take him there again.

Even with all that was going on, that need was growing stronger by the minute. The need to love and be loved.

It was, she thought, staring down at her hands, as primal as questions of life and death.

Craig caught the flicker of heat in her gaze before she became fascinated with her hands. Damn, his body surged in response just from that look. He’d damn near forgotten he could respond to a woman like tinder to a match. One look and he was raring to go.

The whole world seemed to narrow to that cabin and to the woman sitting across from him. He was only human, after all, and his most essential nature was waking to possibilities, desires, needs. The smell of the hot woodstove dominated the cabin, but beneath it he could detect the very faint odors of woman. They called to him as much as her eyes had.

Oh, he had it bad.

He tried to think about threats, tried to think about the fact that he was fairly certain somebody had checked them out at least twice today, and that level of interest indicated that Buddy and his friends felt threatened. Feeling threatened could lead them to act. He’d have loved to find an innocent reason, but there didn’t seem to be any.

Right now, though, he didn’t give a damn. Once he barred the door, they’d be safe from everything except fire, and given how wet it was out there, the only fire would have to be started in here.

And what a fire it would be, he thought, looking at Sky. She’d made him feel young again, surprising in itself because he hadn’t realized he was feeling old in some ways. But she’d made him feel eighteen and full of all the hunger as if it were brand-new again.

He wished Buddy and his friends to the devil, then realized it didn’t matter what they did today. If they were up to something, he couldn’t stop it singlehandedly. If they weren’t, then he’d find out soon enough.

The day he’d intended to spend relaxing with Sky, the private adventure he’d been hoping for for the two of them, had damn near evaporated between two visits and a bear. Was he going to let go of what remained of this day?

No.

Rising, he walked around the table and held out his hand to her.

* * *

“Still thinking?” Cap asked sarcastically.

Buddy figured Cap was in a rotten mood because of the weather. His guys had fanned out, seen damn near nothing and one of them had just limped back in with a nice bear wound down the back of his butt and leg.

“That guy needs a doctor,” Buddy remarked, ignoring the question. “Bear claws are filthy. Infection’ll kill him.”

“To hell with him.”

“What was he doing screwing around with a bear cub anyway?” Buddy asked, using his own best sarcastic voice. “You guys grow up in a city?”

“Shut up, Buddy.”

“I’m serious, Cap. You don’t mess with cubs. The mother is never far away. Trying to get himself a bear claw? Deliver me from idiots.”

“He’s paying for it.”

No question of that, Buddy thought. “He’s lucky he ain’t dead already. How’d he escape?”

Cap visibly gritted his teeth. “That damn ranger came riding into the woods. The bear headed back for the cub.”

“Guess he owes Craig his life,” Buddy said with more than a little satisfaction.

“Watch it, Buddy. You don’t want to make me mad.”

“Whose property is this?”

Cap glared at him.

In spite of his apparent bravado, Buddy wasn’t feeling all that brave. Four armed men had grown to eight. How many more were coming? He once again wondered if he’d made the biggest mistake of his life by inviting Cap here. Sure, the guy had big plans, and Buddy wasn’t opposed to them. The cataclysm was coming, and giving it a nudge wouldn’t make much difference.

But having Cap run the entire show afterward didn’t appeal to him.

“So what’s the plan, Buddy?” Cap asked again, mockingly. “Your big plan for getting them off our back until we’re ready. I’m still waiting.”

“The woman,” Buddy said. “The artist. She’s out there alone a lot. We disappear her.”

Cap raised a brow. “Thought you didn’t have the stomach for killing.”

“I’m not talking about killing her. We just arrange a little accident to keep her out of the way. She disappears, the whole damn service and the local cops will be looking for her.”

“So?”

“So we help with the search. But we know where she is. So we save her and we’re the good guys. They’d leave us alone after that.”

Cap looked thoughtful. “Easier to kill her.”

“That’ll just cause more trouble and we won’t look like the good guys.”

“So we help with a search and rescue, save the bitch, everybody thinks we’re wonderful and leaves us alone?”

“That’s it.”

Cap frowned into his beer. Time slipped away, but Buddy could see the wheels spinning.

“It has possibilities,” Cap said. “Real possibilities. Let me think about it.”

Satisfied, Buddy sat back and reached for another beer. Cap wasn’t the only one who could make a good plan.

One last qualm rippled through him. “Just make sure you don’t kill her. On top of that hiker last month, they might get suspicious.”

“Accidents happen out here all the time, and we didn’t do that hiker.”

“Right.” But Buddy didn’t quite believe it. He took a long swig of beer, trying to deaden his doubts. Another bottle or two and everything would be fine.