car door and stepped out,
putting his brimmed hat on. Likely in his late forties, he was graying though
still appeared fit. He was nearly as tall as Jess and had a holstered handgun
strapped to his belt. His hand rested on the hilt. His blue eyes were creased
with a spider web of time and his thin lips were drawn in a line. He looked
briefly at the pillar of smoke drifting up above the trees. It still poured
from the cabin a few miles away. He wore no coat, maybe because he was in the
car. On his breast pocket a gold pin read “Ranger Roger Bailey”. “Morning. You
folks shouldn’t be up here this time of year.”
Rain waited only a beat to see what Jess would say. He just
watched the ranger.
Rain patted Yas’ head. “I know, sir. We lost my dog up here
a couple of months ago and this is the first chance we had to come back. I know
it was against the rules to come into the park when it’s closed, but I just had
to see if I could find him.”
The ranger looked at Yas as the dog licked Rain’s hand and
leaned against her leg. “Is that blood on you, ma’am?”
Jess clutched his arm and shoulder where Rain had stitched
him up. “I had a little mishap with a hunting knife, ranger. It took a few
stitches.”
The ranger seemed to be giving the excuse some thought. “You
two know anything about an explosion? I heard it all the way back at the
station.”
Jess finally spoke up. “We heard it too and thought it would
be a good time to get moving out of here. I left my car back at the lot. Any
chance you’d give us a ride, Ranger Bailey?”
She couldn’t tell if the ranger believed them or not. He
just nodded and they loaded into his truck. She and Yas got in the backseat
while Jess sat in the passenger seat up front.
“Where you folks from?” Bailey asked.
“Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas,” Rain said.
“Long way to come to find a dog.”
“Yes sir. He’s a good dog though.”
Jess smiled and used a thick Louisiana accent. “She wouldn’t
give me a moment’s peace in the past few months. Had to burn another vacation
to find that mutt. I’d much rather have gone somewhere warm.”
Ranger Bailey smiled for the first time. His fingers seemed
to loosen on the steering wheel. “We all do those kinds of things to keep our
women happy, son.”
“Yes sir. I suppose we do.”
They arrived at the parking lot and found the small SUV
completely plowed in.
She heard a barely audible “shit” from the passenger seat.
“Sorry about that. The plow driver probably thought your car
was abandoned since the fall.”
Jess shook his head. “Any chance you could drive us to a
nearby airport? Maybe we can get a charter back to Billings.”
With a nod, they were on the move again. Rain looked out the
back window half expecting to see the ATV behind them, but the road was clear.
An hour later they pulled into a small airfield, said goodbye to Ranger Bailey
and headed toward the hanger door.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the brightness
of the outside with the sun reflecting off the snow to the dimly lit hangar.
“I’ve been waiting for the two of you,” a familiar voice
said.
How could that be? She blinked a few times to bring the
cavernous room into focus. In the center of the concrete floor a very expensive-looking,
though small, airplane was parked. In front of the stairs leading up to the
open doors stood Will Starkey with a big smile on his face.
Rain knew that Will was a sharpshooter, an assassin, but she
could never equate the easygoing bear of a man with a cold, calculating killer.
Jess stepped forward immediately and shook Will’s hand. Jess
was a pretty big guy, but he was dwarfed by the gentle giant who pulled the
smaller man into a hug. Jess laughed and patted Will’s back. “Good to see you.
How did you get here so fast?”
“Josh got a signal when the cabin detonator was triggered.
We figured you two were either dead or in trouble. It stood to reason if you
survived
putting his brimmed hat on. Likely in his late forties, he was graying though
still appeared fit. He was nearly as tall as Jess and had a holstered handgun
strapped to his belt. His hand rested on the hilt. His blue eyes were creased
with a spider web of time and his thin lips were drawn in a line. He looked
briefly at the pillar of smoke drifting up above the trees. It still poured
from the cabin a few miles away. He wore no coat, maybe because he was in the
car. On his breast pocket a gold pin read “Ranger Roger Bailey”. “Morning. You
folks shouldn’t be up here this time of year.”
Rain waited only a beat to see what Jess would say. He just
watched the ranger.
Rain patted Yas’ head. “I know, sir. We lost my dog up here
a couple of months ago and this is the first chance we had to come back. I know
it was against the rules to come into the park when it’s closed, but I just had
to see if I could find him.”
The ranger looked at Yas as the dog licked Rain’s hand and
leaned against her leg. “Is that blood on you, ma’am?”
Jess clutched his arm and shoulder where Rain had stitched
him up. “I had a little mishap with a hunting knife, ranger. It took a few
stitches.”
The ranger seemed to be giving the excuse some thought. “You
two know anything about an explosion? I heard it all the way back at the
station.”
Jess finally spoke up. “We heard it too and thought it would
be a good time to get moving out of here. I left my car back at the lot. Any
chance you’d give us a ride, Ranger Bailey?”
She couldn’t tell if the ranger believed them or not. He
just nodded and they loaded into his truck. She and Yas got in the backseat
while Jess sat in the passenger seat up front.
“Where you folks from?” Bailey asked.
“Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas,” Rain said.
“Long way to come to find a dog.”
“Yes sir. He’s a good dog though.”
Jess smiled and used a thick Louisiana accent. “She wouldn’t
give me a moment’s peace in the past few months. Had to burn another vacation
to find that mutt. I’d much rather have gone somewhere warm.”
Ranger Bailey smiled for the first time. His fingers seemed
to loosen on the steering wheel. “We all do those kinds of things to keep our
women happy, son.”
“Yes sir. I suppose we do.”
They arrived at the parking lot and found the small SUV
completely plowed in.
She heard a barely audible “shit” from the passenger seat.
“Sorry about that. The plow driver probably thought your car
was abandoned since the fall.”
Jess shook his head. “Any chance you could drive us to a
nearby airport? Maybe we can get a charter back to Billings.”
With a nod, they were on the move again. Rain looked out the
back window half expecting to see the ATV behind them, but the road was clear.
An hour later they pulled into a small airfield, said goodbye to Ranger Bailey
and headed toward the hanger door.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the brightness
of the outside with the sun reflecting off the snow to the dimly lit hangar.
“I’ve been waiting for the two of you,” a familiar voice
said.
How could that be? She blinked a few times to bring the
cavernous room into focus. In the center of the concrete floor a very expensive-looking,
though small, airplane was parked. In front of the stairs leading up to the
open doors stood Will Starkey with a big smile on his face.
Rain knew that Will was a sharpshooter, an assassin, but she
could never equate the easygoing bear of a man with a cold, calculating killer.
Jess stepped forward immediately and shook Will’s hand. Jess
was a pretty big guy, but he was dwarfed by the gentle giant who pulled the
smaller man into a hug. Jess laughed and patted Will’s back. “Good to see you.
How did you get here so fast?”
“Josh got a signal when the cabin detonator was triggered.
We figured you two were either dead or in trouble. It stood to reason if you
survived
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