The Search

by Nora Roberts

  He moved off again, and in her sturdy boots, Fiona stepped over the log and followed. When Peck angled south, she called her new position in to base, checked in with her team members.

  The kid had been out for a minimum of two hours, she thought. A lifetime for worried parents.

  But toddlers didn’t have any real sense of time. Children of his age were very mobile, she mused, and didn’t always understand the concept of being lost. They wandered, distracted by sights and sounds, and had considerable endurance, so it might be hours of that wandering before Hugh tired out and realized he wanted his mother.

  She watched a rabbit skitter away into the brush. Peck had too much dignity to do more than spare it a passing glance.

  But a little boy? Fiona thought. One who loved his “Wubby,” who enjoyed animals? One his mother said was fascinated by the forest? Wouldn’t he want to try to catch it, probably hoping to play with it? He’d try, wouldn’t he, to follow it? City boy, she thought, enchanted with the woods, the wildlife, the other of it all.

  How could he resist?

  She understood it, the magic of it. She’d been a city girl once herself, charmed and hypnotized by the green shadows, the dance of light, the sheer vastness of trees and hills and sea.

  A child could so easily lose himself in the acres and acres of parkland.

  He’s cold, she thought. Hungry now and scared. He wants his mother.

  When the rain increased, they continued on, the tireless dog, the tall woman in rough pants and rougher boots. Her tail of pale red hair hung in a wet rope down her back, while lake-blue eyes searched the gloom.

  When Peck angled again, heading down a winding slope, she drew a picture in her mind. Less than a quarter of a mile farther, if they continued in this direction, they’d come to the creek that marked the southeast border of her sector. Chuck and his Quirk searched the other side. Fast water in the creek this time of year, she thought, cold and fast, the verges slippery with moss and rain.

  She hoped the little guy hadn’t gone too close or, worse, tried to cross it.

  And the wind was changing, she realized. Goddamn it. They’d adjust. She’d refresh the scent again, give Peck a quick water break. They’d nearly clocked two hours in the field, and though Peck had alerted strongly three times, she’d yet to see a sign of the boy—a bit of cloth on a bramble, a print in the softened ground. She’d flagged the alerts in blue, used orange tape to mark their progress and knew they’d cross-tracked once or twice.

  Check in with Chuck, she decided. If Peck’s on the scent and the kid crossed the creek . . .

  She didn’t allow herself to think fell in. Not yet.

  Even as she reached for her radio, Peck alerted again. This time he broke into a run, shooting her the briefest of glances over his shoulder.

  And she saw the light in his eyes.

  “Hugh!” She lifted her voice over the now pounding rain and whistling wind.

  She didn’t hear the boy, but she heard Peck’s three quick barks.

  Like the dog, Fiona broke into a run.

  She skidded a little as she rounded the turn on the downward slope.

  And she saw near the banks of the busy creek—a bit too near for her peace of mind—a very wet little boy sprawled on the ground with his arms full of dog.

  “Hey, Hugh, hi.” She crossed the distance quickly, squatted down, pulling off her pack as she went. “I’m Fiona, and this is Peck.”

  “Doggie.” He wept it into Peck’s fur. “Doggie.”

  “He’s a good doggie. He’s the best doggie ever.”

  As Peck thumped his tail in agreement, Fiona pulled a space blanket out of her pack. “I’m going to wrap you up—and Wubby, too. Is that Wubby?”

  “Wubby fell down.”

  “So I see. It’s okay. We’ll get you both warm, okay? Did you hurt yourself ? Uh-oh.”

  She said it cheerfully as she draped the blanket over his shoulders and saw the mud and blood on his feet. “Ouch, huh? We’re going to fix you all up.”

  His arms still around Peck, Hugh turned his cheek and sent Fiona a pitiful, bottom-lip-wobbling look. “I want Mommy.”

  “I bet you do. We’re going to take you to Mommy, me and Peck. Here, look what Mommy sent you.” She pulled out the little bag of gummy worms.

  “Bad boy,” Hugh said, but he eyed the candy with interest while he clung to Peck.

  “Mommy’s not mad. Daddy’s not either. Here you go.” She gave him the bag, pulled out her radio. When Hugh offered a worm to Peck, Peck gave Fiona a sidelong glance.

  Can I? Huh? Can I?

  “Go ahead—and say thank you.”

  Peck took the candy delicately from the boy, gulped it down, then thanked him with a sloppy kiss that made Hugh giggle.

  With that sound warming her heart, Fiona contacted base.

  “We’ve got him. Safe and sound. Tell Mom he’s eating his gummy worms and we’ll be on our way home.” She winked at Hugh, who fed the filthy and wet stuffed rabbit, then popped the same candy into his own mouth. “He’s got some minor cuts and scrapes, he’s wet, but he’s alert. Over.”

  “Copy that. Good work, Fee. Do you need help? Over.”

  “We’ve got it. Heading in. I’ll keep you updated. Over and out.”

  “Better wash those down,” she suggested, and offered Hugh her canteen.

  “Whazit?”

  “It’s just water.”

  “I like juice.”

  “We’ll make sure you get some when we get back. Drink a little, okay?”

  He did what he was told, sniffling. “I peed outside, like Daddy showed me. Not in my pants.”

  She grinned at him and thought of Peck’s strong alerts. “You did good. How about a piggyback ride?”

  As they had at the sight of the candy, his eyes brightened. “Okay.”

  She wrapped the blanket securely around him, then turned so he could climb onto her back. “You call me Fee. If you need something, you just say, Fee, I need or I want.”

  “Doggie.”

  “He’s coming, too. He’ll lead the way.” From her crouch she rubbed Peck, hugged him hard. “Good dog, Peck. Good dog. Return!”

  With the pack slung over her shoulder and the boy on her back, the three of them began the hike out of the woods.

  “Did you open the door by yourself, Hugh?”

  “Bad boy,” he murmured.

  Well, yeah, she thought, but who wasn’t bad now and then? “What did you see out the window?”

  “Wubbies. Wubby said let’s go see the wubbies.”

  “Uh-huh.” Smart kid, she thought. Blame it on the rabbit.

  Hugh began to chatter then, so fast and in the toddlerese that defeated her on every third word. But she got the gist.

  Mommy and Daddy sleeping, bunnies out the window, what could you do? Then, if she interpreted correctly, the house disappeared and he couldn’t find it. Mommy didn’t come when he called, and he was going to get a time-out. He hated time-outs.

  She got the picture because even saying “time-out” made him cry with his face pressed against her back.

  “Well, if you get one, I think Wubby needs one, too. Look, hey, Hugh, look. It’s Bambi and his mom.”

  He lifted his head, still sniffling. Then tears were forgotten as he squealed at the sight of the fawn and doe. Then he sighed, laid his head on her shoulder when she boosted him up a bit. “I getting hungry.”

  “I guess you are. You’ve had a really big adventure.” She managed to dig a power bar out of her pack.

  It took less time to hike out than it had to search through, but by the time the trees began to thin the boy weighed like a stone on her back.

  Revived, rested, fascinated with everything, Hugh talked nonstop. Amused, Fiona let him ramble and dreamed of a vat of coffee, an enormous burger and a gallon bucket of fries.

  When she spotted the house through the trees, she dug out another gear and quickened her pace. They’d barely cleared the line when Rosie and Dev
in ran out of the house.

  Fiona crouched. “Off you go, Hugh. Run to Mommy.”

  She stayed down, slung her arm around Peck, whose entire body wagged with joy.

  “Yeah,” she murmured to him as Devin beat his wife by a couple lopes and snatched Hugh up. Then the three of them were twined together in a tangle of limbs and tears. “Yeah, it’s a good day. You’re the man, Peck.”

  With her son safe in her arms, Rosie hurried toward the house. Devin broke away to walk unsteadily to Fiona.

  “Thank you. I don’t know how to . . .”

  “You’re welcome. He’s a great kid.”

  “He’s . . . everything. Thank you so much.” As his eyes filled, Devin wrapped his arms around Fiona and, much as Hugh had, dropped his head on her shoulder. “I can’t tell you.”

  “You don’t have to.” Her own eyes stung as she patted his back. “Peck found him. He’s the one. He’d be pleased if you shook his hand.”

  “Oh.” Devin scrubbed at his face, drew in a couple steadying breaths. “Thank you, Peck. Thank you.” He crouched, offered his hand.

  Peck smiled as dogs do and placed his paw in Devin’s hand.

  “Can I . . . can I hug him?”

  “He’d love it.”

  On a deep, shuddering sigh, Devin hugged Peck’s neck, pressed his face to the fur. Over the man’s shoulder, Peck sent Fiona a twinkling look.

  Wasn’t that fun? he seemed to say. Can we do it again?

  TWO

  After debriefing, Fiona drove home while Peck sprawled in the back for a quick power nap. He’d earned it, she thought, just as she’d earned the burger she was going to make herself and devour while she transcribed the log onto her computer.

  She needed to give Sylvia a call, tell her stepmother they’d found the kid and she wouldn’t need her to fill in for the afternoon classes after all.

  Of course, now that the hard work was done, Fiona thought, the rain decided to back off. Already she could see a few breaks of blue in the gray.

  Hot coffee, she decided, hot shower, lunch and paperwork, and with some luck she’d have dry weather for the afternoon’s schedule.

  As she drove out of the park, she caught the faint glimmer of a rainbow over the rain-churned sound. A good sign, she decided—maybe even a portent of things to come. A few years before, her life had been like the rain—dull and gray and dreary. The island had been her break in the clouds, and her decision to settle there her chance for rainbows.

  “Got what I need now,” she murmured. “And if there’s more, well, we’ll just see.”

  She turned off the snaking road onto her bumpy drive. Recognizing the change in motion, Peck gave a snort and scrambled up to sit. His tail thumped the seat as they rattled over the narrow bridge spanning her skinny, bubbling stream. When the house came into view, the tail picked up in rhythm and he gave a happy two-note bark.

  Her doll-sized cabin, shingled in cedar, generous with windows, grew out of her pretty chunk of forest and field. The yard sprawled and sloped, and held what she thought of as training zones. The sliding boards, teeter-totters, ladders and platforms, tunnels and pass-throughs ranged with benches, tire swings and ramps gave most the impression of a woodsy play area for kids.

  Not that far off, Fiona thought. The kids just had four legs.

  The other two of her three kids stood on the covered front porch, tails wagging, feet dancing. One of the best things about dogs, to Fiona’s mind, was their absolute joy in welcoming you home, whether you’d been gone for five minutes or five days. There lay unconditional and boundless love.

  She parked, and her car was immediately surrounded by canine delight while, inside, Peck wiggled in anticipation of reunion with his best pals.

  She stepped out to nuzzling snouts and wagging tails. “Hi, boys.” Ruffling fur, she angled to open the back door. Peck leaped out so the lovefest could begin.

  There was sniffing, happy grumbling, body bumping, then the race and chase. While she retrieved her pack, the three dogs charged away, zipping in circles and zigzags before charging back to her.

  Always ready to play, she mused as three pairs of eyes stared up at her with hopeful gleams.

  “Soon,” she promised. “I need a shower, dry clothes, food. Let’s go in. What do you say, wanna go in?”

  In answer, all three bulleted for the door.

  Newman, a yellow Lab and the oldest, at six, and the most dignified, led the pack. But then Bogart, the black Lab and the baby, at three, had to stop long enough to grab up his rope.

  Surely someone wanted to play tug.

  They bounded in behind her, feet tapping on the wide-planked floor. Time, she thought with a glance at her watch. But not a lot of it.

  She left her pack out as she had to replace the space blanket before she tucked it away. While the dogs rolled on the floor, she stirred up the fire she’d banked before leaving, added another log. She peeled off her wet jacket as she watched the flames catch.

  Dogs on the floor, a fire in the hearth, she thought, made the room cozy. It tempted her to just curl up on the love seat and catch her own power nap.

  No time, she reminded herself, and debated which she wanted more: dry clothes or food. After a struggle, she decided to be an adult and get dry first. Even as she turned for the stairs, all three dogs went on alert. Seconds later, she heard the rattle of her bridge.

  “Who could that be?”

  She walked to the window trailed by her pack.

  The blue truck wasn’t familiar, and on an island the size of Orcas there weren’t many strangers. Tourist was her first thought, a wrong turn, a need for directions.

  Resigned, she walked outside, gave her dogs the signal to hold on the porch.

  She watched the man get out. Tall, a lot of dark hair, scarred boots, worn jeans on long legs. Good face, she decided, sharp planes, sharp angles blurred by the shadow of stubble that said he’d been too busy or too lazy to shave that morning. The good face held an expression of frustration or annoyance—maybe a combo of both—as he shoved a hand through the mass of hair.

  Big hands, she noted, on the ends of long arms.

  Like the boots, the leather jacket he wore had some years on it. But the truck looked new.

  “Need some help?” she called out, and he stopped frowning at the training area to turn toward her.

  “Fiona Bristow?” His voice had an edge to it, not anger so much as that annoyance she read on his face. Behind her Bogart gave a little whine.

  “That’s right.”

  “Dog trainer?”

  “I am.” She stepped off the porch as he started toward her, watched his gaze skim over her three guardians. “What can I do for you?”

  “Did you train those three?”

  “I did.”

  His eyes, tawny, like warm, deeply steeped tea, shifted back to her. “Then you’re hired.”

  “Yay. For what?”

  He pointed at her dogs. “Dog trainer. Name your price.”

  “Okay. Let’s open the floor at a million dollars.”