Breakthrough

by Kris Bryant

  “Maybe a moose.”

  My seat belt was secured in three seconds flat. Brynn’s shoulders shook with quiet laughter. I shot her a stern look that did nothing to suppress her teasing. She nodded slowly like she just burned me with the best joke ever. I rolled my eyes and looked out of the window so she wouldn’t see my smile.

  “Is Wally not going to be joining us?”

  “I have my hands full with you. I don’t want to have to worry about him, too.” Brynn waved to one of the rangers who opened both sets of gates for us.

  We headed off into the unknown. Well, at least to me. I was excited to see the different animals and hear their stories. Last night, Brynn told me about some of them, but I wanted to know everything.

  “I packed us a lunch. We’re probably going to be out here a few hours if you have the time.”

  “I have nothing planned but you today,” I said.

  Brynn shot me the sexiest look. I felt my body swell in all the right places. She was clearly interested in me, but wouldn’t do anything about it. I hated making the first move, but I hated my body swollen with no relief in sight even more. I hadn’t been with a woman since Nikki and I was ready to explode. One night with Brynn would be fantastic. Just what I needed, but that wasn’t a possibility. She was entirely too nice and sweet for a quick lay.

  “What’s your favorite thing? What makes this your ideal job?” I eased into the interview. Brynn was relaxed and calm and I wanted this vibe to continue. While she talked, I snapped photos during the drive. I had no idea where we were headed, but I trusted her. She had done nothing but save my ass since I got here.

  “The best part about my job is that I’m not chained to a desk. I work with nature. I love going to work every day. I love when we can save an animal and release it back into the wilderness. Sometimes they have to live out the rest of their lives here and while it’s a pretty good replica of life, it’s not the same as absolute freedom,” she says. She scowled and I knew she was thinking of when animals couldn’t be saved.

  I redirected the conversation. “Tell me about Owlie. What happened to him?”

  “Owlie? That’s what you named him?” She looked at me and her smile returned. “He’s going to be okay. We’ll release him close to Mrs. Wilson’s place. His wing’s sprained. Another few days and he’ll get back out there.” I reached over and touched her forearm. She jerked, but kept her arm on the steering wheel.

  “That was great what you did. I was happy to be a part of it. An observer, but still I saw it. You are very good and patient at what you do.” I didn’t move my hand for a few seconds. I felt her relax under my touch.

  “I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried. Owlie was an easy one. Most of the time I’m wrestling with different animals trying to get them into the Jeep or get them sedated so we can help them,” she said.

  “How did you get Melissa and Yogi? Do you get a lot of bears?”

  “We got them when they were cubs. Poachers killed their mother. My guess is the poachers tried to get them, too, but they were smaller targets and got away. Yogi was shot in the shoulder so now he walks with a limp,” Brynn said.

  “Is poaching a problem?” I asked. Geographically, Alaska was so vast and the population seemed so small.

  “It’s a horrible problem. There are so many guidelines and restrictions on hunting and so many hunters just don’t care. To them, it’s about making money selling pelts, antlers, and anything they can make a buck on. It’s like suddenly we’re back in the eighteen hundreds and it’s a free for all.” Brynn’s knuckles tightened against the steering wheel. I gave her time before I broached the subject again. She continued without any encouragement from me. “We know most of the hunters around here. There are people who come here just to hunt and their guides are sticklers for the rules, but every once in a while, a new hunting business will open and we constantly check in with them to ensure they are hunting by the rules and it’s not a front for something illegal.” she says.

  “What are bear cubs like?”

  “They are actually bigger than you think. Remember Tuffy and how large he was? Well, cubs are big animals who think they are small. Yogi and Melissa were both defensive. I mean, could you blame them? Humans killed their mother and I’m sure our scent was all around the scene. It took a long time for them to warm up to us. Even now I stay in the truck when they are close. These animals are still wild, even though they are kind of stuck here.” Brynn pulled over to an area where I saw three bears foraging.

  “You have more than just Melissa and Yogi?” I leaned out the window and took a ton of photos. They were beautiful. “Can I step out of the truck to get a better picture?”

  “Absolutely not. You have to stay inside, but I can get closer if you want,” she said. I nodded and sat back down. I felt like a kid at a zoo, only this zoo was the size of a city.

  “Tell me about the other bears in here. I know about the twins. What about these guys?”

  “These are some older bears we’ve had since before I started. Two were injured, and one was actually born here. They haven’t been out of hibernation long and are trying to put on weight by eating everything they can.” We sat and watched the bears dig around for food. It was amazing to see nature this close and personal. I switched out my lens for the telephoto so I could capture facial expressions and see them eat. One of the grizzlies was eating a stalk with budding blue flowers on the stem.

  “What is that one eating?”

  “The Alaskan state flower is the forget-me-not. Bears like eating their roots.” Brynn was the ideal person to show nature to me with her experience and knowledge. She was respectful and didn’t take it for granted.

  “Brynn, thank you so much. This is incredible.” I was happy being quiet and just being in nature like I’d never experienced it before, raw and unblemished. Yes, it kicked my ass, but Brynn made it so accessible for me.

  Even though we didn’t see a lot of animals the deeper we drove into the sanctuary, the view was gorgeous. There was a photo op at every angle. Everywhere I looked was a scene one would find in a painting. There were so many different types of trees, wild prairie grasses, and boulders that popped up in the foreground before introducing the massive ranges in the distance. Brynn named the different mountains and I took notes. It would be beautiful here in summer because it was spectacular in the middle of spring.

  “Look. Your favorite.” She pointed past me to a few moose loitering through thin, budding bushes. I cringed. She laughed. “Want to eat lunch? It’s not much, but it should hold us over until tonight.” She put the truck in park and motioned for me to step out. I felt free the moment my boots hit the ground. Brynn opened two folding chairs in the back of her truck and held out her hand to help me up. “You can see more up here.”

  “I would eat lunch here every day.” I slowly turned in my spot to soak it all in. There was something magical about the sanctuary. It had all the beauty of Alaska, but was uniquely compelling because of the caring people and wounded animals. I wondered if I could work it into my A&A story.

  Brynn nudged me to get my attention and handed me a brown bag and a bottle of water. “I do eat here most days. Not here in this spot, but I usually take my lunch on the go,” she said.

  “Do you ever get lonely?” I asked the question before I thought about it. “I mean, is there a partner you have here at the sanctuary?” I hoped that was innocent enough. Yes, I wanted to know if she buddied up with another woman for fun stuff, but I was asking about work. I don’t know that I could go so long without human interaction.

  “I’m never alone.” She nodded her head to something behind me. I turned and stared at a small herd of eight animals lumbering our way.

  “Are those buffalo?” I was stunned.

  “They are wood bison. We have a few calves that were born recently. Here. You might want to take some pics.” Brynn handed me my camera. I couldn’t think about anything other than gaping at them. They didn’t care that we w
ere there. They walked within about twenty feet of the truck. I took a step back until I was almost leaning on Brynn. She stood behind me, her body tall, strong, and close. I felt her warm breath on my ear and tried hard not to tremble at her nearness. “Don’t worry about them. Just be quiet and they’ll be on their merry way.”

  I held my breath as one of the calves curiously veered in our direction and was swiftly corralled back to the herd by his mother. He snorted and she was quick to respond with a loud stomp of her hoof and noise that reminded me of the sounds Martha made at Tuffy. I turned to Brynn, excited and invigorated, after they lumbered past. “Did you see how that baby wanted to come over to us? He was so curious.”

  I was too excited to pay attention to her when she tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, and I hardly noticed how close she was to me as I told her all about it. When her thumb rubbed the soft skin just below my bottom lip, everything stopped. I realized we were only inches apart and my stomach dropped while my heart jumped. When her other hand reached up to rest against my cheek, I leaned into her touch and stopped talking. Her eyes were dark like they were the night before, her lips slightly apart. Her breath was warm on my mouth and I silently begged her to kiss me.

  When I finally felt the softness of her full lips press against mine, I whimpered with the need for more. I closed the gap between us so our bodies were close and swayed against her when she deepened the kiss. She tasted warm, and soft, and I moaned when our tongues finally touched. We teased one another, both of us taking control and giving it at the same time.

  Her hands slid down my back and rested on my hips. I felt myself moving against her, unabashedly, wanting the friction of this beautiful woman against me. I wasn’t used to waiting so I took the opportunity to throw my entire self into our kiss. I slipped my hands under her jacket, marveling at her warmth even though there was still a layer of clothing between my touch and her skin.

  She ran a hand up my back until her fingertips pressed into my neck gently, yet possessively. She was confident and smooth. Gone was the awkward woman who was uncomfortable around me. This kiss lasted seconds, minutes, hours. I had no idea. I lost track of time in her arms. I didn’t care about the mountains, the animals, or where I was. I only cared about Brynn and this kiss I had wanted since the moment I saw her. I frowned when she pulled away. I opened my eyes to her sexy smile and a new playful twinkle in her eye.

  “Well, that was nice,” she said. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. I did the same and still tasted her on my mouth.

  “Nice and unexpected.” I felt awkward when she let me go, so I adjusted my camera until my body settled down and my clit wasn’t throbbing. Brynn knew how to kiss. She had full, soft lips for a reason.

  “Are you ready for more?” she asked.

  I hoped she meant kissing me senseless, but she meant continuing with the tour. I prayed my disappointment didn’t show. We climbed back in the truck and headed toward the mountains. We were both quiet. I was quiet because I couldn’t decide if I should jump her now, or at least wait until we had fewer clothes on. She was probably quiet because she was regretting the kiss. I wanted to know all the reasons why she kissed me. Maybe she was overcome by the situation, too.

  “Do you spend most of your time here checking on things, or out there beyond the fences?” I asked just to alleviate the silence.

  “It depends on how many calls we get during the day. There are twelve full-time rangers here and several volunteers. We rotate the schedule often to try to keep everyone happy.” She hadn’t made eye contact with me since we got into the truck.

  “Are you the only female ranger?”

  “There are three women. Me, Jody, and Linda. Linda’s retired and now volunteers as a tour guide at the sanctuary. We’re a good family,” she said.

  “You drive around alone a lot. Is that normal?”

  “Sometimes if the call’s something greater than saving a small animal like Owlie, we pair up. It’s always great when we can help, but sometimes we can’t.” Her voice got low and quiet. She must have carried a lot of grief doing this job.

  The radio clicked on. They needed her to head to the south entrance to one of the parks because of an animal in distress. She turned to me for the first time since our kiss.

  “I have to get back to the office and grab a few things. I hope you don’t mind, but we have to cut this short.” She looked dejected.

  I just wanted to reach out and touch her to let her know that everything was going to be okay, but I couldn’t make that kind of promise to her. “I understand. We can try again another time. I’ll be here a while.” I placed my hand on her forearm and squeezed. She flashed me a smile, but it was brief and didn’t meet her eyes. This was serious. She drove fast, but carefully, and we were back to the parking lot within a few minutes.

  “I’ll call you soon. Stick around. Wally’s probably inside and would like to see you, or you can do the touristy thing and walk around here.” She dropped me off at my SUV and took off. Just like that, I was alone again. It took hours for me to get over my melancholy mood.

  Chapter Nine

  I’d wanted to call Brynn, but she never left me her business card. I could have asked Cee for her number, but I figured Brynn’s afternoon went to shit and she probably needed space.

  I couldn’t sleep. I kept tossing and turning thinking about our kiss. Why was I so drawn to Brynn? Yes, she was definitely my type, and usually by now, people who kissed me like that were already in my bed. She confused me like no woman had before. Why was she so hesitant? Was she not into me? Wait. Did she have a girlfriend already? Did I just cause some horrific break up? No. Brynn didn’t strike me as the cheating kind.

  The next morning, since I was completely alone and bored, I decided to brave the drive to Homer and try my luck at gathering information for my story. The more I thought about the sanctuary, the more I thought it would make a good story, but I was afraid my attraction to Brynn was clouding my judgment. Maybe Homer’s fishing community would give me some perspective. I got up early, packed an overnight bag in case I decided to stay in Homer, and took off. Slowly, of course, because my eyes darted every direction waiting for wildlife to jump out. After about thirty minutes hunched over my steering wheel in silence, I relaxed a little and leaned back in the seat. The signs every ten to twenty miles listed Homer so I doubted I’d get lost.

  When I pulled into town, I already knew I was going to stay the night. Charming didn’t do it justice. I parked and headed straight for the spit, a strip of land that had a line of quaint shops and fishing shacks along the water. Several men were fishing from the beach. I finally saw why people came all the way to Alaska for this sport. After talking to several shop owners who directed me to the most popular fishing tour, I signed up for a half-day trip the next morning that promised halibut galore. Six a.m. didn’t sound great, but it was already too late in the day to do anything but chat with locals and fishermen on the beach. It was chilly right on the water, but the view was breathtaking and I didn’t want to leave. Homer was nested within the Kenai mountain range. Eagles scavenged on the beach, a sight I had never seen. Dozens of eagles were pecking at clams, fish, and anything that floated in from the Kachemak Bay. I felt small and unimportant.

  I missed lunch completely, but had dinner early and scored a room at one of the Best Westerns in town. It was clean, rustic, and I almost clapped when I saw the Wi-Fi sign in the window. I needed to plug in and find out how California was surviving without me.

  Erin answered the phone herself. “Please don’t tell me you’re calling because you wrecked another car.”

  “Where’s Gabrielle?” I sat down and carefully pulled off my boots. My blisters still looked ugly, but they were healing.

  “Why? So you can give her the bad news. Oh, no. Now you get to deal with me.”

  “Hey, everything’s fine. I was just checking in. And I want to know everything that’s going on and everything I missed. You know, healthy gossip. I haven�
��t been online in twenty-four hours so I’m starting to feel a little bit removed,” I said.

  “How’s Alaska? As rural as I have it pictured in my head?” Her voice held a note of cheekiness.

  I got a little defensive. “It’s like no other place I’ve ever been. It’s rural, but charming. There are animals everywhere. I could have touched an eagle on the beach just now. For the record, they are bigger in real life than you think. It’s also a lot colder than I thought, but overall, I like it.” Well, I liked Alaska when I was with Brynn and she was showing me her life. Branching out on my own was boring. I learned that this kind of beauty was meant to be shared. Not even the photos I took did it justice. “I sent a few photos to Lynn to add to the company intranet. Just some fun stuff that I think she would like.”

  “How’s the story?” That was her way of asking me if I was staying on task and not taking a vacation on company time.

  “I’m still leaning toward a fishing story. So much of my research was about deep-sea fishing, it seems useless to waste that information. I chartered a boat tomorrow for some halibut fishing. I figured it would be fun to cover different options for our readers. There were also guys fishing right off the beach. So much happens here. The big thing is salmon fishing. There are several different kinds and…” I trailed off because I was rambling and she was bored. I’d worked for her long enough to know silence wasn’t her being polite.

  “Hey, maybe you’ll run into Dustin out there on the seas.”

  “Ha. I’d sink his boat.” I had no desire to talk to the guy.

  “Have you figured out an angle yet? Since you have the feature, make sure you send about ten kick-ass photos, too.”

  “Oh, trust me, you’ll have a hard time narrowing it down to just ten,” I said with confidence. Earlier, I took the money shot when one of the fishermen on the beach yanked in a giant halibut. The giant, flat fish was in the air, two feet from his outstretched arms, with the Alaskan snowcapped mountains and glaciers in the background. I almost cried when I saw the photo. If my story sucked, that photo alone would redeem me. “I feel really good about this, Erin. I’m actually excited even though every day I’ve been a hot mess here. This has been quite the adventure. I’m not thanking you for this assignment so don’t get excited just yet.” I heard her snort over the phone.