Ranger Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 11)

by Harmony Raines

  Jacob pulled a map out of his pocket and opened it up. “This is where we are.” He jabbed his finger at an area shaded green on the map. “We’re going to follow this trail, to this wooded area here.”

  “You need a map?” Avery asked incredulously.

  “No.” He folded the map carefully, and handed it to Avery. “This is for you. So you’ll know exactly where we are. In case we get separated.”

  “Thanks.” She glanced at the map and tucked it in her pocket. “Let’s get started.”

  “Follow me, let me know if I’m going too fast.” He swung around, and strode off. Avery followed, glad she had made staying in shape a priority. However, Jacob sure set a fast pace. She would cope over the relatively flat terrain they were traveling over now, but the slopes that rose up in front of them…well, that was going to be tough.

  Dismissing her thoughts, she concentrated on her breathing, ignoring the tightness in her muscles. That would ease once she was warmed up. Deep breaths in and out, she kept every part of her actions rhythmical and regulated. After ten minutes, she hit her stride, and things became easier. She took longer strides, which didn’t match Jacob’s, but at least she wasn’t having to jog along like a little kid by his side.

  Avery recalled doing that exact same thing when she was a kid of five with her dad. Her dad, who was her inspiration, the reason she’d become a police officer. She’d joined the police force to carry on the work her father was so proud of, and to make a difference, and she had. Avery was damned if she was going to let a couple of small-time drug dealers ruin all that. Not for her, and not for Lonnie.

  “How you doing?” Jacob asked, slowing the pace and taking a bottle of water out of his pack. He took a good slug and then passed it to Avery. “You need to keep hydrated.”

  Avery took the bottle from Jacob. “Thanks.”

  “We have to go around this ridge, and then cut up to the trees.” He pointed into the distance.

  “Sooner we get going, sooner we get there.” Avery passed the bottle back to Jacob, who put the bottle back in his pack, and set off again.

  “So, how long have you been a cop?”

  “It’s all I’ve ever been. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.”

  “It’s your passion.”

  “Yes. I get it from my dad. When I was a kid, I used to wait up for him to come home after his shift. We’d sit down at the kitchen table while he ate his supper, and he’d tell me about the people he’d helped.”

  “And that’s why you joined, to help people?” They were making good time, but the trail was beginning to climb up toward the trees, and she could feel the pull on her muscles.

  “Yeah, that’s all I ever wanted to do.” Avery focused her breath and kept pushing herself.

  “And you do.” He looked at her over his shoulder. “I can tell.”

  “I used to think so.” She shrugged, looking up at the steep slope.

  “What’s changed?” Jacob slowed his pace as his boots bit into the gravel trail.

  “Internal politics. They never tell you about that at the academy.” She winced, not ready to share her life story with a stranger.

  “Is that why you are here? Chasing two drug dealers on your vacation?” Too late, she’d given him something to chew on, and he wasn’t about to let it go. She sighed, this was going to be a long trek, and there was no way she was going to hold out on the not sharing, not when she’d given him a juicy tidbit.

  “My dad’s old partner called me, told me he’d been suspended. He said he was certain he’d been set up because he asked the right questions in the wrong places.” Avery thought back to that phone call, and the sun seemed to dim; the light was not as bright, the air not as sweet.

  “You mean these drug dealers are protected by someone in the police force?” Jacob asked, hanging back now as he asked her questions.

  “Yes. I had to help him.”

  “He’s important to you.” Jacob probed gently, and she knew what he was thinking, that she and Lonnie had been lovers. Normally, Avery would let the insinuation go, but she was compelled to put Jacob straight. Was it because she needed him to know she was available?

  Damn it, what was happening to her? Avery had fought hard to never let her private and professional life overlap. But this trip was neither private nor professional: it bridged both, leaving her marooned in a gray area.

  “Lonnie is old enough to be my dad. He has a special place in my heart, in the heart of all of my family because he saved my dad’s life.” She hadn’t realized how tense Jacob was until he relaxed, his breath slipping out as a relieved sigh. It might be crazy, but the attraction she felt for Jacob was not one-sided.

  “And so here you are.”

  “And so here I am,” she repeated. “On a damn mountain. Trying to find these two guys in the hope that all the pieces fall into place.”

  He looked up at the path before them. “We should get to Wyatt’s place in an hour.” Then he added reassuringly, “We’ll get them, Avery. We will.”

  “Yeah, I hope so.” She placed her hands on her hips and let her breathing return to normal. “You know, when I tracked them to Bear Creek, I figured I’d made progress. When I knew they’d gone on the mountain, I still thought I’d find them and break this drug ring. But I never appreciated how big this place was.”

  “We’ll find them. You have the best tracker on your team.” He started to climb again, and she fell in step behind him.

  “Prove it,” Avery taunted.

  “Oh, I will,” Jacob promised. “I plan to make you see exactly how much you need me.”

  Avery didn’t answer. His words confused her and excited her on a deep level, making her heart beat faster, and her face flush. She didn’t trust herself to answer. Because she wasn’t sure what that answer would be.

  Chapter Six – Jacob

  Jacob tempered his pace, trying to get a feel for how fast Avery could walk over a long distance. It was crucial he didn’t push her too hard, or she wouldn’t be able to go the distance. And they had a good distance to cover. If these guys were meeting a supplier up here, they would be meeting way out of sight of other hikers, or else why bother coming up a mountain at all?

  That was what confused him. Why go to all this trouble? There must be plenty of places that drug deals went down where no one would see.

  Who would choose a mountain?

  The why didn’t matter, all that mattered right now was where the deal was going down. If the deal was going down. Jacob had to admit that if anyone other than his mate had come up with this idea, he might have thought they were crazy. But he could sense Avery was convinced she had this right. Or at least that Lonnie’s information was right. Jacob hoped Lonnie was not playing Avery in any way. If her dad’s ex-partner had set her up, Jacob would be exerting some vengeance—bear style.

  “Wyatt’s cabin is just through the trees.” He pointed ahead to where the old wolf lived.

  “It’s well hidden.” Avery peered forward. “He likes it that way?”

  “He does. As far as Wyatt is concerned, no company is good company.” Jacob stepped off the trail and used his knowledge of the terrain to weave his way through the trees.

  “I can understand someone wanting to live that way.” Avery followed after Jacob, keeping close. There was no trail, and they had to duck under branches and step over fallen logs as they made their way into the forest. A couple of times he had to catch Avery as she stumbled over hidden tree roots. She might have enjoyed the mountain so far, but the thick trees posed a new challenge, and he sensed her relief when they eventually saw the outline of a small log cabin appearing through the trees.

  “Let’s go see if Wyatt is home,” Jacob said quietly as they stepped into a small clearing.

  The cabin was cozy, well maintained, with a small vegetable garden out front that faced south and got a good deal of sun despite its sheltered location. On the front porch stood solid wooden furniture, consisting of a couple of chairs and a
side table. There was also something that looked like a makeshift bed. Wyatt liked to sleep out here when the weather was warm, and Jacob often joined him for a beer on a long, lonely summer night, when the need for a mate consumed him and pushed sleep out of his reach.

  He glanced at Avery, a wave of gratitude sweeping over him. Those days were gone. She was here, and he’d never be lonely again.

  As long as we can convince Avery to stay, his bear reminded him.

  “Hey there, Jacob,” a voice called from around the back of the cabin, and Wyatt appeared. Jacob guessed him to be in his late forties, with salt-and-pepper hair and faded blue eyes, framed by enough creases to show he’d lived a life filled with laughter. Wyatt was also extremely fit; his body was that of a man half his age.

  “Wyatt. Good to see you.” Jacob opened his pack and pulled out a handful of candy bars. “I bought these for you. I didn’t have time to bring your favorite coffee, though. Although I do have some of these.” He passed Wyatt a box of instant coffee packets.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Wyatt said. “You know you’re welcome, with or without gifts.” Wyatt eyed Avery, waiting for an introduction. “So what’s the emergency?”

  “This is Avery Cooper. She’s from Holloway County. I wanted to ask you about a couple of guys who hike through here regularly,” Jacob began. “They would have passed through yesterday sometime. Mid-day, they were in the bar the night before, and had a lot to drink, so they had a late start.”

  Wyatt nodded. “Mountain is busy at this time of year, I’d need a description.”

  “Oh, here, I have their pictures.” Avery pulled the printout from her pocket and handed it to Wyatt.

  “Oh, yeah. I know these two. Come through here often enough, drop their trash.” He handed the printout back to Avery with a look of disgust on his face. “Why they can’t take it back down with them...” He pointed to a large black container tucked around the side of his cabin. “I’m the mountain trash collector.”

  “It’s appreciated. I’ll take it back down with me when we come back this way,” Jacob offered.

  “Thanks, Jacob. Want some coffee? Or do you need to get going?” Wyatt asked.

  “Coffee would be great, and maybe you can tell us what you know about those two fellas. Anything suspicious you’ve seen. Either when they are on the mountain, or at other times.”

  Wyatt was heading for the porch, but swung around at Jacob’s words. “Suspicious? These two trouble?”

  “They might well be, and that’s what we’re here to find out. Avery is with the Holloway County Police Department, and she has information that says they are involved in drug dealing.”

  Wyatt swore under his breath. “I’ll tell you everything I know, which isn’t a lot, but I do know where they head each time they come up here. Always thought it was strange that they hike the same path. But then, people do strange things, don’t they?”

  Avery agreed, “They certainly do. If not, I would be out of a job.”

  “Wait out on the porch, I’ll bring the coffee.” Wyatt went into his cabin, leaving them outside.

  “Wyatt’s a good man,” Jacob told Avery as they each took a seat on the porch.

  “I don’t need to be a police officer to know that. He cares about the mountain.” She grinned at Jacob, at ease as she sat with her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles. “So is this what you will become in a decade or two?”

  Jacob shook his head and chuckled. “Oh no, I’m not the hermit type. I plan to have a wife and kids, and live in my cabin for the rest of my life.”

  “Adventurous.” She stared up at the trees, their leaves rustling gently in the wind. “It’s so peaceful.”

  “It is. But a solitary life was never what I wanted.”

  “Do you have family in Bear Creek?”

  “I do. My mom and dad, two brothers. One has recently found his mate and got married.”

  “Mate—that’s kind of a quaint way to describe his wife.” Avery frowned. “Sorry, is that some kind of colloquial term for his boyfriend?”

  Jacob burst out laughing. “No, it’s not. Around here, mate means the one you are supposed to spend the rest of your life with. Although I guess it could be male or female.”

  “Here’s the coffee,” Wyatt said as he appeared in the doorway with three tin mugs. “Dandelion, I hope you don’t mind.”

  He passed a mug to Avery, who sniffed it suspiciously. “I have never tried dandelion coffee. But it smells OK.”

  “Not as good as the real stuff,” Wyatt said. “But close enough. And better than instant, in my opinion.”

  She blew on the steaming mug and then sipped it gingerly. “Oh, I like that.”

  “Good. Hey, Jacob, you’ll make a mountain girl out of her.” He knocked Jacob’s knee playfully as he sat down on the porch steps, an action Avery picked up on. Heat rose on Jacob’s cheeks, although his tanned weather-worn skin, hopefully, made it hard to tell. Wyatt was in tune with everything around him, so of course he’d picked up on Avery being Jacob’s mate.

  “So, what can you tell us about those two hikers?” Jacob asked.

  “They come up regularly, walk the trail up to Wide Plain, stay in the cabin up there for the night. Then they cut across around the Lodehead. From there they take the path toward the Beacon. It’s a well-used easy hiking trail and they camp next to the waterfall overnight. Then they cut across the southern face of the mountain and head through the Karakin Pass.” Wyatt sipped his coffee while he thought about what he was going to say next.

  “The Karakin Pass?” Jacob asked. It was a notorious mountain pass filled with large boulders from an ancient avalanche.

  Wyatt nodded sagely. “They take the easy route until they get to that pass.”

  “Have you followed them?” Avery asked.

  Wyatt looked up at Jacob, who nodded imperceptibly. Avery was his mate, a point he was sure Wyatt had already picked up on. As his mate, Jacob had to trust her, and he wanted Wyatt to be open with her too. Jacob needed Avery to feel like part of the community of Bear Creek; he wanted her to fit in, and never want to leave.

  “I like to know what’s going on up here. I don’t follow everyone, you understand.” This was aimed at Avery, who nodded. Of course she understood, it was part of her job to follow hunches. “Certain people grab my interest. When I came across these two hiking the same trail a few times, I figured it was my duty to investigate.” Wyatt sipped his hot coffee. “I followed their trail, they stop at the cabin for the night and then take a leisurely stroll to the Karakin Pass. Makes no sense.”

  “Why Karakin?” Jacob mused, to which Wyatt shrugged.

  “What is the Karakin Pass?” Avery asked.

  “I used to go up there with my brothers when we were younger,” Jacob explained to Avery. “It’s not the kind of place you go for fun.”

  “No, the rocks are sharp, and difficult to climb over on two feet. And there’s nothing of interest on the other side.” Wyatt shook his head and kept on talking, while Jacob hoped Avery hadn’t picked up on his comment about two legs. She’d most likely imagine they had to scramble over them on all fours. Unless she knew about shifters.

  That hadn’t occurred to Jacob. She might not mention shifters, because she might not realize he was one. It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that easily slipped into a conversation. Not unless you were sure.

  “Did you see where they went after that?” Jacob asked.

  “Nowhere. I mean, nowhere of interest. That’s what makes me suspicious. Unless I missed something, they climbed through the Karakin Pass and walked about a mile or so more. There is a basin, looks like a big pockmark. They were there, camping in the basin.”

  “You didn’t see anyone else?” Jacob asked, then had to add, “Or anything else?”

  Wyatt shook his head. “There was no way I could follow close behind them, not without being seen. By the time I got through the pass, it was nightfall.”

  “And what w
ere they doing?” Avery asked.

  “Drinking. Laughing. They had a fire going, and looked like two regular guys out for a hike.” Wyatt shrugged. “Maybe they just like that place for privacy. I can understand that. But it just seems a hell of a way to go. A two-day hike, over rough terrain, to spend the night in a crater and then come home.”

  “OK, well, thank you, Wyatt.” Avery made to get up.

  “There is something else.” Wyatt had something on his mind.

  “What is it, Wyatt?” Jacob coaxed.

  Wyatt looked perturbed. “I went back up there, after they’d gone. Had a real look around.”

  “And?” Avery asked.

  “There was a scent I’d never come across before.” Wyatt wrinkled his nose, as if he was recalling it, which he most likely was. Their animal sides often stored scents, in the same way a normal human stored images of things they had seen.

  “What kind of scent?” Jacob thought for a second. “Could it have been drugs?”

  Wyatt shrugged. “Could have been. I don’t know what drugs smell like. I couldn’t tell, and I have a real good sense of smell.”

  “Thanks, Wyatt.” Jacob stood up. “We should get going. I want to get to the cabin before nightfall.”

  “Good luck. And if you need me, just holler.” Wyatt took the empty mugs and went back inside. “Look after each other.”

  “We will.” Jacob looked down at Avery, who was deep in thought. He offered her his hand. “Come on, we can walk and talk.”

  She looked as if she were going to turn down the offer of a hand up, but he held it out all the same. Avery was a proud independent woman, he understood that, but he wanted her to know accepting his help would never be an admission that she wasn’t his equal.

  “Thanks.” She slipped her hand into his and sparks flew over his skin, making the hairs on his arms stand up. Something stirred deep inside him: a connection had been made, one that would last for eternity. Avery felt it too, he was certain. Her eyes widened, and heat crept across her cheeks.