by Laura Scott
“No need,” she said, her tone sharper than she intended. “My car is right across the street.”
She continued across the street to where she’d left her car. It was only when she slid behind the wheel that she caught one last glimpse of Reese standing there with Duke at his side.
Blinking back ridiculous tears, she drove home.
Reese wanted nothing more than to chase after Katy, but he forced himself to stay where he was.
He hadn’t been lying. Katy would be much safer if she stayed far away from him. And keeping her safe had to be the top priority.
Besides, he knew full well how horrified Katy had been to hear how far he was in debt. Granted, he was making steady progress, but he still wasn’t debt free. Katy didn’t realize that he’d never take any of her money to free himself from his financial burden. Call it pride, or pig-headed stubbornness, but there was no way he’d accept money from a woman.
Especially not someone he cared about.
Suzanne’s mess was his problem alone. Plenty of people had told him to hire a lawyer to go after her, forcing the issue that she should share in the debt since she’d created ninety percent of it, but he’d refused.
The taillights from Katy’s car disappeared from view, and he steeled his resolve by turning back toward the motel. Duke trotted off to water a bush, so he waited before heading inside his motel room. The door was still broken, but he wasn’t worried. He had Duke and firmly believed that the blond dude was long gone.
Falling asleep wasn’t easy; he tossed and turned to the point that Duke padded over, sticking his nose against Reese’s chest as if to ask what’s wrong?
He buried his face against the dog’s neck for a moment, wishing things could be different. But wallowing in self-pity was one thing he’d promised himself he wouldn’t do, so he lifted his head and gave Duke a nice rub. “Good boy. Lie down, Duke. Down.”
Duke dropped down and stretched out on his belly. Reese flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, knowing he should be grateful for what he had. Although at times like this, when everything seemed stacked against him, it wasn’t easy.
Somehow, he found himself reaching for faith and God.
Please keep Katy safe and provide me the strength and courage I’ll need as I search for the man responsible for all of this. Amen.
He must have slept, because Duke’s low growl, combined with bright sunlight, brought him instantly awake.
“What is it, boy?” he asked, blinking the remnants of sleep from his eyes.
Duke stayed right in front of the door, the hair on the scruff of his neck standing upright. Reese dragged on his cargo shorts, T-shirt and running shoes, checking his weapon as he walked over to where Duke waited. He tucked his gun into his holster and grabbed a water bottle.
He found himself hoping the blond dude had returned to finish what he’d started. Getting him in custody would salvage Reese’s reputation.
He pulled open the door, and Duke ran through the opening and immediately crossed the parking lot. Reese had little choice but to sprint after him.
“Duke, halt!” he called sharply when several bystanders shied away in fear.
Duke stopped on a dime and turned his head to look back at Reese. The dog’s muscles were quivering, and Reese knew that something was up.
“Search, Duke,” he commanded.
The dog sprinted forward again, and this time, Reese ran to keep up with him as he crossed the road and headed in the direction of the hiking trail.
Had the blond dude come this way? If so, Reese was certain that, with Duke’s help, he’d find him, proving that he existed once and for all.
With her day off stretching long and empty before her, Katy finished cleaning up the mess in her home and then tried to think of something to do.
Something that didn’t involve going back to the motel to find Reese. The weather report predicted another steamy day with temperatures reaching ninety degrees or more, and the interior of her house was already too warm and stifling. Opening up the windows helped a little as there was a bit of a breeze coming off the lake.
She couldn’t bear the thought of being around other people, her emotions from the night before leaving her raw and vulnerable. She had a few options; stay cooped up in her steamy house on a sunny day, offer to work for one of her colleagues, or take a walk on the hiking trail.
If she called one of her colleagues, offering to work, she’d have to field a bunch of questions about what was going on, so in the end, the hiking trail won. Especially because she needed a distraction from the fact Reese would be leaving town today to head back home.
She changed into a pair of shorts, a loose gauzy shirt, and a tank top. The hiking trail was used by many of the citizens of Crystal Lake, herself included, but that was before she knew about the cougars and bears. Running into wildlife wasn’t her idea of fun and was almost enough to keep her home.
But her colleague, Gabe Allen, often ran the trails, and he’d never seen any real wildlife other than the occasional white-tailed deer. And he often told the story about how he’d met his wife, Larissa, on the trail, coming to her rescue when she’d hurt her ankle.
There was nothing to be afraid of, right? Right.
Squaring her shoulders, she lathered up with sunscreen since her fair skin tended to burn and freckle, grabbed a water bottle and headed outside. The hour was early enough that the sun wasn’t too brutal yet, and hopefully, she’d be home by lunchtime.
The trail wasn’t too far from her house, located in the opposite direction of town, so she decided to walk. No sense in driving to the hiking trail, she thought with a wry grin.
Lifting her face to the sun, she marveled at the warmth seeping into her pores. The scent of burning wood filled the air, reminding her of the campfire they’d had during the one summer she attended Girl Scout camp. A venture that hadn’t lasted long. She’d screamed like a banshee when one of her bunkmates had put a grass snake in her bed.
Maybe a grass snake was totally harmless, but she hadn’t cared. She’d never gone back to Girl Scout camp after that one disastrous experience. She’d spent her next few summers at the library, reading every book she could get her hands on and enjoying every moment of peace and quiet.
Her camp counselor would laugh herself silly to know that Katy was now living rural Wisconsin, braving a hike along the trail all by herself.
The trail wound around with a steadily rising terrain. The locals called it a hill, but in her opinion it was more like a small mountain, especially surrounded by woods the way it was. She was surprised that the scent of burning wood grew stronger rather than dissipating at the higher elevation.
Where was that campfire anyway? Was someone camping out toward the top of the hill? The idea was enough to make her think about turning around to go back home.
Maybe she should go back to the motel to find Reese? The DNR would be interested in someone camping illegally, wouldn’t it? Especially since there was a campground located a few miles down the highway.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking. Her left foot stepped in a hole, and she cried out as her ankle twisted in pain.
After hobbling over to a rock, she looked down at her ankle. It wasn’t as bad as she’d feared, so she took off the gauze shirt she’d tied around her waist and tried to rip off the sleeves. But the material was strong, and she had to look around for something to use.
She found a sharp-edged rock and used that to rend the fabric. The sleeve came off easily with the rock’s help, and she pulled off the other sleeve, too, so that it would match. She wound the fabric around her ankle for support and then took a long gulp from her water bottle.
So much for her hike, she thought grimly. Now, for sure, she’d have to head back down. Which was probably best, since she wasn’t too keen on meeting up with the illegal campers. The scent that had started out so nice was almost unbearably strong now. In fact, there was a haze
hovering in the air, making her eyes water.
She rose to her feet, swiping at her burning eyes with the remnants of the second sleeve of her gauze shirt. She blinked again, realizing that she could barely see a few feet in front of her face.
What in the world was going on? She couldn’t see more than a yard or two of the trail.
She turned in a small circle, trying to get her bearings. She knew she needed to go down rather than head farther up the trail and took a few steps in order to get a sense of which direction she should head.
The downward slope beneath her feet helped provide direction as the smoke was becoming unbearable. Tears pricked at her eyes, and smoke clogged her throat, making her cough.
Half blind, she stumbled down the trail, hoping and praying she was going in the right direction.
But she abruptly froze in horror when she heard a low, menacing growl.
Chapter Nine
Reese desperately searched for a cell signal on his phone, knowing he needed to get help, and fast. Duke had led him farther up the trail toward the scent of a campfire. But the smoke was getting thicker and thicker, making him fear the worst.
What might have begun as a small campfire started by kids or careless adults had somehow gotten out of control into something very dangerous. After almost five weeks of no rain, the level of fire danger in this area was pretty high.
He climbed up on a boulder, holding his phone up, trying to see if there was a signal. Was there one bar there? Hope swelled as he pushed the button to make a call, but after several long moments, there was nothing.
Lost signal.
Sliding off the rock, he continued taking the trail. Duke’s growl had him slowing to a stop, every sense on alert. Was the blond guy nearby?
“What is it, boy?” he asked in a low tone.
In answer, Duke let out a sharp bark. But the dog’s wagging tail was reassuring. Reese trusted Duke’s senses better than his own, especially at times like this. Duke bounded down the trail, disappearing in a haze of smoke.
Reese scrambled to keep up with his dog, wondering what had caught Duke’s attention. Right now, all he wanted to do was to call his boss to report the possible fire, but he couldn’t do that without a cell signal.
“Help me!” a female voice cried.
“Duke, down,” he instinctively shouted, putting on speed. The smoke was so thick he almost trampled over Katy, who was sprawled on the ground staring up at Duke with fear blazing from her eyes. “Good boy,” he said when he realized that Duke was actually protecting Katy.
“Good boy?” she wheezed, cringing from the dog. “He scared me to death!”
“I’m sorry about that, but you know he’s well trained. He truly was trying to protect you,” Reese said mildly. “You can tell by the way he was standing guard. Here, take my hand,” he instructed.
She grasped his hand, winced and then coughed as she rose to her feet. He was surprised to see her here, especially after everything that had happened the night before, or rather, just a few hours ago. She tugged on her hand, and he reluctantly released her. She winced again when taking a step back, and he dropped his gaze, searching for the cause of her discomfort. Based on the makeshift bandage around her ankle, he suspected a twist or a sprain.
“What happened?” he asked with a frown.
“It’s fine,” she said in a hoarse tone. “But we need to get away from here. The smoke is getting worse.”
“I know. It’s bad up here,” he agreed. But he couldn’t leave just yet. “Duke will lead you down the trail,” he assured her. “I need to investigate that fire, in case there are people stranded up there.”
“No, there’s nothing you can do,” she protested. The frank fear in her gaze and the way she lightly grasped his arm tugged at his heart. The way she looked at him now, it was as if the nightmare from last night hadn’t happened. “The faster we get down the trail, the better chance we have of getting help. Surely someone in town has noticed the smoke. Help must be on the way.”
True, he’d thought the same thing. Surely the sheriff’s deputies had noticed the smoke from the campfire by now. But he couldn’t force himself to leave the scene of what just might be another crime.
He’d thought at first that Duke had left the motel because he’d been on the blond guy’s trail, but now he knew that it was the smoke that had captured the dog’s attention. Maybe the fire was the result of careless kids, but it was also possible the fire had been started on purpose, although he didn’t want to tell Katy that. She’d been frightened enough already.
“Duke will show you the way back. I’ll join you as soon as I can. I just need to be sure there isn’t anyone else trapped up here.”
Katy’s terrified expression turned grim at the thought of other potential victims, and he was impressed by the way she pulled herself together. “All right, but please hurry,” she murmured. “I don’t like the idea of you risking your life.”
She didn’t seem to understand that risking his life was his responsibility. He might be a DNR game warden rather than a cop, but he had much the same kind of training. There could be campers up there in danger, and he wasn’t about to leave without checking things out. “I will.” He turned to the German shepherd, giving him a signal with his hand. “Home, Duke. Lead Katy home.”
Duke seemed to understand, taking a few steps down the path and then glancing back as if to make sure Katy was following.
Katy looked as if she wanted to argue but reluctantly turned and hobbled toward Duke. He wanted to haul her close and kiss her again but made himself turn and head up the trail instead. The smoke grew thicker the higher he went. The wind shifted, and he sucked in a harsh breath when he saw the orange flames dancing along the tops of the trees.
This was way more than a campfire gone out of control. This was a full-fledged wildfire.
Looking at the blaze, he couldn’t help thinking there was no way this was truly the result of careless kids.
Something deep in his gut told him there was a good chance the fire had been started on purpose.
Katy swiped at her tearing eyes and stumbled after Duke, trying to follow his bobbing tail. Her initial fear of the dog faded when, on the few occasions she lost sight of him, he doubled back, returning to her side and nudging her gently, as if herding a lost lamb.
She didn’t like leaving Reese behind, and she sensed Duke didn’t like it much, either. Maybe the smoke was wreaking havoc with her brain cells, but she got the feeling that Duke was trying to rush her down the trail so that he could get back to his owner.
Truthfully, she couldn’t blame him.
The toe of her running shoe caught a root, and she stumbled, managing to catch herself before face-planting in the dirt. Duke materialized by her side, nudging her with his head.
“Good boy,” she murmured, rubbing the silky fur behind his ears. She wasn’t sure how it had happened, but in the last fifteen minutes, he’d gone from scaring the daylights out of her to being her best friend. She could easily understand now why Reese was so attached to him. And why German shepherds made great police dogs.
The air was slightly clearer down near the ground, and it occurred to her that lack of oxygen was a serious threat. She couldn’t deny the fact that smoke filling her lungs might have caused her to stumble in the first place. Carbon monoxide poisoning was no joke, and if she didn’t do something, she might not make it off the trail even with Duke leading the way.
Thinking fast, she pulled what was left of her gauze shirt off her waist, dampened it with her water bottle and then tied it over her nose and mouth. Almost instantly, her breathing was easier, without the constant feeling of having shards of glass stuck in her throat, although she sensed the damp fabric wouldn’t filter the air for long.
Hopefully long enough to get off this stupid hiking trail.
Duke nudged her again and made a high-pitched whining sound as if urging her to hurry. She rose to her feet and continued following him, trusting in the d
og’s sense of direction more than her own. In the distance, she could hear sirens and hoped that meant fire trucks were on the way. Maybe once the firefighters arrived, Reese wouldn’t feel the need to search for the campers who’d started the fire, handing off the investigation to the professionals instead.
Duke let out several loud barks, startling her badly. Her steps faltered to a stop, as she sensed his barking wasn’t a good sign.
The dog appeared at her side, circled around her and then let out three more short barks. The animal was clearly trying to tell her something, but what? He turned and went off the trail, heading south. When she didn’t immediately follow, he came back, did that strange whinny sound in his throat and went off the trail again, looking back at her as if to yell, follow me!
What should she do? Why would the dog lead her off the trail? She sensed if Reese were here, he’d tell her to trust the dog. Without a second thought, she climbed up and over a boulder, slipping and sliding on the rocky terrain, her ankle throbbing in earnest without the firmness of the trail. It wasn’t until she climbed yet another boulder that she could see the flames licking the treetops. And not just the trees behind her but in every direction she could see.
Her heart nearly stopped in her chest as the horror of what she was seeing seeped into her brain.
She and Duke were literally surrounded by fire.
Reese pulled off his T-shirt, doused it with water and pulled it up over his nose and mouth. Too bad he didn’t have eye protection, as he could barely see through the smoke.
He turned around and headed back down the path in the direction of where he’d left Katy and Duke. Rescuing campers was one thing, but seeing the flames of the fire engulfing the tops of the trees put everything in a new perspective. The entire town was at risk if this fire spread farther. And he wasn’t sure there even were campers to rescue.
Reese went as fast as he dared, barely able to see through the thick smoke. He was a little surprised he hadn’t stumbled across any other hikers aside from Katy. Surely they hadn’t been the only ones on the trail, although it was possible the steamy hot temperatures had deterred some of the tourists. Boating, skiing, and fishing on Crystal Lake were the main attractions during the summer months, not the hiking trails.
