The Bachelor Ranger

by Rebecca Winters

  With their quick reflexes and instincts, Karelians could put a bear to flight with no problem and attack with great pugnacity if necessary. They would sacrifice their own lives for their master or whatever they guarded. In that regard they needed special training to learn to hold back for the safety of others.

  The dogs were used in many areas of the U.S. and the world on a small, experimental basis, even for a time in Yosemite. For several years Cal had talked to Paul Thomas, his former boss, about the possibility of introducing them into the park again and making them a permanent fixture. Besides dealing with bears, they were excellent for catching bear and deer poachers, a problem the rangers had to deal with on a continual basis.

  Paul would have been willing to let Cal go ahead, but the old superintendent wasn’t keen on the idea, so it was tabled until he retired. Once Telford was appointed superintendent he was much more willing to listen. Yet it was still hard to find funding.

  The park was always looking for private donors and couldn’t function without them. After Cal came across two butchered bears last summer in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, he’d told Paul he’d donate his own money to get a KBD project started. Paul cleared it with Telford and Cal was finally given the go-ahead.

  Now that Cal was in charge, he had hopes that once the public saw the dogs’ value in the park, private donors would step up with funding. Karelians would not only help him track the persons guilty of killing bears, but protect the campgrounds and still allow the bears to live out their lives in their own habitat.

  Since Gretchen had known Cal was coming, she was waiting for him when he drove in and walked him over to a roomy pen housing three dogs. He hunkered down next to the four-month-old pups. Mostly black with some white markings, they stood with their pointy ears erect, reminding him of young huskies.

  On the family farm in Ohio, Cal had always had a dog, but his work since then had prevented him from owning one. He felt as excited as a little kid at the prospect of caring for this new puppy.

  Gretchen explained that these three had come from the same litter. She opened the cage and brought out Sergei, who knew him immediately from his prior visits. Cal chuckled because the pup’s action aroused the jealousy of the other two.

  “Sergei? You and Ranger Hollis are about to bond as partners in life.” She put him on a lead. “Go ahead and walk him for as long as you want before you have to go.”

  He studied his new dog. Sergei seemed to stare at him, as if he were transmitting his thoughts to Cal’s mind in that uncanny way some animals had. “You want to go home with me? You want to follow me around and hunt bears?”

  This dog would eat, sleep and go to work with him. Cal spent most of his time out of doors, and training Sergei would be an ongoing process, one skill at a time as he learned to socialize with hundreds of people on a daily basis.

  Cal tested Sergei with a few commands and the dog’s responses were remarkable. He walked Sergei back to the cage. Gretchen had gone inside to play with the other dogs but she saw him coming.

  “I should have introduced Sergei’s brothers, Yuri and Peter.”

  When he laughed she admitted, “I like the Russian composers.”

  “So do I.”

  “The breed prefers its own kind and these three love being together, but they’re not bear-conflict dogs like Sergei. He’s unique. They’re going to miss him. So will I.”

  She closed the pen and they finished up their business. Just like a new baby, a puppy required a lot of paraphernalia. Cal had brought a tarp to throw over everything in case it started to rain.

  Sergei went into his new crate in the back of the truck without a problem and Cal loaded the truck bed with the rest of the supplies. Gretchen gave him enough food and supplements for two months. “This is Eagle Pack holistic select dog food, a high-end brand with nutrients rich in protein.”

  Along with toys and a whistle, Gretchen gave him a dental and vet kit that included drugs and sutures. She told Cal he’d find them useful if he was up in the mountains and an emergency occurred. Cal was trained and licensed to handle drugs, which made sense when there was no vet around.

  “Call me if you have any questions.” Gretchen handed him the envelope with Sergei’s papers, including his vet exams and shots.

  “I’m afraid you’ll be hearing from me a lot.”

  “That’s good. I’d rather you check in with me than go your own way on something and have to retrain later.”

  “Understood. It’s been a privilege, Gretchen.” After thanking her for everything, he slid behind the wheel of the cab and took off for the park with his precious cargo.

  Halfway home Alex Harcourt came into his mind again. She was the person he had to thank for urging him to get the bear dog he wanted. When he’d talked about the dogs being used in other parts of the world, she’d argued that if he’d always wanted one and believed it would benefit the park, then surely his boss wouldn’t say no. Because of her continued interest, he’d approached Paul about it the first time.

  One thought about Alex led to another. He wondered what had happened to her in the past year. By now she was probably married to some hotshot attorney from an Ivy League school, the kind of man her father wanted for her.

  When Cal had been chosen to show the senator around the park on various visits, he’d heard all about the older man’s plans, especially when the senator brought his daughter with him. He’d used that time to instill his hopes and dreams in Alex, and Cal had been a reluctant observer.

  Cal realized he was driving too fast. Chastising himself, he slowed down to the speed limit. For a ranger to be caught in uniform speeding down the freeway with a rare, primitive breed of dog in the back would be great PR for Yosemite, the kind that gave the Chief nightmares. Anything to do with the park, good or bad, was picked up by the media.

  Before long Cal pulled into the driveway of his fifties ranch house, part of the community of modest housing for the rangers set among the pines. As he’d learned since moving in, his dwelling had come furnished with the bare necessities—a bed, a couch, coffee table, a couple of easy chairs, a kitchen table with two wooden chairs and a washer and dryer. But it was up to Cal to turn the house into a home, which he hadn’t had time to do yet.

  He got out of the cab and immediately undid the tailgate to attend to the dog, who couldn’t wait to be released. Like Cal, he preferred open spaces.

  While Cal attached the leash, he heard children’s voices. Next door was Ranger Farrell, whose wife, Kristy, was a schoolteacher who worked for the Mariposa Country school district and taught the kids living in the park.

  Without intending to, Cal had arrived just as the children were getting out of class for the day. It was a good thing because the dog’s socialization with children was especially vital.

  There were a dozen in all, including the Farrells’ cute little seven-year-old, Brittney. They took one look at Sergei and came running over. Thirteen-year-old Brody King was in the lead, followed by Nicky Rossiter and Roberta, Chase’s daughter.

  “Hi, guys,” Cal called. “Come and meet my new dog. His name is Sergei.”

  “Cool,” Brody declared. The oldest of the kids, Brody walked right up to the dog to scratch its head. The younger ones gathered round, anxious to get a turn.

  “Sir what-did-you-say?” Nicky had a way of cracking everyone up, including Cal.

  “Sergei. It’s a Russian name.”

  “He’s so cute.” Roberta made maternal sounds. “What kind of a dog is he?”

  “A Karelian Bear Dog.” Cal couldn’t wait to hear what Nicky had to say to that.

  Brody’s head came up. “Did you get him from Russia?”

  “No. He was born here, sired by a champion bred in Finland.”

  Nicky frowned. “How come you didn’t get an American dog?”

  Cal choked back his laughter. “Because this one is trained to frighten bears away.”

  At that revelation the children cheered and decided they wanted one
, too.

  “I’m glad you live by me!” Brittney piped up.

  “He’s not as big as a mama bear,” Nicky observed.

  “Sergei doesn’t have to be. His job is to shepherd a bear away.”

  “How?”

  “Well, once he’s learned to track a bear’s scent, I’ll put him to work when a bear is reported in a campground area. I’ll take him there on leash and Sergei will sniff around and indicate if the bear is still there, even if none of us can see it. Sergei’s not a hound, but he’s fearless. The whole point is for him to harass the bear and make enough noise that it won’t want to come anywhere near a campground again. You don’t need a big dog to do that.”

  Nicky looked at Roberta. “My mutt’s scared of everything. I’ve got to go home and tell dad. When he finds out, he’ll buy us one.” He took off like a shot.

  Cal decided this was a good time to break things up. Sergei needed to run. “See you guys later.”

  Cal headed for the forest a couple of blocks away. Sergei stayed right with him. They played hard before returning to the house. Cal kept him on leash while he carried everything inside, and once he’d emptied the truck, he closed the door and let Sergei loose to investigate his new surroundings.

  By dinnertime, the dog knew every inch of the house and where to find his food and water in the kitchen. Until Sergei was a little older, Cal would crate him at night.

  Before he fixed a meal for himself, he gave the dog a beastie toy to play with. Inside the fleece pouch was a piece of real bear fur, and Sergei got all excited by the scent. They played tug-of-war in the L-shaped living room until Cal got hungry.

  He rested the toy on the drop-leaf table propped against the wall in the kitchen, but that was a mistake. Sergei jumped right up on top to get it. Cal ordered him down and walked him to his crate in the tiny third bedroom. Obedience lesson number one.

  After downing three sandwiches and a quart of milk, Cal went into his office to look at the usual bunch of reports emailed by the other rangers. After a while, he decided Sergei had been in the crate long enough and went to the other room to let him out.

  The dog lay beside him, his head resting on his front paws, while Cal took care of the remainder of the day’s business. When he’d finished his work, he praised Sergei and gave him a doggie treat from his pocket. “You know what? It’s just you and me from now on. I’m going to train you to sniff out deer poachers, too. You’ll be a multitasking miracle.” Sergei wagged his tail at Cal’s words. “Come on. Let’s take another walk.”

  Chapter Three

  “Mom? I’m glad you were able to answer right away.”

  “I’ve been waiting for your call, honey. So…did my daughter knock the ball out of the park yesterday? No pun intended.”

  Alex chuckled. “Ranger Davis, the receptionist, didn’t recognize me. That alone got me to first base. Once I was sent back to Ranger Thompson’s office, he pretended not to notice that my whole appearance had changed. He was very polite and treated me with the utmost courtesy before he questioned the nature of my work experience. At that point I directed him to the proposal he hadn’t read yet.”

  “And?”

  “He told me to be at his office at nine this morning to talk to someone else. As I shut the door, he was still sitting there looking stupefied.”

  “Marvelous! Where are you now?”

  “Almost at headquarters. If things don’t turn out, I’ve decided to go to work full-time for Hearth and Home.”

  “I know. Your father told me.”

  “Now that Dad’s retired, he’d like to have you around more.”

  “You mean after he’s worked all day on his book? Honey…you don’t have to worry about your dad and me. We’re figuring things out as we go.”

  “So am I. The work at Hearth and Home is what I know and do best.”

  “Dare I say that if your proposal is turned down, I’m delighted at the prospect of my daughter spending more time on a project that, except for my own family, has been closest to my heart?”

  “I know. I love the Zuni families, too. If by any chance this proposal is turned down, I’m going to send applications to some of the other parks like the Tetons or Yellowstone. Now that the tribal council has given their permission, I’d be horrified if I had to tell them my idea was rejected.”

  “It doesn’t sound like you failed to me, otherwise you wouldn’t have been asked to show up this morning.”

  Alex bit her lip. “You’re right. I love you for supporting me in this, Mom. Whatever happens, I’ll be in touch later today,” she added before hanging up.

  Ten minutes later she entered headquarters, but this time she didn’t need to ask Ranger Davis for help and walked straight back to Ranger Thompson’s office, where she discovered his assistant.

  “Hi!” The woman greeted her with a smile. “You must be Alex Harcourt. I’m Diane Lewis.”

  Alex liked the charming African-American right off. “Nice to meet you.” The two women shook hands.

  “Ranger Thompson has arranged for you to meet with Chief Rossiter. I have to tell you I was impressed with your proposal. If you want my opinion, it was brilliant.”

  Alex couldn’t have been more pleased. “Thank you.”

  “If you’ll go back out and take the other hallway, it’s the second door on your left.”

  She knew where it was. “I’ll find it.” As she made her way to his office, Alex had to tamp down her excitement.

  The minute Vance’s secretary, Beth, saw her, she said, “I like your new hairdo, Alex.”

  “Thanks. If I’d known how light it would make me feel, I would have had it cut a lot sooner.”

  Beth laughed. “The Chief has someone in with him, but he’ll be free in a minute. Would you like coffee?”

  “No, thanks. I had some on my way here.”

  “Forgive me for staring, but the change in you is lovely…and dramatic.”

  “When Ranger Davis saw me yesterday, she thought I was the elder Harcourt daughter.”

  “So did I for a second, but I didn’t know until just now that you had a sister.”

  “I don’t. But I do have two blond brothers who look more like my dad than I do.” She’d had another brother, too, but he’d died.

  “In other words you take after your mom. She must be a beauty.”

  “Thanks for the compliment. She’s definitely that. My dad was smitten the first time he saw her ride in a rodeo.”

  “Do you ride, too?”

  Alex didn’t have time to answer because the inner door opened and a powerfully built, uniformed ranger entered her line of vision. He had a dog with him. Alex stood up to make room for them to pass, but it was the wrong thing to do and startled the animal.

  “Sorry,” she said and backed herself against the chair. When she looked up, her world suddenly spun away. Cal—

  “Ms. Harcourt,” he said quietly.

  It had been a year ago March since she’d last seen him. Now it was the end of May. The sight of those familiar blue eyes and dark blond hair caught her lungs in a vise so tight she couldn’t breathe. The last time she’d looked into them they’d blazed with heat.

  This morning she saw no fire in them. Instead they had a guarded quality. He looked stunned to see her and was studying her as if she were some kind of Yosemite petroglyph he’d unexpectedly come across and was determined to identify.

  With one encompassing sweep, he took in her appearance. She was wearing the same outfit she’d put on yesterday for the interview. She knew that nothing about her was the way he remembered, and it seemed to frustrate him.

  He frowned as if his eyes were playing tricks on him, and Alex felt a rush of satisfaction that her transformation had rocked him.

  Looking down, she noticed the black dog with white feet and chest rubbing up against Cal’s leg. Alex loved dogs, especially Charlie, their family’s border collie, who’d died of old age recently.

  “Well, look at you…” She leaned ove
r to pet the dog. “With those pointy ears, you’re a darling.” He licked her lips, making her laugh. “Ooh, that was a nice kiss.” At first she couldn’t identify the breed, then memory and recognition kicked in. Alex lifted her head. “You finally got yourself a Karelian Bear Dog! That’s what he is, right?”

  Cal nodded with seeming reluctance. “You have an excellent memory.” He’d spoken in a quiet voice just now, but she remembered other times when it had been deep and vibrant while he gave lectures to the tourists. She would never forget its husky tone when he’d cried her name in protest before kissing her.

  “Only because you used to talk about owning one someday.”

  “Sorry he got frisky just now. I’m still training him.”

  “That’s all right.” She rubbed his head again. “He kind of looks like a husky. What’s his name? I feel like I should call him Nanook or something.”

  “It’s Sergei.”

  His dog stared up at her with adoring eyes. “The Russian name suits him. Considering the semimonastic life you lead, Sergei ought to be a wonderful companion. He seems devoted already. I’m happy for the two of you and sorry for all those bears he’s going to harass. Now if you’ll excuse me, Chief Rossiter is waiting for me. Have a great day, Ranger Hollis.”

  Always before she’d called him Cal, without his permission of course. But not today, not in front of Beth. Judging by his frozen, rugged countenance, probably never again. He really wasn’t happy to see her. What more proof did she need to stay out of his way?

  Intent on her destination, Alex walked inside the chief ranger’s office. The breath didn’t leave her lungs until she’d closed the door behind her. Alex was proud of herself. She’d behaved like a woman in charge of her world and happy about it. In fact she’d played it just right.

  For the first time she’d walked away from him!

  She’d showed confidence, not arrogance.

  She’d been indifferent with a smile.

  Having learned a brutal lesson at his hands a year ago, she’d been ten steps ahead of him today.