The Bachelor Ranger

by Rebecca Winters

  “Oh, how wonderful! Roberta must be overjoyed.”

  “Not to mention her parents.” Annie smiled. “It’s another miracle. Chase was told the injuries that caused his amnesia would make it virtually impossible for him to get a woman pregnant, but once again we’ve defied the odds.”

  With eyes brimming over, Alex gave her a congratulatory hug.

  “Just remember something, Alex. Cal didn’t have to take you to his house today in front of everyone. We both know what an extremely private man he is. So now that he’s finally ready to talk, maybe you should listen. If nothing comes of it, then at least you will have done everything you could. That’s when you’ll start to heal.”

  “Come and get it!” Roberta called to them from the porch.

  “We’re coming, darling!”

  “Thanks for the talk, Annie. I’ll think about what you said.”

  They walked up the steps. “This lemonade is delicious with mint,” Alex said after she’d taken a sip from the glass Roberta handed her.

  “Thanks. My nana taught me to put some in.”

  “I just heard you’re going to be getting a little brother or sister one of these days.”

  The twelve-year-old beamed.

  “Have you picked out names yet?”

  “If it’s a girl we’re going to call her Maggie.”

  “I love it. And if it’s a boy?”

  “They’re going to call him Yosemite Sam,” Nicky declared.

  Both Annie and Alex laughed till they cried. It gave Alex a much-needed release from her tumultuous emotions. When she’d left Cal’s house, she wouldn’t have thought she could find anything funny.

  Chapter Ten

  After a fitful sleep, Cal awakened at two in the morning, knowing he’d never get any more rest. There wasn’t anything he could do about Alex right now, but he could do some investigating on his own.

  He fixed a breakfast of eggs and bacon, swallowed two cups of hot coffee and took off for Tenaya Lake with Sergei. If he got there before sunrise, he’d be able to hike to the area where Ralph Thorn had supposedly lost his cell phone. The outside chance he might uncover a piece of evidence while he looked around was worth the search.

  So far none of the rangers had come across anything, but their workload was stretched. To do a thorough investigation took a lot of time. Since he couldn’t be with Alex, it was the kind of work he would relish tonight.

  By four-thirty, he and Sergei had reached the lodge-pole pines. The sky had started to get that pinkish pre-light color that made Tenaya Lake arguably one of the most gorgeous places in the park.

  He walked it in a grid, covering section after section. Sergei stayed with him, sniffing everything imaginable. When Cal suddenly heard a howl, he thought it had to be a coyote watching them from close by, but it was his dog. Sergei yanked on the leash, trying to reach something he could smell.

  “You’ve scented bears, huh, buddy? Let’s go!” Cal ran up the mountain, trying to keep pace with Sergei, who was barking his head off. Another few feet and he came to a place in the forest where pine boughs covered part of the ground in unnatural fashion. His dog burrowed right into them.

  Pulling out his flashlight, Cal shone it around. No sign of a bear. Then he hunkered down to remove one of the boughs. Beneath it were two large camouflage bags. “Well, what do we have here?” While the dog continued to bark, Cal undid the opening on the first one and discovered canisters of bear spray.

  When he saw the contents of the second bag, he drew out his phone and called Chase. “Sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but Sergei just sniffed out something that’s going to speed up the investigation.”

  “Where are you?”

  Cal gave him the coordinates. “I don’t want to touch anything in case fingerprints can be lifted, but there’s bear spray, a dozen chisels, hacksaws, pliers—all the tools of the bear mutilation trade. Several of the hunting knives still have blood on them. This is obviously one of the drop-off places where they stash everything. It took several trips for them to pack in this stuff. Without my dog, I would never have found it.”

  “I’m on it, Cal. Fantastic work. Stay put. I’ll be there with Nate’s team of investigators shortly.”

  When he hung up, Cal hugged his dog. “Good job, Sergei. Good boy.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out some doggie treats for him. “You’re a keeper, you know that?” While he waited, he phoned Lonan, who now knew about the mutilated bears. Cal told him what he’d just found.

  “I have to follow up on this now. Will you do me a favor and watch out for Mika and Lusio when they get back from the Meadows today? I haven’t called Alex yet, but I’d like to take her back to the Hetch Hetchy with me so she can show me where Ralph went during the hike. We might not get back in time for her to eat dinner at the ski lodge with your group.”

  “No problem, Cal. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “You’re a good man, Lonan. I’ll be in touch.”

  Before long a helicopter arrived bringing Vance, as well. Once the area had been thoroughly gone over, everyone rushed to tell Sergei he was a good dog and give him a vigorous rubdown, the kind he loved.

  The Chief looked especially pleased. “We may not have caught the criminals yet, but we’ve got the weapons. You know what this means? Telford’s going to find a way to fund more dogs for us.”

  That was outstanding news, but right now Cal’s mind was on Alex. “Vance? If it’s all right with you, I’m going to head over to the Hetch Hetchy with Alex so she can show me where she went with her group. Lonan will be in charge of the boys until she returns. Maybe there’s another stash of tools hiding somewhere, or more bear carcasses. If so, Sergei will find them.”

  While they were hiking, Alex would have no choice but to hear him out. She had to listen to him. Their happiness depended on it.

  “Go ahead, Cal, but be careful. With criminals this brazen, there’s no telling what they’ll do if they feel cornered.”

  “I’m way ahead of you, Vance.”

  He hurried back to his truck. Once Sergei climbed in, he took off and phoned Alex. By now she ought to be up. She answered on the third ring. “Hello?”

  “It’s Cal.”

  There was a prolonged silence before she said, “Is something wrong?”

  She had a habit of worrying. He doubted she’d ever break it. “No. I’m calling because I could use your help. This is official business. Just so you know, you don’t have to do this. It’s not an order.”

  Silence.

  “Alex?” he prodded.

  “I—I didn’t behave well yesterday. I’m sorry.”

  His heart started to hammer. “No apology necessary. I’m the one who came on like gangbusters, as my grandfather used to say.” She laughed. The sound was even more encouraging. “I’m taking Sergei to do some fieldwork at the Hetch Hetchy this morning. If you came with us, you could show me where your group hiked. I just want to take a look around.”

  “What about the boys?”

  “I’ve already spoken to Lonan. He’ll be in charge until we get back.”

  “I see. So you’re planning to come by for me? I don’t know if that’s a good idea in case Ralph sees you.”

  “Alex—I’m not in the Valley. I’ll meet you at the Evergreen Lodge. We’ll eat before we head out. Bring your backpack and water.”

  “But Lonan has to drive the minibus today.”

  “Ask him to run you by headquarters now. Beth’s there and will give you my house key. There’s a duplicate car key in the left drawer in the kitchen so you can drive my Xterra. You’ve done it before. It’s filled with gas.”

  “All right. I’ll see you there. Where are you now?”

  “I just left Tenaya Lake. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  He hung up before she could change her mind. En route to the other side of the park he phoned Jeff to fill him in. The news about the find was good, but it was a miracle Alex had agreed to meet him. He couldn
’t think beyond that.

  AFTER LEAVING THE O’Shaughnessy Dam, the wildflowers on the hike to the base of Wapama Falls robbed Alex of words. The twelve-hundred-foot drop of water made a spectacular sight.

  What an irony to be alone with Cal like this. Once it had been her dream. Now that she’d finally gotten her wish, it hit her as never before there was nothing worse than broken dreams.

  But she’d decided to take Annie’s advice. If he’d asked her along so he could finish explaining what he’d been trying to tell her yesterday, she wouldn’t shut him down. But she couldn’t imagine it making any difference. Her days at the park were numbered, and she wouldn’t be back.

  Over lunch he’d told her what Sergei had found at Tenaya Lake. Maybe Ralph and Steve had something to do with the stash of tools, maybe not. Whatever the answer, this was a straightforward case of criminal poaching in a federal park. She was anxious to do her part to help Cal find the criminals responsible.

  Little by little they canvassed the area where Ralph and his group had broken off to climb around on their own for an hour.

  “We’ve been going hard,” Cal said. “Let’s stop for a little while.”

  He reached inside his backpack for water for both of them. She found a log and sat down to drink hers. In a minute he straddled the end of it.

  Alex looked all around. “This place feels enchanted. Did you ever see an old film called The Enchanted Forest?”

  He was studying her features. “No, but I’ve heard some of the older tourists talk about it.”

  “Mom loves films of the ’40’s. I’ve watched a lot of them with her. This little boy gets lost and a kind old hermit who made his home in a redwood tree takes care of him until his parents come for him. It really captured my imagination. I used to think how exciting it would be to live in a tree like that.”

  Alex smiled at the memory.

  “When Dad first brought me to the park, we went to see the Giant Sequoias because he knew what it would mean to me. That’s when I fell in love with Yosemite. I had my own enchanted forest and my own hermit in Chief Sam Dick.”

  “Did you tell him that story?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did he say to you?”

  “He just looked at me for a long time and smiled. You know the way he does with those eyes of his that seem to see things no one else sees.”

  “I’m sure you enchanted him. He might not have said it, but you’re easy to look at.”

  Alex laughed at the absurdity of the remark and shook her head.

  Cal didn’t join in. “He’s a man. When you first showed up at the park years ago, every ranger had a comment about Senator Harcourt’s gorgeous college-aged daughter. Some things they said would make you blush. How many rangers made a play for you, Alex?”

  At the direction of his conversation, her pulse sped up. “You really want to know?” She took another drink of water from her bottle.

  “That many,” he muttered with a dash of sarcasm when she avoided a reply.

  “None of it matters because only one ranger ever caught my attention. He looked, but that was all he did.”

  The enigmatic male seated near her frowned. “You know why.”

  Alex poured the last little trickle of water over Sergei’s nose and watched him lick it. “You had every right to your reasons. Unfortunately I ignored them year after year. Let’s change the subject, shall we?”

  “Let’s not.” He threw his leg back over the log and stood up. “After what Helen did to my brother, I was scared. Because Jack and I were so much alike, I figured it was just a matter of time before I met a woman who would get a stranglehold on me. Once I’d started work in Idaho, I had relationships with women when I was in the mood. I just made certain the ones I chose could be enjoyed for the moment. Safe.”

  Alex cast him a frank glance. “You mean forgettable.”

  “For want of a better word, yes. After I became a ranger, I was assigned to work at Rocky National Park, where I met Leeann. She was my age and loved being a ranger. We had good times together. If I hadn’t been transferred so soon, we probably would have married and still be there.”

  “Why didn’t you make it work anyway?”

  “She wanted to, but I wasn’t ready yet. I needed to get a career going first. We stayed in touch, but I was much too taken with Yosemite to have marriage on my mind. Then I met you.”

  His eyes bored into hers. “Vance saw my reaction to you and said, ‘Alex Harcourt is like one of Yosemite’s wonders, but she’s the senator’s pride and joy. The Park needs him on our side, so enjoy the sight, but poach at your peril and mine.’”

  Her breath caught. “He actually said that?”

  “As God is my witness. It shocked me that I could be that attracted to someone so much younger. You know the rest. I believed all the reasons why I shouldn’t be interested in you. Eventually Leeann got transferred to Yosemite and we took up where we left off.”

  “By now you were ready for marriage.”

  He nodded. “I loved her in my own way and the timing was right, but a long life together wasn’t in our future to be. I meant it when I said I’d like us to start over. I never gave us a chance before. Will you at least consider it before you toss something away that could be vital for both of us?”

  WITH HIS QUESTION HANGING in the air, Cal gathered the empty water bottles and put them in his backpack before they started hiking back down to the parking area. Even if she couldn’t answer him yet, this day wasn’t over, not by a long shot.

  Alex moved like the wind, and the dog was only too happy to track her. The ground they’d taken several hours to crisscross was covered in half the time going back. She’d passed the dam and was headed for the campground where they’d parked their vehicles. Cal tightened his grip on the leash and started running in order to catch up to her before she reached his car.

  Sergei started barking. Cal thought it was because his dog was excited about getting close to Alex. Everything was a game to him. But when he drew closer, he heard bloodcurdling screams. Soon he came across the kind of frozen tableau of terrified campers he’d visualized from the moment he’d decided to get a bear dog.

  He counted twenty tourists. All of them had fled the two picnic tables. On the top of one, a good-sized black bear sat chowing down noisily on the food the campers hadn’t eaten. Cal’s gaze flew to Alex, who was over by his Xterra, within two feet of another mature black bear.

  His heart did a triple jump. All it would take was one great swat of his claws for the bear to knock her down and start gnawing on her, but for the moment the animal stood on his hind legs looking into the car. He made grunting sounds while he searched for more food. Thank heaven Alex knew what to do and didn’t move a muscle.

  When the bears ran out of food, Cal knew what could happen, but he didn’t have to worry. Sergei was tugging on the leash in a fury and trying to reach the bear at the car. He made bone-chilling sounds worse than any coyote, the kind that could damage an eardrum.

  He sounded so ferocious, the bear finally got back down on all fours and ran off into the trees. Now that Sergei was in bear-attack mode, Cal was overjoyed to watch him do what he’d been born to do. The hours he’d spent training him had paid off. His dog turned to the picnic table to charge the other bear and harass him.

  Everyone stood on the perimeter and watched in fear and fascination as the bear stopped eating, recognizing the barking menace wasn’t about to go away. With reluctance, he finally gave up and got down. Sergei let out another volley of savage inhuman sounds, causing the bear to drop the hot dogs in his paws before he turned to follow his cohort into the forest with a roar.

  The sight thrilled Cal to the core.

  Sergei tried to follow and yanked at the leash, but Cal held him back and got down on his haunches. “Good boy, Sergei! Good job!” He threw his arm around Sergei’s neck and gave him some doggie treats. “That’s the way to do it, buddy. That’s the idea.”

  Suddenly
Alex was there at his other side, hugging the dog for all she was worth and kissing his head. “You saved the day, Sergei.” The happiness in her voice rang in the air. “Good dog. You’re wonderful! I love you!”

  As she lifted tear-filled eyes to Cal, they both heard clapping, but he was hardly aware of the crowd converging around them. The awed look in the green depths of her eyes coupled with her outpouring of words—even if she was caught up in the emotion of the moment—filled him with an elation he’d never known before.

  The comments from the campers seemed never ending— “We can never thank you enough,” being the most repeated. While he and Sergei became the center of attention and posed for pictures, Alex made her getaway as Cal knew she would. He didn’t mind now. After he’d had a talk with the tourists and reassured them the bears wouldn’t be back, he planned to head for Yosemite Valley to find her.

  DURING THE DRIVE BACK, Alex’s legs felt weak as water. Though she’d been coming to the park for years, she’d never been that close to a hungry bear before. Cal had taught her what she should do in case of an incident, but she’d never had to act on his instructions.

  What if he hadn’t followed her down? What if Sergei hadn’t been with them? Like everyone at the picnic tables, she’d been taken by complete surprise when the bears showed up out of the blue. She was shaking so hard in reaction, she needed to talk to someone about it. Without conscious thought she reached for her cell and phoned Chief Rossiter.

  He answered on the fourth ring. “Alex? It’s good to hear your voice. What’s up, my favorite sleuth?” he teased.

  “Vance? I’m so glad you answered!”

  “Are you in trouble?”

  “No, no. Actually things couldn’t be better,” she said in a shaky voice. “You told me to report to you when I noted something good or bad happening around the park. Well, this afternoon I have something phenomenal to report. Since I know Cal will play it down like it was nothing, I wanted you to know that he and Sergei came to the rescue today in a huge way. I wouldn’t be surprised if the tourists involved don’t spread it around the park.”