Under an Alaskan Sky

by Jennifer Snow

  “No. These trails aren’t great for hiking.”

  “How on earth did Montana even discover the jump site out this far?” he asked.

  “Cassie said she’d seen it on a heli-skiing trip with her father years ago,” Tank said. How she’d remembered the site for so long was a mystery. Clearly it had left an impression on her back then.

  Tank pushed through an uncleared section of the forest, holding back the large tree branches for the rest of the crew to make it through to the clearing on the other side.

  Diva walked through first, barking once she’d reached the other side to announce everything was safe ahead.

  And the search for Montana began.

  * * *

  “THEY’VE BEEN OUT there for a long time,” Kaia said, her attention obviously not on the new Disney movie that Cassie hadn’t been paying attention to either. “Has Dad checked in yet?”

  The crew had only been out for eight hours but it felt like days. It was after three a.m., but Kaia had insisted she couldn’t sleep. Their mutual worry had eased any lingering tension between her and the little girl. “Um...not since just before midnight.” When Reed had reported in to the station that movement inland was slow because of the weather that had hit. Heavy rain and thunder in the distance. “But you know how cell service is.”

  Kaia bit her fingernails—something she only did when she was nervous. “I wish I hadn’t been so mad at him. I’ve barely even talked to him in three days.”

  Cassie knew the feeling. She hated that their last real conversation was an argument and she desperately wanted to tell him that she’d been wrong to push him for more than he could give, wanted to give. She couldn’t wait for him to be back. Safe. “Don’t worry. You two will have plenty of time to talk as soon as he gets back. And he knows you love him,” Cassie said, wishing she’d said those words to him before letting him go, as well. It hadn’t felt like the right time...but now...

  “Yeah, I know... Can you call the station for another update?”

  It was the same every rescue. Kaia was always as nervous as she was, if not more so, but this one had Cassie more on edge too. So far, she’d dodged having to tell Kaia that they were out looking for her mother, but not telling her was taking its toll. Knowing both of the little girl’s parents were out there was driving Cassie to the brink of insanity. “Sure... I’ll call and check in,” she said.

  Dialing the station, she listened to three rings, then Riley’s stressed sounding voice. She knew before asking that there wasn’t an update. Not a good one anyway. “Hey, it’s Cass...just checking in.”

  “Sorry, Cass. Still no news. Reed radioed in about three hours ago, but I haven’t been able to make contact with him since.”

  Right. That was their last update. “Okay...thank you. Let us know...”

  “You’ll be my first call,” Riley said, disconnecting.

  Rescues were hard on the crew member back at the station, as well. They were waiting for good news and having to field the update calls to the family and friends. All the positions on the search and rescue crew were challenging and she admired everyone who put their lives at risk.

  It worried the hell out of her that too many of them were her close family and friends...and the man she was in love with. She should have told Tank she loved him before he’d left. What if...

  No. She wouldn’t go there. There would be plenty of time to tell him how she felt once they were all back safe and sound.

  “No news?” Kaia asked. She’d paused the movie and had been listening intently.

  “Not since the last update. But everything was okay then, so I’m sure things are fine.”

  “We’re hitting critical time...”

  It sometimes sucked having the little girl know so much about the search and rescue procedures.

  “Hey, don’t worry. Reed’s leading the crew and you know he won’t sacrifice everyone’s safety.” Cassie paused. In this case, putting the crew’s safety first and turning back would mean abandoning the search. Abandoning Montana.

  “Is it okay if I try calling my mom? I know it’s really late, but I think she should know that Dad’s out there.”

  Damn it. It was unfair to keep this up. The little girl deserved to know... “Kaia, there’s something I need to tell you.” She sat on the couch and turned to face her.

  “What’s wrong? Is Dad okay?”

  “I’m sure he is, sweetheart. The thing is...” She paused for a deep breath. “The crew is out looking for your mom.”

  Tears and fear filled the little girl’s eyes and Cassie swallowed a lump in her throat. “My mom is lost out there?” she whispered.

  Cassie nodded. “We think she may have been headed up to the jump site yesterday...”

  Kaia got up from the couch. “Yesterday?”

  “We don’t need to worry yet. We both know your mom wouldn’t have ventured out there unprepared.” If she was fully aware of what she was doing. How much did Cassie tell Kaia? For now, just what she needed to know.

  “What if she’s hurt?”

  “The search and rescue team will find her. I’m sure she just got turned around... The trails up there are a little confusing...”

  Not helping. Kaia paced in front of the television. “This can’t be happening. I just got her back in my life... I can’t lose her again.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks now.

  Cassie stood and hugged her tight. “Hey, you’re not going to lose her. She’s going to be fine. They will find her.”

  Kaia wasn’t relieved. “But you said yourself, Reed will do what’s best for the crew. If things get too dangerous, he will turn back and leave my mom out there.”

  There was no right thing to say. Her brother’s priority was the crew. If they didn’t find Montana in the next few hours, they would head back, get the crew rested and head out again in the morning with volunteers... But the objective of the next mission was a little different and the outcome not so promising.

  “Cassie, you have to tell them not to leave my mom out there.” The little girl was practically hysterical and Cassie hugged her tighter as tears fell down her own cheeks. “Please, Cassie, please...”

  Sitting on the floor, Cassie pulled the little girl into her arms as she leaned back against the living room wall. She said the only thing she knew to be true. “Don’t worry. Your dad won’t give up until he finds your mom and brings her back.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  HEAVY, UNRELENTING RAIN had the ground slippery beneath their boots as they trudged along the path. Mud and slick tree branches cluttered the trails along the mountains. Wind had picked up out of the northwest, piercing through their wet clothing. Searching familiar territory posed its own risks. This more remote area of the mountain was somewhere none of them, besides Cassie, had really ventured into before.

  Most tourists stuck to the familiar trails and even the more adventurous locals, familiar with the outback, rarely hiked these woods. Why Montana had ventured out here alone was a mystery. And especially without letting anyone know her plans.

  “Ten more minutes in this direction, then I suggest heading east along the Chugach Mountain range. There hasn’t been any trace of her having gone this way and we have no idea what to expect further up,” Reed said next to him.

  Normally Tank didn’t question the lead rescue’s advice. Reed’s gut instinct in most cases was always spot on. But he knew Montana and where she’d been heading. She may have gotten turned around—however unlikely—but she wouldn’t have taken the east trails back toward town.

  No, she’d stubbornly keep moving up the mountain.

  What if she had made it? What if she’d made the jump?

  They had to keep going until they reached the peak.

  “I think we need to move further north. According to Cassie’s map, the jump site was at the top of that ridge.
..” He pointed to the north in the distance. “Montana would have continued to head there.”

  “Even if she was lost?” Reed wasn’t convinced.

  “Especially if she was lost. She’d use the jump site as a landmark, something familiar, and keep moving toward it, knowing we’d look for her along the trail headed there.”

  Reed looked uneasy as he surveyed the rest of the wet, exhausted and worn-out crew. “Tank, we both know these trails in these conditions put us all at risk...” His gaze fell to Diva, her fur dripping with rain and mud as she sat obediently near Tank’s feet. “And Diva must be struggling to find the scent. She’s taken us in a circle twice now.”

  The dog wasn’t certified yet. She wasn’t ready for this. But having her with him did provide some comfort and he believed if they continued to move higher and Diva could catch the scent, away from the heavy, dense forest, she might be able to put them on the right path.

  It was really their only hope.

  “Look, I know the crew’s safety is your main concern, and I understand that, but we can’t just head back toward town. We are reaching forty-eight hours missing... Montana could be in danger.” Two days out there would be challenging for anyone, especially in this current weather. He hoped she’d had enough sense to bring food and water... The medication Cassie had mentioned seeing in her purse—had she brought that along? Had she taken it?

  “I’m just suggesting we take the safer trails, at least until this torrential downpour stops,” Reed said, glancing at Tyler and Tiffany struggling to get traction on the side of the steep mountain. Two steps forward, then they’d slide backward several feet. They weren’t getting anywhere fast.

  But retreating would be worse. “If Erika or Cassie were lost out here, would you be suggesting that?” he asked Reed.

  Reed shifted uncomfortably. “Look, I get it. We will go a little further, but if Diva can’t pick up a scent, anything at all to let us know we are headed in the right direction, we need to reconsider things.”

  Tank nodded, but he knew he wouldn’t be turning back. Reed had to look out for the safety of the crew. He understood that. And the crew included Diva. Soon, they could all start heading down the safer trails... and he would continue on. There was no way he could return to town without Montana safe and sound and look his daughter in the face again. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her.

  Slick terrain grew more challenging to climb the higher they went. Every step forward made little progress as their boots slipped and the footing shifted.

  “This has to be the worst hiking conditions I’ve ever attempted,” Tyler said after another twenty minutes. “Extreme athletes or not, is Montana serious about these BASE jumpers being so hard-core that they’d tackle this hike for a thirty-second adrenaline rush?”

  Tank nodded. “These guys are nuts. Hence the passion for free-falling from a cliff,” he muttered.

  “Crazy, man...”

  Reed stopped the group a few minutes later as they finally reached a small level clearing, still about five hundred feet from the peak. He gestured for everyone to gather around. The wind and rain in the clearing were even worse without the shelter of tree branches and overhang, so he had to yell to be heard. “Unfortunately, I think we’ve gone as far as we can safely go...” He glanced at Tank, and Tank avoided his friend’s eyes. “I suggest going back for the drones. Had I known this area was this challenging, I would have brought them along. I think they might be our best hope.”

  Only hope.

  Everyone looked defeated as they agreed with Reed.

  They could all turn back. And they should. But Tank couldn’t. His buddy understood that. And he understood the choice Reed was making. No hard feelings. But he was out there until Montana was found.

  “Sorry, Tank,” Tiffany said, patting him on the shoulder. She looked pained at the outcome of their attempts, but relieved that they were planning to move into safer zones.

  “Montana may have realized the same thing we have and headed down there herself,” Wade said, repeating Reed’s sentiments from before. “She could have gotten turned around on the east trails headed back toward town.”

  Unfortunately, Tank knew his ex too well. He handed Diva’s leash to Reed. “I’m going to keep looking.”

  Reed didn’t try to talk him out of it. He simply nodded.

  Diva’s sad, low-toned whine reflected Tank’s feelings perfectly. He bent to pet the dog. “You did good. Real good. But it’s time to head home.”

  “We will be back at sunlight with the drones and more volunteers,” Reed said.

  Sunlight. About four hours from now. He was on his own until then. Tank stood and watched as the crew carefully headed down the slope.

  But the dog refused to budge as Reed attempted to head down after them. “Come on, Diva. Let’s go see Cass.”

  The dog was unmovable. Her butt glued to the ground, she refused to leave Tank’s side. She turned her head from side to side, sniffing the air.

  “Go on! Follow Reed,” Tank commanded in a gruff voice. Or at least as commanding as he could manage when emotions had him choking. Diva was such a great dog, and someday she might be an amazing search and rescue member, but he’d barely given her the chance needed to succeed. He’d been unfair to her. “Diva! Go!”

  She continued sniffing the air. Then she stood up. Alert. Three sharp barks before pulling Reed slightly west of where they’d been searching. “She’s got something,” Reed said. He handed the leash back to Tank. “I’ll let the others know we are moving west.”

  Tank nodded his gratitude at his friend. Thank God he’d have their assistance a little longer. “Whatta you got, girl?” he asked Diva as he unleashed her and followed her toward an overgrown path to the west of the mountain. Wet slabs of evergreen branches and moss covered the ground as they moved further into the bush. Slow, calculated, careful steps.

  Diva stopped and sniffed some more. Tank held Montana’s pillowcase close to her nose, letting her confirm the scent she was following.

  Three sharp barks, then she was moving again. All business. Serious. Dedicated.

  Tank heard the cracking of tree branches ahead on the trail before he glimpsed Montana, but seconds later, she turned and saw them there. Diva hurried toward her target, Tank close behind her.

  Montana was weak, wet and cold. No backpack and just a thin spring jacket that was now soaked all the way through. She was disoriented as she stumbled along the path toward them. He heard Reed call in to the station as he moved closer. “Montana...it’s okay. We’re here to help you.”

  Wild-eyed, she looked panicked, scared...lost. Never had he seen her look this way. Her hair was soaked and matted to her face. Makeup stained her cheeks and her yoga pants were dirty and torn. She frowned, recognizing him. “Tank?” Her voice was hoarse—either from lack of fluids or from calling for help...either was gut-wrenching.

  “Yes, I’m here. We’re going to take you back to town. Get you warmed up, food and water... You’re okay now,” he said. Thank God they’d found her. His own relief had his exhaustion setting in...but they still needed to hike back out on these uncertain trails.

  Diva sat at his feet, waiting. Obviously sensing her job wasn’t over.

  “I got turned around, that’s all,” Montana said, looking worried. “I swear I was headed in the right direction...” Her voice trailed off.

  “Happens to the best of us,” Tank said, checking her for signs of injury.

  Reed moved closer with a heated blanket that wouldn’t stay dry and warm long, but would at least offer some instant comfort to Montana. He opened a canteen of hot water and helped her drink from it.

  Immediately, Montana looked less frightened, seeing everyone around her. “I’m okay?”

  Tank nodded. “Yes. You’re okay. But we need to hike back out. Are you hurt?”

 
“No,” she said. “I can make it.” She drank more of the water and accepted a granola bar from Reed with a shaky hand.

  “Okay, slowly, we move out along the east trails,” Reed said to the crew. Then to Tank, he said, “Let’s get her home.”

  Tank supported Montana’s one arm, and Tiffany supported the other as they started the hike back out of the bush.

  Diva, the world’s best search and rescue dog, was never more than a pace ahead of Montana, providing comfort and security on her first successful rescue.

  * * *

  CASSIE HAD BARELY parked the truck when Kaia had her seat belt off and the passenger side door opened. The search and rescue vehicles were parked in the hospital emergency lane already, so she said, “Go on ahead. Be careful.”

  Kaia ran toward the hospital and Cassie moved at a sprint right behind her seconds later.

  Inside, Reed and Tank stood at the triage desk, filling out paperwork and answering the questions posed by the nurses. When Reed saw them enter, he turned to Tank and said, “Go ahead, I’ll finish taking care of this.”

  Tank patted him on the back. Then he and Diva approached them. They were both caked in mud. Rain had Tank’s clothes and Diva’s fur soaked and dripping. They both looked exhausted, but they were safe. Montana was safe.

  Kaia rushed to hug Tank and normally Cassie would have held back, giving the father and daughter some space, but that morning she was more relieved than ever to see him, so she rushed into the three-way hug. Once they’d gotten the update that Montana had been located around four thirty a.m., she and Kaia had tried to sleep, knowing the crew were hiking back toward town. But neither of them had been successful in catching even a few minutes rest. Now, at eight thirty, they’d caught a second wind.

  “We were so worried,” Kaia said.

  “It’s all okay now, sweetheart,” Tank said, hugging them both in one arm.

  Diva whined at their feet, wanting her own attention and affection.

  Cassie bent to pet her. “Hi, girl... We were worried about you too.”