Sex in the Sticks

  April just blinks at me repetitively, and I can tell she's not processing all of it. Finally she says, "Wow...I just heard you were drunk and dancing on the tables, and Darla was being an ass and you two got into a little tussle."

  "Oh," I say flatly, now wondering if April was going to run out of here and tell everyone more details.

  Still cuddling Sassy, April reaches out and pats me on the knee. "But all that other stuff...that's nobody else's business, and I sure as hell won't be saying anything to anyone about it."

  My shoulders sag with relief as I sigh, and I tell her with absolute genuine appreciation, "Thanks, April. That means a lot to me."

  April shrugs, clearly indicating it's not a big deal. "Besides, Darla had it coming to her. I hope you hit her good."

  Now I blink at April, because I didn't know she had that in her. She looks at me with big, hopeful eyes and I have to laugh, "Sadly, Logan pulled me back before I could really connect. I only grazed her."

  "Damn," April mutters as she strokes Sassy's head. "The longer Darla goes without landing her a husband, the bitchier she gets."

  "Is that really her main goal?" I ask, not really surprised, because I know plenty of women in New York whose only goal is to land a husband.

  "Well, she wants her husband to be hot," April amends. "Darla's always been the type who wants the best, so she goes for the best and the hottest in town."

  I wonder to myself if she's gone after Logan, because in my opinion, while I've seen a ton of really hot guys in East Merritt, none really hold a candle to him. But I don't ask that question, because the answer isn't relevant to me. Logan's not shown interest in me that way, and I'm sure after last night he never will.

  "Well, Darla can set her sights back on Monte Plume if she wants," I say offhandedly. "I have no intention of going out with him again."

  "I heard about the Grizzly Plate thing." April nods in commiseration.

  I lean back on my bed a bit, enjoying my talk with April. She's easy to get along with in that casual way, and now I find myself curious about her and why she chooses this life here in Alaska.

  "So what's your deal?" I ask her. "Got a sweetie?"

  April's cheeks turn a little pink but she shakes her head. "I've really not had time to date or anything. Especially since taking over the store."

  "But there is someone you're interested in," I push at her, knowing I'm reading her evasiveness and pink cheeks correctly.

  She shrugs and doesn't answer me, lowering her eyes shyly.

  "Come on," I cajole. "Tell me who he is."

  April looks up at me and gives a heavy sigh. "It's Jorgen Shasten. He moved here about three years ago and opened up a small fly shop over on Main Street. He runs some fishing excursions, but he mostly spends his time tying these beautiful flies."

  I'm lost. "Flies?"

  "Flies," she repeats, and then adds, "You know...fishing lures. Tie them on the end of your line and catch fish with them."

  "Oh," I say as if I understand, but I really had no clue such things existed.

  "But he's so quiet and withdrawn," April says with frustration. "He just loves to stay holed up in his shop, bent over his worktable creating his pieces. They're like little works of art."

  "Sounds like he has an artist's temperament," I say with a nod. "I've dated a few and they can be introverted and sometimes prickly. But maybe you just have to put yourself out there, you know. Catch his attention a little."

  Because damn, April...three years is a long time to be pining for someone.

  "Well, it's not like I can do anything about it," she says glumly. "I don't get to see him unless I run into him by chance around town. And besides that, I'm not sure I'm his type."

  "What does that mean?" I ask.

  "Oh, Val...he's just gorgeous. I mean everything about him is just perfection, and well...look at me. I don't think I measure up."

  I lean my head back a bit and I give April a critical once-over. When I first met her, she struck me as a pretty girl. She has really beautiful eyes the color of mahogany, and thick hair the same color. Granted, she doesn't wear makeup and she dresses in the type of clothing she sells, which frankly isn't the most flattering to her figure. And both times I've seen her, she's had her hair in a tightly wrapped bun at the back of her head.

  "Okay," I say gently, hoping I don't offend her. "I think you are a very pretty girl. I mean...you have amazing bone structure, and from what I can tell, your hair is gorgeous. But honestly, April...you kind of hide all of that, and it's probably why Jorgen's never taken notice."

  April's eyebrows furrow inward. "Hide it?"

  "Well, yeah...let your hair down, accentuate your eyes. That brown color is to die for. Wear some clothing that fits your figure a bit better. You know...be a girl."

  "Be a girl?" she repeats.

  "I seriously am not trying to offend you, but if you give me the afternoon, I can totally make you shine. I guarantee you that Jorgen will notice."

  "You're going to do girlie things with me, aren't you?" she asks with a grin.

  "Totally girlie things," she says. "Which means we need a trip to the general store, which I know carries makeup, and then we need to raid your closet, and probably mine to come up with a few things. I've got to take Sassy on an afternoon walk, so let's head down that way and get some makeup and hair stuff first."

  "Okay," April says brightly as she stands up from the bed with Sassy. "Where's her leash?"

  "Um...well, I don't have one," I say as I walk over to the dresser and pull out a thin rope that Sarah had given me. "I've just been using this and it's worked fine."

  "Then let's get going," April says, and I love seeing that excitement in her eyes. This is going to be fun.

  We chatter all the way to the general store, which doesn't carry much in the way of makeup but enough to get April started. I also wanted to get a big barrel curling iron but they didn't have any, so I'll lend her mine.

  As we make our way back to Sarah's house, Sassy prancing happily ahead of us, I note that I'm getting a few strange looks from people. I'm guessing the gossip about last night has made the rounds, but according to April, tonight Shep Willis will do something stupid and I'll be off the hot seat.

  All of this flees my mind when Sassy suddenly starts barking when we reach Sarah's house. She pulls against the rope, lunging in the direction she had run that first day along the side of Sarah's house. I try to rein her in. "Sassy...stop it."

  She pulls so fiercely against the rope her barks come out choked and raspy, but whatever it is she thinks is back there, she wants at it badly.

  "Sassy," I say sternly. "Stop it."

  She merely twists her body so violently her head slithers right out of the loop Sarah had made at the end of the rope. I stare in horror as she bolts to the side of the house.

  I don't even spare a moment but take off running after her, bears be damned. I hear April hot on my trail. I don't see Sassy anywhere, including the backyard. I run to the edge, which is flanked with low-growing bushes and leads right into heavy woods that eventually slope up the mountain.

  "Sassy," I yell in that direction, my hands cupped around my mouth so the sound carries.

  I hear her yapping in the distance and I don't think she's too far away. I start to push my way into the brush but April's hand grabs me by the back of my shirt, practically choking me. I turn to look at her.

  "Do not go too far into those woods," she tells me sternly. "If you can't find her within twenty yards or so, turn around and come back."

  "But, I can't let her get away," I say desperately.

  "I'm going to go grab my GPS unit from my car, and I'll help you find her. But don't go too far in. Just a little ways and call her, see if you can get her to come back. I'll be right back."

  "Okay," I say with a frantic nod, and as April turns to run back to her car parked in front of Sarah's house, I push through the brush and start calling Sassy's name.

  I can hear her barking, a
nd she's up just ahead. Not far at all I think.

  I call for her over and over again, and she barks back at me. This encourages me and I keep pushing forward. The brush thins out a bit but the trees are so dense that little light is able to get through. I can still see well enough in all directions, but I make the mistake of turning around once to see if I can locate Sassy's barking, and I suddenly realize that everything looks the same. I don't see the low-lying brush that bordered the woods between Sarah's house. In fact, I can see nothing but trees as I seem to be in a small valley with the grounds sloping upward in two different directions. Sassy's frantic barking continues in the distance but I'm not sure exactly which way.

  Glancing down at my watch, my heart sinks to my stomach when I realize I've probably been walking for a good twenty minutes, well past the point that April warned me not to go past.

  "April," I call out as loud as I can, and then pause to listen.

  Nothing.

  I call out to her again, and still nothing.

  I also notice Sassy's barks are even farther away now, and I can't tell which direction they're coming from.

  Slight panic starts to set in, but at least I'm still calm enough to know that I need to try to find my way back to April if possible. We can mount a search party for Sassy later, but I know I cannot afford to get stuck out in these woods when the sun goes down. I'm only wearing a lightweight thermal T-shirt and that will in no way protect me when it drops down into the thirties or forties. I am at least grateful that I have on heavy-duty canvas pants and sturdy hiking boots, and that bolsters me somewhat.

  Turning around once more, I take my best guess as to the general direction I had come from and I make a command decision to head that way. I call out to April every minute or so, but I get nothing in return.

  The panic starts to increase.

  Chapter 10

  Logan

  I sweep my flashlight back and forth, and this thing is so powerful it picks up an amazing radius from the forest floor to halfway up the trees. The sun has just set, and given the thick canopy above, the temperature is dropping fast. I look at my GPS unit and note with a grimace that the temperature has fallen to forty-five degrees.

  My walkie-talkie crackles at my waist and I pull it up to my mouth, hitting the button to listen. "We've covered the entire east ridge, Logan. We're going to head your way."

  "Okay," I mutter into the unit before clipping it back on my belt.

  When April came into the station over five hours ago, panicked she'd lost Valentine in the woods, I had a moment where I thought I might puke. An experienced hiker with the essential equipment could be in grave danger if they got lost. Valentine in nothing but her clothes could mean death if she wasn't found. I was able to quickly round up a group of seven to start combing the woods, but the forest that rose above East Merritt was thousands of acres and someone could get lost in just the blink of an eye. At that point, it turns into trying to find the needle in the haystack, particularly if Valentine's still moving. If she was smart enough to just sit still, we'd have a better chance of finding her, but knowing that woman, she was probably stomping around the woods looking for that damn dog of hers.

  Which, ironically, came back on its own about an hour after its journey into the woods smelling of skunk.

  I keep sweeping my flashlight back and forth, calling out Valentine's name. It's the same routine I've been doing for hours as I've zigzagged up and down the slope in sharp angles so I don't miss her.

  "Valentine," I call out, my throat getting raspier and raspier. On a lower tone that only I can hear, "Come on, honey...where in the fuck are you?"

  "Over here." I hear a faint call and stop dead in my tracks listening hard.

  "Valentine? Call out to me again," I yell.

  "I'm here," she calls back, sounding stronger this time, and I can tell it's coming from just west of me.

  "I need you to keep calling out," I instruct her. "I'll head toward you but you don't move."

  "Okay," she calls back, and then she proceeds to give me a monologue. I can tell she's cold because her words are stuttering. "I'm really s-s-s-s-orry. S-s-s-s-oooo stupid to get l-l-l-os-s-s-t."

  I smile to myself and can tell I'm getting closer to her.

  "I'm n-n-n-e-v-er stepping f-f-f-f-oot in the woods again," she says, and my flashlight catches a glimpse of white.

  Swinging it back, I see Valentine huddled against the base of a tree, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around her shins. Her face is as pale as the moonlight when my flashlight stops on her and she squints at me.

  I aim the light downward as I walk up to her and then drop to my knees by her side.

  "There you are, silly," I say lightly.

  She gives a slight, stuttering laugh but I can hear a sob in the back of her throat ready to tear free. I put my index and middle finger against her carotid to judge the strength of her pulse and the temperature of her skin. She's definitely cold but her pulse is strong. I'm guessing she hasn't been sitting here long.

  "Come on...up you go." I help her up with my hands under her armpits as I stand. She sways slightly but otherwise holds her own while I shed my heavy jacket, another one made of sheepskin. I get it on her, pulling up the hood to cover her head before zipping it up. The sleeves hang down long past her hands.

  I glance at my GPS unit and note I'm only about three-quarters of a mile from the base of the mountain where I left my truck. I pull my walkie-talkie from my hip, depress the button, and tell the search party members, who are all tuned in to the same channel, "I've found her. She's in really good shape. Taking her down now. You all can pack up and head home."

  I get several proclamations of relief as Valentine just stands there quietly. I clip my walkie-talkie back onto my belt and ask her, "You okay to walk?"

  She nods her head, but it looks like a light wind would blow her over. I take her arm and, tucking it into mine, help her carefully navigate down the slope while I let the flashlight guide our way. She doesn't stumble once, but I have such a tight hold on her I wouldn't let her go down if she did.

  Valentine doesn't speak a word and neither do I. I want her to conserve what little energy she has left.

  When we finally break free of the woods and she sees my truck parked on the other side of the road, she whines slightly from relief and it makes me smile. But then she catches me off guard when a sob tears out of her throat and her legs start to buckle.

  I swing her up into my arms and she buries her face in my neck. Her skin feels like ice and she's trembling all over.

  "Shhhh," I try to console her. "You're safe now."

  She doesn't say anything but continues to tremble, and then I feel the warmth of her tears on my neck. "Valentine...it's over. You're safe."

  And still I get nothing but silent tears as I walk her to my truck.

  I open the passenger door with one hand, still supporting her weight with my other arm. It takes nothing to slide her into the seat and her head immediately bows low so her hair falls forward to hide her face. I push it back, hooking it behind her ear so I can see her. Her cheeks are wet as she stares at her lap, refusing to look at me.

  "Hey," I say softly. "Sassy came back on her own. She's safe and sound with Sarah, although she got doused by a skunk. But Sarah's going to have her all cleaned up."

  And still she remains quiet.

  "Valentine...talk to me," I encourage her. "What's wrong?"

  Finally she lifts her face and turns to look at me, her eyes filling with tears again. "I actually thought I was going to die. The last few hours...I knew I was just wandering around in circles and it was getting so cold, and I never thought anyone would find me. I've never been more scared in my life."

  "I imagine it was terrifying for you," I tell her as I take one of her hands in mine. It's still cold as ice. "But you're safe and sound, and tomorrow we'll talk about it like it was a big adventure."

  And there.

  Right ther
e.

  I get a tiny smile.

  "All right, we need to get you warmed up," I say as I release her hand. I don't bother telling her to buckle up as we're not going far, and I know she's stiff with cold. So I close the door, round the truck, and get in, cranking the heat high once I turn on the ignition.

  I follow the road down for about two miles, which is north of East Merritt, and turn right into a gravel driveway.

  "Where are we going?" Valentine murmurs.

  "My house," I tell her.

  "No," she protests. "You've done enough for me already. I'll be fine if you take me back to Sarah's."

  "Valentine, listen to me," I tell her firmly. "You need to get warmed up, and the best way is a hot bath. I happen to know that bathroom you share with the other boarders only has a tiny shower. You also need hot food, and I have that. Sarah won't and you're in no condition to go to The Wounded Caribou. So you're going to my house and that's that."

  As I drive down my driveway to the small log cabin I'd had built when I moved here, Valentine doesn't say anything. But when I pull up to the front and kill the engine, she turns to me and says, "You saved my life, Logan. There's no way I could ever thank you enough."

  "How about you promise me you won't go off into the woods again and we'll call it even," I suggest to her teasingly.

  The truck interior is dark and the light from my porch doesn't extend out far enough, but I'd like to think I got a smile out of her. Her tone is light when she says, "I promise. No more sojourns into the woods."

  --

  It's weird having Valentine sit at my kitchen table, eating chili I'd made yesterday and reheated in the microwave for her. She looks completely swamped in a pair of my sweatpants and an old Seattle PD T-shirt I'd pulled out for her to wear after her bath. But I'm happy to see there's color in her face and the more she eats, the steadier she looks.

  When she's finished, she pushes the bowl away and looks at me across the table as she wraps her arms around herself. "I know it's psychological, but I can't seem to get warm. Which is silly, I know. That bath was great, the clothes are warm, you've got the heat cranked up in here."

  I nod in understanding. "It's no joking matter when your body temp drops. It shocks your entire system. But I guarantee you'll feel better tomorrow."