Huckleberry Lake

by Catherine Anderson

  Due to sexual deprivation, Wyatt still struggled to sleep well at night. But the long, fair-weather days taxed his body so much that he eventually fell into an exhausted slumber. He saw Erin dozens of times a day, and each encounter left him aroused. She moved with such grace, the muscles of her body working together like dancers on a stage. He noticed that her figure had grown more streamlined and somehow softer looking since she’d come to work for him. He attributed that to the fact that she no longer haunted the Crash and Burn to lift weights and pump up certain parts of her body. Ranching targeted every muscle, but in a natural, unfocused way that fostered lean strength.

  Around the middle of June, Kennedy invited Jen out for a tour of the ranch, and he was so excited about her visit that everyone else seemed to catch the disease. Vickie, whose greatest talents lay in the kitchen, planned an outdoor ranch dinner. Wooden picnic tables were unearthed from the barn. A grocery run into town culminated with the bed of Slade’s pickup billowing with bags filled to the brim. Every hand on the place helped Vickie unload, including Wyatt. Even the ranch common got groomed. Of an evening while supper was being cooked in the bunkhouse by one person, the other five were outdoors, picking up, weeding, and raking gravel. Tex even advanced on the lawn around the main house, which brought Vickie racing from her kitchen to protect her flowers from a Texan with a Weed Eater.

  * * *

  * * *

  Kennedy was nervous the day of Jen’s visit. Vickie had even called the girl’s parents and invited them, which totally threw a wrench in Kennedy’s fan blades. He’d spent a lot of time with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, but while in their environment, Kennedy minded all his manners, never cussed, and just went with the flow. On the ranch, things never went that smoothly. Tex was given to outbursts of temper at unforeseen moments, and the madder he got, the worse his language became. Wade and Richard, the new hires, who’d turned out to be brothers, were big young men, and they got along like two male cats in a gunnysack. Kennedy didn’t worry about Erin. As his mom would say, the lady knew how to comport herself. And Wyatt never changed, no matter what was happening around him. But the way Kennedy saw it, he had three loose cannons he would have to control, and he wasn’t sure anyone could keep Tex in line.

  The day of Jen’s visit, she arrived two hours before her parents to take a tour of the ranch. Kennedy had washed the side-by-side, and he’d put a pillow on the front seat to cushion Jen’s right arm when they drove over rough ground. Jen was healing. She had some color back in her cheeks. But she seemed fragile to Kennedy, and she was also easily spooked. She trusted him. He knew that. But she still seemed to expect boogeymen to jump out at her from hidden places, and she grew nervous if she thought Kennedy might kiss her. He understood how she must feel. Her last boyfriend had turned on her, and now she felt vulnerable in a way she never had before.

  She dressed appropriately for the ranch in blue jeans, sneakers, and a simple cotton top. Her hair hung loose around her smallish shoulders, because she still couldn’t use her right hand to do a French braid. Kennedy liked seeing her hair down, and sometimes he fantasized about how it would slip over his skin like silk if they ever made love. As if that could happen any time soon. He guessed he should be glad sex wasn’t a part of their relationship. If he got a girl pregnant, it could ruin his whole life. Well, he guessed it wouldn’t ruin it, but it sure would change his plans for college and a future in wildlife management.

  Kennedy had direct orders from Vickie to stop at the main house for a snack basket she’d packed for him and Jen to enjoy during their ride. He left Jen in the side-by-side while he ran in to collect their food. Vickie had to give him a rundown on the basket’s contents, of course, and Kennedy had to act appropriately grateful as she told him about each item. She was describing the brownies when Kennedy heard someone scream outside.

  “Four Toes!” Vickie cried.

  Kennedy dashed through the house, threw open the front door, and dashed out onto the porch. Jen was no longer in the vehicle. She was standing on the roof of the cab. Slade’s pet bear had climbed into the cargo area, where he sometimes rode with Kennedy while he moved wheel lines.

  “It’s okay!” Kennedy cried. “He’s not a wild bear!”

  Jen was screaming so loudly Kennedy doubted she heard him. He wanted to kick himself for not telling her the story about Slade rescuing Four Toes as a cub. It was a great tale with a happy ending. Only Jen had gotten hurt early on after they met, and their conversations after that had been mainly focused on her injuries, her physical therapy, and her fears.

  Vickie ran down the steps, her curly red hair dancing in the breeze. Four Toes had snuggled down in the back of the vehicle, looking like a ginormous marshmallow perfectly roasted to a golden brown. “Get out of there, you big galoot!” Vickie yelled. “You’ve frightened that poor girl half to death!”

  Four Toes moaned. That was the bear’s answer to almost everything. Kennedy climbed up onto the roof to kneel beside Jen, who stood upright and was still shrieking. He wrapped both arms around her thighs, afraid she might tumble to the ground and break her arm again. She might never regain the use of her right hand if that happened.

  “Jen!” he yelled. “He’s a tame bear! A rescue bear, just like the ones you worked with last summer at the shelter. He won’t hurt you.”

  Jen stopped midshriek with her mouth yawning and her big blue eyes bugging. “A rescue bear? But he growled at me! And then he climbed in!”

  Kennedy tightened his hold on her. She was wiggling around, and he sure didn’t want her to fall. “Listen to me. He’s tame. He growls a lot. It’s how he talks. He wasn’t threatening you.” Kennedy glanced around. He had to get Jen down to safety. “We need to get off this thing before you take a tumble.”

  “Down there? With the bear?”

  Vickie let loose with, “You are so spoiled, Four Toes. Get out of that side-by-side.”

  Kennedy felt Jen go from being as taut as a piano wire to limp as a dishcloth. “Sit down, Jen. Can you do that for me?”

  She lowered herself to the roof with Kennedy keeping a firm hold on her all the way down. Then he leaped to the ground and turned to lift his arms to her. “Come on. I’ll catch you. Just scoot over and dangle your legs off the side.”

  Jen did that, and Kennedy caught her as she pushed off into his arms. He’d never held her close, and for a moment, he didn’t want to release her because it felt so good. He quickly loosened his hold. Jen turned to stare at Four Toes.

  “He’s huge,” she said. “He’s bulging out over the sides.”

  “Yeah, well, he’s been well fed all his life. When he was a cub, there was a big conspiracy in town to help Slade feed him. Half the businesspeople in Mystic Creek contributed stuff. It was the best-kept secret of all time. Sheriff Adams never got wind of it until last September, and now Slade has a special permit to keep Four Toes on the ranch. I’ll show you his night compound later. We don’t let him wander after we turn in. During the day, we can keep an eye out and make sure he doesn’t take off.”

  Jen cradled her right arm against her midriff, making Kennedy worry that she’d hurt herself. “Why is he in the side-by-side? He doesn’t fit.”

  “Tell him that. He loves to go for rides, and I guess he hasn’t been on the scales lately.”

  Jen giggled, and Kennedy stopped worrying. If she were hurt, she wouldn’t be laughing.

  “Silly bear.” She glanced up at Kennedy. “Why can’t he go with us? He’s already in, and getting him out may be difficult.”

  As in almost impossible, Kennedy thought. “You sure you can enjoy yourself with a bear his size resting his chin on your shoulder?”

  Jen nodded. “I worked all last summer with rescue bears. I’m not afraid of them. It’s the wild ones that frighten me. Not to say that bears aren’t dangerous, even if tamed. They can turn cranky in a blink.”

  Kennedy grinned. “When Four
Toes gets in a grump, we just toss him a squeeze bottle of ketchup. That always mellows him out. Slade and Vickie keep a plastic tub of ketchup stocked in the pantry. We probably have forty bottles.”

  Vickie went back inside and returned a moment later with the picnic basket. “If you let Four Toes eat all these baked goods, you’ll never again steal fresh lemon meringue pie from my kitchen,” she told Kennedy.

  “No, ma’am. I’ll guard your baked goods with my life.”

  The ranch tour went well. Jen used the pillow to cushion her sore arm and seemed to be delighted with all the things Kennedy showed her. It was all old hat to him, but he was glad she enjoyed herself. He ended the drive down at the creek where the old fallen log provided a great place to sit.

  “Here’s where we’ll have our picnic.”

  “What about dinner?” Jen asked. “If I eat now, I may be full. I don’t want to offend Vickie. She seems really nice.”

  “Yeah, well, around Vickie, you have to eat the goodies and the meals.”

  Kennedy liked how Jen fit into his world. She didn’t complain about the mud on her sneakers, and she’d taken a shine to Four Toes as if having a bear as a tour companion was commonplace. Kennedy set their basket between them on the log. He was eating a brownie and drinking Coke from a can, and Jen was nibbling on a cinnamon roll when Four Toes walked up behind them and snatched the picnic basket.

  “No, Four Toes!” Kennedy yelled.

  But the bear wasn’t listening. He was far more interested in pigging out. He punctured a hole in the side of Jen’s can of pop and sucked so hard on the aluminum that it imploded as he drank.

  “I’ll share my Coke with you,” Kennedy offered.

  Jen giggled. “Are we going to tell Vickie about this?”

  Kennedy settled a solemn gaze on her. “I really, really love her lemon meringue pies, so I vote for lying by omission.” He glanced at the bear. “We each got a taste, at least. I swear, Four Toes eats because he’s lonely. We came close to getting a girlfriend for him. Slade’s permitted to keep black bears now. But the little female we almost got found a forever home in an observation sanctuary.”

  Jen sat on the log with her back to the creek so she could watch Four Toes eat. Kennedy decided the basket would never pass Vickie’s inspection now. It was ruined, and he’d have to tell her about Four Toes confiscating their picnic treats. “I guess I could try to take it away from him,” he mused aloud.

  “Mmm. I don’t think that’d be smart,” Jen observed. “He’s really into those brownies.”

  “I was, too,” Kennedy grumped. Then he saw something strange in torn tinfoil and said, “What is that?”

  Jen’s eyebrows lifted. “Does Vickie make jalapeño poppers sometimes?”

  “Oh, shit!” Kennedy leaped over the log. “No, Four Toes, don’t eat those things! They’re not for bears.”

  But Four Toes was nothing if not an eating machine. He scooped jalapeños from the destroyed aluminum foil, shoved them in his mouth, and chewed. Then he groaned. That was because Vickie made her poppers really pop. Four Toes got up, walked down to the creek, and plunged into the water, which was icy from snowmelt.

  “How do I explain to a bear that cold water after spicy food only makes the burn worse?” Kennedy asked.

  Jen shrugged. “It’s kind of like, how do you take a picnic basket away from a bear? I don’t think you can. Sugar helps with the burn, though.” She looked down at the partially eaten cinnamon roll still in her hand. “Do you think he’s full?”

  “You’re joking, right? He could eat a whole garbage can full of cinnamon rolls and brownies.”

  “I’ll try giving him this.”

  Jen stood up. Kennedy intercepted her before she took a step. “Oh, no, you won’t. I’ll try giving it to him.” Kennedy took the cinnamon roll, walked down to the creek, and waded out almost as high as his boot tops. Four Toes, now a wet and shaggy mess, waddled through the water to reach Kennedy, his eyes fixed on the prize. Kennedy handed him the roll. And then Kennedy lost his footing on the slick rocks and fell in the stream. When he crawled out, he was as wet as the bear, and Jen was laughing so hard she had to cross her legs.

  “What is so funny?” Kennedy asked. “This is my only pressed shirt! I wanted to look nice for your parents.”

  * * *

  * * *

  The outdoor dinner went well. Kennedy changed into dry clothes, and even though his shirt wasn’t pressed, he thought he looked okay. Tex only cussed once, when he came upon a bowl of gnocchi and asked, “What the fuck’s this?” Vickie and Slade had dressed up. Well, they were dressed up for ranchers, anyway, wearing clean Wrangler jeans, their newer riding boots, and pressed Western shirts. Erin arrived in a white blouse, a denim skirt, and the black commando boots she worked in. Wyatt fed horses at the last minute and showed up in a partially wet shirt, because he’d washed at the bunkhouse before coming over to eat. He looked nice, though, and he’d even brushed the hay out of his hair.

  Mr. and Mrs. Johnson seemed to have a lot of fun, and Mrs. Johnson helped with cleanup after the meal was over, while her husband walked around the ranch common with Slade. Jen seemed sad about leaving, and Kennedy wished she didn’t have to go. But, as his mom said, all good things had to end.

  Kennedy felt kind of blue as he settled in on his bunk that night to read while his coworkers watched television and Wyatt practiced his speech on the computer he’d set up in the laundry room. It wasn’t often that Kennedy got a chance to read for pleasure, and he didn’t appreciate the interruption when his cell phone rang. He got over his aggravation when he saw it was Jen calling.

  “You’ll never guess what!” she said with a chortle. “I called my old boss at the bear shelter, and I found a girlfriend for Four Toes!”

  Kennedy sat straight up. “For real? Are you sure?”

  “They’re overloaded with bears right now and are kind of desperate to place them. This little girl is about a year old, but my boss says that’s good, because she should bond with Four Toes as if he’s her daddy or something. Then when she gets older . . .” Her voice trailed away. “Well, you know. They’ll be best friends. Her name is Ginger. I haven’t seen her yet, but I bet she’s cute.”

  “How will that work? Four Toes and Ginger and the best friend part. What if they make babies?”

  “Well, babies will happen,” Jen said. “The cubs should probably go to a wildlife rehabilitation center. Trained veterinarians and technicians will prepare them to be released into the wild.”

  “Does that work?”

  “Sure, if it’s done correctly.”

  “Maybe Slade should just get Four Toes altered.”

  Jen cracked up laughing, and Kennedy was glad. She’d laughed a lot that day, and she hadn’t done much of that since the attack. It meant she was feeling more positive. And he was delighted by the news about Ginger. Four Toes wouldn’t be lonesome for someone of his own kind anymore. He’d have his very own girlfriend. Maybe he’d even stop eating so much and trim down a little.

  Chapter Nineteen

  On Monday morning, Julie woke up and admired the sunshine coming through all the windows of her house as she walked to the kitchen. Her first order of business each day was always a cup of coffee. Thinking of Blackie, who had spent most nights at her place over the last three weeks and loved his coffee when he hit the floor, she smiled as she took the first sip.

  Then the hot liquid hit her stomach. She ran for the bathroom and reached the toilet just in time. She vomited until she was weak and felt just as sick as she’d been with the virus. After getting everything up, which wasn’t much, she managed to shower and get ready for work. As she drove into town and parked behind the Menagerie, she felt woozy, and that didn’t subside as she entered the building. Was it possible for a person to catch the same thing twice?

  By ten o’clock, Julie still felt awful. La
st time she’d just gone home, thinking she’d get better. She wouldn’t make that mistake twice. She decided to see the same guy who’d taken care of her at the emergency clinic. She knew he had only been volunteering when he’d seen her at the clinic, so she called his office on North Huckleberry Lane. She managed to land an appointment for eleven, which gave her only a few minutes to get there. It was a short drive. Even as dizzy as she was, she believed she could stay on the road. After locking up, she hurried out to her car and pushed the speed limit all the way.

  Richard Andrew Blake was a nice-looking man with a warm smile. After examining Julie, he sat on a roll-around stool and frowned up at her. “You’re not running a fever,” he said, “and didn’t you say this hit you suddenly this morning when you drank coffee?”

  Julie nodded.

  “From what I understood, you were nauseated for several hours last time before you began vomiting. I honestly don’t think this is the same virus. Is there any possibility you could be pregnant?”

  “Absolutely none. I’m on birth control.” Julie held up a hand. “And I even took my pills while I was sick.”

  His frown deepened. “You couldn’t keep anything down, Julie. Not even water, as I recall. You were dangerously dehydrated.”

  “Yes, but—” Julie broke off and stared at him. “I still got the pills down. I took them with 7-Up. I didn’t forget, and even if I vomited one of them up, I can’t see how missing my dose once could result in pregnancy.”

  The doctor asked, “Have you engaged in unprotected sex over the last few weeks?”

  “Only once.”