Right Out of Nowhere

by Laurie Salzler

  “Evidently they weren’t due back until early this morning, and it’s not unusual to temporarily lose contact with a craft over those high peaks. When can you head out? Over.”

  “Andy, Jeff isn’t up here, so it’s just Selena and me. It’s too dangerous to ride those mountains alone. We’ll only have the handheld radios, and you know it’s hit or miss up there. Over.”

  Selena tugged on her sleeve and got her attention. “I have my satellite GPS. I should be able to send a signal if the radios won’t work,” she said quietly.

  Roni nodded and conveyed that information to Andy. “We’ll be heading out ASAP. I’ll be in touch. Over.”

  “Be safe, Roni. Good luck. Over and out.”

  She shut the radio off and looked at Selena. “I guess we’d better get moving. We’ve got a long couple of days ahead of us.”

  Selena turned toward the door. “I’ll go get the horses ready. One or two pack horses?”

  “We better take two,” Roni said after a moment’s thought. “It’ll be a little more problematic with the extra horse, but we don’t know what we’ll find when we get there.” What she refrained from saying was the potential of having to recover four bodies. Chances of survival after a crash in the Bitterroot Mountains were statistically low. “Go ahead and take the hobbles off the rest of the horses. I think they’ll stick around since the grass is up and high.”

  “Got it.”

  It was routine to keep a packed duffel bag in their rooms just in case they needed to head out without a moment to spare. Roni retrieved both hers and Selena’s and tossed them out onto the porch. Then she went to work putting together a menagerie of freeze-dried packages of food. Last, but not least, she pulled the medical supplies out and checked to make sure the defibrillator was charged. She took a deep breath and reached into the depths of the closet and counted out four body bags. She hoped they wouldn’t need them, but she couldn’t take the chance of not having them should it become necessary.

  The sound of boot heels on the porch signaled Selena’s return. While Roni added a few extra IV sets and Lactated Ringer’s solution, she heard Selena going in and out the door, presumably with the supplies she’d left on the table. “I’m almost finished.”

  The cabin door closed, and Selena soon joined her. “I think we’ll be all set once you’re done here. I entered the flight plan coordinates into my GPS and calculated a likely triangulation.”

  Roni stared up at her in disbelief. “When the hell did you do that?”

  “While I was leading the horses in. Are you about done?” Selena moved toward the kitchen and filled their canteens.

  “I will be in just a sec.” Roni ducked into her room and shrugged into her vest. She slapped her thigh for Puller, planted her Stetson on her head, and they walked out the door.

  Dawn had already come and gone, but the sun was barely skimming the treetops. A cool, morning breeze wound its way down from the mountaintop, bringing the scent of icy dew. She was relieved the forecast for the next few days promised to be favorable. There was nothing worse than tracking in the rain, let alone trying to find a plane that’d gone down without a trace.

  They passed through the meadow, and the remaining horses lifted their heads to watch. Roni worried about leaving them here alone, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

  At first their ride was largely quiet, except for the morning birdsong. A small herd of cow elk and their calves crossed in front when they were closer to the flats. Unfortunately they didn’t have time to admire the stately animals.

  The meadow into which they rode was full of red Indian paintbrush and yellow meadow rue. Much to Roni’s displeasure, their path would take them close to her private hot springs.

  “What’s your plan, Roni? It always seems like you ride in the opposite direction of where we’re supposed to be heading.”

  “I’m thinking if we stay on low ground between the mountains, it’ll be easier on the horses. Once we get to the western side of Big Rock, we’ll have to head higher. We may as well keep the horses fresh for as long as possible between here and there.”

  Selena was quiet for a moment while she consulted her GPS. “Huh. It shows here there are hot springs in the area.”

  Roni pretended to not hear. She really wanted to keep the springs as much of a secret as possible. But the closer they rode, the more obvious they became. And the more inevitable it was that Selena would mention them again.

  “Wow, these don’t even smell. What a beautiful area.” Selena looked around. “I’d like to come back here sometime.”

  “Come on, we need to get moving.” Roni kicked Chenoa into a canter, and they passed by her favorite refuge without speaking. Call it possessive or selfish, it is what it is, she thought. She knew she had no right to consider them her personal property, and a small part of her did want to share them with Selena at some point. But for years the springs had been a special sanctuary for her for deep healing and deeper thinking. And for a little while longer, she’d like to keep them to herself.

  Selena caught up to her several minutes later. The packhorse whose tether Roni held was much more willing to match Chenoa’s gait than the horse Selena had. Roni threw a glance her way and smiled. Her mood had improved the farther they distanced themselves from the springs.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” she said with a tip of her hat.

  “Are you okay? You seemed, I don’t know, quiet back there.” Selena pulled her horse closer to her and nudged her leg.

  “I’m fine. We have a lot of territory to cover, and I’m trying to figure out our best strategy. I don’t want to split up. It’s too dangerous.” She tilted her hat back and looked toward the mountaintops. The highest ones still had snow covering their peaks while others were bare on top, and several still had white patches on the western faces. She narrowed her eyes and wondered, even dreaded what they might find in these mountains.

  “You’re right. What are you thinking?”

  She couldn’t see past the brim of Selena’s hat to read her eyes. She reached over and playfully tapped the hat off Selena’s head. It hit the rump of her horse, slid off, and landed on the ground. “I’m thinking you need to pick that up.”

  Selena slapped her arm. “Brat.” She pulled up her horses and dismounted. “Want to take a short break and have some lunch?”

  Roni wrapped the lead of the packhorse around the saddle horn, swung her leg over Chenoa’s neck, and slipped off. “You read my mind. Puller needs a break too. I’m going to let him run while we’re still on the flats.” She crouched down and emptied the dog out of her vest. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck. She groaned in pleasure as Selena stepped behind her and kneaded the knotted muscles for all too brief a moment. “I would have given you all day to stop that.”

  “And if we didn’t have a plane to find, I would gladly have obliged.” Selena patted her on the back and opened up a bag of jerky and trail mix. “But for now, chocolate, peanuts, and other little things will have to suffice.”

  “I’m leaning toward staying this route until we meet up with Moose Creek. It’s shallow and wide and has a small wash, so it’ll be easy walking for the horses. Once we get between Big Rock and Bailey we can decide what to do from there. If we situate ourselves high, we may be able to see the wreck or at least get some sort of clue as to where the plane went down.” She tossed a piece of jerky to Puller who caught it with a snap of his jaws. “If we’re really lucky, we’ll find some old Forest Service logging trails.”

  “Oh goody, more hairpins. My favorite.”

  Roni noted the teasing twinkle in Selena’s eyes and chuckled. “You’ll get used to them. Eventually.” She mounted Chenoa and waited for Puller to move ahead of the horse’s hooves. Selena followed suit and soon they were on their way again.

  They smelled the water before they saw it. Like most creeks flowing out of the mountains at that time of year, the water was largely snow melt. It carried with it a metallic aroma
mixed with a hint of pine. They paused at the water’s edge to let the horses and Puller have their fill and to replenish their canteens.

  Selena found her binoculars and took several minutes to scan the high areas.

  “See anything?”

  “No, the trees are too high down here to see much more than the peaks.” She strung the binocular strap around her neck and glanced at Roni. “What are you looking at?”

  She had been quietly admiring Selena’s backside and had been caught red-handed. She gave her the most flirtatious smile she could muster. “I was just thinking you’re kind of cute. Want to go out with me?”

  Selena took five steps to her, put her arms around her neck, and kissed her. With tongue. All the blood in Roni’s head raced southward, and her knees threatened to buckle. She wrapped her arms around Selena’s waist, more for support than anything.

  “Holy crap, was that a yes?” Roni said breathlessly as Selena let her loose.

  She stood there like a pole made of quivering jello. The look Selena gave her was almost the final straw before she had to sit down. She decided right there and then she’d have to rethink the hot spring dilemma. Selena broke into her thoughts before her mind could elaborate on further erotic fantasies.

  “The sun is behind us. Do you think we should make camp here for the night?”

  Roni looked behind her to gauge how much time they might have. “Yeah, it’s going to get dark quickly once the sun slides behind that mountain.” Red and orange streaks had already formed in the sky. It would be a cold, cloudless night.

  While Selena gathered rocks for the containment ring and driftwood for the fire, Roni looked for a place to set up the lean-to. She discovered two huge boulders within ten feet of each other and she set to work. The rocks were set in thick grass well back of the river’s wash. Using a long pole she found near the water, she dragged the tarp over the top of the boulders and left the front open to the fire ring. The southern exposed stones were warm to the touch and would radiate that heat for quite a while.

  By the time she had constructed their shelter and unpacked the supplies they’d need for the night, Selena had a nice stack of wood piled and was feeding a hungry fire. The horses grazed nearby, undoubtedly grateful to rest and have the saddles and packs off. Puller stood at the river’s edge fishing for minnows. He was soaked and shivering from the many unsuccessful underwater grabs he’d made.

  “It doesn’t look like we’ll be having fish for dinner tonight,” Roni said in amusement. “Puller, come on up here. You’re not sleeping with me if you’re all wet and soggy.”

  Selena shot a glance her way, and Roni hid her heated face and pretended to search inside her saddlebag for something.

  Once their bellies were full and everything put away, Roni took a short walk to check the horses, leaving Selena reclining in her sleeping bag. The sun had long since disappeared and had been replaced by a thin crescent moon. Despite the lack of moonlight, the sky was ablaze with millions of stars. The complete absence of pollution, light or otherwise, made the night sky unrealistically brilliant. A soft sigh came from the direction of the horses, and she decided all was well. She waited a moment while Puller investigated a patch of grass then patted her thigh for him to come and headed back to the fire.

  “All’s fine on the western front.” She picked up a large stick and used it to flip the unburned ends of wood into the flames before throwing it into the fire. She wasn’t surprised to not get a reply. Selena was half asleep when she’d left and undoubtedly completely zonked out by now. She fed the fire a final time, wiped her hands on her pants, and ducked into the lean-to. As she suspected, Selena was dead to the world.

  Roni removed her boots and, as quietly as she could, got undressed down to her underwear. She slid into her bag and lifted the edge for Puller to crawl in. When the dog found his spot at her feet, she zipped up and lay back with her hands behind her head.

  Selena was confusing the crap out of her. She was all for taking things slow and getting to know each other better. Then Selena surprised her with her flirty remarks, being touchy-feely, not to mention her sexy-as-hell insinuating looks.

  And there was that kiss. That leg-bone-removing kiss about did her in. She grinned with the memory and repositioned herself more comfortably. Her thoughts turned more serious as she focused on the dark outline of the mountain. The plane. She wondered how likely their chances were of finding the plane, and if there’d be any survivors. She frowned. Hell, if they found it, what were the chances they could even get to it? She closed her eyes and let sleep claim her. Tomorrow would be another long day. She didn’t dwell on the fact that it would almost certainly be the most dangerous, too.

  Chapter Fourteen

  SOFT BREATHING IN Roni’s ear woke her. She was in the same position she’d been when she closed her eyes. In her sleep, Selena had rolled over and thrown an arm over her chest. Her hand rested lightly on Roni’s left breast. Now who’s holding who? She barely stifled a snicker. She turned her head and found Selena awake and her face mere inches from her own.

  “Hi. It seems I found a souvenir in my sleep.” Selena playfully squeezed her breast, which sent shock waves to Roni’s nether regions.

  She brushed her lips across Selena’s. “You’re such a tease and pretty forward I might add. If we didn’t have a plane to find, I might be inclined to help you discover some more treasures.” She removed Selena’s hand from her breast and kissed her again. “But we do, and I can’t let you play anymore because you’re driving me to a point of no return.”

  She sat up and turned around to look at Selena who had an irresistibly soft dreamy look on her face. She plopped back down, put her arms around Selena, and pulled her into a hug. “Be warned. When we get back, I’ll expect you to do a lot more searching.” She unzipped her bag and got out to dress.

  “I can live with that.” Selena rose up on her elbows. “However I can’t promise I won’t check out the scenery from time to time.”

  Roni caught Selena checking out her backside as she bent down to put her boots on. It made her smile. She appreciated that Selena found her attractive. Unlike some people who knew they were good looking and flaunted it every chance they got, Roni liked to think she was much more humble than that.

  The sun began to crest the mountaintops when she stepped out to stir the remains of the fire. She was able to find some hot embers deep down under the cool ashes and soon had it blazing. She watched in amusement as Selena and Puller stood at the lean-to’s opening and stretched at the same time. “You two are quite the pair.”

  “We had a good pillow.” Selena fixed her with a sexy grin and walked to the river to wash up.

  Selena returned and Roni handed her a steaming cup of trail coffee and a bowl of reconstituted granola with blueberries and milk. They both sat down on nearby rocks and ate.

  Selena scanned the mountainside. “I think we should take advantage of the sun while it’s in the east to check out this side of Big Rock. Who knows, we may see a reflection from the fuselage of the plane if it’s up there.”

  “Good idea.” Roni tipped her bowl and slurped the remains of her breakfast. “Especially since we don’t know if they went down coming or going. Or even if they’re in this area.” She went to the river to wash out their dishes and threw the remains of her coffee on the rocks. She got back, and Selena was busy dousing the fire with water and stirring the ashes then she brought the horses over to the campsite.

  Meanwhile Roni pulled everything out of the lean-to and, with practiced expertise, had the tarp down and folded in no time. She stored everything in the saddlebags and packs. Selena had the horses ready to go, packs secure, and was tightening the girth on her saddle.

  Roni walked up and dared to hug her from behind. “You do good work,” she said against Selena’s neck.

  “Hey, you, none of that. We’ve got work to do, remember?” Selena turned in her arms and smiled at her. She poked Roni in the chest with her finger. “I don’t
want any distractions. It’s going to be hard enough to keep my mind out of the gutter as it is.”

  “All right, all right, I’ll behave. But you’re the one who said she wanted to take it slow.” She kissed Selena lightly and let her go. She went to Chenoa, tightened his girth, and uncoiled the packhorse’s lead from her saddle horn. “Ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” Selena mounted her horse and waited while Roni tucked Puller into her vest and climbed aboard Chenoa.

  Roni pointed Chenoa toward the river and entered the water. The sloshing and the dull thuds of hooves meeting the rocks underwater muted the sound of the river. With an uneventful crossing behind them, she navigated the way into the forest. The dirt and pine needles were thick enough to make it easy for the horses for the first third of the climb. As they climbed higher, the soil depth gradually thinned to barely-covered rocks and the footing became more treacherous. Among the tall spruce trees, stunted pines and grasses grew wherever they could find a stronghold for their roots.

  Two hours later, they pulled the horses to a halt. All four of the animals were breathing hard, sides heaving, nostrils flaring. Roni and Selena got off and removed the binoculars from their saddlebags. They hiked to a fallen tree above the horses. Puller wiggled out and sat beside them, sniffing the air.

  Several minutes passed in silence but for the ever-persistent wind, while they surveyed the area. The high sun beamed down on the adjacent mountainside, making it ideal for using their binoculars to search.

  “See anything?” Roni adjusted and readjusted the focus of her binoculars as if she were using a microscope. The breeze dried her sweat and in its place formed gooseflesh on her skin.