Wilde One

by Jannine Gallant

“Yellowstone Lake. The sun is just about to peek over the horizon.”

  They sat in silence as streaks of yellow and orange lit up the sky to reflect off the water. She drew in a sharp breath, reached for his hand and squeezed.

  “Beautiful.”

  Try as he might, he couldn’t take his gaze off her rapt expression. “It certainly is.” Long minutes later, he started the car then pulled back onto the road.

  “Thanks for waking me.”

  He smiled. “Sunrises should be a shared experience.”

  Turning her head, she gazed out at the still spectacular view.

  As they drove along a straight stretch of road, a couple of motor homes and a few cars passed going in the opposite direction, but no other vehicles caught up to them. The shooter was either somewhere ahead or had stopped to plan his next move. Griff hoped it was the latter but wasn’t counting on it. He and Ainslee had put together the photos with relative ease, which meant the other contestants would, too. Chances were they’d all converge again in San Francisco.

  Leaving Yellowstone through the south entrance they headed toward Teton National Park. Mountains pushed up into the early morning sky, the sun glimmering on jagged peaks in a breathtaking vista. They stopped for a bathroom break and to walk the dog, then cruised along Jackson Lake. Ainslee’s delight in the panoramic splendor of mountains and water almost made up for the fact that he was going to die of starvation at any moment. When they reached Moose Junction, he gave up and turned into the parking lot near the lodge and restaurant.

  “I know you aren’t a fan of early morning meals, but are you hungry yet? I’m going to faint if we don’t eat.”

  “I seriously doubt that. You chowed down three cereal bars, a banana and a basket of strawberries.”

  “Exactly. I want a real breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, hash browns… Is that a moose?”

  “Where?”

  “Over in the meadow.” He pointed.

  She spun in her seat and craned her neck. “Oh, my God. He’s massive!”

  “Guess that’s why they call this place Moose Junction.” Opening the door, he stepped out. After she shoved Rocky back into the car when he tried to escape, Ainslee joined Griff. They strolled across the parking lot to watch the huge animal munch grass. A moment later, the moose raised his head to stare at them. Deep brown eyes regarded them from beneath spreading antlers.

  “He’s gorgeous.” She leaned against Griff’s shoulder, her gaze focused on the magnificent animal. “Moments like this make the whole trip worthwhile.”

  He slipped an arm around her waist. “I agree.”

  The worry and stress were gone, leaving nothing but pure joy shining in her eyes. That’s what he’d take away from the day. This moment, when all he wanted in the world was to make the woman beside him happy.

  * * * *

  “Do you want to keep going?” Griff passed a slow-moving big rig then pointed at the green freeway sign. “We’re almost to Reno.”

  “You must be exhausted. You’ve been driving all day.” Ainslee straightened in her seat and tried to stretch the kinks out of her back. “We’ve never put in this many miles before.”

  “That’s because we got an early start, but I’ll admit I’ve had enough.”

  She waved a hand toward the cluster of casinos towering upward into the late afternoon sky on the south side of the freeway. “Not exactly a great place to camp. We could get a room again, I suppose.”

  “I’d rather pitch the tent. I can manage another forty-five minutes if you’re okay with riding a little farther. We’ll head up the mountain to Truckee and camp at Donner Lake.”

  She turned to face him. “Do you mind? I’d love that. The unit I teach on the Donner Party is one of the few to capture most of my students’ interest. They’re ghouls at that age and love hearing about cannibalism.”

  “Why am I not surprised?” He flipped on his blinker to zip around a pickup towing a monster trailer. “We’ll be there by six or so…unless you want to stop to eat now?”

  “Good grief, you had a snack in Lovelock an hour and a half ago.”

  “Hey, driving makes me hungry, but I can probably survive until we make it to Truckee. We’ll grab some groceries and cook for a change. Even I’m getting tired of fast food.”

  “Hallelujah! Now we just have to hope we can find a campsite. Since it’s midweek, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

  Nearly two hours later, they’d filled the car with gas, bought groceries, set up the tent amongst the pine trees in the Donner Memorial Campground, started a campfire and had chicken cooking on the grill. Ainslee added sliced tomatoes and carrots to a salad, set the bowl on the picnic table then checked the rice simmering on the stove. Cooked to perfection.

  She glanced toward Griff. “Is the chicken ready?”

  He nodded and forked pieces slathered with barbecue sauce onto a plate. “Sure is. Let’s eat.”

  Sitting opposite each other, they dug into the meal. A small motor home cruised slowly past and turned into the empty site across the dirt track. The man who climbed out of the vehicle straightened and stretched before disappearing around the front. Ainslee gasped.

  “What?” Griff dropped his piece of chicken on his plate and turned when she pointed.

  “Is that who I think it is?”

  “I don’t see anyone.”

  “Wait a minute…”

  The man came around the vehicle and bent to put blocks behind the tires.

  She pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, my God, it is.”

  “Shit. I didn’t get a good look at his face, but no one else is that tall” —Griff lowered his voice— “except maybe another NBA player. What’re the chances?”

  “I can’t believe Parnell Jones is camping here. In a motor home.”

  “He must have rented it. Wow, behind all the fame and fortune, Parnell might just be a regular guy.”

  Ainslee gripped the edge of the table. “Do you think he’s the one who was following us? The one who shot at us this morning?”

  “Not unless he switched vehicles. The person following us was in a car not an RV. I guess he could have gone to a rental agency to trade in the car, but it doesn’t seem very likely.”

  “What do we do?” Ainslee whispered. “He’s sure to see us sooner or later, unless you want to hide out in the tent all evening. I was looking forward to sitting around the fire tonight.”

  “I’d say the decision’s been taken out of our hands. He’s already spotted us. Just stay cool.”

  At her feet, Rocky growled then barked as Jones approached. His white teeth gleamed in the fading light.

  “I thought that was you. Can’t mistake all those amazing curls.” He held out his hand. “Ainslee, right?”

  She nodded, only hesitating for a moment before shaking the offered hand. Surely this superstar, who probably had more money than God, wasn’t trying to murder them over Victor’s treasure. The man was obviously competitive by nature to achieve his current level of fame on the basketball court, but would he try to kill them just to claim the victory?

  “Nice to see you again, Griff.”

  Griff gripped the extended palm. “Under the circumstances, I don’t know if I’d go that far…”

  Jones laughed, and Rocky stopped growling to sniff his oversized athletic shoes. Apparently the dog had decided the man wasn’t a threat. Ainslee was inclined to agree.

  “I wanted to say hello, but I’ll let you finish your dinner.”

  She gave him a shy smile. “I can’t believe you’re here in a motor home.”

  He grimaced. “I’ve been flying up to this leg of our journey, but I needed some down time. Literally. Anyway, what’s the point in rushing to our next destination before I’ve figured out exactly where it is? I intend to spend my evening working on the picture puzzles. How many have you put together so far?”

  Griff glanced over at her before answering. “Four.”

/>   “Well, damn. I only worked out two of them. I took a chance when I recognized the Golden Gate Bridge and headed west.”

  She nodded. “That’s what we did, too.”

  Jones offered Ainslee a broad smile in response. “I don’t suppose you’d like to collaborate?” The question ended on a hopeful note.

  She was sorely tempted to say yes. His star power and gorgeousness seemed to be sapping her common sense.

  “Not a chance.”

  Obviously Griff’s moral fiber wasn’t as weak as hers.

  “I didn’t think so.” Jones stepped back and lifted a hand to wave. “Have a nice evening.”

  Ainslee let out a breath as he walked away. “He didn’t try to murder us. That’s a plus.”

  “I don’t think he’s responsible for the attacks.” Griff took a bite of chicken and chewed. “My money’s on the banker.”

  “Why not Marietta?” She stabbed a tomato with her fork. “Kind of sexist to dismiss her just because she’s a woman.”

  “Not because she’s a woman. Because she’s the type of woman she is.”

  Ainslee’s brows lowered. “What type is that?”

  “Dependent. Unable to make a decision on her own.” He waved his chicken leg. “When have we seen her when she’s not talking to someone on her cell to get guidance? She flat-out asked me to partner up with her despite the fact we’re together. Then there’re those heels and tight dresses. Sorry, but I don’t see the woman as a serious threat to anyone but a hairstylist who gives her a bad cut.”

  She choked on a bite of rice. “I’d be offended in the name of women everywhere if I didn’t happen to agree with your assessment of Marietta’s character.”

  He tossed the chicken bone on his plate and wiped his fingers on a napkin. “So we stay alert for any sign of Morris once we get to San Francisco.”

  “It’s a big city. We still need to figure out where we’re going.”

  Griff sighed. “I know. I suppose holding hands by the campfire before we slip into the tent isn’t going to happen tonight.”

  “Not unless you can hold hands and assemble photo fragments at the same time.” Ainslee grinned. “I’m willing to give it a try.”

  “There can’t be more than two pictures left to put together. If we work fast, we’ll still have time for handholding—among other things.”

  “Maybe if we didn’t have a second box to piece together.”

  Griff groaned. “Crap, I totally forgot about that.”

  “I did, too, until Parnell mentioned collaborating. It reminded me we weren’t a team when this started.”

  Reaching across the table, he covered her hand with his big, warm palm. “Hard to believe we only met a little over a week ago.”

  She turned her hand to entwine their fingers. “Honestly, Griff, I can’t image not having you in my life.”

  “I agree. It feels like we’ve known each other forever. Maybe we were bound together in a past existence.”

  “Soul mates.”

  He released her hand. “Finish your dinner. I want to solve the puzzle so we can get on with the business of making more memories. In this lifetime.”

  Chapter 18

  Ainslee held tight to Rocky and lowered the car window as they crossed the Bay Bridge, then craned her neck to get the full effect of the spectacular San Francisco skyline. “Wow! Impressive.”

  “As I recall from my visits to New York, the only way to get this kind of view of the city is from the water.” When traffic stalled, Griff slowed the SUV and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “I don’t know how people live in this congestion, and we managed to miss rush hour. Cities make me want to run screaming back to the ranch. Either that, or take my boat out onto the open sea just to escape.”

  “I didn’t own a car while I was in New York. I took the subway or walked. A whole lot less stressful. I bought this one used after I quit my job.”

  “Smart, but from what I’ve seen, Californians are addicted to their vehicles. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve worked along the Pacific coast. The last time was down near Los Angeles, but I like Northern and Central California better. Wait until you see Big Sur. There’s nothing like it in the world for rugged coastal beauty.”

  Warmth filled Ainslee as she pulled her head back through the window when the traffic began to move again. The fact that Griff expected her to spend time in the area where he intended to work spoke volumes for the progress they’d made in their relationship. A few icy shards of doubt took the edge off her warm glow. She still had to find a job, and that might provide a huge obstacle to any future together. Also, he hadn’t exactly mentioned love or commitment, but at least they seemed to be headed in that direction.

  “I guess we should go check into the bed and breakfast and figure out where to go from there. No point in randomly driving around the city until we have a destination.”

  Ainslee frowned. They’d pieced together the final two photographs the night before, but neither had given them the big ah-ha moment they’d been hoping for. The only positive note came in learning each box contained the exact same photographs. Surely an indication this was their final destination. If they could unravel the mystery behind the three unidentified pictures.

  “Damn Victor. Why the hell couldn’t he have included a street sign in the house photo to give us a little direction? If the old geezer wasn’t dead already, I’d strangle him.”

  “If he wasn’t dead, we wouldn’t be on this wild goose chase.”

  Griff exited the freeway before glancing over. “Good point. I think this is the way we want to go to get to the B and B you found that takes dogs.”

  “The online description sounded quaint, and I like the idea of a garden where I can walk Rocky before bed.”

  “The Richmond district is a nice area. Close to the ocean and Golden Gate Park. We might as well settle in and be comfortable while we decipher the pictures.” He stopped at a red light then accelerated up a hill when the signal turned green. “You had a good idea about tracking down property owned by the Talbots. You’d think Victor would have hidden his treasure somewhere easy for him to access, not buried in a random location.”

  “Exactly.”

  They crept through the city, stopping at a half dozen more red lights before Griff flipped on his blinker. “Isn’t that the street we want up ahead?”

  “You can’t turn left. It’s one way. Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

  “I thought I did, but apparently not. You’d better get out the map again.” He pulled over next to a fireplug. “I have a decent sense of direction, but these one-way streets make me crazy.”

  “We’re close.” She studied the map she’d purchased at the convenience store where they’d stopped for Griff’s mid-morning snack. “Looks like we can make a left in two blocks then another left three blocks up from there to get to the street we want.”

  “In other words, backtrack.” He flipped on the turn signal and merged into traffic. A few minutes later he squeezed into a parking space only half a block away from the bed and breakfast inn. “That was easier than I expected.”

  Ainslee lifted Rocky down and set him on the sidewalk before grabbing her purse, laptop and overnight bag off the backseat. “I hope they’ll let us check in early. It isn’t even noon yet.”

  Griff hefted his duffle bag over his shoulder then slammed the car door he locked with the remote. As Rocky forged ahead to sniff a tall box shrub, he took the leash from her. “We got an early start, but Parnell still beat us out of the campground. The man must have gotten up before dawn.”

  “Do you think he figured out what the rest of the pictures mean?”

  “Doubtful. My guess is we’ll all be scrambling to find the correct location.”

  Ainslee stopped in front of a pale purple row house adorned with window boxes bursting with a variety of colorful blooms. A lavender sign inscribed with the legend Lilac Inn hung f
rom a post anchored in a small patch of grass. They climbed a steep set of steps to the front door.

  “At least Victor was fair about the final destination and didn’t give anyone an advantage. I don’t imagine any of the group has spent much time in San Francisco.”

  “Doesn’t seem like it since none of us are from around here.” Griff opened the door for her then led the way to a short counter near a curving staircase. A brass bell rested on its polished surface. Dropping his bag, he gave the bell a vigorous shake.

  Ainslee winced. “Geez, wake the dead, why don’t you?”

  “I’d rather just rouse the living.” He glanced into a sitting room to the right of the entry hall and frowned. “Kind of frilly and formal for my taste. Let’s hope the mattresses in this place aren’t as antique as the furniture.”

  Standing on tiptoe, she peered around his shoulder. “Victorian style. Very pretty.”

  What she’d assumed was a white and tan fur pillow on one of the upholstered sofas uncurled and stretched. A gorgeous Himalayan cat jumped to the floor and strolled over to sniff Rocky. Tail wagging furiously, he lunged forward and sniffed back.

  “Ah, I see Aristotle has introduced himself. Welcome. Welcome.” A tiny woman with a mass of snowy white hair piled on her head hurried toward them from the back of the house. “Are you here to check in?”

  Ainslee smiled. “We are. I called earlier about a room.”

  “You must be the Fontaine party. Your accommodations are ready. I finished stocking the bath with fresh towels not ten minutes ago.” Scurrying around the desk, she pushed across a registration form. “We take all major credit cards.”

  Griff slapped a Visa on the counter before Ainslee could reach into her purse. With a shrug, she decided to let him pay. He’d been the one to insist on the more expensive room with the ocean view.

  She cleared her throat. “We may need to stay for more than one night. Our plans are sort of…undefined.”

  “The room isn’t booked until the weekend, so you’re welcome to extend your visit by another night if you choose to.”

  “Great. Thank you.” He signed the form, stuffed his card back into his wallet then took the old fashioned key she laid on the counter.