Red Gold

by Sandy Nadeau

  “You sound like Jon. But you’re right. I need to get to work and forget about what happened this morning. I can’t do anything about it right now, anyway.” Mandy shook her head at her own attitude towards the man. A heavy sigh escaped as she asked for forgiveness in her heart.

  The women headed to the office located in the corner of the building. The knotty pine paneling offered warmth to the room. Sunlight poured through the large window that faced south where Sue sat at her desk already hard at work. She had run the office for two years now, freeing Mandy up to do other things.

  “Hey, Sue. We thought we’d give you a hand on guest preps.”

  “Hi, ladies. Great. I can always use the help. I heard about the trouble this morning.”

  “We missed the meeting with the judge because of the fire.”

  “Oh, no. Interesting it would happen when you had an appointment concerning the area. Makes you wonder. I’m just going over the registrations. We still need to match the Jeeps to the type of outing the guests signed up for.”

  Since one side of their property backed up to the National Forest, the four-wheeling trails were endless. With it being springtime, the high country would have a lot of waterfalls. Not as dramatic as when it followed a heavy winter, but none the less beautiful. The wildflowers would just be starting to bloom.

  “I’ll set up the route options for those taking the Jeeps out on their own. Looks like only a few will be taking the guided tours.”

  Allie took note of the cabins reserved for the week so she could keep fresh linens available.

  Sue’s eyebrows went up. “Only two groups requested the ghost town routes this week. I guess people are still getting over cabin fever and want to see the open spaces instead of focusing on the hidden treasures in the back country.”

  “I can’t blame them. I’m ready for some vista views myself. It may have been a drier winter this year, but it lasted too long.” Mandy answered. “I miss it when Jon and I can’t get into the back country and explore.”

  “OK, so we have two groups for ghost towns.” Allie said. “Hand me the history booklets for those locations. Do we have the welcome packets ready?”

  Sue pointed. “The bags are over on the shelf. The kids did a good job.”

  Allie turned towards the shelf. “I checked the storeroom earlier. We do need to order more energy bars soon. But we have enough for another month of guests.”

  “Oh Mandy, Tommy was in earlier. One of the Jeeps was having some kind of problem. I sent Jon over to talk to him about it.”

  “I’m heading over there in a bit. Thanks.”

  ****

  After lunch, Mandy went to the garages to check in with Jon. She would also check on the horses. There were only two vehicles left in the six bay garage. Tommy’s legs stuck out from under one of them.

  Jon squatted next to him with a wrench in his hand.

  Mandy put her hands on Jon’s shoulders giving him a little neck rub. He leaned into her.

  “How’s it going, Tommy?” Mandy shouted over the blaring Country-Western tune on the radio and the clanking of wrenches.

  “Hey, Miss Mandy.” Tommy rolled out from under the vehicle sitting up as his head cleared the undercarriage. He grabbed the rag stuffed in his pocket and wiped his hands. “It’s goin’ good. Found a leak in one of the lines. Don’t quite get that. There’s never leaks in my vehicles. Runnin’ good now, but I’m not braggin’.” He flashed his toothy grin.

  Mandy chuckled.

  Jon winked at her.

  Tommy’s pride in vehicle care ranked higher than any of the mechanics.

  “Good job, Tommy. Keep it up. If you two haven’t eaten, you better head in there soon or they’ll put the food away.” She left to walk around the property and check on the appearance of the grounds. The wranglers had brought the horses in from the pasture last week. They were groomed and ready to ride.

  Barney fell into step next to her.

  “Hey, buddy. You staying out of trouble?” She scratched his ears and stared around. The property was cleaned of all the winter debris. Her gaze moved up in the direction of the fire. She stared at what she could not see.

  The afternoon sun warmed everything it touched. She closed her eyes and turned her face upward to take in a good dose of vitamin D.

  Barney leaned against her leg, panting.

  After a couple of minutes, long, strong arms enveloped her.

  She leaned her head back until it rested on Jon’s shoulder, “Mmm. This is what I needed. Isn’t it wonderful out today?”

  “How do I never surprise you?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Because you belong here. Your arms are supposed to be around me. At all times.”

  “I’ll have a hard time getting my work done, then.”

  “Get someone else to do it.”

  Jon chuckled. “Yeah, right. I do need to talk to you. Can we go sit?”

  Mandy turned and looked into his eyes. “I know that look. Do I want to know?”

  “Just an update on the fire. I sent Nate and Mike back up to look around. There’s something else, too.”

  “Well, let’s go to the porch swing and talk. Want some lemonade?”

  “Definitely.”

  Mandy went in and filled a couple glasses with the fresh lemonade she’d made last night. She backed out the squeaking screen door, and let it shut with a bang.

  Jon reached out for the glass and smiled.

  “What are you grinning about?”

  “I just like lookin’ at you.”

  Mandy sat next to him and slapped his leg. “Oh stop. Now what did Nate tell you?”

  “I had them look around the area for any other clues. You know, the fire almost got up to the level area where we want to build the play town outside the mine entrance. If it had caught enough wind, it would have devastated the area. As it is, we’ll have to do a lot of grooming to hide the damage. Some more plantings. I think an aspen grove would look good in there. Anyway, Nate realized something while up there.”

  “What?”

  Jon took her hand. “There were footprints around the area. Even up by the mine opening. It looks like the tracks took off fast. Do you know if any of the staff had any reason to be up there?”

  “Not that I know of. We don’t allow anyone up there right now, anyway. For one thing, we’re all too busy to be near the mine, but most important, it isn’t safe until we can get someone in there to shore up the walls. Is the entrance still closed off?”

  “It is, but not as well as it could be. We might have to get a solid door welded against the opening instead of the fencing we have in place. It’s too easy to slip past there if someone wanted to. I’ll take some of the guys up there and check around some more. I want to look inside the cave just to be sure. “

  “OK, but be careful. Until we get the inspectors in there, the mine will always make me nervous. I can’t wait until we get it all taken care of. Was there something else?”

  “Uh…yeah. Tommy didn’t tell you exactly what he found.” Jon looked off towards the garage.

  Mandy set her glass on the side table. “Jon, what’s going on?

  “There wasn’t just a leak. Once Tommy got under there, the brake line had a clean cut in it. Not something that could just happen.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I don’t know. It just bothers me. You know how well he takes care of things. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I don’t understand what’s going on around here.”

  3

  “I’m so glad our church has an early service so none of us have to miss it.” Mandy and Jon led the caravan of vehicles back to the ranch.

  Excitement filled the air for the startup of the summer activities.

  She smiled as she looked out the window at the perfect Colorado day of sunshine, blue skies, and a very comfortable seventy degrees.

  After a quick lunch, everyone went into “last-minute-check” mode of their particular area. Th
e cars started to arrive.

  Jon and Mandy stood on the porch waiting for the guests.

  “Ready to welcome everyone?” Jon smiled.

  “Can’t wait.” Mandy grinned right back.

  Barney sat at their feet.

  The vehicle pulled up to the office. Three young boys bounded out of the car with their cowboy hats and sunglasses already in place. The youngest ran towards the corral screaming all the way. The other two boys ran after him.

  Barney joined in the run to the corrals.

  “Boys, don’t go far,” the man yelled in their direction.

  “Welcome to High Country Safaris.” Jon walked towards the man extending his hand.

  “Come on in,” Mandy added with a wave. “Don’t worry about the boys. They’ll be fine. Our wrangler is down at the corral. He’ll watch over them. We’ll get you all settled in for your adventure.”

  “We’re the Reynolds family. We sure have been looking forward to this. It’s beautiful up here,” the man said.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until we get you up in the back country, you won’t believe it.” Jon led Mr. Reynolds into the office to do the necessary paperwork.

  Mrs. Reynolds opted to stay on the porch so she could still see her boys. “We live east of Denver, where it’s flat. We’ve wanted to do a real mountain trip for a long time. We haven’t since the boys were born, but they’re older now so it’s easier. We were really excited after seeing your website and all that you have to offer.”

  “Well, we’re glad you came and can’t wait for you to see everything.” Mandy replied. “I saw that you signed up for a Jeep tour. We’ll get Randy, one of our guides, to take you to see some amazing sights. The wild flowers are just starting to come up at this elevation, so I hope you have lots of memory in your camera.”

  “We brought a few camera chips. I’m glad the kids get out of school so early so we can do a trip like this before the summer gets too busy. The boys have been so excited to go fishing.”

  “Oh, good. We have equipment and the pond is all stocked and ready. It’s our private pond, so no limits and no license required. If they catch any, you are welcome to fix them for dinner, or if you’d rather we can probably convince one of our cooks to grill them up for you.”

  “Wonderful.” The woman wrinkled her nose. “I’m not much for cleaning fish.”

  Rosie, one of their teen helpers, arrived after a call on the two-way radio. The Reynolds family followed their guide to a two-bedroom cabin. As she led the way, Rosie gave them the Ranch’s fire safety procedure and tidbits of information about the area.

  Mandy watched from the porch as the family admired their living quarters’ decor. A carved wooden bear holding a welcome sign was on the first step. The buildings sported either a moose, elk, fish, or bear theme. One room had a queen-sized bed and the second room had bunk beds. All the cabins had kitchenettes.

  As the day went on, guests were checked in and settled.

  As Jon did the paperwork, Mandy guided various children to the pond and corrals, and handed out brochures and extra towels when requested.

  Mandy and Jon let everyone spend this first day getting to know the grounds, check out the horses, take a short walk to the fishing pond, or just relax on the porches and barbeque their dinner. Guests could always go to the cafeteria if they didn’t feel like preparing their own food.

  As the last of the people followed their guide to the final cabin, Mandy sighed.

  “Good start to the season,” Jon commented, as she walked up on the porch.

  “Except for the fire.” Mandy was pensive, still a little worried even as a slight, wet burnt smell lingered in the air when the breeze came out of the south.

  ****

  Twilight crept in, and the sunset colored the sky between the tall pine trees.

  After dinner, various guests had wandered around for a bit, but now, as stars popped out in the dark sky, everyone in camp settled down for the night.

  Mandy flipped on the overhead light in their bedroom, looking around at the sage green walls decorated with pine-cone trimmed wallpaper. The soft colors never failed to calm her. Jon came in from doing his nightly routine check of the barn, the garages, and walking around the camp to make sure all was well.

  Barney curled up on his bed in the corner, after circling several times.

  “Any conclusions up at the mine? I never got a chance to ask.” Mandy changed into her blue silk pajamas.

  Jon pulled his shirt over his head. “No, not really. I went up with Nate, Phil, and George. We saw the tracks and followed them, but they stopped after a few feet. We checked the fencing across the entrance, which seemed secure. We looked inside the mine with the flashlights and really didn’t notice anything different.

  “I just can’t imagine what anyone could be up to. Even if the same person had anything to do with the fire, what reason could they have to snoop around? The mine played out decades ago. There’s nothing up there, and it’s on our private property.”

  “I know Shonee never likes anything to change, but this is ridiculous to try and stop us from building a little town for the kids. It’s barely even visible from his property. Somebody else has to be behind this.”

  “Yeah, but who?”

  Mandy turned on her small lamp by the bed while Jon shut off the main light. They crawled under the covers. Jon rolled over, wrapped his arms around his wife, and pulled her close. She loved this time of day.

  Jon kissed her forehead. “Well, whoever it is, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble now with so many people around. Let’s just focus on giving everyone a great week of adventure. But just to make sure, we better put some prayer over it all.”

  They both closed their eyes, and Jon led a prayer of thanks and for protection over everyone. He added a request that they have an opportunity to witness to their guests during their stay at the ranch. Then he prayed for his wife’s strength to do all the work she had ahead of her.

  Mandy sighed and smiled as they both closed with “Amen.”

  Jon kissed her again and rolled over.

  Their nightly routine was as much a part of their lives as the guests who came every summer.

  Mandy grabbed a book from the nightstand to read a chapter or two before she gave in to sleep.

  4

  In the morning, one of their guides came down with a migraine.

  Mandy stepped in to take over the tour. She loved any excuse to be out of the office. Her charges were a family of three: Dad, Mom, and their thirteen-year-old daughter, who appeared quite unhappy with their plan for the day. The girl’s face held no expression, her gaze locked mostly on her pink tennis shoes, her arms crossed tight over her chest. The parents, however, had looks of optimistic excitement.

  The sunny skies were a good sign.

  Mandy extended her hand in greeting. “Good morning. How are you all today? Are you ready for some back country adventure?”

  “We sure are, aren’t we, Jenny?”

  A scowl was the only answer.

  The father cleared his throat. “I’m Rick Carter, and this is my wife, Connie. The happy one is our daughter, Jenny.”

  Another scowl from the girl.

  “Show us some sights.” Rick smiled.

  “You’re going to enjoy it up there. I love taking new folks out into the back country.” Mandy loaded a basket into the back of the red Jeep.

  Once everyone buckled in, Mandy headed up the dirt road to the northwest. “Did you get some sun block on? There’s some in your welcome pack and you’ll need it at this altitude. With the top off the Jeep, ears and shoulders are targets. Be sure you drink a lot of water, too. I brought plenty. It helps ward off altitude sickness that can give you a nasty headache. Would you like a tour of the old ghost town up on the pass? It’s a good example of life in a mining town in the 1800’s.”

  “That sounds great.” Rick reached for the tube of sunscreen his wife handed to him.

  As they boun
ced along the dirt road, Mandy pointed out various plants. The ponderosa pines stood majestically along the roadside and up the hills. Kinnickinick covered the forest floor with its deep green, succulent leaves. Paintbrush flowers had just started to reach up from the ground with their red bushy tops ready to spring open. Pine needles and pine cones stuck up out of the mix everywhere. Many of the trees had the tell-tale rusty red needles.

  “Why are the needles red on some of the trees?” Connie asked.

  “Colorado’s been suffering from a pine beetle infestation across the state which is affecting the lodge pole pines. The tiny beetles infected with a fungus bore into the bark.” She slowed the vehicle and pointed to a particular tree near the road. “You can see the pitch tubes oozing out of the bark where the beetles had entered. They lay their eggs, and the larvae feast on the tree. The fungus actually kills the tree. When the larvae are grown, they fly off and the same cycle happens to the next tree. “

  “Gross.” Jenny said from her slouched position in the back seat.

  “Yeah, it is gross. It’s gross how we are losing our forests to such a little bug. Our ponderosa pines are getting hit by the Ips beetle and a lot of those are being lost.”

  Rick scowled. “Can’t they do anything to stop it?”

  “No, not really. Sprays can be a deterrent, but they don’t necessarily kill the bugs. They’re very prolific. If we don’t cut the trees down, the bug problem escalates. As you can see by just this area here, that task would be daunting. It is hard to keep ahead of the little buggers. The problem reaches from Mexico to Canada. We are losing thousands upon thousands of acres of forest.”

  “What a shame.” Connie eyed the woods.

  “Yes, it is, but the trees are cycling through. This has actually happened several times over the last five hundred years. It’ll be a very different landscape in five to ten years. But, the Lord will work it out.”