Wildfire

by Roxanne Rustand

  This morning, he’d agreed to nothing stronger than Tylenol, wanting to keep his mind clear. Now, with Sheriff Michael Robinson standing at the side of his bed, he was thankful for that decision.

  The tall, dark-haired man reached out and shook Josh’s hand. “I’ve stopped in a couple times,” he said. “But you were always asleep or off having some sort of test. How are you feeling today?”

  “Like I was run over by a bulldozer. But better than yesterday, anyhow. The doc says she’ll release me tomorrow.”

  A groove deepened in the man’s cheek, and Josh’s fingers subconsciously flexed, needing to grasp a camera that could capture those craggy, rugged facial lines.

  Alarm rushed through him and he struggled to sit up, then fell back, weak and exhausted. “My…cameras…”

  “My deputy has all of your things in lock-up at the station. All safe—unless the crash impact damaged anything.” The sheriff glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, then he gave Josh an easy smile that didn’t mask the intensity in his gaze. “What brought you out here?”

  “Photo assignment.”

  “Newspaper?”

  “Green Earth—a magazine. My…ID card is in my billfold.”

  The sheriff looked down at his papers and frowned. “We didn’t find one at the scene. The ER nurses say it wasn’t with the clothes you were wearing, either.”

  Josh closed his eyes, thinking about the four credit cards he carried, plus other personal information…and his last photo of his fiancée, Lara, taken just hours before a roadside bombing took her life.

  “It would’ve been in my back right pocket.”

  “I’ll send a deputy out to the scene and have him look. Soooo…how long have you been in the area?”

  The man’s tone was a little too folksy, and Josh suddenly knew that there was more than just an accident report on that clipboard. “I get the feeling you’ve done a background check on me already,” he said quietly. “Find anything interesting, Sheriff?”

  A brief smile flickered at the corner of Michael’s mouth. “Nothing on record…though not everything is, usually.”

  “Can I ask why you’d need to do that? Or is it protocol on anyone who ends up in this hospital?”

  “How long have you been in Wyoming?” Michael’s voice hardened. “And where were you staying?”

  Uneasy now, Josh shifted against the pillows. “I’ve been in the Wolf Creek area for a little over a week. I have—or did have—a campsite, west of the Snow Canyon Ranch property line.”

  Michael pinned him with an intense look. “How would you know where that is, exactly?”

  Some of his memories from just before the accident were still hazy, and now Josh frowned. “I—I’m not sure.”

  “You know the McAllisters?”

  “Tessa, from college. I—I knew she used to live around here, but we never kept in touch.” At the sheriff’s satisfied expression, Josh realized the man must’ve already talked to Tessa, and was just checking for inconsistencies in Josh’s story. “You can check my credit card charges, if you want. There’ll be gas station charges starting in Washington, D.C., a week ago. You can also call Sylvia Meiers at the magazine. Her number is…” he searched his memory, and came up blank. “It’s probably in my…”

  “Billfold?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Michael cleared his throat. “Can you remember anything about your accident?”

  “Not everything. I remember coming up on a sharp curve in the road, and suddenly found a moose crossing the road. I don’t remember if I actually hit it, or if I just swerved and left the road.”

  “You’re sure it was an animal?” Michael frowned. “Not another vehicle?”

  “When you look death in the face, time seems to stand still.” Josh closed his eyes, thinking back. Envisioned the moment when he’d taken that corner. “I don’t have any doubt. Why?”

  Michael jotted a few notes on the clipboard, then looked up. “We’ve had some problems around here lately, and that same afternoon there was a break-in at a cabin not far from there. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the suspects were in a big hurry to leave.”

  Josh settled back against the pillow, suddenly tired. And unsettled, because if a simple conversation wore him out, what on earth was he going to do when the hospital discharged him?

  “What you’ve said confirms what I heard from the Bassetts…a couple of guys who happened to be fishing in the area. They mentioned seeing a moose near the highway in that vicinity, too.” Michael studied him intently for a few moments. “You’re a very lucky man,” he said finally. “I hear you wouldn’t have made it if Tessa hadn’t found you when she did.”

  “It was a toss-up, I guess. Internal bleeding or a bear.”

  “And I understand you don’t have relatives here. Have you made arrangements to go home?”

  Home. A mostly empty condominium on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. A place he landed rarely, between photo assignments abroad. Two flights of stairs. No elevator.

  He didn’t even want to think about the indignity of trying to manage those steps with a cast and crutches, much less trying to make the trip up and down with groceries and other supplies.

  “I’m not sure where I’ll go, or how I’ll get there. I understand my Harley is totaled.”

  “We hauled it up to a dealer over in Jackson. He says it can be fixed, if you’re interested.” Michael pulled a business card out of his uniform shirt pocket. “I’m not sure what your insurance deductible is, but he says the repairs are possible, and I know that people around here are generally happy with his work.” He smiled. “Then again, maybe you’d rather fly or rent a car to make your trip home a little easier.”

  Josh shook his head. “I’ve had that bike since college. It belonged to my late uncle, and I’d do just about anything to rebuild it. I’ll stick around these parts until it’s ready to roll.”

  “You probably won’t find any lodging. The resorts around here fill up months in advance.”

  The sheriff was right. Josh had been checking into rental property in the area—the seasonal lodges and cabins, as well as the long-term lease situations. Not only was everything exorbitantly priced, but it had all been spoken for months ago—even Snow Canyon Lodge and Cabins, which he’d learned was operated by the sheriff and his new wife.

  “I’d be careful, if I were you.” Michael paused, as if debating about how much to say. “Did Tessa tell you that someone shot at her a couple weeks ago?”

  “What?”

  “She was on a trail close to one of the break-ins. Someone in a dark pickup shot her in the leg, but she managed to make it home all right. I brought in the state police to help process the crime scene at the cabin.”

  Josh had felt uneasy before, but now a sick feeling worked through his stomach. “Someone shot at her? Do you have any suspects?”

  “Not yet. We’re not sure if it was accidental, a warning shot gone wrong, or someone taking intentional aim. I just wish I knew if it was one of the cabin thieves who have been hitting the area. If the guy recognized her and thought she saw something incriminating, he could decide to go after her again.”

  “But she has ranch hands at her place for protection, right? Other employees?”

  “Just one old man, and a young guide who goes out there whenever he has a pack trip.” Michael sighed. “I think she needs to stay with someone until this is settled, but my wife and I offered, and she refused. She’s just too stubborn for her own good.”

  A career as a photojournalist had drawn Josh to hot spots around the globe; and more dangerous situations than most people ever encountered. But the thought of Tessa at a remote ranch, alone and defenseless against some unseen enemy, filled him with more fear than he’d felt in a long, long time.

  He knew she wasn’t happy about him turning up in her life again—she’d made that crystal clear. But someone needed to be out there, protecting her.

  Michael pocketed his pen and dropped his
clipboard to his side. “I’d better leave. You look stressed out—like you could use a nap.”

  “And that’s just so sad, isn’t it? I haven’t taken naps since I was three,” Josh retorted dryly. “Believe me, I can’t wait to get back on my feet.”

  But when he did, he wouldn’t be setting up camp out in the woods. He needed to figure out a way to wrangle an invitation to Snow Canyon Ranch, because Tessa needed help, and an injured guy on crutches was better than no one at all.

  FIVE

  Tessa took a deep breath, unclenched her fists, then walked into the hospital with a determined smile fixed on her face.

  This was the last place she wanted to be. It had taken her ten minutes of slow, concentrated breathing to walk in the door of the building. But after Michael’s phone call this morning, she knew it was the right thing to do—even if it made her heart pound and her palms sweat. I can do this. I can handle Josh for a few weeks.

  She knocked on Josh’s door and stepped just inside, one hand on the door frame. He rolled his head on the pillow and looked at her, his eyes widening in surprise. The bruises and cuts on his face still made him look as if he’d been in a fight and lost, and her heart softened…just a little.

  “I understand you’ll be released tomorrow,” she said. “Though Michael says you plan to stay in town until your Harley is fixed so you can ride it home.”

  “True.” A hint of amusement glimmered in Josh’s eyes, undoubtedly at her obvious discomfort. “And now that a deputy found my billfold, I can actually pay for it.”

  “It’s probably almost impossible to find lodging around here, this time of year.”

  “After making endless phone calls, I know that’s true.” His expression grew forlorn. “I guess I’ll have to stay in my tent—if it’s still where I left it.”

  “Sounds like a perfect place, what with those surgical sutures and a cast to keep clean.” She drew in a steadying breath. “The nurses tell me that you’re using a wheelchair for now, but that you’ll graduate to crutches before discharge.”

  “Lucky me,” he said with a dry laugh.

  “I talked to my housekeeper Sofia, and we figure the bunkhouse at the ranch would work, if we could get you up the porch steps. We made it into a rustic sort of cabin duplex years ago, and she and Gus live in the bigger unit at the east end—but the other side is empty.”

  “Really?”

  She tried for a believable smile. “We can even bring you your meals.”

  “You’re sure you won’t mind having me around?”

  “Look, we were…friends, once. We broke up. End of story. But since I’m probably the only person you know around here, I can certainly help you out.”

  He hesitated. “It’s kind of you, but…”

  “What other options do you have? You need a place to stay, and I have the room. Claire—my mother—stays with my sister Janna and her husband Michael, and I’m not around the home place all that much. But Sofia will be close by, so she can watch over you, and help with anything you need if I’m not there.”

  He studied her face for a long moment, as if reading her thoughts. “Thanks,” he said finally. “I understand I also need to thank you for saving my life. I don’t remember much about that night, but if you hadn’t come looking for me—if you hadn’t persisted—I wouldn’t be here today.”

  “Thank Danny for noticing the skid marks on the highway, and the doctor who came in for your emergency surgery, not me.” She knew she sounded ungracious, but this was the most awkward situation she’d faced in a long time. “I’ll be here tomorrow at noon to pick you up.”

  “I’ll repay you,” he said quietly. “I promise you that.”

  “No need, just heal well and get better.” She managed a smile and excused herself, then left the hospital as quickly as possible.

  It was the right thing to do. Her sister Leigh, a veterinarian in town, lived in a small apartment at the back of her vet clinic and had no space for a guest. Janna and Michael’s resort was fully booked—and even if they had room, Claire lived there. If she even caught wind of the fact that Josh was in town, there was no telling what she would do, but it certainly wouldn’t be pretty.

  On the long drive back to the ranch, Tessa found herself talking to God again. A gentle warmth seemed to spread through her as she spoke from her heart.

  Please—let this all work out without anyone being hurt. And please, help me keep my secrets safe.

  “Quite a place,” Josh said, tilting a glance at Tessa as she drove up the mile-long lane leading to the home place of Snow Canyon Ranch.

  After leaving the highway, the road dropped into a broad valley sectioned into pastures of horses and ghost-white Charlois cattle, then wound back up into the foothills, through heavy stands of pine and aspen. Now, the roofs of the house and barns were just visible over the next rise.

  The rugged, snow-frosted peaks of the Rockies formed a stunning backdrop as far to the north and south as the eye could see.

  She shrugged. “It’s a working ranch. Nothing fancy like those horse farms out East. But I don’t think there’s any place else as pretty as this.” She spared him a quick look. “Are you doing okay?”

  “Great.” He used both hands to readjust the position of his left leg, though in the confines of the truck cab he was able to gain just a few inches at best.

  At the hospital he’d been in bed or in a wheelchair, with his cast elevated, and after twenty-five miles of rough, twisting mountain road—much of it potholed or cobbled together with patches of asphalt—his throbbing leg felt painfully tight inside the cast.

  If he’d had his hunting knife on his belt, he might’ve been tempted to start carving away the hard fiberglass, just to gain some relief.

  After negotiating a tight turn, Tessa glanced at him again. The corner of her mouth lifted briefly before settling back into a grim line. “I can well imagine how great you feel. If I had a car, I would’ve driven it instead. Might’ve been smoother.”

  “I’m just thankful for a place to stay.” And for more reasons than you know.

  He’d been careful to avoid sounding too relieved over her offer of a place to recuperate. In truth, it had been an answer to his prayers. He’d been mulling over a dozen different ways to finagle a way to stay at her ranch, and none of them had seemed plausible enough to broach.

  “I know this isn’t exactly convenient for you,” he added.

  “Like I said at the hospital, it’s no problem. Ray, my other ranch hand, quit last week, so his side of the bunkhouse is empty.”

  “You aren’t hiring someone else?”

  She snorted under her breath. “Take a look. A good look. What do you see?”

  He surveyed the panorama of ranch land unfolding as they topped the last rise. “Cattle. Horses. Trees—lots of trees. A big ranch house and set of outbuildings. Nice place, by the way.”

  She gestured impatiently. “Look closer.”

  Despite the deep green blanket of trees cloaking the lower half of the mountains, the grass at either side of the ranch land was pale gold, and looked dry enough to shatter in a stiff breeze. He caught a faint, acrid scent of smoke coming in through the truck windows—probably from the forest fires that had been escalating to the north and west.

  The effect of the drought was worse here than any place he’d seen yet.

  “I suppose all of the ranchers around here are hurting.”

  “For five years and counting.” She nodded toward the cattle. “Last summer we got just one cutting of hay instead of three, and I had to buy several loads out of Nebraska. If it weren’t for our government grazing rights on the higher ranges, we’d have had to ship our entire herd by now. As much as I need another cowhand, not paying those extra wages for a few weeks has been a blessing.”

  He studied the tall, rangy cattle closest to the fence. They didn’t bother looking back at the truck. “Doesn’t look like they have much grass.”

  “I need to move them up into their su
mmer range as soon as possible, assuming I can find someone to help.”

  “You run this entire ranch with one employee?”

  Again, that faint flicker of a smile that made him wish he could bring back the beautiful smile he remembered from their college days. “Yep.”

  She drove across the wide, graveled parking area between the barns and the fenced yard surrounding the main house, and pulled to a stop next to a log building set back in a stand of pines. It was a good fifty feet long, with porches at both ends and cheerful red curtains at all eight of the multipaned windows facing the road. “Cabin One” and “Cabin Two” had been carved into small wooden signs hung at either end of the building.

  “You’ve met Danny—he’s our seasonal guide. He only takes pack trips as scheduled, so he doesn’t live here. Otherwise, it’s just Gus, Sofia and me.”

  A grizzled old man hobbled out onto the porch of Cabin Two, at the east end of the bunkhouse, shielding his eyes against the cool, late May sunshine. His faded jeans looked as old as he did; his bright purple Colorado Rockies T-shirt an incongruent contrast to his battered western straw hat and dusty boots.

  “That’s him?”

  Tessa nodded as she opened her door and stepped out of the truck. “Gus worked for my mother before I was born.”

  Levering himself out of the truck cab, Josh collected his crutches and shoved the door shut. He held his breath as Gus tentatively navigated the stairs of the porch one halting step at a time. “How old is he?”

  “He won’t tell.” She watched Gus with obvious affection. “Now and then Sofia and I try to convince him to retire, but he won’t do that either, so he mostly helps here at the home place. He usually moves better than that, but his horse fell on him yesterday.”

  Josh winced, imagining those lean, brittle old bones crushed beneath twelve-hundred pounds of horseflesh.

  “Before you say it—no, I didn’t think he should be putting in a day on horseback. But Gus has a mind of his own, and he won’t give an inch when it comes to avoiding something because of his age.”