The Treasure of the Hairy Cadre (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 8)

by Susan C. Daffron

  As the winds started to get more fierce, Sara decided that the weather-beaten shrub wasn’t up to the task of protecting her. She crouched and scrambled farther away from the beach, ascending the hillside, so she could no longer see the beach and her canoe below. The trees were still reasonably dense and she discovered an outcropping of rocks with a little cave that was surrounded by bushes. Sara threw her dry bag in and tucked down into the spot. A hobbit would be right at home here. If it weren’t for that whole worrying about getting struck by lightning problem, watching the storm might be fun. It was beautiful in its own wild way. The sky was purplish and the lightning strikes on the water were stunning. It was as if time stopped for a second when the lightning flashed, capturing the moment almost like a photograph.

  Now that Sara was as protected as possible for the time being, she might as well rest and eat her lunch. It was important to conserve her energy for the long paddle back. Going out so far had been reckless and now she was paying for it. She opened her dry bag and pulled out the plastic container that contained her sandwich. As hail stones began bouncing around outside the cave entrance, she slowly ate the turkey on rye. The storm was pulling out all the stops, and Mother Nature was putting on quite a show.

  A sharp cracking noise came from up the hill, followed by the distinctive sound of a tree falling and hitting the ground with a mighty crash. Sara ducked her head down as if that might help. Thank heavens she’d found this little cave. She looked behind her at the indentation in the granite. Technically, it wasn’t a cave, since it didn’t go far back into the hillside, but it was enough. She wasn’t getting drenched by the rain or squished by gigantic conifers.

  A scrabbling noise came from nearby and an unwelcome thought entered Sara’s mind. What if a bear was the typical occupant of this space? Maybe he was heading home. Humans weren’t the only ones who wanted to get out of the weather. She jammed the plastic container into the dry bag, sealed it, and looked around her for something that might work as a defensive weapon. Not even a stick was available. Being attacked by a bear was not how she wanted to die. Moving her legs under her into a crouch, she clutched the dry bag and listened for more suspicious noises.

  Something rushed out of the vegetation toward her and without thinking she shrieked, hit her head on the roof of the cave, and squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, flailing the dry bag mercilessly.

  “Ow! What the…what are you doing?” a deep male voice yelled. “Would you cut that out?”

  Sara stopped, opened her eyes, and realized that the creature wasn’t a bear. It was an extremely soggy, scruffy, and angry-looking man. “I thought you were a bear.”

  He glared at her. “Not even Grizzly Adams. What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere? It’s supposed to be uninhabited.”

  “It is. I was taking a canoe trip.”

  The man had a lanky build that reminded Sara of a drenched blue heron. His sopping wet dark hair might have been dark brown or black and his faded red t-shirt and grayish khaki shorts dripped rainwater onto his long arms and legs. He ran his hand through his hair, squishing out some water. Even his fingers were long. “Could I share your space here ‘til this rain stops? I’ve been walking forever and I’m tired.”

  “Who are you?”

  With a boyish grin, he held out his hand. “Zack Flanagan at your service.”

  Sara took his hand and shook it. He had an odd accent that she couldn’t place. Maybe New York? It was like Alan Alda in M*A*S*H merged with Keanu Reeves as Ted “Theodore” Logan in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. How bizarre. She gestured toward the cave. “I’m Sara Winston. Please come in.”

  He bent down and sat with a sigh, pulling his legs up in front of him and wrapping his sinewy arms around them. “Thanks. I know it’s probably eighty degrees out, but I’m freezing. I just need a few minutes to warm up.”

  Sara settled in next to him and jumped involuntarily at a thunderclap. She rubbed the top of her head, which still hurt from being whacked on granite. “With the wind, it’s colder. Hypothermia can set in even when the air temperature is quite warm.” She rummaged around in her dry bag. “I brought a jacket in case it got cold later.”

  Zack turned to look at her and took the jacket. “In the summer? Way to be prepared.” He settled the cloth over his shoulders. “That feels so good. It’s like my bones turned to ice cubes. If the sun ever comes out, I want to lie in the sand and bake myself until I’m warm again.”

  “Well, be sure to wait at least thirty minutes after all traces of the storm are gone. Or to be safe, you could assume the ‘lightning crouch’ too.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You don’t want to lie flat on the ground during a lightning storm because it gives the lightning a larger target. If you can’t get to shelter during a storm, you squat down with your feet close together and your head tucked between your knees. Then put your hands flat against your knees. The idea is that a lightning strike is more likely to flow over your body than through your vital organs. By crouching you may sustain fewer injuries.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “So I’m guessing you were a Girl Scout.”

  “For a while, but my family went hiking and camping a lot too. I’m a teacher and I used to be a nurse, so I know quite a bit about safety and first aid.”

  “I’m sure you know more than I do.”

  Sara rubbed her head again and evaluated her physical state. It didn’t feel like she had given herself a concussion. That was the last thing she needed right now. “You know why I am out here. Why are you here?”

  “I am looking for…well…I rented a boat. One of those little motorized dinghy things, I guess you’d say. Anyway, the motor crapped out on me, so I had to park it up that way.” He gestured toward the shore beyond where Sara had gone. “Then I was looking for someplace to get out of the rain. I think I kinda got turned around. Then I found you.”

  “It was wise of you to get out of the storm. Being out on the lake is dangerous.”

  “I didn’t have much choice. Once the motor quit, I was done.”

  “Didn’t you have a paddle?”

  “What for? It’s a motorboat. It’s got a motor.”

  Sara did a mental eye roll. How could anyone be so irresponsible? “For situations like this when the engine dies, obviously. You should always be prepared for an emergency when you go out.”

  “So I suppose you have a paddle?”

  “I told you, I came here by canoe, so yes, of course I have a paddle.”

  He smirked and scratched at the dark stubble on his chin. “Well that’s a good thing, because otherwise I guess I’d be up a certain type of creek, without one.”

  Sara sat next to Zack watching the rain come down in torrents outside the small cave. Although it was good to be sheltered, it was awkward being in such a small space sitting so close to someone she didn’t know at all. What if he was a bank robber or a serial killer on the run from something? He was rather scruffy looking, although to be fair, running through rain, hail, and dense forest vegetation probably didn’t do much for anyone’s appearance. She probably was looking a bit worn around the edges too.

  Zack’s five-o‘clock shadow was looking more like it had gone far past midnight toward the realm of scraggly bristly quasi-beard. He had deep-set gray eyes and black eyelashes that were so thick he looked like he was wearing eyeliner. All he needed was an eye patch and he’d make a fine pirate. Bluebeard had nothing on this guy.

  She stole a glance at him and he wiggled his eyebrows and gave her a teasing grin. His two front teeth didn’t align quite right and the playful twinkle in his eyes indicated he was well aware of how uncomfortable Sara was. Wrapping her arms around her knees more tightly, she said, “I don’t suppose you brought any food with you on your boat, did you?”

  He moved his hands away from his knees and spread his arms out wide in front of him. “Nope. This is it. Just me. That’s all there is.”

  “You didn’
t bring any supplies at all? Not even any water? Sunscreen?”

  “I had a bottle of water in the boat, but I was in a rush to leave. It doesn’t matter. We’re sitting here next to a gigantic lake.”

  “But it might have contaminants. You could get giardia.”

  “I don’t know what that is, but there’s also a lot of rain. In fact, now I’m rainwater fresh like those commercials say.”

  Sara wasn’t about to comment on his freshness factor. Sweaty pirate was probably not a popular fabric-softener fragrance. “So, you didn’t say why you were out in the motor boat.”

  “Why were you out in the canoe?”

  “I wanted to practice—I mean, I wanted to have a picnic.”

  “You wanted to practice eating?”

  “No, I brought a sandwich.” She glared at him. “Which I ate, so I’ll have enough energy to paddle back.”

  “Bummer. I’m hungry.”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you over on this side of the lake? Most people tend to take motorboats out closer to the beach and marinas south of town. That’s where all the slips are.”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s where I rented the motorboat.”

  “And you came all the way over here in a little dinghy? That must have been a long ride.”

  He pulled the jacket closer around him again. “I left early.”

  Sara shook her head. “And you packed no food or anything? What if the motor had died when you were out in the middle of the lake? In an electrical storm like this, you could have died out there!”

  “But I didn’t. I found you and I’m sure there’s room for two people in your boat.”

  “It’s a canoe.” Sara didn’t think it would be wise to point out that she wasn’t terribly proficient at keeping the canoe upright when there were two people in it. Maybe now that she’d practiced, it would be okay if she were sitting in the back. But the idea of having to drag this guy back to camp with her was not appealing. “I wish this storm would end. It’s going to be terribly late by the time I get back. People are going to worry.”

  A noise came from under a shrub near the cave and Zack turned his head and peered around the edge of the granite. “What was that?”

  “Probably a squirrel who doesn’t want to be out in the rain any more than we do.” Sara sighed as she gazed out at the gunmetal-gray clouds that surrounded them. “Of course, now the winds have died down. It looks like this storm is stalled out right above us.”

  A giant squalling and a thud came from the direction of the shrub. Zack said, “That’s one fat squirrel. And not real coordinated either. They aren’t supposed to fall off trees, right?”

  “You’re right. That didn’t sound like a squirrel. It’s bigger than a squirrel.” Sara clutched her dry bag again. “I hope it’s not a mountain lion.”

  “Oh jeez, really? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Because of the lack of development, there’s a tremendous amount of wildlife out here.”

  Zack threw the jacket off his shoulders. “I am not going to miss out on this because I got eaten by a lion. No way.”

  “Miss out on what? Zack! What are you doing?” Sara grabbed at his arm. “Don’t annoy it!”

  “I’m going to scare it. We’re in a forest. There’s got to be a stick around. I’ll yell and scream and make it run away.” He shook his arm away, extricated himself from the cave, and stood up in the rain, which was coming down in sheets. He shook his head, causing droplets to fly off his hair as he approached the bushes threateningly. Waving his arms, he yelled, “Hey lion, get outta here. We were here first. Go away!”

  Something small, gray, and incredibly wet shot out from beneath the branches and ran between Zack’s feet. He turned his head to look back at Sara. “I always thought mountain lions were bigger than that.”

  The animal raced into the cave and jumped on Sara’s jacket, next to her. “It’s a cat! Possibly the wettest cat I’ve ever seen.” She tentatively reached out her hand toward it and laughed. “I don’t think you scared it either. You just gave her the opportunity to steal your spot.”

  The cat bumped its tabby head against Sara’s hand and let her stroke the wet fur. “Oh, you poor baby. Look at you—you must be freezing.” The cat seemed to agree and burrowed down into the jacket, which Sara wrapped around it.

  Zack stalked up to the cave entrance and shook his arms in an effort to remove some of the water. “Move that thing over. I think I’m getting waterlogged out here.”

  Sara gently moved the bundle of feline and jacket closer to her leg. “Okay, you can come back in, but be careful of her.”

  As he resettled himself into his spot, he scowled at the cat, who was now purring contentedly. “What the heck is a cat doing out here?”

  “I don’t know, but she’s friendly. Maybe she got lost.”

  “Out here? How far can cats walk? That road up above us along the ridge is miles and miles of dirt before you get back to anything even remotely resembling civilization.”

  “Maybe she was on a boat?”

  “Sure, because so many people like to take their cats with them on boat trips.” Zack wrapped his arms around his knees again and shuddered slightly.

  “I suppose not. Unless they live on a houseboat maybe.”

  “Maybe.” He pushed a sodden clump of hair back off his forehead. “I think we’re not the only ones out here.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful! They could help us. I’m worried that we might end up paddling back in the dark, which could be dangerous. But if they have a motorboat with a light, they could tow the canoe.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.”

  Sara looked at him. The expression on his face was grim, and he obviously wasn’t telling her everything he knew. Why did he think someone else might be here? What was Zack up to? Who was this guy?

  Zack was apparently done talking. He sat with his arms curled around his legs, hunched over, and staring straight ahead, his gaze never leaving the lake. She was uncomfortable sitting so close to him saying nothing, but Sara couldn’t think of anything to say beyond small talk, and he was far too annoyed for that now.

  After watching the rain and listening to the cat purr, the tension in the cave finally lessened as the storm began to let up. Sara glanced at the sky. It was still gray, but the lightning and thunder had subsided and the torrential downpour had slowed to a misty drizzle.

  The cat slept through it all, demonstrating impressive feline napping prowess. Although Sara thought of herself as more of a dog person, the cat was extremely cute, happily nestled in the jacket. The gray-and-brown tabby fur was starting to dry and she was actually quite pretty with great swirling markings that meandered across her body. Sara traced a black swirl on the little cat’s coat. It was comforting to have something small and furry to keep her company, since Zack had shifted to stony silence.

  Zack unwrapped himself from his tightly curled position and groaned. “I gotta get out of here.”

  “You’re supposed to wait thirty minutes after a storm before leaving shelter.”

  As he clambered his way out of the cave he grumbled, “I’m not wearing a watch. It’s not raining and I can’t stand this anymore.”

  Sara moved to follow him out and the cat stood up and stretched with a mewing noise as she yawned widely. Crab-walking on her hands and feet, Sara scuttled out and stood up next to Zack. He was only about half an inch or an inch taller than she was, which she hadn’t noticed before. He raised his eyebrows and gazed at her intently, his dark eyes reflecting surprise. “Crumpled up into a ball in that cave, I had no idea you were so tall. How tall are you?”

  “Five eleven and three fourths.”

  “That’s specific. I’m guessing you played basketball.”

  “Yes, and volleyball. I got a college scholarship.”

  He smiled. “Well, if I have to get stranded in the middle of nowhere, I’d rather get stranded with a jock. This is great news for the prospect of ever getting
home again. You can probably paddle that canoe like a maniac.”

  “Well, yes, I am in good physical shape, although I haven’t been canoeing often.” She wasn’t about to tell Zack this was her second solo excursion.

  “Hey, it can’t be that hard.” Zack gestured at the cave entrance. “Grab your stuff and let’s get going.”

  Sara grudgingly pulled the dry bag out of the cave. What if the storm wasn’t completely done? It probably hadn’t been thirty minutes yet. “All right. But what should we do about this little kitty? We can’t just leave her here.”

  Zack turned and bent to look at the cat, who gazed back at him with wide yellow eyes. “Do you think she’ll put up with being carried? Some cats scratch your arms off if you try and pick them up.”

  Sara handed him the dry bag. “Well, I think she likes me better than you. Please carry this. I’ll try wrapping her in the coat to help keep her warm. She seemed to like that.”

  Zack nodded and took the dry bag. “Okay. Whatever works. All I want is to get out of here.”

  Carefully picking up the small cat, Sara bundled her in the coat. “How sweet! I think she likes it.”

  “I’d like being carried around too. All this hiking and roughing it in the great outdoors is overrated. I’d kill for a drive-through right about now.”

  Sara led the way, carefully picking her way down the hillside she had run up hours before. Because of the storm, she’d been so scared and filled with adrenaline that she hadn’t realized how far she’d scrambled before she found the cave.

  At last, they reached the beach, which looked exactly the same except for one notable exception. Sara stopped short and held the cat close to her chest. “Where is my canoe?”

  Zack walked up alongside her. “Are you sure this is where you left it?”

  “Of course I’m sure! It was right here.”