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

by Susan C. Daffron

  “I have my sewing kit.”

  “You don’t have any good drugs in that bag, do you? Or tequila? Or something?”

  Sara looked up from her rummaging. “No. But I’ll be quick about it.”

  “Oh jeez, I hate needles. This is gonna hurt bad.”

  “Not as much as that cut will hurt if it gets infected.” Sara brushed the sand off her knees, walked back to the fire, and settled in next to him. “You can scream and cry as much as you want. There’s no one to hear you and I promise I won’t tell.”

  Sara handed Zack a smooth stone. “Lie down on your stomach and hold onto this rock. Think of it as one of those rubber balls you use to improve your hand strength. I’m going to sit on your ankles so you don’t move your legs.”

  Zack gave her a malicious glare but followed her instructions. He put his head down on his arms and closed his eyes. Sara busied herself cleaning the gash and putting antibiotic ointment on it. Although she tried to be extremely gentle and careful with the stitches, Zack did gasp and jerk his leg a couple of times. She looked up and saw his knuckles had turned white gripping the rock.

  Even though as a nurse Sara had spent years dealing with people she didn’t know, it was still oddly personal to be sitting on Zack’s legs. Like her, he was dressed only in shorts and a t-shirt, so it was difficult not to notice that she was tending to quite a nice leg. It was long and lean with ropy muscles. The rest of his body was rather nice too. It had been a while, but she was a professional so she was able to emotionally detach herself from the patient. Even so, maybe she enjoyed touching his warm skin a bit too much. But she remained efficient and businesslike in her ministrations.

  She let out a small involuntary sigh. Running her fingertips across the lean muscles of Zack’s leg did bring home the fact that it been quite some time since her engagement to Josh had fallen apart so spectacularly. But this was definitely not the time to think about that again. She gave herself a mental shake. Stop it, Sara. Focus on the injury.

  After she had finished bandaging Zack’s leg, she moved off his ankles. “Okay, all done.”

  He tentatively rolled over, let out a huge breath, and heaved the rock toward the lake. “Why did I have to be stranded with a nurse?”

  Sara pointed at him. “Former nurse. You are lucky to have found me. That is a serious laceration, and you still haven’t told me how you got it. I think now that I’ve sewn you back together I have a right to know.”

  Zack sat up, rested his elbows on his knees, and gave her a look of surprise. “Now that you’re not yanking on it, my leg does feel a little better. Thanks.”

  “Cleaning it up undoubtedly helped. Rubbing salt in a wound isn’t so far off from rubbing sand into it, you know.” Sara gestured toward the trees. “So are you going to tell me what happened out there?”

  Zack looked away from her down the beach and mumbled, “Maybe.”

  Olivia curled up in Sara’s lap and she traced the pattern of stripes on the cat’s head. “Why are you so unwilling to tell me what you are doing here?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Chapter 3

  Fools Rush In

  Kat glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was getting late. Hadn’t Sara said she was coming to pick up Holly at four? The woman had been so organized and prepared about everything, it was hard to imagine Sara being late. Tardiness wasn’t her style. And Kat had a whole lot of summer squash she wanted to unload on her. Joel was going to have a fit if he found more loaves of zucchini bread crammed into the freezer.

  Kat got up from the table as Joel walked in the front door. She looked at him. “Wow, what happened to you? I hope you got some of the paint on the doors too.”

  “There was a barn-cat incident.”

  “Butch or Sundance?”

  “I don’t know, but some cat ran right in front of me and I stepped on the lid of the paint can. It flipped up and paint went everywhere.”

  “Mostly on you, I’m guessing.”

  “I was in the way.” Joel walked to the sink and washed his hands. “I’m going to take a shower.”

  Kat leaned on the kitchen counter and gazed out the window. “There are so many hummingbirds at the feeder this year. Look at them go.”

  “I know. They sound like they’re using light sabers. It’s like Star Wars out there.”

  “Your geek factor is showing.”

  Joel smiled. “Sometimes it slips out.”

  Kat looked back out the window. “I’m starting to wonder where Sara is. I thought she said she’d be here at four.”

  Joel turned around and glanced at the clock. “She’s not exactly punctual, is she?”

  “No, and having talked to her, I can’t imagine her being late. She takes ‘Type A’ to a new level. I’m getting worried.”

  “You could give her a call.”

  “I left a message a while ago.”

  “Maybe she was having a good time out there.”

  “I hope so. I guess I should take Holly for another walk, but my feet are tired. And now that dog is completely obsessed with the grouse out in the woods. I think she has aspirations to be a bird dog.”

  Joel walked out of the kitchen toward the bedroom. “I’m sure Sara will turn up before too long.”

  “I hope so. I picked some squash for her. And the beans are ready, so I’m hoping to sell her on some of those too. Not to mention the fact that the last thing we need here is another dog.”

  He stopped and turned to glare at her. “Don’t even think that.”

  Kat waved both hands in a “never mind” motion. “I’m not! But the last time someone left a dog here that she was supposed to pick up, it was because of a blizzard. Mona was a nice dog, but I’m glad Becca was able to finally dig out and take her home. We can be pretty sure Sara isn’t stuck in a snow bank at this time of year, but I’m worried about whether she’s okay. What if she was in a car accident or drowned? The weather has been kind of iffy here. What if it was worse down by the lake?”

  “Now you’re making up stories.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Never mind. I’ll stop now. Have a nice shower.”

  Joel wandered off to the bedroom and Kat went outside to tend to Holly and give her yet another walk. It had never occurred to her that someone might not pick up a dog. People didn’t abandon dogs at boarding kennels, did they? And even if some reprehensible excuse for a human being did that sort of thing, Sara wasn’t the type. She was an elementary school teacher who was responsible for people’s children. And from the sounds of it, she absolutely adored Holly. Kat tried to shake off her worries, but dire possibilities kept drifting into her mind. Joel sometimes teased her about being a worrywart, but she couldn’t help it. The lake was huge, and people undoubtedly drowned in it sometimes.

  Kat went into the Tessa Hut and entered the chain-link kennel. “How’s my favorite day-care dog doing?”

  While Holly wagged and cavorted, Kat puttered around refilling the water bowl, petting, and talking to the dog. Unfortunately, Holly didn’t seem to have any insights on where Sara was either.

  After asking the dog to sit, Kat clipped a leash onto Holly’s collar. “It looks like you get another walk, since your mom is running late. I’d appreciate it if you could control your birding urges this time.” Holly wagged her tail and eagerly started toward the trail that looped through the forest.

  As they strolled along, Kat began to relax. The late afternoon sun was warm and the scent of pine needles rose from the forest floor. A caw-caw sound from a low-flying crow came from overhead and Kat looked up past the tree canopy to the sky above, where a large black bird flapped listlessly a few times. Summer in Alpine Grove could be outrageously beautiful.

  The leash jerked to one side and Kat stepped on something so that her ankle twisted sideways. A shooting pain shot up her leg and she shrieked as she fell forward, landing mostly on a massive hunk of craggy rock. Her hands and forearms took most of the impact and blood streamed down her arm
. With tears coursing down her face, Kat rolled over and attempted to determine the extent of the damage to her body. Her ankle throbbed and she was bleeding from abrasions along her palms and the backs of her arms, so she looked like an extra from a cheesy horror movie.

  As she sat up, she flexed her hand experimentally. Uh oh, she wasn’t holding the leash anymore. Where was Holly? Pushing a hunk of dark hair from her face, Kat wiped the tears off her cheek and turned her head to look around. The dog had vanished. Scrambling to try to get up, she yelled “Holly!” as loudly as she could. Nothing.

  Continuing to shout the dog’s name, she moved onto her hands and knees. At a noise coming from the trail, she turned her head. Linus was galloping toward her, his big brown ears flapping up and down. Kat sat back down as Linus stopped in front of her with a great whoosh of dust. She reached out to ruffle the fur on his chin. “Hey Big Guy. What are you doing out here?”

  Suddenly, Joel slid around Linus and kneeled next to her. “Are you okay?” His eyes widened and he reached out to touch her face. “You’re bleeding! Oh my God, what happened to you?”

  “I tripped.” She held out her arm and twisted it so he could see the back. “I scraped up my hands and arms.”

  Joel rubbed at the blood on her cheek and then wrapped her in a hug. “Are you sure? There’s blood all over your face. You look like you were attacked.”

  “No, I landed on that rock and then I guess I rubbed my face with my hand. I also twisted my ankle.” She pushed him away. “And I lost Holly. You have to help me find her.”

  He sat down heavily, put his arms around her again, and murmured into her hair. “Give me a minute here, okay?”

  Kat leaned back so she could see his face. It was pale and his deep-green eyes were full of tears. She put her hand on his cheek. “Did you tweak your leg by running again?”

  “I’m fine, but you’re not. We need to take you to a doctor. You might need x-rays.”

  “We need to find Holly first.”

  A dog barked and they both looked down the trail. A tremendous amount of rustling was coming from a shrub, and the leaves flapped like they were being slapped around by an angry garden gnome. Linus trotted down the trail to investigate.

  Joel said, “I think Holly is stuck in that bush. Maybe her leash got caught.”

  “I have to say, I don’t think she has what it takes to be a decent hunting dog. I sure hope Sara is a vegetarian.”

  “I guess you are okay.” Joel enveloped her in his arms more tightly. “Please don’t ever let anything happen to you. I almost had a heart attack.”

  “I’ll try to get my klutziness under control.”

  “How’s your ankle?” He stood up and carefully took her fingertips in his hands. “Can you stand?”

  Kat let him pull her up and hopped a few steps. “I’ll be over here casually leaning on this tree while you retrieve Miss Lame-o Bird Dog.”

  Joel walked over to where Linus was standing and got down on all fours to investigate the dog-in-shrubbery situation. Linus supervised as Joel reached under the bush and untangled the dog and leash from the branches. After a few moments, he pulled Holly out. The dog shook herself vigorously, looking extremely pleased with herself.

  Joel strolled back down the trail with the dogs and stood in front of Kat. She looked up at his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Seeing you hurt…covered with blood…it was like a horrible flashback to the car accident when my parents died.” He shook his head and looked down at the ground. “Sorry. The idea of something like that happening to you makes me feel sick.”

  Kat took his hand and hopped a few steps. “Hey, I’m fine. I just need to clean up a little. But I’m gimpy, so you get to walk Holly home.”

  “It’s a long hop back to the house. How about I give you a lift?” He crouched down. “I haven’t given anyone a piggyback ride since Johnny was here last time.”

  Kat giggled as she crawled up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I promise I’ll be nicer than your obnoxious nephew.”

  Joel stood up and readjusted his hold on her knees. “That wouldn’t be hard. I think he’s convinced I’m a Clydesdale.”

  She kissed his ear. “How did you know what happened out here?”

  “After my shower, I went downstairs to close my office window and I heard you yelling. Then Linus jumped up and ran to the back door. He was leaping all over the place, and when I opened the door he pushed by me. The other dogs were barking like crazy. We might have some new scratches on the back door now.”

  “Thanks for coming to look for me and for being here.”

  “Always.”

  Zack was quiet and had the same pouty look children get when they don’t want to do something. Clearly, he was not in a mood to share more about how he was injured or why he was here. With a shrug, Sara moved Olivia off her lap, got up, and walked toward the forest to gather some more wood for the fire. It was going to be a long, uncomfortable, and cold night. Once the clouds cleared off, the temperature was going to drop, and Sara thought wistfully of her cuddly warm sleeping bag sitting in her bedroom closet at home.

  She returned to the fire with an armload of wood and dropped it next to Zack. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to help collect wood, would you?”

  “Yeah, okay. It’s getting colder out here.”

  “In this area, the temperature can drop twenty or thirty degrees between day and night. I wish I had thought to bring more clothing, but I was only supposed to be gone two or three hours.”

  “The folks on Gilligan’s Island thought the same thing and look how well that worked out.” Zack got to his feet. “Lead the way.”

  They left Olivia to guard the rapidly fading fire and went toward the woods. Zack lifted a foot and wiggled it at Sara. “Hey, my leg doesn’t hurt as much. You’re good at the whole nursing thing. How come you gave up that gig?”

  “Don’t do that. You need to be careful of the stitches.”

  “Yes, Mom. You didn’t answer my question.”

  “Why should I? You haven’t answered any of my questions about why you’re here.”

  Zack gestured back toward the water. “I told you—I went for a boat ride.”

  “With someone who had a knife?”

  “No. Come on—everyone knows teachers don’t make any money. Being a nurse has to pay more. Didn’t you have to go to some special nursing school or something? And then you went and chucked all that?”

  “Yes, I did go to nursing school. But I went back and got a master’s degree in education, if you must know.”

  “How come?”

  Sara picked up a branch and pointed it at him. “Because I wanted to. Why should I answer your questions when you won’t answer mine?”

  “Hey, don’t get all touchy. I’m just making conversation.” He picked up a log and a big black ant scampered onto his hand. “Ick!”

  “That’s a carpenter ant. They eat downed wood.”

  “Great.” Zack shook his hand a few times and held it up to examine it for insect life. “They can keep that stick. So what’s so great about teaching anyway? Is it the kids? Yeah, that’s it isn’t it? You must like kids, huh?”

  “Actually I do.”

  “So I guess seeing sick kids must have been depressing, wasn’t it?”

  Sara straightened. Discussing her experiences in the children’s ward with Zack wasn’t going to happen. “I can’t hold any more wood. Please keep gathering as much as you can. It’s going to be a long night.”

  She turned and walked back down to the beach. Olivia stood up, yawned, and arched her back. The first hints of sunset glimmered orange on the clouds above. If Sara had to be stranded somewhere, at least it was a gorgeous location.

  After dumping the wood she’d collected into the pile next to the fire ring, Sara started adding branches to the flames, revitalizing the fire again. Zack added his wood to the pile and sat down next to her. He put his hand on her forearm. “Hey, I’m sorry if I was a
jerk. I spend so much time asking questions at work, I guess I didn’t think about the fact that what I said might be kinda personal.”

  Sara glanced at him in surprise. “Thanks. I don’t like to talk about that period of my life. As you’ve probably heard, nursing can be a…difficult…line of work. It was extremely stressful and I didn’t handle it well at all.”

  “I guess all that life-and-death stuff would be hard.”

  “It was. I worked in the ER, ICU, maternity, and they were all challenging. In different ways sometimes, but it was always hard. I think I didn’t do enough to distance myself emotionally. I found myself drawn to the children’s ward, but that was terrible in ways I didn’t expect. Trying to explain cancer to a six-year-old and then watching him die—it was so awful. And it happened too much. Over time, I became depressed. Everything felt so futile.”

  “That must have been rough.”

  Sara sighed and poked a branch at the fire, causing the coals to spark. “It was a bad time in my life. My depression led to other problems.”

  “Like what? I can’t imagine you depressed actually.”

  She turned to look at him. “Why? Because I’m so bossy and opinionated?”

  “Hey, I didn’t say anything like that. You just seem, well, level-headed, I guess. Good in a crisis and all that.”

  “You’re right. You didn’t say I was bossy. Someone else did. I apologize. Talking about that time brings back many unpleasant memories.”

  “Yeah, it sounds like it really sucked.”

  Sara giggled. “Well, yes, that’s not perhaps the most polite way to say it, but it definitely did suck.”

  Zack squeezed her arm. “I bet you’re a great teacher now though.”

  “Yes, although you’re not wrong about the salary. The pay cut, student loans, and moving to Alpine Grove hasn’t helped my finances.”

  “But you’re happier now, right? I mean, like I said, you don’t seem depressed.”

  “My work life has definitely improved.”

  Zack grinned. “Well, when you say ‘work life’ like that, it leads me to wonder about the rest of your life. When I grill businesses about what’s really going on, it’s what they don’t say that tells you the most. So what’s with the rest? Family problems? Divorce? Moving to a podunk town? What’s wrong?”