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

by Susan C. Daffron

  A sign indicated they were leaving the no-wake zone and Zack pushed the throttle forward. He shouted over the roar of the engine, “Nope, definitely not a monk.”

  Sara crossed her arms. She had learned that extracting information from Zack when he didn’t want to share could be an exercise in frustration, but she also knew that she could wait him out. He’d tell her eventually. Maybe.

  Motoring across the huge lake was going to take some time and it was impossible to talk above the drone of the motor, so Sara sat and watched the lake go by while Holly snoozed at her feet. There were some suspiciously dark clouds in the distance and Zack appeared to be keeping an eye on them as well.

  Sara wondered what Zack was thinking about. The expression on his face was unreadable, but unusually serious. Maybe he was pondering past girlfriends. Why had she brought that up? That was stupid. It was probably because she couldn’t help thinking about what would happen after this trip. They hadn’t stopped to talk about what was next. She would go back to teaching and he’d go back to LA to do whatever it was business consultants did.

  The prospects for their future together weren’t encouraging, since they’d probably hardly ever see each other after this camping trip. And against her better judgment, she was becoming more and more attached to Zack. He made her laugh and understood how her mind worked in a way almost no one else ever had. When he’d left before, it had been awful. Parting from him again after this trip would be even worse.

  Even though he still was reticent to discuss certain personal elements of his life—particularly the mysterious Meagan—he had opened up to her. The more he told her, the more she wanted to know. She was trying not to fall in love with him, but the more time they spent together, the more she wanted to be with him. If she were honest with herself, what she really wanted was for him to stay with her forever, which was completely unrealistic.

  Sara shook her head and yanked out the elastic holding her ponytail, as if that could help shake off her dismal line of thought. She pulled her hair back again and bound it tightly. Once they were on land, she needed to talk to Zack about what was next for them. He couldn’t get away with ‘we’ll figure it out’ forever, particularly since she had no idea how he felt about her beyond the vague ‘you’re hot’ comments.

  At last, they reached the far shore of the lake and Zack slowed the boat so they could cruise south along the shoreline. He smiled. “This should look familiar.”

  “Maybe we’ll find my canoe somewhere.”

  “Maybe.”

  Holly stood up and stared at the shore. Now that nap time was over, she was ready for more action. Sara stroked her fur. “Not too long now, sweetie. Then we’ll go for a hike. You’ll like it.”

  Zack glanced at the sky. “Those clouds are starting to look like they might mean business.”

  “Yes, and the wind is picking up, too. I’m glad we’re almost there.”

  They found the cove where the creek came down to the lake and as they had surmised, there were too many rocks to moor the boat safely, so they continued to the next break in the rocks.

  After slowly motoring into the cove, they tied the boat to a tree and put down the anchor, just to be sure. If the weather was bad, the last thing they needed was to lose another boat.

  Holly stood on the back of the boat barking while Sara carried one of the backpacks to shore. She splashed back through the shallow water and climbed up the ladder. “Okay Holly, time to stop barking and disembark.”

  Zack laughed. “Hey, being out here brought back your sense of humor.”

  “We talked about this—I can be funny. I do laugh, you know.” She reached up and grabbed Holly around her chest and back legs, pulling her off the boat’s deck. The dog wriggled and squirmed frantically, but Sara held on tightly. “Holly, stop it. If you won’t let me carry you, you’ll have to swim.” The dog writhed some more and Sara dropped her in the lake with a splash. “Fine. Be that way.”

  Holly flopped around in the water and then settled into a somewhat incompetent dog-paddle toward the shore. Sara followed her and glanced up at Zack on the boat. He was grinning as he pointed at the soggy canine. “She’s not much of a water dog, is she?”

  “Holly hates water. She’s a fair-weather herding dog. When it rains, she even tiptoes around little puddles.”

  Zack descended the ladder and splashed behind them carrying the second backpack. Once Holly had her footing, she raced up onto the beach and ran around in a circle, pausing to shake herself a few times in disgust. Sara walked onto shore and Holly stopped to glare at her for a moment. Zack stood next to Sara and turned to look back at the boat. “If I lose this one, the rental folks aren’t gonna be amused.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine.”

  They stopped to put on their shoes while Holly ran around sniffing the various bits of debris lying around among the rocks on the beach. She picked up a piece of tree branch and carried it proudly toward Sara. Dropping the old gray piece of wood at her feet, the dog wagged expectantly. With a smile, Sara picked up the wood and threw it. Holly was going to be completely exhausted.

  Zack started toward the forest and pointed. “So we go that way, right?”

  “No, the cove that has the creek is that direction.”

  “Lead on.”

  Sara walked up alongside him and reached out to grab his arm. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine, other than this heavy pack. Why do you ask?”

  “You had a look on your face while we were coming over here. It seemed like you might be upset about something.”

  He stuck out his tongue and contorted his expression. “I’m a weirdo. You know that.”

  “I’m serious. Is something bothering you? And I don’t think you’re a weirdo, by the way.”

  “Aw, that’s probably the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “Oh please. You’re always exaggerating.”

  “Not really.” He stopped and removed the pack. “Something is seriously wrong here. I need to fix this thing.”

  “I think you might need to readjust the straps.” She bent to examine the buckles. “It looks like it wasn’t sitting correctly.”

  “Where did you get this backpack?”

  “It was my sister’s, but she hasn’t used it in ages. Technically, men’s and women’s packs often are designed slightly differently. It’s not ideal, but I figured it would work okay, since it’s lighter than my father’s. That one is enormous.”

  “It’s probably not studly to be carrying a girl’s pack, but I’m glad to be missing out on Dad’s.” He threw the pack back on and yanked on a few straps. “Okay, that’s better.”

  Sara faced him and tightened his hip strap. “I think this will help too.”

  “Thanks.”

  She put her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. “There’s that look again. What is bothering you?”

  “You’re the only person I’ve ever met who can be both sensitive and bossy at the same time.”

  “I’m not being bossy. Don’t change the subject. I’m asking about you.”

  “In a bossy way.”

  She dropped her arms back to her sides. “Fine. Don’t tell me.”

  “All right. I’m sorry I’m being a jerk. I’ve got all those lyrics from Ricky Nelson love songs rattling around in my brain, getting all tangled up with other stuff.”

  “Do they remind you of something? Does it have to do with the treasure?”

  “Sort of. There’s one called “Young World” that talks about someone loving you being a treasure.”

  “That sounds sweet.”

  Zack moved forward toward the trees and began singing the song, his voice echoing through the forest canopy.

  The song was all about sharing a life together and was extremely romantic. Every sappy emotion in Sara’s heart swirled through her and she took his hand, deftly pulling him in the right direction toward the cove as he sang. Holly cavorted alongside them, seeming to enjo
y the musical interlude as much as Sara did.

  Once they got into the dense vegetation, Zack stopped singing and followed her, periodically grumbling about the nasty branches and bushes smacking him as they worked their way along the shoreline.

  At last, the shrubs thinned and they walked onto the beach where the creek met the lake. Sara turned and grinned at Zack. “Yay! We made it.”

  A massive crack of thunder crashed around them and Sara nearly jumped out of her skin. “Not again! Holly, let’s go. This way.”

  She and Zack ran toward the forest next to the creek, where they had come down before. Once they were safely away from the water, Sara stopped and took off her pack. “Grab the rain gear. It’s about to start pouring.”

  Zack removed the pack with a groan. “Great. More rain. This is going to be fun.”

  After they had donned plastic hooded ponchos, Sara and Zack began trudging through the rain up the trail. Holly ran ahead and then alongside them, probably trying to figure out a way to avoid getting any wetter than she already was. Sara felt a little bad. Holly was such a wimp about water, but as long as she was running around, she wouldn’t get cold, anyway.

  The late afternoon sun had more or less vanished behind the heavy clouds and the air temperature was dropping. They reached a clearing next to the creek and Sara stopped. Zack walked up alongside her. He pushed the hood back from his poncho and ran his fingers through his hair. “This sucks. I’m cold and tired. It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

  “Yes, I think we should settle in here for the evening. The thunder has stopped, but it gets steeper after this part and walking in the rain could be dangerous. I don’t want either of us to slip and fall.”

  “I’m not up for killing myself.” Zack took off his pack with obvious relief. “So what’s next?”

  “Let’s set up the tent. I put the food in dry bags that we’ll have to suspend on a rope between two trees.”

  “Why?”

  “To keep bears from getting to it.”

  “Okay, that’s a good reason. I think I’m officially water-logged now. I bet my feet are all wrinkly.”

  Sara unpacked the tarp and tent from the packs and began working to set up the campsite. Holly and Zack stood around looking wet and unhappy. She handed a rock and some tent stakes to Zack. “Here, pound these in.”

  He looked at the tent. “This is sure going to be cozy.”

  “Backpacking tents are small and light.”

  “That’s for sure.”

  Once the tent was set up, Sara pulled out the items they might need and threw them inside. Then she wrapped the ponchos around the packs and crawled through the tent’s door, followed by Zack and Holly.

  The tent had only enough space for them to lie alongside one another. Holly began to move into a full body shake and Sara yelled “No!” as she grabbed the dog’s collar. “Holly, down.”

  The dog reluctantly settled into sphinx position next to Sara. Zack was busy contorting himself in an effort to remove his shoes. She touched his shoulder. “Sorry about that. Like I said, Holly doesn’t like getting wet.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but your dog smells really bad.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to wash her, and the skunky smell is worse now that she’s wet. Maybe she found one when she was at my parents’ house or the boarding kennel. Kat wasn’t very forthcoming with information about what happened there. I got the impression it wasn’t good.”

  “Holly is kinda high-maintenance.”

  Sara paused in her awkward footwear-removal process. “So now you’re going to say she’s just like me, aren’t you?”

  “Nope. You’re not high-maintenance. In fact, you’re completely self-sufficient as far as I can tell. You don’t need anyone.”

  At the look in Zack’s eyes, Sara knew what had been bothering him. “That’s not true. To be honest, I’m afraid of my feelings for you because I’m worried you don’t feel the same way. And that after this trip, I’ll never see you again.”

  The expression on his face softened and he snuggled closer to her. He kissed her ear and moved to look into her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about never seeing me again. You might be stuck with me. I think I love you and that’s a completely new experience for me. While we’re being honest here, it’s all kinda scary to me too. I’m trying not to freak out.”

  Sara grinned and rearranged herself in the small space so she could give him a hug. “That’s amazing. I was afraid to say it, but I feel the same way. Falling in love with you was completely unexpected.”

  “No one has found me particularly lovable before, so that’s a new experience too.” Zack burrowed his head next to her neck and sighed. “And such a relief. After we got pissed at each other at your parents’ house, I wasn’t sure what you were thinking.”

  “I didn’t know either, particularly since you won’t tell me about Meagan. You were right to read me the riot act. I was behaving badly.”

  “The riot act? Hey, it wasn’t that bad. You were just getting all control-freaky on me.”

  “I know. Most people don’t call me on it though.”

  “They’re probably too scared. I’m glad I’m not in second grade. You’re probably the strict teacher all the seven-year-olds are afraid of getting stuck with.”

  Sara poked him in the ribs. “Very funny. But I do make an effort to keep order in my classroom to facilitate learning.”

  “No doubt. You don’t scare me though. I was the obnoxious kid that all the teachers hoped didn’t end up in their class.” He gave her a kiss. “Your dog still stinks though.”

  “And you still haven’t told me what your assistant looks like.”

  “Well Meagan is cute in a way, I guess, but she’s married to a former Special Forces guy who is about six five and could kill me with his pinky, so, uh, you don’t have a lot to worry about there. I don’t have a death wish.”

  Sara laughed. “I’m glad to hear it. I guess I’m surprised you don’t have women throwing themselves at you.”

  “Why? You didn’t. I’m kinda hard to get to know.”

  “I suppose, but I’m not blind—you’re extremely attractive. And everyone has a past.”

  “Maybe, but I also have a tendency to blurt out unflattering things or behave like a bratty ten-year-old.”

  “There is that.” Sara curled up closer. “You’re remarkably self-aware though. Most people who are so blunt don’t realize how the way they say things can affect other people.”

  He grinned. “Must be all that therapy. It helped me deal with people better, particularly in business. A lot of my success was because I paid attention to people who knew way more than I did. Knowing you’re the way you are and actually doing something about it are two different things.”

  “After Josh told me all the horrible things he thought about me, I didn’t take most of it seriously. He called me bossy and boring and lashed out about all my standards and rules. But then he cheated on me, so I decided it was easier to simply hate him forever.”

  “You did get out of nursing after you got depressed about it.”

  “That’s true. Somehow, you changed the subject again. I’m trying to pry into your romantic past and you keep talking about business.”

  “Yeah, you’re real subtle. In my life, it’s all related. I was so busy starting and selling companies for a while, I didn’t pay attention to other stuff. I kinda found out that women hate it when you ignore them. They tended to find me less than appealing because I was so focused on work. Then I transitioned to helping other people start or fix businesses rather than starting my own, so more recently I’ve gone out with a few flight attendants because of all the air travel.”

  “Aha! Finally, the truth comes out.” Sara tried to rearrange herself again and Holly yelped. “Sorry sweetie. It’s cramped in here.”

  “Not to mention aromatic. I’m trying to figure out what your dog did. Maybe she rolled on a dead skunk. Ick.”

  Sara wiggled
her toes against Zack’s. “Don’t change the subject again. So there’s been no one serious?”

  “What is that?”

  “What is what?”

  “There’s something crawling on you.” He brushed his fingers across her shoulder. “Okay, more than one. A lot more.”

  Sara jerked upright and started sweeping herself frantically. Holly stood up, stomped across both humans, and shook vigorously.

  Droplets of smelly water flew around the tent and Zack shook his head. “Yuck!” He opened the tent flap and crawled out into the rain. “I’ve never seen so many ants!”

  Holly scampered out into the rain, followed by Sara. She ripped the elastic out of her hair and bent at the waist, flopping her long dark hair over. She ran her fingers through her increasingly soggy tresses, trying to remove any six-legged interlopers.

  Zack was jumping around, splashing into puddles. Finally, he stopped and stripped off his t-shirt. “They’re everywhere!”

  Sara gazed at the ground, where ants were running in circles like they were possessed by tiny insect demons. “I think the rain flooded an ant hill. Grab the tent stakes. We need to move the tent.”

  “No kidding. That’s a serious invasion.” Zack grumbled a string of expletives under his breath as he yanked up the stakes. He shook his head, causing his hair to splash across his forehead. “Where are we going with this thing?”

  “Anywhere away from here.”

  They gathered up their things and Sara looked around the clearing. She pointed toward a rise near a clump of trees. “Maybe up there?”

  “How many ants do you think we just trapped in this tent?” Zack shook his t-shirt and slipped it back over his head. “Where did this storm come from? I thought it was supposed to be sunny.”

  “Alpine Grove meteorologists aren’t known for their accuracy. They said a chance of showers. And partly sunny.”

  “That’s helpful.” Zack helped Sara set the tent out again and pounded in the tent stakes. “Do you see any new bugs here? If we find a nest of spiders, I promise you I’m gonna scream like a little girl.”