The Chief Ranger

by Rebecca Winters

  The clock in the kitchen said quarter to ten. It was quarter to one in Miami. Rachel would be in bed, unless she was out with her ex. Vance didn’t want to think about what they might be doing.

  After draining half the can, he moved into his den to look at the pictures he’d sent her and Nicky. Five minutes of that torture and he walked away from the computer. Until he could sleep, he needed to stay busy. Two months ago he’d promised himself he’d clean out his garage. It looked like tonight was the night.

  He was twenty minutes into the project when his phone rang. He picked up. “Chief Rossiter speaking.”

  “Vance? It’s Boyd.”

  He’d been expecting a call from the fire chief in Midpines, outside the park. “What’s the status on the Telegraph fire?”

  “That’s why I’m calling. It’s already burned sixteen thousand acres and it’s only twenty percent contained.

  El Portal’s lost power. You’ll be losing it in Yosemite Valley shortly.”

  He frowned. “What about Tuolumne Meadows?”

  “Except for low visibility from smoke, no other areas of the park should be impacted.”

  “That’s good news. Keep me posted.”

  “Will do.”

  There’d be no sleep for Vance tonight. The cleanup activity would have to keep for another day.

  He switched off the garage light and went inside the house to change into his uniform. Once he’d turned on the outside generator, he headed for the visitor center. The smoke drifting their way from the Mariposa County fire was definitely getting heavier.

  He nodded to the skeleton night crew manning the center. As he walked down the corridor past Chase’s office, he saw him on the phone. Their eyes made contact. Chase covered the mouthpiece long enough to say, “Ranger Baird says the smoke from the Telegraph fire at the Arch Rock entrance has made driving dangerous.”

  “That’s why I’m here. Boyd called me. The valley is the only place in the park that’s going to lose power. Come on into my office. We’ll make calls so the generators get turned on. All the tourist facilities first!”

  Chase followed him down the hall. “While I’m at it, I’ll give Wally and his crew a heads-up in case any of the generators need repair.”

  Vance raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean, ‘in case’?”

  His friend grunted before they both got to work.

  RACHEL PULLED THE CAR UP in front of Blake’s house. She turned to Nicky, who, even though he was wearing

  his Power Ranger costume, wasn’t happy about anything. “I’ll be back in two hours and I’ll take you and Blake to get a hot dog for lunch.”

  “Promise?” That forlorn look on his face had been there since they’d returned from Yosemite a week ago. To her dismay Dr. Karsh had been out of town. She hadn’t been able to talk to him until this morning. He’d told her to come in at ten.

  “I promise.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m looking for a new job.” All last week she’d phoned about different positions in administration advertised in the paper and on the Internet. Today she had an interview at the Red Cross after her appointment with Dr. Karsh. “If you want to talk to Nana or Grandpa, just tell Blake’s mom and she’ll let you use the phone.”

  “Can’t I phone you?”

  “Yes, but I may be in an interview and not able to call you right back.” Nothing she said seemed to reassure him. “Look, there’s Blake. He’s been waiting for you.” The other boy came running toward them in his own Power Ranger costume.

  Nicky slowly undid the restraint on his car seat and got out. The pained look in his eyes tore her apart. He’d had one nightmare since their return. Something had been flying at his head, and when he woke up screaming, he was calling out for Vance.

  That dream had come the night they’d set up rules about phone calls to the chief ranger. Nicky could phone him once a week, that was all. Rachel had made Nicky tell Vance about the new rule within her hearing, but she herself had refrained from speaking to him.

  Vance seemed to have taken his cue from that, because he’d only called Nicky once. For the six-year-old, two conversations in a week hadn’t been enough for him.

  “Don’t forget your backpack. Your treats are in there.”

  He reached for it.

  “I love you, darling.”

  His lower lip quivered as he shut the car door. She watched through the rearview window as she pulled away. Instead of running off with Blake, he stood looking after her until she’d driven out of sight.

  Fifteen minutes later Rachel broke down in the doctor’s office while telling him about their trip to Yosemite and the aftermath. He offered her a box of tissues.

  “Thank you,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes and face. “To be honest, I don’t know what to do. In some ways the situation seems worse than before.”

  “Not worse. Better,” he commented.

  “You’re kidding …”

  “No. What you said a minute ago is profound. Nicky does feel a very strong connection to the chief ranger because he was the last person to see his parents. But it goes deeper than that.

  “This man tried to save them. He flew Nicky up to the top of El Capitan and showed him exactly where he searched for their bodies. When he found them, he made certain they were sent back to Florida. In Nicky’s eyes, the ranger represents a father figure, someone who protects and takes care of everything, like Nicky’s own dad once did.

  “This connection isn’t remarkable or unusual. It’s totally understandable, given the fact that the chief ranger appears to be a remarkable man himself.”

  She nodded. “He’s exceptional.”

  “That’s why he’s the chief.” The doctor smiled. It made her smile. “As for the latest nightmare, it shows Nicky feels protected by him and likes it. That’s a very good sign your nephew is capable of attaching himself to someone else besides his father. I’d say you’re making progress, even though it doesn’t feel that way yet.”

  “But how do I wean him from this latest attachment?”

  “I’ll know better after I’ve had a chat with Nicky. Could you bring him in at noon today?”

  She was glad the doctor had a plan, because she was out of them. “Yes, of course.”

  After thanking him, she hurried from his office to the parking area. En route she canceled her interview at the Red Cross, then phoned Blake’s mom and told her she’d be picking up Nicky sooner than planned. They would need to go home first so he could change out of his costume.

  “You’re home early,” her dad said as she and Nicky walked into the dining room. His eyes darted to hers as he waited for an explanation. She would have told him, but her mother entered from the kitchen with a package in her hand.

  “I’m glad you’re back.” Her gaze swerved to Nicky. “This came for you this morning.”

  He stared at it without much interest. “What is it?”

  “I have no idea.” Her mom was acting very mysterious. Rachel loved her for doing everything conceivable to help Nicky cope. “Want me to open it?”

  “I can do it.” He put it on the table and went to work, but couldn’t remove the tape.

  “Here.” Her dad took a knife and made slits so Nicky could undo the flaps.

  He reached inside and pulled out a plastic bag. After a struggle he ripped it open and pulled out a Junior Park Ranger’s uniform complete with shirt, shorts and a ranger’s hat with the Yosemite logo.

  “Whoa! Vance sent me a ranger’s outfit!” he cried. “Now I can look just like him!”

  Rachel’s eyes closed tightly in reaction. He couldn’t have picked out a gift that Nicky would love more, but he shouldn’t have done it.

  “I’m going to put it on. Rachel? Will you unzip the back of my costume?”

  “Please?” her dad corrected him.

  “Please. Sorry, Grandpa.”

  “Sure.” Rachel’s fingers were fairly trembling as she helped him peel off t
he red outfit and put on his new dark brown shorts with the light khaki shirt. They were a perfect fit.

  Her mother picked up the card tucked in the bottom of the box and read it out loud. “‘Dear Nicky, all the kids in the Junior Park Rangers Program sent you this present. Enjoy it. Ranger Cindy Davis.’“

  What a darling thing for her to do.

  “Let’s see you in that hat.” Ted opened it and put it on Nicky’s head. “Well … don’t you look official!”

  Nicky beamed before hurrying into the bathroom to look at himself. When he came back, he opened the other box, which contained a pair of binoculars. There was a card with it, too. Rachel picked it up to read. “‘To be used for owl watching. Have fun, sport.’“

  Vance …

  Nicky ran around the house trying out the binoculars. She heard shrieks of happiness. “Whoa—everything is huge! Whoa!”

  Tears smarted Rachel’s eyes. She wasn’t the only one moved by the moment. Soon he came running back into the dining room. “Look, Rachel!”

  She took the binoculars from him and put them to her eyes, training them on her mother standing across the table from her. A gasp escaped her throat. The magnification was so powerful, at first Rachel wasn’t sure what she was seeing. Finally she figured out it was one of her mom’s eyelashes.

  “Oh, Nicky, these are no ordinary children’s binoculars. Vance sent you a very expensive, wonderful gift. You’ll have to be extremely careful with them.” She passed them to her father.

  Once he put them to his eyes, he made sounds like Nicky had done. Ted quickly wheeled himself around to the entrance to the patio. “Do you know these are so powerful I can see a bumblebee’s wing clear on the other side of the garden? Minnie, take a look.”

  Nicky ran over to them, waiting impatiently while his nana tried them out. Rachel hung back, still reacting to Vance’s generosity. He had to know what this gift meant to her nephew. Considering that she had an appointment with Dr. Karsh to help keep Nicky from obsessing over the chief ranger, the timing was incredible.

  She checked her watch. “Nicky?” By now he had the binoculars back in his possession. The gift would provide him hours of pleasure. “I have a doctor’s appointment in a few minutes and am taking you with me.” Her parents eyed her in surprise, because they thought she’d already been. “You’ll need to change so we can get going.”

  “But I want to stay here and play.”

  “I know, but we have to go. Dr. Karsh wants to talk to both of us. It won’t take a long time. Maybe later Blake

  can come over and see your new ranger outfit. Now run to your room and put on your T-rex shirt and shorts.”

  “But I don’t want to change.”

  “Then wear that to the doctor’s office,” her mom suggested. She stared at Rachel as she said it, in the hope of preventing a confrontation.

  “Can I, Rachel?”

  She let out a troubled sigh. “Why not. But you’ll have to leave the binoculars home. Give them to Grandpa.”

  “Okay.”

  Nicky gazed at his grandparents. “You can look through them if you want to. But you have to be very careful with them.”

  “Thank you,” Minnie said with a straight face, although Rachel could see her mouth twitch ever so slightly. “We will.”

  Ted’s chuckle followed them out the door.

  On the way to the doctor’s office Nicky said, “I want to call Vance.” She’d been waiting for that. This was one time she couldn’t say no, and Nicky knew it.

  “Remember our rule. You can thank him when it’s time.”

  “Can I send him a present?”

  Her hands tightened on the steering wheel. She couldn’t very well tell him no. “What did you have in mind?”

  “A fly.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “He loves fishing more than anything!”

  “Oh.” In spite of the delicate situation, she couldn’t help but smile. Who knew what other things he’d learned about his hero when they’d been gone all day looking for owls?

  “It will have to be a very special fly.”

  “That’s what he said. Most tourists use the wrong one.”

  “I bet Grandpa will know. He loves to fish, too.”

  “Yup.”

  Rachel glanced at her nephew in his ranger outfit and her heart melted. Dr. Karsh wouldn’t believe how cute he was. When they entered his office a few minutes later, he took one look the boy, then flicked her a glance. “I thought you were bringing Nicky with you.”

  He giggled. “I’m Nicky.”

  After they sat down the doctor said, “Hmm. Take off your ranger hat.” When Nicky complied, he said, “You got a haircut since the last time I saw you.”

  “Yup. Vance took me.”

  “Who’s Vance?”

  “He sent me this outfit in the mail today.” Though the card had been written by Ranger Davis, Nicky knew Vance had been in charge. “Now we look alike.”

  “He sounds like a nice man.”

  “He’s my best friend.”

  A smile broke out on the doctor’s face. “Tell me about him.”

  “Vance can do anything. He’s the chief ranger of the whole park.”

  “Did you like Yosemite?”

  “Yes. He flew us on top of El Capitan, this huge rock where my mommy and daddy died. He put their bodies in the helicopter and sent them to my nana and grandpa.”

  “How did that make you feel?”

  “Good. I love him. We went owl hunting and he showed me an old Indian trail. He said we could go visit the old Indian, Chief Sam, who’s his friend. I wish our whole family lived there.”

  The doctor nodded. “My parents used to take me

  to the mountains when I was your age. There was a mountain man I loved to visit named Jedediah. He used to show me all his stuff. He made his own ammunition and arrows. I wanted to live there, too, but I couldn’t.”

  “How come?”

  “Because my life was here in Miami. That’s what’s so great about vacations. You plan ahead so you have something exciting to look forward to. When it’s time, you go and have a wonderful trip, then you come home and go to school and play with your friends until the next vacation, where you go and have a wonderful time all over again.”

  Dr. Karsh glanced at Rachel to see if she was getting the message. She got it. So did Nicky, who looked at her with pleading eyes. “Can we go to Yosemite on our next vacation?”

  The doctor had come up with a clever plan to give Nicky hope while at the same time reducing his high level of anxiety. But it didn’t take away hers. Another vacation to California meant seeing Vance again. She wasn’t sure her heart could handle it.

  “I think that’s possible.”

  His eyes ignited with excitement. “When?”

  “Do you know what, darling? Dr. Karsh has more patients to see. We’ll talk about it when we get home.”

  “Okay.”

  The doctor walked them to the door. “Thanks for coming to see me, Nicky. I sure like your ranger outfit.”

  He put his hat back on. “Thanks. I love it.”

  Rachel smiled her thanks and they left to go out to the car. Anticipating Nicky’s next question, she said, “We’ll have to look at the calendar with Nana and Papa and see when we can arrange our next vacation, before

  your school starts. And then we have to check with Vance, because he goes on vacation, too.”

  Nicky’s head jerked toward hers. “He does?”

  “Of course. You heard Dr. Karsh. Everyone goes on vacations.”

  “Where does Vance go?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I bet he goes to see Katy’s headstone.”

  Rachel took an extra breath. “I’m sure he does that anyway.” Was he still so much in love with her memory, he couldn’t let another woman into his life? Rachel couldn’t bear it if that was true.

  “I’ll ask him.”

  THE STUBBLE ON VANCE’S jaw felt like a
week’s growth instead of one night’s worth. He was surprised his secretary didn’t cry out in fright when she reported for work. With goodies no less. “How did you know to bring rations?”

  She just laughed and put doughnuts and coffee in front of both him and Chase.

  “You’re an angel, Beth.”

  “How come my paycheck doesn’t reflect it?”

  “I don’t know. We just work here.”

  Chase looked equally disreputable. “You’re a sight for sore eyes this morning, Beth,” he told her.

  She peered into his. “Yours do look a little bloodshot.”

  “Thanks.” He grinned. “What’s it like breathing out there?”

  “If you don’t have asthma, you’re okay.”

  Vance let out a sigh. “That’s what I was afraid of. The superintendent isn’t happy about it.”

  “Is he ever happy about anything?”

  The two men looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “The power at his house went out, too,” Vance informed her. “Worse, someone had to go over to fix his generator. Luckily, we haven’t had any complaints from the hotels or restaurants yet.”

  Chase finished off his third doughnut in two bites. “That has to constitute some kind of major miracle.”

  “From the looks of the two of you, I’d say you need to be in bed. Go on home. I’ll call you if there’s an emergency,” she said as Vance’s cell phone rang.

  Through heavy lidded eyes he saw the Miami area code. His heart gave a clap before he clicked on. No doubt Nicky had received his present. He hoped to heaven Rachel was on the other end for once. The desire to hear her voice was turning into a burning need.

  “Chief Rossiter speaking.”

  “Hi!”

  That cute little voice. Vance grinned. “Hi, sport. How are you doing?” Chase’s gaze darted to him with a smile. He knew who it was on the other end.

  “Good. Thanks for the ranger outfit! I love it! I’ve got it on right now.”

  His smile widened. “Does it fit?”