by Nancy Adams
Okay, maybe it wouldn't handle a monsoon.
When we got the shelter done, we turned to dinner. Katelynn had laid the fire, so we got it lit and going and set the rack up, then I cut the bear meat into thick steaks and laid them all on it to cook. The steaks were sizzling nicely in the center over the flames, and the cooking meat smelled wonderful.
“It does smell good,” Katelynn said.
“If you've never had bear meat, you're in for a treat. Normally I'd let it hang in a cooler for a few days, but we don't have that luxury, so we're roughing it, but it should be a pleasant surprise.”
We gathered pine nuts and some onions, but we didn't find any of the raspberries nearby, so we settled for what we had. When the meat was done, we sat together and ate it right off the rack.
Jim
Chapter Twelve
Close To You
* * * * *
We rose with the sun the next morning, after sleeping in the open. One man had stood watch all night, and I'd taken my turn along with the others, but now it was time to get moving. The ranger had brought along some MRE's, which we'd had for lunch and dinner the day before, and had for breakfast that morning. They're not that bad, but I prefer eggs and bacon.
We broke camp a little later and began walking again. The dog had the scent and was following it, and we were following him, so we couldn't lag too far behind. He seemed to sense that he was getting closer to his goal, and was excited about it.
We were still going along the stream bank, and everything seemed to be going fine until about noon. The dog slowed, then, and began casting about as if he'd lost the scent. We all stood around and watched him with concern, until finally I couldn't take any more.
“What's happening?” I asked the airman, and he shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Dog seems to be lost.”
I walked up to the dog's handler and asked hm the same question. He watched him for another moment, and then pointed toward the opposite bank.
“Somewhere along the way, I think your kids crossed over to the other side. The scent trail just disappeared, and that's the only way I can see that happening. We'll need to go over and see if they can find it again.”
I'd had the same thought, but I was no woodsman and no tracker, so I'd stayed silent. The ranger agreed, and we all waded across the icy stream to its far side.
The dog cast around for only a moment, and then barked once and took off; he'd found the scent, and was back on the trail! We all rushed to keep up and prayed that we were getting closer. I was tired, we all were, but we all knew that we had to find them soon. This was September, and the nights up this high would soon be getting far too cold to make survival easy.
The path was a lot easier on this side, and I figured that was why Nate would have brought KK over. The rougher going would be hard on her, and he'd want to make it as easy as he possibly could. He was a good man, and I knew I'd do the same if it were me, so I expected it of him.
We'd traveled about six hours when we came to another shelter like the one we'd seen the day before. Nate was certainly resourceful, I could tell, and I worried less about Katelynn. There were signs of their campfire and a few piles of what looked liked smashed berries, so it seemed they'd eaten, as well.
We pushed on, the dog leading the way silently, which surprised me; I'd always thought they bayed and howled as they tracked, but the handler said that was a myth. I began to have hopes that we'd find them soon, but there were clouds rolling in, and the dog slowed a bit. We made it until about six-thirty, when it began to get too dark to see safely, and pitched another camp. We ate the last of the MRE's for our dinner, but I didn't care. I just wanted to see my daughter and her man.
They'd been alone in the wilds for almost three days now, just the two of them. The thought occurred to me that they might have been so dependent on each other that they could decide not to wait for the wedding, but my wife and I had not waited; in our day and age, it was the rare couple who did, so if they'd gone down that road, I wasn't going to hold it against them, and I knew Rebecca wouldn't, either. That was their business, and I made myself stop wondering about it.
I caught up with the airman who had the sat phone and called Rebecca and Norman to let them know what was going on. Norman told me that he was flying out that night and would be in Denver the following morning. I told him I would be looking forward to meeting him, and we hung up.
I took the first watch, with the shotgun that the ranger carried. It was loaded with slugs that he said would take down anything we might run into, and I hoped he was right. He'd assured me that there were no bears in the Rockies, anymore, so that was some consolation.
At about midnight, I was relieved by the airman, and found a spot to curl up in for some sleep. I got comfortable and was dozing when the sky decided to open up and dump Noah's flood down on us. I was up instantly, just like everyone else, and we put on ponchos we'd brought along in case of bad weather, but it put an end to laying down to sleep. We all found rocks and sat up the rest of the night.
When the sun finally came up, we all did our best to unkink muscles that had been in cramped positions all night. The ranger had gone out and gathered some raspberries, and I ate a fair sized handful of them for breakfast, giving thanks for anything that took the edge off. MRE's aren't exactly filling at the best of times, so I was still hungry even after eating them the night before.
We got moving a short time later, and the dog seemed to be even more eager. I was afraid the rain would have eliminated the scent trail, but their handler said it actually enhanced it to some degree. I was amazed, but didn't question him; I was just glad there was an experienced dog and handler with us.
We walked for about two hours, and suddenly the hound became very calm. He stopped moving forward and stood in one spot, staring straight ahead at a mound of brush. We all wondered what was happening, and suddenly the ranger started laughing. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Hey, anybody home?”
A moment later, my daughter's face popped out of that pile of brush, and I realized that it was a shelter Nate had made. While I was sitting up miserable, these two kids had been sleeping dry and cozy in their own private little house!
Katelynn screamed, “Daddy!” and launched herself out of the shelter like a rocket, throwing herself past everyone else and into my arms. “Daddy, you came! Oh, my God, Daddy, I'm so glad to see you! You won't believe what we've been doing, you just won't believe...”
Nate stood up as he got out of the shelter, and I saw that he had bandages wrapped around his right side. His face and body were bruised, as well, but I knew he wouldn't care about those things, because there didn't seem to be anything wrong with Katelynn that soap and water wouldn't cure. She was safe and sound, and as I looked into Nate's eyes, I knew that he was the reason. I also knew that he was standing there as if to say, “I did my duty, Sir!”
I let go of Katelynn and went to my future son-in-law, then grabbed him into a hug. That was when my own tears came, and that young man held me in his arms, with Katelynn wrapping hers around the both of us, as I wept and thanked him over and over for keeping her alive against all odds. Finally I leaned back and released him, and looked into his eyes.
“Nate,” I said, “I don’t know how to thank you for keeping my baby safe—but anything I can ever do for you is yours, all you have to do is name it.”
He smiled, and looked at the others who were all around us, offering their congratulations to me, and their great thanks to God that we'd found them alive.
“Actually, Sir,” he said, “there is one thing. I suspect I'm about to need a lawyer...”
I stared. “For Pete's sake, man, what on earth for?” I demanded.
“Well, Sir, you see, there was this bear—and since it isn't exactly bear season and I don't have a hunting license, I might be in a bit of trouble for killing it. And besides, I'd really like to go back and get its skin to have it turned into a rug.”
> Katelynn
Chapter Thirteen
Together Forever
* * * * *
Dad talked to the ranger, who said that killing a bear in self defense, especially after I told them the whole story, didn't constitute a crime, and besides, the state and federal governments had said there were no bears in Colorado anymore. Under the circumstances, he thought he could see his way clear to looking the other way on the bear's skin. We all walked back to where we'd left it the night before and the ranger actually helped Nate finish skinning it and scraping off the worst of the fat while we waited for the helicopter to come for us. They rolled it up into a ball around the head (they left it on, they said, so the taxidermist can make a plastic skull with teeth and eyes, to keep it looking alive), and then rolled that into one of the blankets, so when the chopper arrived, no one asked too many questions. I wasn't all that sure about having that thing in our home, but Nate had bested the beast; I think he needed it.
We flew home in the helicopter while Dad told us all about the search. Nate's father came with it when it was sent to pick us up—apparently he'd thrown a fit when he was told at first that he wouldn't be allowed on the helicopter as it came to get us, but the man in charge said that there were special circumstances, and he got his way. I finally met my future father-in-law while I was dirty and stunk to high heaven, and he hugged me as tight as he did Nate.
Mom and Nate's mother were waiting when we got back on the ground, and there was another round of hugs. We got to take showers, and someone had recovered our bags from the plane, so we were clean again, and then a doctor insisted on going over us immediately, even though the medic Dad had brought along had pronounced us in good condition. Nate's wounds were cleaned and dressed better, and he was given a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers.
We all went to the Hyatt near the airport and got rooms. Mom and Dad looked at me without saying anything, and smiled when I informed everyone that I was not letting Nate out of my sight until our wedding day. Later, we told both sets of parents that we'd made our vows to God privately, and they accepted it as being valid to them, as well. We didn't tell anyone else, and we'd be back to planning the wedding within a few days.
“We kept your names out of the news,” Norman said to us, “because we didn't want to cause any panics. That was as much for all of your friends and family as for the stockholders, but the fact is that we might have seen a sell-off that would hurt the company if it was known that you’d crashed so soon after taking over. The word is out that you've been found safe and sound, now, though, so expect the press to be looking for you.”
“They can wait,” Nate said, and I nodded. “We just want to rest and get over this. It's been rough, but it's also been good, in some ways. Katelynn and I need time to digest it, I think, so no press for a couple of days. Just have the company put out the word that we're safe, and we'll deal with them next week.”
Of course, there were endless phone calls, now that we were back in civilization and cell signal. I talked to most of our family and my few friends (Corie screamed at me that I was never allowed on an airplane again), and Nate spent hours talking to his office staff and friends or relatives.
The day lasted until nearly midnight, and finally we went into our room (we didn't get the honeymoon suite, because we didn't want to chance the press getting wind of it after Nate had told the whole world he was a virgin in the press conference a couple weeks ago), so we took the Presidential Suite, instead. It was just as luxurious, we were told, but didn't have as many romantic paintings or flowers. I said I could wait for those.
When we were alone and laying on the huge bed, I looked at my husband and asked him, “Nate—do you have any regrets about the way we were married?”
He smiled and took me into his arms. “No way, Baby. I was already trying to figure out how I was going to last until the big day, so anything that sped it up for us is a big plus as far as I'm concerned! How about you?”
I shook my head, smiling. “No, no, no, no way! I'm the happiest woman on earth, Babe, and I love you with everything in me!”
“Ditto,” he said, and then we were kissing instead of talking—and a moment later there were other reasons we weren't talking! Oh, good gracious, if I'd known all along that making love to him would be this good, I'd have caved in on my vow of chastity the day after I met him!
Okay, maybe not, then, but definitely by our second date!
Afterward, we snuggled in the big soft bed, and slowly drifted off to sleep. When morning came, we kept right on sleeping, and no one bothered us until just after noon.
The phone beside the bed rang, and I answered it.
“This better be important,” I mumbled.
“Well,” my Dad said, “I thought Nate would like to know that his bear skin rug will be ready in about three weeks. We found a guy who does all the best quality ones for celebrities, so Norman and I took it over this morning and got it started.”
I rolled over and said, “It's my Dad. Something about turning you into a rug, I think.”
Nate's eyes shot open. “What?” he said, then took the phone from me. “Sir?”
Dad was laughing so loud I could hear it from my side of the bed, and he explained it all to Nate again. When they got done, we agreed to meet him and the rest of the parents for lunch, so we got up and showered. Together, and don't you dare say a word!
Our great adventure was over, at least for this one. We were embarking on one that would be even greater and would last for the rest of our lives, and I wasn't about to complain. I was in love, and the man I loved was in love with me. We'd been to the brink of death together, and risked our lives for each other, and that was an incredible way to start out a marriage, let me tell you!
We'd have some wonderful things to tell our kids, someday. I can imagine Nate in ten years, pointing at that bear skin and saying, “Well, Son, that's a good story...”
And I'll be sitting right there beside him as he tells it, to make sure he doesn't leave out the parts where he fought a grizzly bear to protect me with only his hands and a knife, and lived to tell the tale.
BOOK V
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Katelynn
Chapter One
White Wedding
* * * * *
Have you ever seen one of those Musical movies, where they're preparing for a wedding and everything, and I mean everything, is going crazy and out of control, but always in some exciting or delightful way? That seemed to be the way my life was going, except it wasn't exciting or delightful!
Just a few weeks ago, I was a normal girl living a normal life in a small town in the Midwest. I had recently graduated from college, but the degree I got wasn't one that really excited me once I got it. As a result, I had gone job hunting, and found one in a new store that just opened in town.
Believe it or not, despite my lack of experience or any specific education in business, I was hired as the store's new manager, or rather, as the manager trainee. That was something I just didn't expect when I went in, but hey, I'll take what I can get. The job paid well, and I would be trained by an experienced manager, so that I'd learn to do it properly. That would make a world of difference, I was sure, since most jobs just toss you in and give you simple instructions and then you sink or swim all on your own! Training to do it right made me feel as if I were going back to college, a bit, and that was where my comfort level was at that time.
It got even better when I found out that the man who would be training me for my new position was actually the son of the owner of the company, the very person that the company (Nate's Stores) had been named after. His name was Nathanael Simmons, and
when I met him, I knew instantly that this was the man of my dreams! He was an ex-Marine, incredibly good looking, extremely confident and one of those guys who could walk into a room full of strangers and instantly be taken as the man to watch, and watch him, I certainly did! Constantly!
Then, one of the most incredible daydreams that any girl could ever have came true for me, when this man, whose presence was enough to make me drool, actually fell in love with me, as well. We began spending some time together, and it was only a matter of weeks before we came to the conclusion that we each had found the one we wanted to spend our lives with.
Things got a little crazy, not long after that, when Nate's father had a heart attack. Suddenly he was called back to California, to the company headquarters, to take over as the CEO. His father even gave him all of the stock that he would have someday inherited anyway, since he was an only child—making him genuinely the majority stockholder, and the absolute ruler over the entire corporation.
Suddenly, I was not in love with just a man, but a genuine, I kid you not, billionaire! While some people might think that was the best feature he had, I wasn't one of those. To me, Nate was the man I wanted, the man I loved, the man I chose to spend the rest of my life with, and it would not have mattered if he were broke and living in a shack. It wasn't money I fell in love with. It was the man I saw when I looked into his eyes.
And what an incredible man he is! When I was kidnapped by people who thought they could use me as leverage to shake him down for a couple million dollars, he didn't hesitate to pay up. On the other hand, he used his payment as bait and tracked down my kidnappers, then personally led my father and a private investigator into the house where I was held to rescue me, the three of them risking their own lives in the process.