When he neared the Sugar Pines campground, he slowed down and reached for his binoculars. Alex’s distinctive H & H minibus wasn’t in the parking area. Knowing she craved adventure, she’d probably taken the teens on one of her favorite hikes. That included a lot of territory. With a whole day ahead of her, she could be anywhere.
He pressed on the accelerator. To his chagrin he found himself searching for her bus every time he passed a parking area en route to Tuolumne Meadows. So far he hadn’t spotted her.
When he reached his destination, he put a leash on the dog and they spent a whole afternoon tracking bear droppings, mostly filled with berries and insect remains. Fallen trees from the ravages of winter provided the hungry bears with a feast of wood wasps they’d scratch out of the hollows.
Sergei was proving to be a great hunter. “Good job!” Cal praised him over and over. At a nearby stream he let the dog drink his fill. On the way back to the truck, Cal stopped to examine the plant life near the road.
Sure enough the star thistle had started to proliferate. The yellow heads were on the verge of budding into flower. He took pictures and put in a marker before getting back in the truck. For another couple of hours he stopped every so often along the road, marking the areas needing attention.
By 8:00 p.m. he was tired and starving. The café at the Tioga Pass Resort served good pot roast and apple pie. He’d eat there before driving home.
When he eventually turned off the road, his adrenaline surged to see Alex’s minibus parked in front of the historic building. This late at night she and the boys would be staying over in the cabins.
“I’ll be right back,” he told Sergei, who rested his head on his paws inside the crate.
Once he’d gotten a key from the desk for a cabin, he entered the café and his attention was drawn to a head of gleaming, slightly windblown blond hair. Alex sat at a corner table with her back toward him, talking to two of her boys, who didn’t look very happy. From what Cal could tell, they were having an intense discussion. The other teens must have gone to their cabins.
Cal walked over to the crescent-shaped wood counter and ordered his meal, then strode toward Alex. He was incapable of staying away from her.
The teens saw him coming first. They must have alerted Alex because she turned her head. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. “Cal—”
In front of the boys, his first name had slipped out unbidden. That pleased him no end. It meant she hadn’t completely put their past out of her mind.
“Good evening, everyone.”
One of the boys said hi. “Where’s Sergei?”
“In his crate in the back of the truck.” Without conscious thought he reached for a chair from an empty table and pulled it up to theirs before sitting down. “Will you please tell me your names again?”
“Lusio.”
“Mika.”
He switched his gaze to Alex. “If I’m interrupting something important, I’ll eat at another table.”
“You can eat with us,” Lusio said before Alex could tell him otherwise. They were finishing their pie.
“Thank you.”
Cal motioned the waitress to bring his food to the table. After he’d been served and had taken a few bites he said, “How has your first week gone?”
Mika gave Alex a covert glance before looking down. Neither teen was forthcoming.
“Good for everyone except these two, I’m afraid,” Alex explained. “The volunteers they’ve been assigned to work with aren’t very friendly.”
Cal nodded. “I know how hard that can be. When I first started work with the forest service in Idaho, I had to live with two guys in a remote cabin while we fought forest fires. I don’t think we spoke ten words to each other for the first two months. No matter how hard I tried, they weren’t interested in getting along, let alone being my friend.”
Lusio squinted at him. “Try being Zuni.”
Cal said, “Try being a white dude from Ohio assigned to live with two Nez Perce Native Americans who figured I didn’t know squat about squat. The fact they were right didn’t help.”
Both teens broke into laughter. Alex flashed him a broad smile that reached to the empty place inside him, filling him with warmth. Their eyes held. “Did you end up being friends?”
“The truth?”
She nodded.
“No. Some prejudice you can’t fight. My supervisor assigned me to a different crew of Nez Perce. We got along fine.” With that remark he finished his steak and moved on to his pie, devouring it in one go. When he looked up at the boys, they were still grinning.
“Tell you what, guys. If things don’t get better for you in another few days, I’ve got an idea you might like, except that it will be hotter and harder work than you’re doing now. Alex probably won’t approve.”
Their dark eyes brightened. “Is it firefighting?”
“I’d never let you,” Alex declared.
Cal smiled. “Nothing so dangerous. Every year weeds sprout in the park that have to be manually destroyed because they soak up too much moisture and crowd out the native plants. Worse, they’re toxic to horses. The one we worry about most is the yellow star thistle.”
Mika nodded. “We get a weed like that at home and have to get rid of it before the seeds blow around and ruin crops.”
“That’s right,” Alex chimed in. “It’s called musk thistle and fills our pastures. My brothers and I have to get out there with the backhoes and chop it up before it starts to flower.”
Every time she opened her mouth, Cal learned something new about her that peeled away his former assumptions about her being spoiled rotten and pampered. When he thought about it now, he realized the labels he’d pinned on her had been rather harsh…and undeserved.
Yes, she’d been aggressive at times, but he was beginning to wonder if his initial reaction to Alex had much more to do with the experience that had driven him to leave Ohio in the first place when his brother’s bride-to-be had unexpectedly put the moves on him. Was it possible that was the reason why—
“Do you want us to help cut the star thistle?” Mika’s question broke in on Cal’s tortured thoughts.
“If you’re interested,” he responded. “It’s already growing along the roadsides and in patches in Tuolumne Meadows. Next week we’ll be kicking off weed warrior week, a time when volunteers with the Bureau of Land Management come to Yosemite to help get rid of it. Last year they put in close to two thousand hours.”
“That’s a lot of weed pulling,” Alex commented.
“There’s a lot to do. You two boys could be put on a team with some guys your own age and work up here for a while. One of the supervisors would pick you up, bring you back and provide your lunch.”
The excitement on their faces needed no translation.
“That’s a terrific idea,” she blurted. Just then she sounded like the excitable Alex he’d thought had disappeared on him for good.
“Why don’t you two sleep on it and we’ll talk some more in the morning over breakfast.”
Alex looked startled. Her gorgeous green eyes swerved to his. “You’re staying here tonight?”
“That’s right. I’m bushed and don’t feel like driving back to the Valley this late.”
He studied her upturned features. “What time do you plan on being up?”
His question seemed to catch her off guard. “I…told the boys they could sleep in and we’d assemble here for breakfast at nine after the big crush of tourists has gone.”
“I like the way you think and I’m sure your volunteers do, too.” He put some money on the table. “Is Lonan with you?”
“No. We switch days off to give each other a break.”
Good. “Then come on. I’ll walk you to your cabins and say good-night to the others.”
Alex stood up but looked away, confused, before she and the boys started for the entrance. Cal brought up the rear, enjoying the view. She wore jeans and a coffee-brown cotton sweater tucked in at t
he waist. On anyone else her outfit wouldn’t have been remarkable, but the way the clothes outlined her womanly shape made looking anywhere else impossible.
They walked around to the cabins in back. The teens slept four to a room. Alex knocked on each door. When one of the boys opened it, Cal stepped inside to have a little chat and see if he could do anything for them. They seemed happy to see him and asked a lot of questions. Since they all wished Sergei were with him, he promised that after breakfast he’d get his dog to do a few tricks.
Finally he found himself alone with Alex. “Where’s your cabin?”
“It’s the next one down.”
Heaven help him, but he didn’t want to say good-night. “I have to get Sergei and feed him before I turn in. Why don’t you come with me? I guess I don’t have to tell you he’ll be overjoyed to see you.”
IF RANGER HOLLIS WANTED her company, it must mean he needed to discuss this new project for the boys out of their hearing. “After the meal I’ve just eaten, I could use a walk.”
They headed for the parking area. She tried not to brush against him, but twice their arms touched, sending prickles of awareness through her. Over a year ago he’d crushed her to his hard-muscled frame and kissed her until she could hardly breathe. It wasn’t an experience she could forget no matter how hard she tried.
“What did you do with your group today?”
Cal had told Alex he wanted her experiment to succeed. She accepted that, but she wasn’t used to this new kind of interest from him. In the past he had never tried to prolong conversations, but she had to remember they’d agreed to forget the past. Too bad she didn’t know how to do that.
“When I was worrying out loud to one of the chaperones a few nights ago, he suggested we take the kids to Tenaya Lake in the hope they’d bond, so we did. For the most part it worked. We walked around and took in the glorious scenery, but as you heard from Lusio and Mika, there isn’t going to be an instant fix for everyone.”
When they reached the truck, Cal lowered the tailgate. After attaching the leash to Sergei, he put out his food and water, then he turned to her. “Which chaperone was that?”
“Ralph Thorn.”
“The one with wheat-colored hair?”
“Trust an old farmer like you to describe it that way,” she teased.
He chuckled. “How would you describe it?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.” Except that wasn’t exactly true. When Alex had first met Ralph, she’d found him quite appealing and fun, but his behavior at the lake had upset her. He’d gone off with one of the boys who’d been rude to Mika and Lusio. They didn’t come back for several hours, leaving her alone with both groups without explanation. She couldn’t understand it and planned to discuss it with Chief Rossiter.
“He was here last year,” Cal muttered, more to himself than to her.
“That’s what he told me. In fact he made the re mark that you were different from the former chief biologist.”
His lips twitched. “Well, I am a few years younger than Paul. I’m glad he noticed.”
Alex laughed. “I don’t think he meant that.” Cal had such striking good looks, she imagined insecure guys had trouble being around him for fear of an unfavorable comparison.
“Then what do you think he did mean?” His eyes pinned hers, and the heat there sent an unbidden warmth through her own body.
“I think he was surprised you had Sergei with you.”
“For some people, a dog can be intimidating.”
“Not when he’s with a federal park ranger! The boys say they feel safer knowing you take him everywhere.”
“Does that go for you, too?”
His voice sounded husky just then. “I’ve always felt safe around you. If anything, I feel sorry for the bears you’re training Sergei to frighten.”
Even in the dark, his white smile was visible. Alex had trouble concentrating. “Did you know you’re the reason I drove to Redding to get me a bear dog in the first place? You talked me into it.”
That was the last admission she would have expected him to make. “Who? Moi?”
“I didn’t know you speak French,” he teased.
Alex was loving their conversation far too much. “I didn’t stay there long enough to learn more than a couple of words.”
“But long enough to buy a bottle of expensive Chardonnay. You left it along with the basket of fresh croissants Ranger Ness and I devoured.”
Heat flooded her cheeks. Alex had left the tower so fast, she’d forgotten about the food she’d taken him. Thank heaven for the darkness. “I’m glad it didn’t go to waste.”
“Not at all, but I’ve been saving the wine. Maybe sometime you and I can find a free evening to enjoy a glass together.”
What was going on with him? She didn’t understand this kind of olive branch he seemed to be offering. Alex refused to take any of this banter seriously. Cal’s charm was lethal, especially when he teased. But she had to remember he was good at flirting when it meant nothing.
“With a dog and sixteen teenagers, I don’t think that’s in the cards.”
“Let me worry about that.”
In the next instant Sergei had finished his food and made a beeline for her. Alex burst into gentle laughter when he circled her, tightening the leash around her legs. “I can’t move! Is this a new trick you’ve taught him?”
Cal came closer, his smile making her slightly breathless. “No. He thought this one up all on his own.”
In an effort to hide her emotions, Alex leaned over to give Sergei a hug. “I think Ranger Hollis has been teaching you a few naughty tricks and then blaming you.”
“After our agreement to bury the past, don’t you think you can call me Cal?”
Since he’d arrived at the resort, a change had come over him, mystifying her. He walked around her, Sergei following, until she could step over the leash. Free at last, she lifted her head. “I do actually.”
“Good.” He put the dog dishes back in the bed of the truck. “Come for a little walk with us before we turn in.”
She went along with him, curious to know what he was leading up to. They began their jaunt bordering the woods outside the cabins. Sergei went everywhere to investigate sounds and smells.
“Does anyone ever call you Alexis? I saw the name printed in the brochure.”
Once again he’d reduced their conversation to the personal, making her wary. “Only my mother. Who calls you Calvin?” Two could play at this game.
“My mother.”
That made her laugh, but she didn’t buy this new side of him. It hurt too much. “So, Cal?” She played along with him. “Why don’t you tell me what you wanted to say about Mika and Lusio before I go in? I really do need to get to bed shortly.” There’d be no sleep for her tonight, but he didn’t need to know that.
He stopped walking. Though it was dark, she could see the warmth in his eyes. “I realize how much you want the boys to love it here. Whether you believe me or not, I want that, too. More than you know.”
His assertion rang true. “Your kindness to the boys has already won their friendship. They have a way of seeing into hearts. That’s proof enough for me.”
Silence followed before he asked, “Enough to consider me a friend?”
A friend? After what had transpired at the lookout tower? After he’d married another ranger Alex hadn’t known anything about?
To view him like that meant erasing certain memories which had become a vital part of her. She couldn’t do it. But it was critical he see that her pathetic girlhood infatuation was a thing of the past.
“Of course. You can never have enough good friends. Until you walked in the restaurant tonight, the boys were hurting so badly, they told me they wanted to go back to New Mexico in the morning.”
“What happened today to make them so unhappy?” It was no idle question.
“A boy in Ralph’s group named Steve wanted to climb above the lake, but no on
e else was interested except Lusio and Mika. When Steve realized they wanted to join him, he changed his mind. Ralph asked me to keep watch while he took Steve aside to talk to him about his bad manners. But the damage was already done. Your intervention tonight came at a critical moment for them and me. I won’t ever forget that.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath. “I sensed trouble the minute I saw the three of you huddled together.”
“A Ranger Is Always Prepared. I know the motto, but you also have the rare instinct for being in the right place at the right time. I’m grateful you’re willing to give the boys a second shot at enjoying a Yosemite summer.”
“They deserve one.” His deep voice resonated inside her. “Why don’t we do this. After breakfast I’ll ask them if they’d like to drive back to Sugar Pines with me. On the way I’ll show them where they’ll be working and explain what’s involved. If they’re enthusiastic, then I’ll hook them up with a couple of Paiute teens who’ll work well with them.”
Having Cal on her side where the boys were concerned felt like something of a miracle. “I can’t ask for more than that. Just so you know, Mika and Lusio, in fact all the boys, know how to handle four-wheel pickups and do manual weed eradication. They help out on the ranches where they live.”
“Then they’re going to be a real asset.”
“I know they will. Thank you. I’ll see you in the morning. No—” she put out her hands “—I can get back on my own. You finish your walk. Good night.” Without lingering to play with Sergei, she hurried to her cabin.
Once the door was shut, she leaned against it. A Cal who’d wanted nothing to do with her over the past six years, but had returned her kiss with equal hunger, was easier to deal with than this new friendly Cal. She was out of answers where he was concerned.
But by the time she’d climbed under the covers, she’d worked it out. His history with Leeann wasn’t over, even if she’d been gone a year. Her ghost lingered in the park everywhere he turned. Cal had lost her here at the Tioga Pass, and he was lonely, missing her.
The Bachelor Ranger Page 9