Wilderness Pursuit

by Michelle Karl

  Alarm shot through Sam’s entire body, and he didn’t hesitate—he reacted. He rushed at the foreman and dived, trusting that the foreman would be slow to pull the trigger.

  He heard a bang as he collided with the foreman. Sam pressed Mike’s shoulders into the ground as shouts sounded from far in the distance, and he tried to holler at Kara to run inside the RCMP station to grab a pair of handcuffs—but the words wouldn’t form. He couldn’t get them out. And why wouldn’t his limbs do what he told them?

  The world sounded like it had been dunked underwater. Darkness crept into the edges of his vision.

  The last thing he saw were his brothers running toward him as Kara, cupping his face in his hands, stared into his eyes and whispered precious words.

  Hold on, Sam. I love you.

  SEVENTEEN

  Kara clutched Sam to her chest as the light dimmed in his eyes. She didn’t know where the bullet had hit, only that there was a lot of blood everywhere and it kept coming. And someone was crying? No, not someone. Her.

  “Come on, Ms. Park. The paramedics are here to take him.” A hand reached out to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to detach from Sam. A face joined the hand as a familiar-looking man knelt next to her. “Hey, Kara. Remember me? I’m Sam’s brother Leo. I’ve been coordinating the search for you two from the station. Aaron has been out with a team looking for you. I have to call him back in and detain the shooter until he arrives, so I can’t leave with Sam. I promise the paramedics are going to take great care of him, but he’s losing blood fast and we need to move. Okay?”

  She nodded and let go as the paramedics swooped in, laying Sam on a cream-colored stretcher. They bent over him as the sound of whirling blades filled the air. She looked up to see a helicopter descending toward the center of the field behind the RCMP station.

  “Where are they taking him?”

  “The hospital in Fort St. Jacob. Back home.” Leo glanced at the helicopter and then back to Kara. A strange expression came over him, and he smiled gently. “Would you like to go with him? Something tells me you could use being looked over, as well. Either Aaron or I will be down there as soon as we can, but maybe having you near will be a comfort to him.”

  She swallowed hard on the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to ask the question, but she had to. “Is he going to be all right?”

  Leo looked away before responding. “Sorry, Kara. I don’t know. But if you want to go with him, it has to happen now. That chopper is taking off as soon as he’s loaded in, because time is of the essence. Did you want to go?”

  Back home to Fort St. Jacob, where they’d grown up together? She nodded, barely able to see through the veil of tears. She let Leo guide her to the helicopter, and just before she climbed inside remembered what she needed to do. She unzipped her side pocket and pulled out the memory card in its plastic case.

  “Evidence,” she shouted over the whirling helicopter blades. “Against Gaida Industries. Motivation for what they’ve done.”

  Leo’s eyes widened but he nodded, took the card and gave her a brief hug before she settled into one of the seats. She leaned back as the paramedics continued their work.

  As the aircraft lifted off, she bowed her head in prayer and settled in for a long wait.

  * * *

  The world was made of beeps and lemon-scented cleanser. Sam blinked against the harsh fluorescent lights overhead. Where on earth was he? He tried turning his head. It hurt, and he thought perhaps he’d started to hallucinate—or that he was still asleep and dreaming, because he thought he saw Kara sitting in a chair next to his bed, reading a book.

  “Kara? Are you real?”

  Her head snapped up and she gasped, then stood and pressed a button next to his bed. “Oh, Sam! You’re awake.” She bit her lip and sat back down, scooting her chair closer. “I’m definitely real. And you’re alive, thanks to the incredible doctors and surgeons here.”

  He glanced around, the fog of confusion finally beginning to lift. “I... I did a really stupid thing, didn’t I?”

  She laughed, and the light that shone on her face pushed aside some of the pain that had begun to creep through in the few moments since waking up. “You ran at a man with a gun. Straight at him. It was terribly heroic, but not all that smart, no. But if you hadn’t, neither of us might have survived to be here, so I’m not upset about it, either. The encounter could have gone far worse. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m not sure. Not great? But it looks like I’ll be all right in time, if I’m here and you’re here.” He grinned. “Did we take down the bad guys? Did we win?”

  “Almost.” She smiled at him in return, then leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek. “Your brothers were able to retrieve the photographs of the pipeline site from the memory card, and all of the goons working for Gaida Industries under Mike and Ed’s leadership have been arrested. Both Mike Helfer and Ed Tigh are in jail awaiting trial. It looks like Tigh was the mastermind behind the whole thing, but there’s suspicion that it might have been instigated by some board members or stockholders, which will take some time to unravel. Either way, the Canadian government will be giving the job to a different contractor, because the pipeline still needs to get built. It’s critical to provincial infrastructure, so it needs to go forward.”

  She looked away, and Sam’s stomach clenched. All of that sounded like good news. So what wasn’t she saying? “Tell me, Kara.”

  He braced himself for bad news, but when she looked up, it was with a hopeful smile. “I’ve been given the option to stay on at Fort Mason this summer to work on the site. The government sees no need to delay the archaeological side of things, so once the crime scene investigation is complete, I get to go back in with my team and start working. It’s going to be a big job, so even after this summer, I’ll likely need to come back every few months until the job is done. It’s going to be a long-term project.”

  His grin felt stuck in place. “That’s very good news.”

  Still, her smile contained a hint of sadness. “Sam, I’m so sorry for everything I’ve done. I lost so much by pushing you away.”

  He wouldn’t stand for it. Not after all they’d been through together, past and present. “Kara, please listen to me. I know you think the wound you left is too deep to ever be repaired, but I wasn’t lying or exaggerating back at the cabin when I told you that your admonishment made me a better man. You weren’t afraid to speak a harsh truth into my life even though we were in love, and I needed that. I still need that. Love isn’t about agreeing with someone all the time or being permissive of their apathy. Love is patient and kind, yes, but it’s also bold and tough when it needs to be.”

  “But...” She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, and when she looked at him again, a shimmering tear slid from one corner. “You deserve better.”

  “You keep saying that, but I don’t deserve anything. None of us do. Isn’t that the whole point of this God thing you’ve been teaching me about? No one deserves love, no one deserves forgiveness, but God loves and forgives us anyway. So why wouldn’t we do the same for each other?”

  A hint of a smile tugged again at the corner of her mouth, and she rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re giving me a spiritual lesson.”

  “Everything comes full circle eventually.”

  She sighed, but it was hard to tell whether from resignation or whether she’d finally accepted what he’d been trying to tell her. “I know you needed to hear what I had to say when we were younger, but I could have done it in a better way. We could have found a common ground and worked things through.”

  “On the other hand,” he offered, “I’d like to think that everything happened exactly as it was supposed to. Maybe we needed all those years apart to learn who we were—I know I needed to find my motivation, and you were able to build a career you’re passionate about. But the truth is, Ka
ra, I never stopped loving you, even through the years of hurt. I know you’re still coming to grips with that, but it’s the truth. And I’m telling you right now, I never will stop loving you, if you’ll let me.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. A small flood of tears cascaded down her smooth, flawless cheeks. “Do you really mean that?”

  He offered up a wry smirk. It was time to continue the conversation they’d started in the forest several times and hadn’t yet had the chance to finish. He opened with a question he’d asked already, but hoped would now have a new answer. “Do you think so little of me that you have to ask?”

  She looked stricken for a moment until she caught the humor in his voice and her smile returned. “I don’t think little of you at all, Sam. I think the world of you.”

  “Is that all?” He’d thought he’d heard her say those three little words in his final memory before waking up in the hospital. Had he imagined it?

  “It might be more.” She took his hand and leaned forward, touching her lips to his, light as a feather and sweet as honey. “But it’s a start. A second start, or more like a fresh one, if you’ll let me.”

  He cupped her chin and pushed through the pain to raise his head and return the kiss. “Kara, I’ve never been more sure and decisive about a plan in my entire life because I love you. With everything that’s in me, I love you.” She beamed as he pulled away, and his heart soared. “And that plan you can blame yourself for.”

  She wrinkled her nose as she playfully swatted his shoulder, and he was certain he’d never seen anything more adorable. “In that case, I’ll gladly take the ‘blame’ I deserve, for as long as it takes, because...” She hesitated and took a deep breath, like she was afraid to say the words that would follow. She closed her eyes and spoke. “All right, I’ll say it, this time while you’re conscious. I was afraid of disappointing you, of being a disappointment to you, but...your strength gives me courage.” She opened her eyes and looked right at him. He saw his own emotions, the truth of his love reflected in the depth of her gaze. “I love you too. I always have, and I always will. And I promise to do a better job of showing that.”

  He grinned at the sweet sound of her declaration. “Love really does conquer all, doesn’t it?”

  Kara’s fingers smoothed his hair from his forehead and he pulled her back toward him to kiss her again, full of requited love and the promise of forever.

  EPILOGUE

  Kara stood in the parking lot of Fort St. Jacob High School. It looked exactly the same as the day she’d left, if not a little worse for wear. Seeing it again flooded her with memories of growing up in this town, of the friendships she’d made, the dreams she’d had for her life. She’d made a plan back in elementary school of the exact path she’d wanted to take, and now in her midthirties, she could look back and say that she’d followed it almost to the letter. Except for one thing, one unexpected element that she still wasn’t sure how to fit into her well-laid plans. She’d spent the past few weeks visiting Sam in the hospital, helping him with his mobility rehabilitation, and she knew now where her heart lay. She just wasn’t sure how to reconcile her heart and mind. It felt like she was being pulled in two different directions.

  “Mind if I join you?” came Sam’s voice.

  She spun around to see Sam exiting a blue sedan, holding a cane. His brother Leo waved to her from the driver’s seat, then drove off as Sam picked his way across the pavement toward her. He leaned on the cane for support, though he didn’t look happy about it. She raced over and wrapped her arms tightly around him before taking a step back.

  “I thought you weren’t going to be discharged until tomorrow?” She frowned at the cane. “Please don’t tell me you convinced them to release you early.”

  He grinned at her, and butterflies took flight in her stomach. “This is more a precaution, to make sure I don’t tip over and reinjure myself while the muscles along my side finish the final stages of healing. Shouldn’t be too long, though. I know, I know—” he held up his free hand “—you could just carry me around instead, Miss Superhero Archaeologist, but don’t let me burden you.”

  Despite his teasing, she felt something collapse inside her chest, and the grin on Sam’s face slid away.

  “What is it?” He cupped her cheek, and she pressed her hands against his. “What’s wrong?”

  She took a deep breath. Prayed for the courage to speak truth to him once again, and that this time she’d find the right words that would bring them closer together rather than push them apart. “Sam, I’m so thankful that we’ve had this second chance with each other. I never even dared to dream we’d see each other again, but clearly God had different plans—for both of us. But the thing is...after my contract is up in Fort Mason, how are we going to make this work? Our lives are in different parts of the province.”

  To her surprise, he only shrugged. “I’ve been thinking about that. And I have an idea. You need to keep teaching at the university?”

  “I do it because fieldwork in the off-season isn’t easy or pleasant, and I get to use the lab equipment for study. But I’m only a part-timer, so the arrangement isn’t perfect.”

  A smile crept back onto Sam’s face. “So you could, say...teach online classes? And go down to the school for a few weeks during the year to do lab work while a certain someone else runs wilderness survival training courses for the RCMP? Maybe even help him out a bit with some of the practical survival knowledge like edible and medicinal plants?”

  It felt like a massive stone had been lifted off her chest and hurled away. “You’d be willing and able to do that? Take a few weeks every year to do training?”

  “I’ve already spoken to my superiors, and they think it’s a fantastic idea, especially after what we went through. I’ll be training officers from remote detachments all across the country and providing practical knowledge. If you can help out—and if you’re able to continue teaching through online courses for the university so that you keep your lab privileges...”

  “I think that’s a distinct possibility.”

  “Well, that’s a relief, because...” Sam leaned in to kiss her forehead—and when he drew back, he held a small, velvety blue box between his fingers. Kara’s heart seized as he attempted to open it and kneel. She reached for his shoulder to stop him. “Sam, you’ll hurt yourself! I get it!”

  He laughed and stood back upright, opening the box the rest of the way. A thin gold ring with a diamond set right into the band flashed up at her.

  “Kara Park.” He glanced at her with his head partially bowed, as if nervous to see her reaction. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. You make me a better person, a stronger man who finally understands what it means to follow God’s will...so will you give me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  A flood of sudden joy washed over her. He’d figured it out. He’d made a plan and found a way for them to be together while they both followed the careers they loved and had trained hard for. Her heart wanted to do cartwheels all over the parking lot. “Of course I will, Sam. Yes!”

  “I thought,” he said, his voice shaking ever so slightly, “an inset diamond seemed more practical for when you’re working out in the field than something raised that could get caught or bent...”

  She threw her arms around him a second time and pressed her lips against his as they melted into each other. “It’s perfect,” she said when they paused to take a breath. “And so incredibly thoughtful. Thank you. I can’t believe you found time to get this made while you were in the hospital.”

  He shrugged. “Leo helped. And speaking of Leo, who drove me here... I thought he was joking when he said you’d gone for a walk to visit our old stomping grounds. What, of all things, led you back here?”

  She glanced over at the brick walls with their discoloration, chipped window frames and faded school sign. “I guess I was just thinking about how st
range this is. We both spent all this time making plans to leave the north, to not get stuck here—and yet God brought us both back right to where we started.”

  “A little older, kind of discolored and chipped?” He raised one eyebrow at her. “Speak for yourself, Ms. Park.”

  The laugh came freely then, and she playfully punched his shoulder before kissing his cheek. “You know what I mean.”

  He offered up a lopsided grin and brushed a lock of hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. She didn’t even try to pull away when he took her hand and held it fast before sliding the ring onto her finger. “Always and forever,” he said, and she knew with every fiber of her being that he spoke the truth.

  With a sense of peace and overwhelming love, Kara gripped Sam’s hand tighter as they turned away from the old, red brick building, leaving the hurts of the past behind for good. What mattered now was the future they’d been given and the life they were ready to build—together.

  * * * * *

  If you enjoyed WILDERNESS PURSUIT, look

  for these other books by Michelle Karl:

  FATAL FREEZE

  UNKNOWN ENEMY

  OUTSIDE THE LAW

  SILENT NIGHT THREAT

  Keep reading for an excerpt from MISSION TO PROTECT by Terri Reed.

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  Dear Reader,

  I’m delighted and honored that you chose to spend your reading time with Kara and Sam. As a Canadian and an animal lover, I was happy to get the chance to write a story that showcased a small slice of the country’s incredible landscape and local wildlife—even if it wasn’t exactly the most enjoyable situation for my hero and heroine.