by Sable Hunter
IF I CAN DREAM
HELL YEAH!
BY
SABLE HUNTER
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
If I Can Dream
All rights reserved.
Copyright 2015 © SABLE HUNTER
Published by Sable Hunter
www.sablehunter.com
Cover by JRA Stevens
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SABLE’S BOOKS
Other Titles from Sable Hunter:
The moment Tennessee McCoy lays eyes on Molly Reyes sitting astride a horse in the desert sun, love hits him like a bolt of lightning from out of the blue. She is his soulmate, his other half. They speak the same language, they want the same things. Their attraction is complete, the passion they share nearly consumes them. Knowing she is meant to be his, Ten can’t wait to make her his bride. The future seems bright until happiness slips through their fingers like grains of sand.
When all seems hopeless, sometimes all we have left is our dreams. Ten can only believe what his eyes can see, what his ears can hear. Molly can’t seem to find the words to make him understand that she would rather lose her soul than betray him. Now both Tennessee and Molly must learn to place their faith in one another, to hold fast to love and trust their hearts.
Their journey back to love will be one you’ll never forget.
IF I CAN DREAM is Tennessee and Molly McCoy’s story. When you first met Ten, he and Molly were estranged. He did not see fit to share why with us at that time. Some things are just too painful to talk about. But in order for you, the reader, to fully understand and learn to love them as I do, we must go back to the beginning. IF I CAN DREAM will take us to the day Tennessee and Molly met and we will relive with them the miracle of their love, the ecstasy of their passion and what happened to break them up. All of these things took place during the aftermath of Aron’s rescue and Philip’s murder trial. Those things will not be our focus. IF I CAN DREAM will carry you through the emotional journey that brings them back together to the present time and allows you to witness when two people who are destined for one another are given a second chance at love.
CHAPTER ONE
The lightning bolt that hit Tennessee McCoy came out of a clear blue West Texas sky. Seated atop an Appaloosa horse was a stunning woman with long dark hair flowing behind her in the breeze, a hand shielding her eyes as she gazed toward a distant mountain peak. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he stepped back in time to behold an Indian princess surveying her desert domain. She sat straight and proud in the saddle and when she turned her eyes toward him, he felt his cock twitch. Stepping from the ancient green jeep, he adjusted his black Stetson so he could see her fine features a little better. “Gorgeous,” he murmured. The sun was just coming up over the mountains washing the sky with brilliant colors, but the natural display of beauty paled next to the vision before him.
“You won’t be making the trek into the park alone, Mr. McCoy. Mollina Reyes and I will be accompanying you.” Ranger Tommy Ford pulled his gear from the jeep. “Molly, come meet Tennessee.”
As much as Tennessee wanted to make her acquaintance, Ford’s words surprised him. “A woman?” He wasn’t a chauvinist, but Big Bend National Park was known for its unforgiving harshness.
Ten intended his words for the Ranger’s ears only, but Tommy wasn’t the one who responded. “Do you have a problem with women, Mr. McCoy?”
Her tone wasn’t combative, she just asked a question – which he answered too quickly. “Well, no. I love women.” Tennessee wasn’t absolutely sure, but he thought he heard a delicate snort.
“I’m sure you do.” The short comeback she made was excessively dry. Her horse shifted impatiently, dancing on the dry ground and stirring up some dust.
Tennessee looked to Ranger Ford for help, which was not forthcoming. He was whistling a little tune as if trying to ignore their discussion. “That’s not what I meant.” Ten looked up at the regal female on her horse, suddenly feeling at a slight disadvantage. “I meant I respect women, I just think they should be protected.”
No sooner had the words come from Tennessee’s mouth that Tommy Ford let out a low laugh. “Oh, man. I’m going to go put on my Kevlar vest. It’s going to be a long trip.” He headed toward the station. “I’ll get the keys to the trailer and we’ll load up the horses. You two try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”
Seeming to ignore the Ranger, Molly turned her head toward Emory Peak. “Ben took the Outer Mountain Loop. This is thirty miles of strenuous back-packing. Are you up for it, Mr. McCoy?”
“I’m up for anything your little heart desires.” Tennessee couldn’t resist his retort. The way she angled her body thrust her breasts out and he was having a hard time looking anywhere else. When she began to dismount, he stepped up to hold her horse’s bridle.
About the time she swung her leg over the saddle and he got a really good view of her butt, she broke his concentration with another question. “How’s your stamina?”
Tennessee had been about to take in a good breath of air, or maybe it was a manly gasp of sexual appreciation – whatever. But when she voiced her inquiry in regards to his physical fortitude, the breath got hung up and he choked. It wasn’t pretty.
Patting Ten on his back as she walked her horse past him, Molly drawled, “You probably should get yourself looked at. That cough sounds terrible.”
Feeling like he’d been decisively put in his place, he followed the shapely, irritating creature into the small ranger station. Tracking was his business. He’d saved people from Wyoming to the Everglades, been called in to help those who’d found themselves in over their head in dangerous situations. Usually, he was successful. There was only a few cases where he’d failed and the fate of those people haunted him every day. Especially Liam O’Neil. Shaking his head, he tried to dispel those thoughts because the trail he was following behind Molly Reyes and her fine ass was fascinating, and it was highly possible he was the one in over his head. She led him into a meeting room with a round table covered by several maps. As she took a seat, he decided to stand. It was time he took control of the job he had been paid to do. “I understand from Rita Hunt that her father was due back by dusk two evenings ago.” He leaned over the table to peruse the maps, running his finger along the line of the arduous trail.
“Yes, and we’re wasting time. I could have already been up on the mountain by now.” Molly seemed agitated which surprised Tennessee.
“I’m not the hold-up, Miss Reyes,” he answered in the same clipped tone she used. “I’m just waiting for someone to point me in the right direction.”
“Exactly.” She stood, cross
ed her arms over her impressive chest and stared out the window. “What is the benefit of a tracker someone has to lead?”
Ranger Ford’s entrance proved to be timely. “We’ve had overhead surveillance which turned up nothing. The park has also sent out three other teams which combed the latter part of the Loop, which again turned up nothing. It’s our conclusion that something happened during the initial portion of his hike or else he veered completely off course. Molly, Tennessee is an expert rock climber, he can rappel down slick cliff faces and he’s strong enough to pull Mr. Hunt up on a rope if he isn’t able to climb.” He handed each of them a handheld radio. “We need him.”
Neither Ten nor Molly said anything else at that moment. They stared at one another as if taking the other’s measure. Tennessee didn’t know how Miss Reyes felt, but he liked what he saw – maybe too much.
“My assistant has loaded the horses. Let’s get going. We’ve got a long way to go and a short time to get there, as the old song says.” He was walking by now and they were behind him. “We’ll share what else we know on the way.”
As they left the ranger station and crossed the narrow parking lot, Ten studied his surroundings. Big Bend was impressive. This small slice of civilization in the middle of the park was known as Panther Junction. It was a central location with roads branching out in all directions to different areas and trailheads. He’d been contacted yesterday by Rita Hunt, daughter of prominent rancher and businessman Ben Hunt, to locate her father who was overdue in returning from an excursion in the Chisos Mountains. After learning everything he could from her, he’d contacted the ranger station in Big Bend and arranged to join the search and rescue effort. And now, here he was.
Once they were at the truck, he held open the passenger door and indicated for Miss Reyes to enter before him. The truck had a single cab with a long bench seat, and he’d be damned if he was going to sit in the middle. She gave him a glacial glare and crawled in. Once he was seated beside her, Tennessee realized his size would come in handy. No matter how small of a knot she drew herself up into, there was some part of him touching some part of her. Their shoulders touched and their thighs were pressed side by side. When she realized there was no escaping him, she let out a long resigned sigh and relaxed. He couldn’t help but smile. Every rescue was serious, but there was no rule he couldn’t have a good time.
“All right.” Ford smiled. “Let’s pray for good fortune. I’ll tell you two what I know and we’ll go from there.” He looked at them both for agreement as he pulled out on the road and passed the tiny gas station that was the last chance fueling stop for most who entered this intimidating terrain. Big Bend held the designation of being the least visited national park in the system with only three hundred thousand visits per year as compared to the Grand Canyon with its almost five million visitors per year. Big Bend was just too remote. You didn’t accidentally happen upon it; one had to intend to come here. But if a visitor had a mind to drive the distance, their reward was out of this world.
“I’m listening.” Tennessee answered and Tommy seemed appeased.
“Ben Hunt applied for his backpacking permit a week ago and reported he’d be making the Outer Mountain Loop and would return in three days.”
“Better known as the Outer Death Loop,” Molly inserted with an under the breath whisper.
The ranger gave her a sideways reprimanding glance and Tennessee couldn’t help but wonder if there was something between them. Leaning forward a bit, he tried to gauge if Molly was jammed up as close against Ford as she was to him. “Hmmm.” He couldn’t tell.
“Something wrong?” she asked wryly, trying not to notice how good he smelled or how drawn she was to his hard buff body.
“Nope. I was just about to ask Tommy something.” Hell, now he had to think of a question. Getting his mind in gear, he spoke up. “Do we know what kind of supplies Hunt took with him?”
“I do.” Molly began rattling off a long list, which included only three liters of water.
“That wasn’t enough,” Ten said succinctly. The sun was up over the mountains now and he could appreciate Molly’s face even more. Honestly, it was hard to think. He didn’t know what he admired most, her aquamarine eyes or her lush pink mouth. At first he’d thought she was Native American, and she might be, but those big baby blues came from somewhere. Her cheekbones were high and the raven hair sweeping across her forehead drew his fingers despite the danger of getting swatted. When she dodged, he persisted, with barely an apology. “Sorry, you had a bug in your hair.”
She gave him an ‘I know you’re lying’, look and batted at his hand like he was the annoying insect. “No, it wasn’t enough. Ben cached some water earlier on Blue Creek near the old Wilson Ranch. He intended that to make do till he reached Upper Juniper Spring.”
“Sounds reasonable.” Tommy agreed as he made the turn toward the Chisos Basin.
“How do you know this?” Ten asked Molly, now becoming suspicious she was involved with Hunt rather than the ranger. He tried not to analyze his thought process, knowing he was spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about her dealings with the opposite sex.
“I helped him pack.” She held his gaze, daring him to ask anything more.
Ten never responded well to a dare. “Pretty chummy.”
Ford hit the steering wheel with his hand, enjoying their by-play. “I swear, you two are like two bear cubs I saw tussling up on the South Rim the other day.”
“I work for Mr. Hunt.” Molly added with a hard stare at Tennessee who was now dusting an imaginary speck of lint from her jean clad knee. “Who happens to have diabetes.”
This additional information made Ten’s hand freeze. “Well, shit. That complicates the situation.”
By that time they were heading to higher ground. The road was narrow and the curves were hairpin tight. He ventured a look over the side and whistled. “Damn, that’s a big drop.” He was gazing down at the tops of trees and boulders as big as a house.
“The Civilian Conservation Corp workers constructed this seven mile stretch of road back in the 30’s using only shovels, picks, a rake and a dump truck that they loaded by hand,” the Ranger rattled off the facts, then motioned at Molly. “She can tell you more about this area than I can. Molly grew up at the lodge, this whole area used to be her backyard.”
As they crept up the mountain, Tennessee noted the warning signs for mountain lions and bears. “I guess there were all sorts of predators with sharp teeth and claws living here.”
“The better to eat you with.” The moment she said it, Molly blushed, then stiffened – neither man dared breathe a word, although she’d swear McCoy smirked.
When they pulled up at the lodge, everyone disembarked and Tommy went into the headquarters to let them know they were riding as far up the trail as they could. “We’ll leave the horses at the spring and one of the other rangers will bring them down.” Molly began to unload the animals and Tennessee helped her.
“We have a helicopter on stand-by for when we find Mr. Hunt.” Ten informed her and she nodded. Glancing over his shoulder, he sidled up close enough to whisper. “And to answer your earlier question, my stamina is above reproach. I can go all night.” He smiled when Molly’s whole face flamed.
“I wish you would go all night – in another direction!” She hissed at him as Tommy Ford rejoined them.
“Are we ready?” he asked, giving them both a quizzical look.
“Most certainly.” She swung up in the saddle with ease. “I’m worried about Ben. He’ a good hiker, he’s smart and he knows the country as well as I do…but…”
“He’s over sixty years old.” The ranger finished her sentence.
With that summation, they headed their mounts in back of the lodge and started ascending the mountain single file. Riding for Tennessee was second-nature. He adjusted his seat for the sharp upward angle and allowed the horse to pick the best footholds. Since they were following an established trail, he let the o
thers ride ahead. This way, he could keep a good eye on Molly Reyes delectable backside. They would be spending a good deal of time together, he might as well get some enjoyment out of it. Hopefully there would be a happy ending for her boss as well. “Has Hunt been on this trail before?” Ten asked.
Molly answered, glancing back over her shoulder. “Yes, this is probably his fifth or sixth time. Other than the diabetes, he prides himself for being in good shape. He shouldn’t have had any trouble, that’s why we were really surprised when Rita said he didn’t return as scheduled.”
Being late spring, the temperatures were just beginning to get warm, but the nights could be down-right cold. As they rode, Ten tried to imagine the older gentleman making his way along this same ground on foot. Since this lower portion of the foothills was easily traversed it was more heavily traveled.
“We’ll ride for about three and a half miles, climbing about sixteen hundred feet. So hang on.” Ranger Ford informed them.
The first part of their journey was made in silence. Tennessee took in as much as he could, noting the plants and how they behaved as the horses moved over them. Many times there was no dirt for footprints. Walking on rock left little if any impression, but treading on plant life could mark a trail as sure as a signpost.
“Where are you from, Mr. McCoy?” Molly asked, breaking the silence.
Ten smiled before he answered. He took her interest in him as…interest. “Originally I’m from Louisiana. After Katrina, we moved to Montana for a while. Our mother died in the storm and we needed a change of scenery.”
“I’m so sorry.” Molly said, this time sounding completely sincere.
“It was a helluva storm.” Tommy interjected. “I had friends who left New Orleans and never went back.”
“It was a life changing storm for many people. My family finally ended up in Central Texas, a couple of hours north of Austin near Lake Buchanan. We call our ranch The Highlands.” Looking around, Ten had to add. “After seeing this part of Texas, I have to say the name doesn’t really apply.” Feeling like they were connecting, he asked his own question. “Tommy said you grew up at the lodge. Did your parents own it?”