by Gracie Guy
“Yeah. What?”
“I’m sorry to wake you. This is John.”
She turned on the light, rubbing her eyes as she stared at the clock. 4:00. “Who?”
“It’s me, John.” In her sleepy stupor, his voice sounded different, clipped and cold.
“Uh, John. It’s the middle of the night. What’s wrong?”
“We need a search and rescue team in Ticonderoga.”
Kara sat upright as his words sunk in. Now, get up! “Okay, but it’ll take me almost two hours to get there. Is there someone closer?”
“Maybe, but I think you’re the best team for this case.”
By now she was awake, walking to the kitchen with the handset, flipping light switches as she moved around.
“Okay. On our way.” Hanging up the phone, she hurried her way through making coffee, filling a thermos, grabbing a bag of carbohydrate-laden snacks and getting dressed. The dogs paced nervously by her side, confused by the odd hour she’d gotten up.
Watching her closely while she dragged a plastic tub from the hall closet, they cocked their heads in unison when she spoke. “Supply kit boys. Warmer stuff and a change of clothes for me, booties for you guys, and lots of flashlights and batteries.”
Her voice served as a balm to their nerves. Relaxing, they sat patiently by the door as she used the remote starter to fire up the truck’s engine. When she opened the door, they waited for permission to race out and relieve themselves. Within minutes, the three of them were leaving the driveway, embarking upon a new adventure.
***
John hung up the phone feeling mildly guilty about his call to Kara. Yes, there were teams closer. But he wanted her to have her first experience at tracking while he was in charge of the operation. And, he knew she had a deep investment in the person who was lost in the woods—Marion Vernon, from Tupper Lake. The last person to see Dan Elliot alive.
By his estimate, Kara would be calling him as she exited the highway, just as the first streaks of light would dance on the massive Adirondack body of water known as Lake George. Twenty minutes later, he’d be meeting her in the parking lot of the town garage where the troopers’ command post was set up.
He was nervous. Even though their relationship had clearly blossomed, he felt Kara required closure before she could move on to something permanent with him. He expected her to be very angry with him. In her shoes, he would be furious and quite likely to throw a punch at anyone who failed to disclose the woman’s identity. Over the next two hours, he kept busy by planning teams, making sure he had his best officers to accompany Kara and her dogs into the woods.
Finally, his cell phone vibrated on his hip. Quietly he gave her directions to the temporary outpost. When he saw her truck pull in, he made short work of getting to it.
“Good morning.” He tipped his head toward her while reaching to shake her hand. For both of their sakes, he had to keep the greeting professional. Fortunately, she took his signal easily.
“Sergeant.” She quickly pulled her hand from his.
“Listen, there’s something I should tell you before you take the dogs out.” He saw her back stiffen. She’s going to hate me. “In the interest of full disclosure, you must know who it is you’re looking for.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s Marion Vernon.”
She shook her head in confusion for a second, then her eyes widened as the name sunk in. “Didn’t you tell me on the phone you thought I was the best person for this case?”
“I did.”
“Why?” She paused a beat and propped her arms akimbo with the question. “Surely there must be people who were much closer to take this assignment.” Even in the muted pre-dawn light he could see the sparks in her eyes, challenging him.
“Look, you didn’t win those awards at graduation because you were the only woman.” He reached out to touch her shoulder. “You won them because you and your dogs are good trackers.” He felt her pull out from under his touch. “I want the best on my team.”
Mutely, she stood staring at him.
“And you need closure.” The side of her lips twitched; he knew she was about to lambaste him, justifiably.
“Don’t waste your time trying to be my shrink, John. You brought me up here under false pretenses.”
“No I didn’t. There is a woman who attended a very drunken pre-St. Patrick’s Day party who is now lost in the woods. Even with the alcohol in her, she’s got a four-hour head start on any of us.”
He watched as Kara struggled with her decision. When she looked at her dogs waiting patiently in the truck, he knew she’d decided to work with him. Ten minutes later, a team of twelve headed up the steep slope behind the municipal building—Kara and the dogs were in the lead.
***
Kara heard the words coming from his mouth but she didn’t believe them. Somehow my trusted friend, and lover, has turned into a complete dickhead and deliberately misled me.
And now, she was faced with the brutal decision of walking away from the first assignment of what she hoped to make her new career or swallowing her pride and possibly saving a life. It hadn’t escaped her notice that today’s date was March fifteenth, the Ides of March—the day Julius Caesar died. She wondered if John knew this little tidbit of history.
She looked at the boys patiently waiting in the cab of the truck, then turned to the handsome trooper she thought she was in a trusted relationship with. “Where do we start?”
Once inside the command post, Kara changed into more suitable gear for the colder temperatures. Winter still gripped the North Country firmly while spring was busy flirting like a teenage girl with the counties south of Albany.
When she was ready to hit the woods, she nodded to John for him to bring out a piece of the woman’s clothing to show the dogs. Both of them snorted and snuffled the faded sweatshirt and then stood by the door, whining eagerly to run.
Following them as they bolted to the trail, Kara secretly thanked herself for the number of hours and miles she’d run over the past three months. The dogs clambered up a steep slope, occasionally looking at her for direction, leading the team of well-armed troopers into the woods.
After a mile of deep snow and rockslides, she stopped the dogs to check their feet. They didn’t appreciate the interference and anxiously pulled against their harnesses. She made them sit, squatting down next to them, checking their pulses. They shook their heads—they didn’t want to be coddled. As soon as she stood up, both dogs lunged forward, propelling her across a barren patch to some juvenile trees on a massive rock outcropping.
Both dogs dropped to their bellies, crawling to the edge, whimpering with concern. Kara was having trouble deciphering their message. Frustrated, knowing the boys were so insistent, she joined them, grasping the rock while carefully peering over the sharpness.
“Oh, my Lord!” She couldn’t believe she was looking at a woman dressed in a garish green outfit, ten feet below on another ledge, lying face down.
“Team!” She shouted over her shoulder to the troopers following her and the dogs. “We found her!” She continued to shout, even though they were only a few feet away. Kara stood, pulling the dogs away from the danger of falling off the ledge.
Pointing to the walkie-talkie on one man, her words tumbled forth. “Call John.” She shook her head in embarrassment. “I mean, Sergeant Harley. Call Sergeant Harley and tell him we found her. I can’t tell if she’s alive. Can any of you?”
Before she could continue, one of the men had already tied a climbing rope to the largest tree and was rappelling his way over the edge, landing gracefully next to the woman. Gently, he rolled her over, eliciting a groan of pain. Looking up at the sea of expectant faces, he stated the obvious. “She’s alive.”
But Kara’s joy was quickly extinguished when she looked closely at the woman’s face. Oh, no. I cannot believe this! Grabbing the sleeve of the trooper closest to her, Kara let out a gasp. It’s her!
Trying to main
tain her composure, Kara released her hold and retreated to the back of the rescue party, where she and the dogs waited patiently. But her head kept spinning. Why was she following me last fall?
It was nearly noon before they brought Marion Vernon to the base camp at the town garage. Kara led the dogs over to her stretcher so they could smell her, half expecting them to become aggressive if they recognized her. In school, they said it was important for them to be able to identify the victim a second time after finding them. She watched, choked with pride, as her magnificent German shepherds gently licked the grateful tears from the woman’s face. In that moment, Kara knew she’d made the right choice for her and her dogs.
But she needed to know about the stalking. Pulling the dogs to her side, she spoke directly to the stranger.
“Why were you following me after Dan died?” Her temper spiked when she got no response. “Tell me!” Stomping on her own emotions, she watched tears course down the woman’s face. No way am I feeling sorry for her. After an agonizing minute, the woman finally spoke.
“He was so good-looking. I wanted him the minute I saw him. Anytime he came to town, I would chat him up. But he wouldn’t leave you.” Her voice was muffled by crying. “The first time I saw your picture in the cabin, he put it face down. He told me to stay away from you and get down to business.” The woman’s garbled speech was annoying, but Kara resisted the temptation to lean closer. “After he died, I had to see you in person. I didn’t want to hurt you, but maybe scare you. And, I had to see what was so special about you.”
“Take a good look.” Kara stepped forward aggressively, the dogs whining at her side as three troopers approached, one of them John Harley. She knew that yelling at this woman was unprofessional, but she didn’t care. And her loss of temper was given support by John’s signal for the men to stand down. “I’d like to make you pay for what you did to my life, but I’m not going to sink to your level.” Holding up a hand to the policemen, she continued on, “By the way, he really wasn’t much of a catch. And now you and your soul have to pay for what happened.”
She waved at the EMS crew to move the gurney into the ambulance. Minutes later, while the siren was alerting traffic to clear the way, she went back into the command post to retrieve her bag of belongings. With the dogs on her heels, she waved good-bye to the team and crossed the parking lot to her truck.
“You guys rock.” She ruffled their coats while they waited for her to open the door.
***
John watched as Kara hoisted her duffle and left the building. He knew she was still angry with him. He wouldn’t have blamed her for walking away. But in the face of staggering circumstances, she’d chosen to do the job she’d trained for. And she’d done it well.
She waved to the crew that had gone into the woods with her, never once looking back at the building. Her back rigid with self-discipline, the dogs flanked her sides. John was very proud of her. And he knew he couldn’t let her leave like this. Racing to open the door, he didn’t care what anyone thought as her name burst forth from his lips. “Kara!”
***
She heard her name shouted from the open door of the building. Turning, she saw John jogging the couple hundred feet separating them.
“Don’t go.” His voice cracked as he pulled her into his arms. “Please don’t go like this.”
Kara didn’t know what to say. He was breaking all the rules of protocol, showing feelings in front of the other men. She tried to speak, but he wouldn’t let her.
“I know you’re mad at me. I know you think I tricked you. But, I didn’t mean to. I just wanted you here. To have this chance. To help me.” His breathing was ragged, his voice filled with the gravel of emotion.
She looked up at his handsome face, his Leprechaun-like dimple muted without a smile. Tumbling into the turbulent waters of his blue eyes, Kara was swamped by her own feelings. Here was this man, risking himself both personally and professionally so she would know how he felt. This man who had given her support and friendship, without pushing for intimacy, while she rebuilt her life. This man who, today, had given her something she didn’t even realize she needed—closure. Oh my God, I love him. In that moment, Kara realized how much he meant to her and that she could never walk away.
“John.” She felt a smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she looked into his eyes. “I forgive you.”
“Oh, thank you.” He leaned his head back in relief, still keeping her in his embrace. “I could never hurt you.” Gently he ran his thumb over her cheek, sliding down to her chin, turning her face up to receive his kiss.
As his lips grazed hers, she gasped in surprise, but only for a second as she hungrily accepted him. She was vaguely aware of the crowd of men clapping and whistling in response. John released her mouth just long enough to say the words she’d thought were lost a few hours before. “Kara Maloney, I love you. And I need you.”
She burst into tears, at first burying her face in the collar of his fleece vest, then leaning back to look at him. “Ditto, John Harley.”
A chorus of laughter rang out when the dogs started to howl. As a light snow began to fall, John led her to the truck. She opened the back door and gave the cue. “Zeus. Apollo.” She petted each as they jumped in. “Come on, boys. Let’s go home. We’re expecting company for dinner.”
Turning to John before she climbed in, she was riveted to the depth of emotions showing in his eyes as they turned from a smoky gray back to the rich cobalt blue she’d come to love. “I hope you like traditional corned beef and cabbage. Everything will be ready at seven. Don’t be late.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” His words whispered in her ear, then his kiss seared her lips one more time before she drove away.
Epilogue
Kara had to bite her tongue when she returned to the bedroom from her shower. John’s freshly pressed black slacks and pinstriped shirt were still on the bed and not on him.
“John.” She shouted down the hall leading to the living room. “We’re gonna be late.” They had an hour long drive to her mother’s condo in Saratoga. Kara wanted to be there early for the Christmas Eve get-together so she and John could return home to their own holiday celebration, because she had planned a sizzling and sexy party for two.
Reaching into the top of her dresser, she carefully pulled out a matching black demi-bra and thong. She loved the texture of silk and lace on the tender skin of her breasts as she lifted them into the cups. A little shiver ran through her when she slid the thong in place, causing her nipples to peak. She intended to wear the black pencil skirt she’d worn on their first date, just over a year ago. But first, she needed to finish with her undergarments—a pair of lace topped thigh-hi sheer black nylons.
“Kara!”
Her brow wrinkled when she heard John bellow from the other end of the house just as the lace wrapped her upper thighs.
“Kara. I need you to come here a second.”
“Can you wait a minute, John. I’m getting dressed.” She knew she was one step short of telling him to get his ass in here to get his own clothes on.
“No it can’t. You have to see something important.”
Yeah, important. Another deer drinking from the creek? When John first moved in—making it their house, not just hers—she hadn’t given much thought to his being raised in a city. Since she had always lived in the country, especially the ten years in the Adirondack Mountains, she wasn’t as enamored about wildlife as he was. While she enjoyed watching them, she didn’t coo over each critter that stepped into view through the expansive windows that faced the Kinderhook Creek. John, on the other hand, still reveled in each new sighting.
“Please.” He was still calling her as she walked down the hall, her stocking feet sliding angrily on the hardwood floor.
“What?” Kara’s eyes darted to the deck, expecting to find him outside, pointing to the water. “Where are you?” When he didn’t answer, she spun in frustration. “John?”
/> She heard his deep guttural chuckle come from the other side of the kitchen counter. Carefully stepping around the edge she avoided bruising her alabaster skin. How unsexy would that be? First her eyes fell to the warm glow of lights on the Christmas tree.
“Merry Christmas!”
Then she looked down. Laying there, with his head on a pillow, wearing nothing but a smile and a huge red, velvet bow on his groin, was the true love of her life.
Delighted by his adorable sense of humor, laughter erupted from Kara’s lips. “Oh you crazy fool.” She knelt down to kisshim . But, John had other ideas. Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her down to his massive chest so his face was happily buried in her décolletage. After a few light whispers on her breasts, he moved her slightly so his lips could find hers. His hands gently cupped her face while his tongue started with slow, lazy circles on the outer edges of her mouth. Nipping her soft pinkness, then quickly slipping inside her lips, darting around, his tongue teased her until she felt the small fabric of her thong moisten.
Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her bottom while his powerful legs moved them both into a standing position. Kara shook her head in surprise at the abrupt turn-around, pining for the fire he’d already started in her, a frustrated oh escaped her lips.
She stood there, wearing the intimate outfit she’d just purchased to please John for Christmas, and saw him go down on one knee. A wave of flabbergasted shock tore through her when he pulled a small black velvet box from inside the bow still tied around his hips. As he opened it, the greens, blues, reds, and golds of the tree lights bounced every which way from the many facets of the monster diamond winking at her. And then, she heard the question, the one she’d been waiting her whole life for, from the man she’d been waiting her whole life for.
“Kara Siobhan Maloney, will you marry me?”
Covering her mouth with trembling hands, she beamed from tear-filled eyes. “Yes!” Overcome by emotion, her voice was little more that a happy squeak. “Oh yes, John Francis Harley, I will marry you.”