"So you're telling me you went through a bad boy phase?" She barely stifled a laugh as she pictured straight-laced Will sporting a leather jacket and dog chain.
"Just for a little while. I started college in prelaw, realized it wasn't for me, and hopped from one major to the next. The only thing that stayed consistent in my early days of college was the partying. I guess that's why I joined Delta Tau."
"No way! A frat boy, too? You are absolutely full of surprises."
Will shrugged and shot her a charming smile. "What can I say? My life may seem boring, but it’s exactly what I want, what I’ve worked for."
"No, I think it's wonderful. You do what you love, right? And here I'd been thinking you were born and raised in the actuarial sciences."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Been researching my profession, have you?"
"Maybe a little. I wanted to understand what you do. It's actually pretty cool. Not unlike reading. You get to step into the character and play around in imaginary scenarios."
"Now that deserves a kiss." He pulled on her hand and brought her into his chest. "I can't believe you researched my job."
She blushed. Of course, she'd researched him. She'd spent all of last night and this morning—and if she was being honest, the past couple weeks—thinking about Will, trying to understand him. He offered much more than first met the eye, she was quickly coming to realize.
They were not unlike her grandparents. He, the straight-laced responsible one. She, the carefree dreamer. Together, they made sense. And now that she'd quit judging her grandmother, she could look back at their marriage objectively and see how well they complemented each other, how happy they were while they still had each other.
Would it be too much of a stretch to want the same thing for herself?
"Oh, we're here." Will reached down to let each of the dogs off leash and ushered Charlie toward a nearby rock outcropping with a great view.
"What did you bring for us?" she asked, as he flung the backpack from his shoulders and plopped it down onto the wooden surface of the table.
"It was my turn to make us lunch, so we have...." He pulled out a plastic deli container and held it up for Charlie to see, "potato salad." Bringing each container out one-by-one, he continued. "Club sandwiches, some Perrier, and...." With a flourish, he presented the final item. "Chocolate-covered strawberries."
"My favorite! How did you know?" She scooted over to sit hip to hip with Will.
"I didn't. It's my favorite, too, though. You hungry?"
“Mmm, maybe.” She popped the lid off their dessert, fished out the plumpest, most succulent berry and held it up to Will's mouth.
Her lips followed the fruit, sucking the juice from his ripe lower lip…
Which is when the dogs barked from somewhere out of sight, thus ending their perfect moment before it could really get started.
Will cursed before wandering off in search of the dogs. "Tuck! Rugby! C'mere, boys!"
He handed Charlie the container of strawberries, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I wish we didn't have to get up. I would've lain here all day with you if I could."
“Oh, there they are.” Will motioned his head at the dogs sniffing their way back across the field and over to their table. “The dogs seem pretty worn out. Want to eat first, or should we just head out?"
"Let's nibble on the sandwiches as we head down. I can't wait to get home and back into your arms."
Will wrapped an arm around her hips and pulled her in for another leisurely kiss. "Sounds like a plan to me. Let's go."
Chapter 14
Will trudged down the mountain, his grasp firmly on Charlie's hand. Since they hadn't run across anyone else on the trail that day, they decided to let the dogs stay off leash. Rugby and Tuck seemed too tired to try anything, anyway.
"Do you remember it taking this long on the way up?" Charlie asked, stifling a yawn.
"Yeah," he lied. "It takes a while." The time going up the mountain had passed quickly—having her so close made the whole world go by fast. Now, he was eager to get home and hold Charlie in his arms, whispering over and over again how much she meant to him.
"C'mon," he said, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward the company of the trees. "It'll go by faster with some new scenery."
The dogs followed after without a second thought, but Charlie protested. "But you said—"
"No, that's what old Will said. New Will wants to make his girlfriend happy, and if that means wandering off trail, then so be it."
Much had changed since their first day here, when he'd yelled at her about the dangers of leaving the designated path. Charlie made him want to leave the whole risk aversion act at work, made him want to be impulsive, follow life wherever it led.
"I think I like this new Will." Charlie smiled and squeezed his hand.
They continued zigzagging through the trees, making their way back down to the base of the mountain when a splash of lavender caught his eye. Charlie seemed focused on a pair of songbirds flitting around the treetops, so he figured he could sneak over to the patch of flowers, pick some off, and surprise her with an impromptu bouquet. He took a deep breath and slipped away.
Unfortunately, the patch of flowers lay a bit farther away than he'd expected. By the time he finished gathering the freshest blooms and arranging them just so, Charlie had vanished from his line of vision.
"Char?" he called into the empty wilderness.
"Will, where are you? I looked away for a second and you were gone." Her voice was faint. How much distance had she gained before realizing he was no longer by her side?
"I've got a surprise, but first I've got to find you."
"I'm over here." Her voice still seemed a million miles away.
He stepped over a fallen branch and headed deeper into the thicket. "Where?"
"Here." Her voice sounded closer at least.
"Char?" he called again, breaking into a jog while doing his best not to upset the flowers.
Her response didn't come, so he called to her again, "Char, where are you?"
Silence, followed by Tuck's persistent bark rising high above the trees. The yips grew closer until Tuck came into view. He glanced at Will and whined, turning to run away again.
Oh, no. Oh, no. Please, no. Will raced after his dog, hoping that Charlie was okay. Images of her trapped beneath a fallen tree or at the bottom of a canyon flashed across his mind. He pushed them aside and focused on following Tuck's lead, on finding Charlie.
Tuck quieted; the only sound reverberating through the expansive forest was Rugby's low growl.
He turned a corner and saw Charlie standing ramrod still with her hands raised in surrender.
An angry black bear stared at her dead-on, locking her in place with his predatory glance.
Oh, man. What should he do? In all his darkest nightmares, he'd never imagined....
Horrifying danger stared him in the face, teeth bared.
Moving too quickly would trigger the bear’s fight of flight instinct, which meant they needed to stand their ground.
He remained still, allowing his eyes to dart around the scene. The beast fixated on Charlie, and the dogs were making enough noise to offer him some cover. A couple feet in front of him, he spotted a softball-sized rock.
If he called upon his pitching days and threw a curve ball deep into the woods, maybe they'd get away.
He inched forward and let his fingers curl around the rock.
Got it. Rising slowly back to his feet, he prepared to hurl the thing....
But his subtle motion caught the bear's attention. The animal rose to his full, intimidating height.
"RAAWR! RAAWR!" A mass of black jumped high into the air and fell upon the predator.
"Rugby, no!" Charlie squealed as the bear took a swipe at the dog's haunches.
The dog whimpered, but continued to fight, grabbing a mouthful of the bear and swinging himself onto the creature’s hairy back.
Although he tried
his best, he was no match for the much larger beast.
The bear roared and shook Rugby off his back, sending him hurtling into the side of a large boulder.
The Rottweiler tried to stand, but his legs gave out under him, and he fell back.
The bear stood in place, licking his chops. He could easily finish Rugby off with a single swipe.
It was now or never.
Will wound up and released, sending the rock far into the woods. His voice cracked, but still the command came through loud and clear. "Tuck, go fetch."
Tuck who'd been still at Charlie's side glanced over to Will, his eyes full of questions. He whimpered and shifted on his feet.
"Go fetch," Will repeated in his most authoritative tone, although doing so broke his heart.
At last, Tuck obeyed, taking off full force and ran after the projectile.
The bear backed up and ran in pursuit of the golden retriever.
"Tuck," Charlie sobbed. "No."
Will refused to waste any time thinking about what might happen to Tuck; fixating on it would prevent him from being able to get the rest of them to safety. He found his voice and tried to sound strong and confident for Charlie.
"Hurry, get the blanket out of the pack. We've got to stop all this blood, if we’re even going to stand a chance at escaping."
With trembling fingers, Charlie unzipped the bag and tossed the blanket to Will.
As soon as he had it, he wrapped the blanket around the injured dog and heaved him up into his arms. Normally, carrying such a heavy load would have slowed Will down substantially, but their survival depended on getting back to the parking lot safely. Rugby felt light in his arms as he raced at a four mile-per-hour jog back to the trail.
Charlie trailed after Will as they made their way to the base of the mountain.
Rugby whimpered but did not shift in his arms.
She knew she should be focused only on surviving this nightmare, but she couldn't help but wonder what this whole ordeal would do to her and Will's fledgling relationship. Would they be able to get past this awful memory? What if the dogs didn't make it out alive? Tears blurred her vision as she continued to run down the trail.
"I'm so sorry, Will. I shouldn't have.... I'm so sorry."
He didn't say anything. All his energy was focused on getting them out of there, and they wouldn't even be in this foolish situation if not for her. Man, she was such an idiot. She'd risked all their lives simply because she was bored by the repeat scenery.
"Arrraawwaal!" The cry that sounded in the distance unmistakably belonged to Tuck.
"Oh, no. Tuck! Is he going to be okay?" Of course, Will had no way of knowing, but still she needed to hear him say that everything was going to be fine.
He grunted and lifted Rugby higher in his arms. "Tuck's a good dog. He knows what to do." His words were strong, but she sensed the vulnerability that lay just beneath them.
By the time they made it back to the parking lot, Charlie was absolutely exhausted.
"Grab the keys from my pocket," he instructed. "Rugby will have more space to lay out in my SUV than in your car. I hope that's all right."
"Yes, yes, of course." She fished the keys from his pocket and clicked the button to unlock the door.
"Let's lay him across the back seat. Grab the door."
Charlie did as instructed and helped to ease Rugby onto the seat. The dog remained quiet, but she could tell how much he was hurting. "Hush, boy," she cooed, trying not to cry. "Everything will be okay."
"Get into the car, and close the door. Keep all the windows up. I'll be back in a sec."
Will went around to the hatchback and fished around in the compartment that held his spare tire and other emergency supplies. He grabbed a white box, and slammed the hatch shut, then joined Charlie in the front of the vehicle. "How's he doing?"
"I-I don't know. He's lost a lot of blood. I'm sorry about your car."
Will popped open the top of the first aid kit and grabbed a bottle of antiseptic and an Ace bandage wrap. "Don't worry about the car. The seats will be fine. Right now, I'm just worried about poor Rugby here." Leaning over the space between their seats, he tended to Rugby's wounds and began to wrap the injured dog's leg.
"What about your dog? What about Tuck?"
Will sank back into his seat and groped around in the car door pocket. Handing her a bottle of Aquafina, he said, "Here, see if Rugby will drink."
Charlie cupped the water in her hands and allowed Rugby to lap some up. After a few tentative licks, he sighed and laid his head back down onto the seat.
"We'll get him to the vet. Soon. I want to wait a little while longer. In case...." He let his words trail off.
Charlie wanted to do something—anything—to make Will feel better. Everything was her fault—her fault they'd come here today rather than making up yesterday, her fault they'd left the trail. Her fault, her fault, her fault.
Will, on the other hand, had been so brave. He'd known exactly what to do when she'd only frozen in fear. He'd risked the life of his dog to save hers and Rugby's. He'd carried them to safety, and he was the one who knew how to treat Rugby's wounds while they waited.
"I love you," she whispered. She stared at Will, waiting for him to say something in return. Her admission of love probably wasn't enough to make the horror of this day go away, but it was true, and she needed him to hear it now more than ever.
A single tear fell from the corner of Will's eye, and he lowered his forehead to rest on the steering wheel.
Her heart clenched. "Will, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you. It's how—"
"No." He raised his head and looked at her with wet, glistening eyes. "I love you, too, but I wish you hadn't told me today. Because how can I ever forget the day my dog, my very best friend, died to save the lives of me and the woman I love?"
Although she knew he meant each of those three little words with his entire heart, they felt empty. How could she have been so selfish? Of course, Will was right. "Are we going to be okay?" she whispered in a husky voice as she rubbed his back.
"Right now, it seems as if nothing is okay. Nothing but this." He laced his hand in hers. "I love you so much, Char, and I will always be there to protect you and Rugby. Always."
She squeezed his hand and fought back a surge of tears. Will needed time to deal with his own emotions, not even more pressure from her. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her bright future with Will rather than this painful present they now sat in the thick of.
The minutes ticked by on the digital clock of Will's dashboard. The bear didn't appear at the edge of the woods, but neither did Tuck. All was tragically silent, except the occasional sniffle from Will or whimper from Rugby.
Will wiped the back of his palm across his eyes and took in a shaky breath. "Well, we should be getting Rugby to the vet."
"No." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Give it a little longer. Please."
He slumped back in his seat and sighed. "How much longer, though? I can't handle losing both dogs today. Rugby needs to see a vet. I can't risk his life on the off chance that Tuck is still out there. It's time to admit—"
"Will, look!" The joy in Charlie's voice was overwhelming as she pointed to the golden retriever emerging from the trailhead.
"Tuck? Is it really him?" Will squinted at the dog limping slowly across the graveled path. "It is him." In an instant, he slammed the car door and ran for his dog, who was both alive and a hero.
She knew it was safer in the car, but she couldn't wait. The moment she reached both Will and Tuck, she ran her fingers through the dog's soft hair and cried more forcibly than ever. "Thank you, Tuck. Thank you for giving me my life."
He stood still, supporting his weight on three paws as the couple cried into his fur.
"Everything's going to be okay," Will said as he hoisted Tuck into his arms and headed back for the car. "Everything's going to be wonderful."
Epilogue
Will plunked the groce
ry bag down onto the counter. "Back with the emergency supplies," he announced.
"I thought that was you." Charlie turned from her position at the stove and greeted him with a kiss.
"How's the turkey coming?"
"Much better now that I have my baster." She fished the utensil out of the grocery bag and pried it free from its packaging.
"Smells delicious."
"Oh, Will," she cried, closing the oven door as she snapped back to a standing position. "Are you sure they'll like me? I mean, what if they hate me? What if they tell you they don't think we're good together?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I love you, so, of course, they'll love you, too." He pulled her into his arms and kissed at her neck. "They'll see how happy you make me, how much more livable this place looks now that you're in it."
"Are you sure?" She glanced up at him meekly, then buried her face in his shirt.
"Positive. They've been dying to meet you. Why else would they come all the way from Fairbanks?" He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Besides, worrying is my job. Just relax. Everything will be wonderful. I'm sure of it."
"Thank you, Baby." She gave him a series of small, peppy kisses. "Okay, now get out of here, and let me finish the cooking. They'll be here any minute and my kitchen is a mess!"
Will chuckled and headed to the back patio. "What you doing, guys?"
The moment he entered the yard, the Rottweiler and golden retriever abandoned their sandbox and came running over to give him slobbery kisses.
"Looking pretty light on your feet there, Tuck. It's about time."
Watching Tuck lounge around the house while he recovered from his broken paw had been heart-breaking, especially when Charlie and Rugby moved in and the poor dog wanted nothing more than to play.
Rugby nudged Will's pocket and let out a bark.
"Hey, quiet, boy. You don't want to ruin the surprise do you?" He reached into his pocket and brought out the small velvet box to show the dogs. Flipping the lid, he said, "Pretty, huh? It was my grandmother's, and it's perfect for Charlie. Think she'll say 'yes'?"
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 27