Priorities

Jesse Hawkes put another log on the fire and returned to his seat on the couch, setting his mug on a nearby table and retrieving his book. He didn't often get to spend an afternoon on his own; with a sixteen-year-old in the house, time that wasn't taken up with daily chores generally went to Cody's home-schooling, or teaching the boy the skills he needed to survive in the mountains. Although there wasn't much about woodscraft that Cody didn't know, at this point.

Today, though, Cody had ridden out as soon as he had finished his morning chores, claiming that his brother Matt had some work for him to do at the Ranger Station, and that he'd be back by dark. Jesse suspected the trip actually had something to do with his own upcoming birthday, but he played along to keep from spoiling the surprise. Matt and Cody were incorrigible when they got together on something like this, and Jesse would just have to brace himself and wait for the results.

Although he didn't say so very often, Jesse was privately pleased that his sons got along so well together. When his ex-wife had decided to live in Tahoe, rather than staying in the remote mountain cabin, and then Matt had decided to go with her, Jesse had worried that the boys' relationship would be irreversibly damaged by the separation. He had briefly considered sending Cody to Tahoe as well, as painful as that would have been, personally. But Cody had made it clear, even at that young age, that he wanted to stay with his father. So Jesse and Jackie had made sure that the boys were able to spend as much time together as possible, and it seemed to have worked out as well as it could have. They had enjoyed these little adventures of theirs since Matt was old enough to take responsibility for both of them, whether they were camping and fishing on the mountain, or seeing a movie and sharing a pizza in town.

Of course, now he had to deal with the two of them conspiring about his birthday. While he was reasonably certain that was what they were up to – Cody had never been able to lie to Jesse, even about little things – he had no idea what the specifics were. He supposed he should be worried that they were both in on it, rather than working on two separate ideas. The last time they did something like this, Cody had been eight, Matt fifteen, and Jesse had been forced to choke down something they insisted was birthday cake. He tactfully waited a few weeks before he tried to teach them the difference between "from scratch" and "at random."

Smiling at the memory, he returned to his book. There was firewood to chop, and repairs to be made on their little barn, but it was still early. He glanced at Cody's dog, Ding, who lay in a furry heap in front of the hearth. "A couple more chapters won't hurt, boy," he told the dog. "I'll start after lunch." Can't have Cody thinking I wasted the whole day.

XXX

It was raining lightly when the two young men stepped out of the saddlemaker's shop, and a cold bite in the air hinted at the possibility of snow later on. They settled their purchase carefully in the back seat of the Blazer, then climbed in.

"We'll have to get you back up the mountain pretty quick," Matt Hawkes observed, scanning the cloudy afternoon sky with a practiced eye as his younger brother fiddled with the radio, "or you'll be sleeping at my place tonight." Matt had been out checking on a report of out-of-season hunters when Cody had arrived that morning, so they had gotten a late start on their mission, and had stopped for lunch before driving out to the saddlemaker's to make the final payment and pick up the custom-made saddle.

Cody looked up through the windshield as well, and shook his head. "Nah. It'll be another day at least before we get any good snow."

The brothers talked easily as they made their way along the winding mountain road to Tahoe, covering a wide variety of topics from skiing to Cody's school work to their plans for their father's upcoming birthday, the present for which now resided on the seat behind them. Cody had covered his half of the cost of the new saddle by working for Matt at the Ranger Station, cleaning gear and stalls, filing reports, and whatever else needed doing. He said it was good training, anyway, since he intended to be a Ranger himself, when he was old enough.

"Have you given any more thought to college?" Matt ventured, trying to sound casual. He knew practically everyone was asking that these days – he remembered what it was like – and he didn't want to push.

As he expected, Cody scowled. "Is there some kind of conspiracy going on here? Cutler and Robin both asked me that while I was waiting for you at the station."

"No, I'm just curious," Matt replied with a grin. "You could get in just about anywhere, with your grades."

"I don't want to go just about anywhere."

"Well, where do you want to go?"

Cody was silent for a moment or two. "I don't have to go to college to be a Ranger," he said carefully.

"Not necessarily, but it helps." When Cody looked askance at him, Matt said, "Okay, you know these mountains better than anyone else who might come in and apply. But college will give you experience outside the mountains, and that's important, too." Cody's nod said he already knew that, and Matt went on, "Besides, Mom and Dad would kill me if I let you start without going to college first."

Cody nodded again; he knew that, too. "I thought I could go to the University of Nevada at Reno," he said after a moment. "They have a criminal justice program, and I'd be close to home."

"And close to home is important." Matt thought he knew the answer, so it wasn't really a question.

To his surprise, Cody actually squirmed, again pausing before venturing a reply. "I – hate to leave Dad up there all alone."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere," Matt pointed out indignantly. "I'll still be around to make sure he doesn't become a hermit or something. And it's not like you're never coming back."

"I know. It's just …" Cody didn't finish, but he didn't have to. Matt remembered that part of growing up, too – the sense that things were changing and nothing would ever be the same again.

"Don't worry about it, Toad," he said. "It'll all work out, and it'll be great." Cody nodded, and Matt changed the subject. "So, have you figured out how you're going to get Dad out of the cabin on his birthday, so I can get in with the goodies without being caught?"

"Well, if it doesn't snow, I was going to suggest fishing, but I don't know about that now, with the weather like it is. I guess more firewood is a possibility – Matt!"

At that moment, a pickup truck came barreling around the curve ahead of them, in the wrong lane. Matt, in the lane closest to the edge of the mountain, swerved to his right to avoid it, but the road was wet, and he knew he wouldn't make it. He heard the pick-up hit the side of the Blazer, and knew they were sliding down the mountainside before he lost consciousness.