CHAPTER 2
It was chilly out that morning. It seemed that autumn was fast approaching and the weather center was predicting a long, hard winter. Well, long and hard unless you lived for snow, like most people who lived in Tahoe. Matt was the only one in the station at the moment. It was just before dawn and he'd been sleeping on the sofa, having moved the Shepherd's pallet out into the main room and wanting to stay close.
She'd been here for a week and was getting stronger every day. He wanted her to get used to people moving around and she seemed to be getting used to all the Rangers...except Robin. For some reason, she just wasn't tolerating the female Ranger right now.
He started a fire in the big fireplace, then moved the dog's pallet closer. Eventually, he'd pick up a large bed for the Shepherd, but right now she was doing okay with the blankets. He sat down on the hearth and watched her get re-settled on her blankets, laying her head on his stocking clad feet.
She seemed more comfortable with her new surroundings and loved being petted and scratched behind the ears. She was beginning to eat better and moving around easier. Matt hoped to get her outside today for a longer period of time to see how she did. He was also due to get her back into the Vet for a check-up that morning.
He slid down onto the floor and leaned against the hearth, his back to the fire. The dog moved her head to his thigh and closed her eyes, content to just sit with her human. They both relished the quiet of the pre-dawn hours when they were alone in the building. All too soon, Izzy and Jimmy would arrive, the two noisiest Rangers, and the silence would be shattered. He looked down at the Shepherd.
"We really need to give you a name, don't we girl?" He moved to lie down beside her, propping his head up on one hand, the other reaching out to continue petting her. She rolled onto her back, baring her belly to be rubbed. Matt, of course, obliged her.
"Okay, let's see. Jake and Mandy were calling you Lady. And while you are every inch the regal Lady, I think we can come up with something more fitting. You're a German shepherd, I supposed we could give you a German name. But, I think not. I would probably have to keep spelling it for people. You're sure a beauty."
He put his arm flat, laying his head down on his bicep, the two now eye-to-eye. "I could call you Linda, that's Spanish for pretty. But maybe too generic. You need something unusual."
The dog pushed her nose under his hand, demanding he pet her. He did, of course.
"Talking to yourself, Matt?"
Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Avila standing in the doorway, a grin on his face.
"Nope, talking to my new favorite girl," he remarked, continuing the run his hand along the dog's fur.
"She's settling in nicely," Frank said, crouching down by the dog's head and putting out a hand, allowing her to sniff him. After a short moment, the dog turned her attention back to Matt. Frank stood, patting Matt on the shoulder. "I'll go make some coffee. Izzy's is getting better, but I think I'd just like a cup of my own this morning."
Matt chuckled as he too got up and headed toward his office. He had some research to do before he went to visit the Vet.
/
Matt assisted the dog into the back of the truck and slid behind the wheel. The back seats were still folded down, as they had been since the day they'd originally brought the Shepherd down from the mountain. A minute later, Cutler ran out of the station and climbed into the passenger seat. They drove the five miles to the Vet's office, pulling into the lot less than ten minutes later.
"Matt, how's our girl doing this morning?" Mandy asked as she came around the desk. Crouching down, she received a slobbery kiss or two before standing back up. Hmmm, well, that proves that it's not every female that the dog had an issue with, just Robin, Matt thought.
"She's doing great, Mandy. She's getting around a lot better now and eating well. We finished the antibiotics this morning."
"She's eating well?"
"Doing great. Two meals a day for the last four days, finished everything and didn't get sick once."
"Excellent! Well, Jake is waiting, so I'll take her on back. Why don't you wait in his office, this shouldn't take too long."
"Okay if I grab a cup of coffee?"
"Of course. I just made a fresh pot."
"Should I be jealous?" Jake Manning asked from the doorway of the exam room down the hall.
Matt slipped his arm around Mandy. "She does make a good cup of coffee," he explained. "I mean, how could I turn that down?" Both men laughed, as Mandy slapped Matt on the arm.
"Funny, that's what my husband says every morning," Mandy said smugly.
"Grab your coffee and come on back, Matt," Jake said. "I just want to get her weighed and take some blood, then we'll get the exam started."
"Be right there." Matt slipped into the employee break room and poured himself a large cup of strong black coffee, mixed in a spoonful of sugar, then joined Jake in the exam room. In the meantime, Cutler followed Amanda back to the kennel area.
The exam didn't take long and soon Matt was leading her back out front.
"You take good care of her, Matt. Did you ever decide on a name for her?" Mandy asked.
Matt smiled. "Yeah. Teagan."
"That's nice. Where did you come up with it?"
"It's Welsh, means beautiful."
"Ah, very appropriate then. You bring her back on Saturday and we'll give her the full spa treatment-bath, nail clip, the works. She'll be even more deserving of her name. My treat."
"I'll do that, thanks," Matt said, watching Mandy lean over to nuzzle Teagan.
"You stick close to Matt, sweetie. He'll take real good care of you." She looked up and smiled. "Feel free to bring her back anytime for a visit."
"I just may do that." He leaned over and gave Amanda a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for all your help."
"Hey, don't I get one of those?" Jake asked, walking out and handing Mandy the paperwork for Teagan.
"I think your wife might object," Matt said, giving Mandy a wink. "Max at least knows I'm no competition for him. I'm not so sure about Barb."
The three shared a laugh. Jake's wife, Barb, had been known to comment that her husband was so good looking, no one was immune to his charms, regardless of gender or species.
"Oh, by the way, Matt. We heard back from the family who owned that cabin. This is not their dog. She said that they had seen it wandering around up there, but since she wasn't sure if it was friendly or not, she told her kids not to play with it, and always scared it away."
"Did she saw how it looked when she saw it?" he asked.
Jake frowned. "Oh, yeah. And I quote 'the poor thing looked skinny enough to fly away on the first stiff breeze', end quote."
"And she didn't think to let someone know?" Matt asked, angry that the woman had so little regard for life.
"Claimed it wasn't her responsibility since it wasn't her dog."
"I wonder if she'd feel that way if one of her kids went wandering off and no one helped because it 'wasn't their responsibility'?"
"That's not even the worst part," Jake continued. "She told me that since we've determined that the dog isn't vicious, she wanted to put her name on the list to adopt her."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Matt exclaimed, incredulous at the woman's audacity. "No way in hell!"
Jake smiled. "That's what I told her. Said I wouldn't feel comfortable allowing her to adopt any animal, much less one she'd already proven that she had no compassion for. And she was too late, anyway, that's this beautiful girl had already been adopted. She was actually upset, saying that I had no right to adopt out the dog, since it was found in her cabin. She threatened to sue."
Knowing Jake well, Matt had to smile. "And your reply?"
"I told her that if I saw any hint of a lawsuit, that I would make sure that the judge was aware that she knew about the dog, knew of its condition and did nothing help it. And then I would suggest that she never be allowed to adopt any animal from any shelter in the state!"
"If she decides to pursue it, let me know," Matt instructed the Vet. "There's no way that dog got into that house without someone opening that door and locking her in. And since, as she stated, the house is hers, I can only assume she's the one that let it in and left it there to die."
Jake sighed. "I just wish we could prove that. I'd be pursuing some charges of my own."
"Keep me advised?" Matt requested, glancing at his watch. "I gotta go. Jake, thanks for fixing her up," he said, petting Teagan as she poked her nose under his hand.
"My pleasure, Matt. Bring her back in a month for a check-up, unless you see problems sooner. We'll do the teeth cleaning and any other routine stuff we need to do then."
"Will do," Matt said, shaking Jake's hand and the Vet went back to his other charges.
"So is Cutler in the back with his furball?" Matt asked Amanda.
"Actually, no. He went next door to pick up some stuff for the pup." Matt nodded. Jake Manning's wife, Barb, was the owner of a pet supply store, which was attached to the animal hospital.
"He's taking him home today then?"
Amanda smiled. "Yeah. Jake gave him the go-ahead this morning."
"I can't wait to see Cutler deal with housetraining that ball of fluff!"
They both laughed and continued to talk while Matt waited for Cutler. About twenty minutes later, Jim poked his head in the door. "Matt, can I have the keys? I need to load some stuff."
Matt turned around and tossed his friend the keys, then followed him out a few minutes later. As he got to his truck, his jaw dropped open. "Did you buy out the store?" he asked. The back of the truck was full of dog paraphernalia. A crate, a bed, a large bag of dry food, several cases of canned food, toys, treats...and was that..."Dog sweaters!? Jimmy!"
"What? They were cute!" he insisted as he loaded even more bags into the truck.
"We're not gonna have room for the dogs!"
/
One Month Later
"Alright everyone, let's settle down. We've got a lot to go over this morning and limited time."
Teagan barked at she sat next to her human, as if telling the others to listen to their boss. It had become a regular event, Matt giving orders and Teagan barking to re-enforce the order. The Rangers all thought it was hilarious, until Matt threatened to sic Teagan on the next one that laughed at her.
"The weather service is forecasting a severe storm next weekend, the first big one of the year. That gives us a week to finish getting ready. Robin and Hart, make sure the vehicles are all equipped with the proper chains and that the winches are working properly. Frank, you know what you need to do. Izzy can help you if you need a hand. Izzy, did you get the phone system working like you want?"
"Yeah, Matt. It's all set. Just need to flip the switch under the desk and we'll be able to hear the phone ringing if we're all outside."
"That was a good idea. Thanks for setting it up."
"My pleasure. This way I can help outside and still be able to hear the phones without having to keep a window open during the middle of winter."
"Jimmy, you and I will make sure the snowmobiles are in order." Cutler nodded his agreement.
"Good. Now, there is a bit of good news that it's my pleasure to inform everyone about. Fred Saunders is moving off the mountain."
"You're kidding! Wow, is the apocalypse starting?" Avila asked. Everyone laughed.
"Fred has been a good neighbor to us, allowing us full access to his property whenever we needed it to get up to the ridges behind his place quickly. He and I had a long conversation last month. He's been extremely grateful to the Rangers as a whole for treating him with respect and for being the great protectors of the mountain that we have always strived to be since my Dad founded the unit."
He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Frank. "That's why he's deeded twenty acres of his property to the Rangers, in order that we can expand and improve the unit."
"This is the land directly behind the station?" Avila asked, perusing the papers.
"Yes. From our boundary line all the way up to the edge of the clearing where his log house sits. And the new owner will continue to allow complete access through the rest of the property. The only area that will be off-limits is a small half-acre on the north side. It's where Fred's wife is buried and the area is fenced off anyway, so it shouldn't be an issue. We've never had to go near it so far, and I don't anticipate it ever happening since it backs up to a sheer cliff."
"Who is the new owner?" Izzy asked. "Do we know yet?"
Matt grinned. "Yeah, we know. Jimmy and I are taking the day off tomorrow, barring any last minute emergency. We're going to help Fred get his stuff moved out of the house and the two cabins. Then Cody and Dad will be helping him drive it down to Monterey."
"So, who's the new owner then?" Hart asked.
Cutler laughed and glanced at Matt, who nodded. Cutler gestured toward his Commander and said, "You're looking at him!" It took a minute for the others to comprehend, but then Frank was on his feet.
"That's awesome, Matt! But how the hell did you afford it? That's a prime piece of real estate!"
Matt chuckled. "Don't I know it. I said the same thing when Fred suggested I buy it. He literally made me a deal I couldn't refuse. He didn't want it going to someone who would develop it. He had been dreading putting it on the market for just that reason. When Dad told him I was looking for a house, he offered it to me at a great price. I would have been an idiot to say no."
"You got that right!" Izzy mumbled, but not so softly that everyone didn't hear.
"What about the cabins? Is he keeping those?" Robin asked.
"Nope, those are part of the deal. Aside from the twenty acres deeded to the Rangers and the half-acre around his wife's grave, where his grave will also be eventually, everything else is mine. I already even have a tenant to rent the cabin on the ridge."
"Who?"
Matt gestured to Cutler. "Jimmy and Zephyr will be moving into the larger cabin. Teagan and I will move into the two-story log house. The other cabin I'm gonna remodel to make it wheelchair accessible and will keep it for tourist rentals and for Fred and his family to visit when they want to come up."
"So, you and Jimmy will be neighbors?" Robin asked.
"Yep."
"And so will Zephyr and Teagan, won't you, boy?" Jimmy said, ruffling the puppy's fur, giving the dog permission to play. The Husky puppy started barking and jumping around, grabbing his tug toy and bringing it over to his human, who obliged him by dropping to the floor and grabbing the other end, starting a growling game of tug-of-war.
Cutler ordered Zephyr to release the rope-and-ball tug toy, but as he raised his arm to toss it across the room for Zephyr to fetch, Teagan snatched it from his hand and ran off.
"Hey! You little thief!" Cutler declared, chasing after the Shepherd as she ran across the room, Zephyr barking up a storm and catching up with his furball buddy, helping her lead Cutler on a merry romp around the furniture.
Matt just sat back and shook his head, a huge grin on his face. Life was sure looking up since that four-legged ball of fur came into his life. Two months ago, becoming a homeowner was just a dream. Now, he owned a house and two cabins on a beautiful piece of property with a fantastic view of the lake and the surrounding mountains.
How had he gotten so lucky? He glanced around the room at his fellow Rangers. They were all watching Cutler playing with the dogs. He hated to interrupt, but they had things to do.
"Let's get to work," he ordered, just as Jimmy caught up with Teagan and started playing tug-of-war with her. At hearing Matt's voice, Teagan dropped the toy and raced to his side, looking up at him adoringly. "Come on, girl, you and Zephyr can help us with the snowmobiles."
He pushed through the door, followed by both dogs and all the Rangers, Izzy stopping to flip the switch under the desk.
/
They had spent most of the following weekend moving him and Cutler into their new homes. It had been hectic but satisfying. His father and Cody had spent the first night there with him. His mind wandered back, to the sight of Cody building up the fire and Jesse at the stove, stirring a pot of his famous stew. Cody and Dingy had spent several hours exploring the new house and surrounding woods, with Teagan tagging along, and helping Matt get everything set just the way he wanted it.
The next day the three of them, plus Cutler, had taken the opportunity to lay in a load of wood for the winter. It'd taken most of the day, but both Matt and Jim now had enough wood to last them through the winter. And that night Jim's parents had joined the men in Matt's house. Jim's mom had brought up a huge container of lasagna with two big loaves of garlic bread, and they had all feasted.
Over the next few months, Matt and Jim got settled into their new homes, in between work and rescues. Fred Saunders had called a couple of times from Monterey, to make sure everything was going okay. It was clear that he missed the mountain. Matt assured him that everything was fine and reminded him that the small cabin was his whenever he wanted it-even if he decided to move back to the mountain permanently, he would always be welcome to stay in that cabin. It was the least Matt could do for the man who helped make his dream come true.
Matt had a photo of Fred and his grandkids, both newly born, on the mantle of his home, next to photos of his own family. The almost weekly calls had become less frequent once the kids were born. Michael Frederick and Elizabeth Colleen were now just five weeks old. Michael had been named for both his grandfathers and Elizabeth after her grandmothers. It was only right that their photos had a place in this home. He'd also made a larger copy and framed it, hanging it on the wall of the small cabin, so that when Fred came up, it would be there for him.
Today was Matt's day off and he planned to spend the morning snowshoeing, with Teagan in tow. The Shepherd was fully healed now and loved romping through the snow. They'd slept in a bit later than usual, but now dressed for the mountain weather, he headed downstairs.
As he stepped into the great room, Teagan trotted down the steps behind him, he was not surprised to see Cutler on all fours, playing a game with Zephyr. Matt had given Cutler a key and they'd made plans to meet that morning, so Jim had let himself in and started a pot of coffee when he heard the shower running. Cutler and Zephyr were wrestling on the rug in front of the fireplace. The Husky was turning into a very large dog. Matt laughed as he took one of his big paws and batted at Jimmy's head.
"That's it, Zephyr, you keep him in his place," Matt joked.
The Husky looked up and barked, abandoning Cutler to come play with Teagan, who pretty much ignored the puppy, more interested in following Matt as he headed to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee and get his animal fed. Jimmy joined Matt in the kitchen and put down a bowl of food for Zephyr as well, then began to get breakfast ready for him and Matt.
They had plans to go over that morning. Jimmy had brought up the idea of getting both dogs trained in search and rescue. Once Matt had agreed, Jimmy had even managed to get a grant to pay for both dogs to be trained, easing the budget constraints. It would be handled in-house with the assistance of a member of the Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue team, who would evaluate both dogs to see if they were suitable for that demanding job. Since Zephyr was still a puppy, Teagan would be trained first.
Deputy Laura Skinner was due in that afternoon to work with Matt and Teagan. Matt had conducted searches with Laura and her dog, Locet, in the past. Skinner was a top-notch officer, who was born and raised in Sparta, Mississippi and was the niece of a Sparta PD Police Captain. He and Laura dated on occasion and were good friends. How was it Cutler put it...oh, yeah, friends with benefits. And although both were okay with the occasional overnight at each other's place, Matt hoped his father never found out. He knew that Jesse wouldn't approve, but both Matt and Laura were happy with the arrangement, each knowing that if one of them started dating seriously the other would graciously bow out, giving their blessing to the other.
Laura's canine partner was well trained and very good at his job. He was a Belgian Malinois, a bit smaller than a German shepherd, but with the same black and tan coloring that shepherds were best known for. Just the week before, Locet had located a missing toddler lost in Desolation Wilderness for over four hours.
The little boy was dirty, cold, scared and hungry when they found him, but started giggling when the dog began licking his face. Apparently he loved dogs and was content with his new canine buddy and not ready to return to the campgrounds where his anxious parents waited. It took the enticement of a ride on Matt's tall shoulders, and the assurance that Locet would be returning with them, to get the boy to agree to forego any further exploration of his surroundings. Laura even stuck around for a while afterwards so that the boy could play with Locet some more.
Matt could see the pride that Laura had in Locet and he looked forward to the day that Teagan made her first successful rescue. He and Cutler had been working with both dogs on basic obedience. And Jimmy, of course, was also teaching Zephyr tricks. He could already roll over, shake, speak on command and fetch. Cutler had even taught him how to play hide and seek, and a game he called 'jump the Swede', which had since been outlawed by Matt, where Zephyr would hide behind whatever piece of furniture was around and jump at Robin when she approached.
That particular game had nearly caused Cutler to be castrated, after the dog had attacked Robin once too often. The pretty blond had been carrying a knife in her hand at the time and proceeded to chase Cutler out the door with it. Zephyr, who thought it was all part of the game, followed close behind them causing a ruckus that had been interrupted when Matt walked in the door and was almost toppled over by a bounding puppy.
Cutler and Matt had differing styles of training. Cutler would set aside an hour a day, thirty minutes in the morning and thirty in the afternoon, and take the dog outside for training. Matt would just do it a few minutes at a time throughout the day. Both seem to work for their particular dog, and the other Rangers picked up on the training and attempted to keep it up when they could.
With their meal and conversation finished and the dishes cleaned up, Jimmy left with Zephyr since he had to work that morning. Matt walked into the mudroom, followed by Teagan who, upon seeing him grab his snowshoes, started jumping around, excited for the adventure they were about to go on.
"Yeah, you know where we're going, don't you girl?" Matt asked, patting his chest, giving permission for the dog to stand up on her hind legs, her front paws on his chest, licking his cheek. He ran his fingers through the thick fur around her neck. "What say we head outside, shall we?"
Teagan barked and raced for the door, hopping around impatiently while Matt pulled on his jacket, then picked up his snowshoes and pushed open the doors. He grabbed his ski poles that were leaning against the porch wall, strapped on the 'shoes and the pair began their trek through the woods.
Matt loved these jogs through the woods, winter or summer. He couldn't wait to do some summer hiking with Teagan next year. But the chance to wander through this winter wonderland was his idea of paradise. This time of year almost no tourists wandered anywhere off the ski slopes, so he was alone with the quiet and Teagan. The sun was shining brightly, the glare off the white snow forcing him to slip on his sunglasses. The air was crisp but invigorating and he smiled as they headed into the woods behind his new home. He was intimately familiar with the area, having hiked, snow-shoed and cross-country skied here often over the last ten years. But he was still careful, as the mountain could be unforgiving if you made any mistakes.
He carried a portable radio with him, so that he could be contacted by the Rangers if anything came up that Hart couldn't handle, although that happened less and less nowadays, as Tim got more familiar with being in charge when Matt was gone, and Matt couldn't help but be happy about that. It meant that most of his days off were truly his, and not interrupted by a call-out. He whistled as he lost sight of Teagan and she returned immediately, just as he'd been training her to do. He loved that she enjoyed frolicking in the snow, but wanted to keep her in sight as much as possible until she got more familiar with her new home area. They hadn't been this route before, so there were always new things to explore and he didn't want her to wander off too far.
The pair spent the morning traipsing through the woods. Around noon they headed to the station to meet Laura and Locet. He was just removing his snowshoes on the front porch of the Ranger station when she pulled up in her big Dodge Ram pickup. He could see Locet's tail wagging as he realized where he was. Laura waved and parked at the far end of the lot, as she had ever since Robin had run into her truck with a Ranger vehicle while rushing out to a call. Laura decided after that accident that she would always park as far away from the Ranger vehicles as she possibly could.
Matt and Teagan walked over to meet her, stopping several yards away. Teagan sat down next to him and he pulled her leash from his pocket and connected it to her collar, since the two dogs had never met before. Laura nodded her agreement, glad to see Matt was thinking ahead, but not really surprised by it. He wouldn't be the Commander of a federal law enforcement unit if he didn't have brains. It was one of the things that attracted her to him in the first place. That and his blond hair, green eyes, gorgeous body, and so on, and so on.
Laura climbed down from her truck, opened the back door and leashed up Locet before allowing him to jump down. When Teagan began to move toward the other dog, Matt called out a quiet "stay", and she settled back onto her butt, but he could feel the excitement running through her. He placed a hand gently on her head, calming her.
Laura smiled. This was exactly what she hoped to see. As she got closer with Locet, she could tell that Teagan wanted nothing more than to come over to say hello, but Matt's hand and look kept her in place. She called out a soft "okay". Matt called Teagan to heel and walked toward the other pair. Laura had stopped, Locet sitting calmly beside her, as he had been long-trained to do.
As they walked closer, Teagan began to pull on the leash a bit. Matt stopped and again called "heel", pulling lightly on the leash. Teagan whimpered softly, anxious to meet this new dog, but Matt called "heel" again, a bit louder and repeating the light jerk on the leash, until Teagan moved back to his side. "Sit," he commanded and she dropped down, her head moving back and forth between Matt and the new people.
"Platz!" he called, putting his hand out flat, palm down. She dropped to a full down position, watching him now. "Stay."
"Good job," Laura said. "She pulled a bit, but not too bad and responded fairly quickly to correction."
Matt smiled. "I've been working with her on simple obedience. I didn't want to do much else until you came by."
"Good. Let's have them greet. I'll approach with Locet. Bring her to a sit position."
Matt did and Teagan rose up, watching closely as Laura and Locet moved closer, her muscles twitching as Matt called out "stay," but kept a tight hold on her leash so that she couldn't move forward.
Laura brought Locet close enough for the two dogs to touch and called out "greet". Locet barked and took a stepped forward. Matt told Teagan "okay" and loosened his hold on the leash so that she could move forward to say hello.
The dogs sniffed each other and started jumping around in play. Since it seemed like they were getting along fine, Laura suggested they removed the leashes. Once both dogs were free, they playfully began to chase each other around the yard, watched carefully by the Ranger and Deputy.
"She's beautiful, Matt. You say she's a stray?"
"Yeah. Jimmy and I found her up near Horner's Ridge. She'd been abandoned and was half-starved."
"Looks like she's completely healed."
"Yeah, she's doing good. Jake did a good job with her."
"So, you want to put me out of business, hey?" she teased, knowing that with two Ranger dogs trained it would actually make her life easier and less hectic. Often, when the Rangers called for an assist, she was miles away and not available to help. She'd been begging Mike McBride to get another K9 unit in the department, but he always complained that they didn't have the budget for it.
If she could get one or both of the Rangers' dogs trained for Search and Rescue, that would free her and Locet up to concentrate on the more law enforcement aspects of her job, such as narcotics and explosives searches. The Rangers' dogs, at least for the moment, would only be used for Search and Rescue for lost hikers and such, although if they did well, she could see them maybe going to the K9 Academy later for additional training for Narcotics and Explosives searches. In this day and age, terrorist threats weren't unheard of, even in a picturesque tourist town like South Lake Tahoe.
"So, do you want to do the training here?" Matt asked.
"Might be easier without so many people around," she replied, spying the Rangers watching them through the big glass windows of the station.
"They should be okay in your truck together," Matt remarked. "We can just head up the road to my place if you want. Lots of room to run around there."
Laura smiled. "I heard that old Fred Saunders gave you a good deal on his place."
Matt laughed. "'Good Deal' doesn't even begin to cover it," he commented. "Teagan, come!" he called, bringing both dogs running. They all piled into Laura's truck and headed up the dirt and gravel road that went past the station and wound around behind the building and further up the mountain to Matt's new home.
"This is gonna be tough later in winter," she remarked, driving through the less than two feet of snow that covered the road. Her big truck handled the drive easily, but as the winter really set in and the snow got much deeper, it would be impassable.
"Yeah, I know. Fred seldom came down in winter. If he needed something, he had it delivered. Sometimes we would take up groceries and such on our snowmobiles. I may pave the road next summer, make it easier to plow. I'm not gonna rent out the small cabin this winter, so I won't need access from the road."
"Can I borrow it after Christmas?" she asked, getting a glimmer of an idea.
"Sure," he replied, smiling. "Uncle Bubba coming for a visit?"
"As a matter of fact, he is, along with my dad and brother. Think they'll all fit in the cabin?"
"Oh, yeah. It's small, but it has two bedrooms and a sleeper sofa in the main room. And if you're wanting to stay close, I could either lend you a cot or you're welcome to stay with me."
She smiled. "Separate bedrooms?"
Matt winked. "I'll leave that decision up to you. And whether or not Uncle Bubba will be packing!"
She laughed. "You've never met Uncle Bubba. He doesn't need to carry a gun," she said, pulling up in front of the big log house that Matt now lived in. "He used to play pro football for the Green Bay Packers." She climbed out, opening the back door for both dogs and headed toward the house.
Matt slowly made his way out of the vehicle. "Ah, maybe I'll just stay at the station while they're here," he said apprehensively. She cackled at the thought of big, bad Matthew Hawkes being afraid of Bubba Skinner. Then again, Uncle Bubba was six-foot-four and two hundred twenty pounds, so maybe he was right to be scared. And her dad and brother weren't little guys either. It would be interesting to see their reactions to Matt.
She turned to watch him, and seeing that he was paying attention to the dogs frolicking in the snow, she reached down for a handful of snow, packed it into a snowball and tossed it his way. Catching her sometime lover unaware wasn't usually so easy, so when her snowball splattered across his face, she knew she was in for some retaliation.
"Oh, that's war, woman," Matt declared, chasing after her, tackling her into the soft, but cold, snow. She squealed, which alerted both dogs, who came running to join in the fun. Humans and dogs rolled around in the snow for several minutes, before Laura finally cried 'uncle'. Matt stuffed one last handful of snow down the back of her jacket, before standing up and offering a hand, helping her to her feet as well.
"Let's head inside," he said. "I'll make lunch and some hot chocolate while you change clothes."
"That's sounds good," she replied, detouring to her truck to grab a small duffel bag from the back seat. She followed Matt inside, where he stoked the fire as she removed her jacket, tossing the duffel on the sofa. She glanced around. The door opened to a large great room, the living room to the right, the kitchen to the left. There was a short hallway directly in front of her, just past stairs that led to the second floor. "This is a great place, Matt. You've really made it look like a home."
"Thanks," he said, removing his own coat, and taking hers, hanging them both on the coat rack next to the door. "Fred left some of the furniture, but most of it is mine."
"Fred leave the rocker?" she asked, chuckling.
"No, that was my Mom's. Fred decided he needed his to rock those two grandkids of his," Matt answered while walking toward the kitchen. Laura continued to look around the room, spotting photos of Matt and his brother, Cody; Matt, Cody and their father. And a nice picture of Matt's Mom, probably taken before she got so sick, she thought.
She shivered, reminding her that her clothing was wet. As she walked over to the sofa, she pulled her sweatshirt off, tossing it over the fire place screen, then followed that with the tank top she wore underneath, leaving her in only a bra. She opened up her duffel bag, pulling out a fresh, dry T-shirt and dry jeans. Setting them down, she unzipped her jeans, then sat on the heavy wood coffee table to remove her boots. Turning around, she stretched to set the boots on the fireplace hearth, then stood to remove her jeans.
In the kitchen, Matt looked up just as she slid the jeans off. He smiled. Laura was as beautiful today as she was the first day he met her. She was nearly six feet tall herself, slender and muscular in all the right places, a testament to keeping herself fit for her job. She had long brown hair with reddish brown streaks, and blue eyes. The combination was mesmerizing. He often wondered if she had some Indian blood in her, judging by the dark tones of her skin.
She picked up the fresh T-shirt and as she began to slip her arms into it she glanced up, finally noticing Matt watching her. Licking her lips, she asked, "You like what you see?"
"Oh yeah," he drawled.
"Then why are you still way over there?" she challenged him, tossing the T-shirt back onto the couch.
Matt pulled the pan of warm milk off the stove, turning off the burner. He slowly made his way back to the living room, pulling his T-shirt over his head. When he reached for the long sleeve thermal shirt he wore underneath, she ordered. "Stop! That's my job."
He dropped his hands and continued toward her. "Well, far be it from me to keep you from your work, Deputy," he said, stopping in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a soft, gentle kiss.
"Where's the bedroom in this place?" she asked, softly.
Matt took her hands in his and, walking backward, led her down the hallway, stealing kisses along the way.
/
Although they got a late start to the training, it was well worth it as far as Matt was concerned. After their brief...distraction...they had a belated lunch, then headed outside. For the next two hours, Matt watched her put Locet through his paces, doing some simple tracking, then he attempted to have Teagan do the same.
And she did fairly well, considering it was her first day.
Laura had brought along some 'scent' bags, each one containing something different. One would have perfume, another sweat, one the scent of a child's crayon, and so on. Of the dozen bags that she brought, Teagan was able to locate four of them. The problem was, she kept getting distracted by other things.
They finally stopped for the day, heading back inside to warm up. After hanging up their jackets, Matt went to make some coffee and Laura followed him into the kitchen and hopped up on the counter. "I think she's gonna be great, Matt. She did better than most dogs on the first try."
"She seems to get easily distracted," he remarked.
"That's normal. The more you work with her, the better she'll get. The work will become fun for her. You just need to keep it fresh. You know most of the kids that live near the Ranger station, right?"
"Yeah," he said, confused by the question.
"Have them help. Snag a piece of clothing from one of them, then have them 'get lost'," she said, using finger quotes to make her point. "Then have her try to track them from their house. Start out with them only going short distances, fifty feet, then a hundred; keep expanding the search area. Use the clothing as a guide, see how she does."
"What kind of time frame are we talking about here?" he asked, finishing with the coffee maker and flipping the switch on.
"A few months maybe, depending on how often you're able to work with her. Come spring, when the wild animals are more active, you might see a back slide, as the distractions get more numerous. You'll need to work through them. It'll take a good year before she's proficient."
Matt nodded, then moved between her legs, placing his hands on the counter on either side of her hips. "You staying over tonight?" he asked.
"Depends."
"On?"
"You have the makings for your famous chocolate chip pancakes?"
"Would I invite you over if I didn't?"
"I would hope not." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. They stayed that way, only breaking away to take a breath, until the coffee maker beeped its completion.
Matt gestured toward the living room. "I'll grab the coffee and meet you in front of the fire."
She nodded and once he backed away, hopped down from the counter and sashayed into the living room, knowing that he was watching her ass as she walked away. She gave a purposeful wiggle, smiling at his laugh at having been caught.
She sat down, pulling off her boots and propping her feet up onto the coffee table. Matt came in, sat beside her and handed her a cup, then removed his own boots, placing his feet next to hers on the table. She took a deep breath, the aroma delighting her senses. Lifting the cup, she took a small sip of the hot brew, then leaned her head against Matt's shoulder. Locet and Teagan had curled up together on the rug in front of the fireplace.
"This is nice," she said.
"Yeah. I love the peace and quiet up here."
"No more noisy neighbors or traffic?"
"Exactly."
The two fell into a comfortable silence, finishing their coffee. Matt took both cups back to the kitchen and rinsed them out. When he returned, Laura had her eyes closed and appeared to be dosing, her head resting against the back of the sofa. "Stand up a sec," he said, taking her hand. She did and he lay down on his side, then he gently pulled her down in front of him, her back to his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, his other arm cushioning her head. She took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers, their hands against her stomach.
Ten minutes later, they were both asleep.
/