Resolutions
Chapter Five
"Robin please." Matt looked at the blond woman sitting on the snowmobile next to him.
"They're spoiled brats Matt."
"Spoiled brats who need to get back on the trail and home before dark."
"Matt they ran from us. Made us chase them for twenty miles."
"They're kids Robin. Get them back to the trail and make sure they make it back to town."
"Where are you going?"
"I have a stop to make before I head down. Tell Cody to hold down the fort. I should be back in a couple of hours." He looked at her. "I have to something for Jess okay. I know how you feel about me putting my family ahead of business."
"Matt, do what you have to." She started her snowmobile and herded the kids toward the trail." Matt shook his head and started his and headed in the opposite direction. He took the trail that would bring him to his dad's place in less the twenty minutes. Why the box was up there he didn't know. All his mother told him was to pick it up and to be careful with it. It was going to be a long week if his mother was going to have him run all over the mountain for Jess's wedding.
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"Cooper!" Jess was looking at the mess on the front desk. "I leave for an hour and you mess with my whole system!" The younger man looked around the door frame from the kitchen.
"Sorry Jess. Long night and even longer morning." He got the garbage can and took his coffee cups and empty wrappers off the desk. Jess sat down. "I really am sorry."
"Yeah." Jess looked at the papers in front of her. "I'm sorry I snapped at you Cooper." Grabbing some letters she filed them and put stamps on some more. Cody watched her. Cooper came back in the kitchen.
"We need to get her married, or laid or whatever Cody. She's wound tight." Cody sipped his coffee.
"Just don't piss her off for the next week and you'll keep your family jewels where God intended them to be."
"You're just going to let her treat us like that?" Cody looked at him.
"She always treats you like that. You always leave your crap on the front desk. If she gets out of line I'll deal with it." Cooper rolled his eyes.
"Sure you will." He said under his breath. Cody set his cup down and Izzy stepped between the two men.
"Cody…"
"Don't you ever think that just because Jess is who she is she will not get an ass chewing if she steps out of line. Apparently you haven't been around long enough to figure that out. Keep it up and you won't be here long enough too." Cody turned and headed to the weather room. Izzy looked at Cooper.
"I suggest you watch what your say and who you say it to for the next couple of days. This has nothing to do with garbage lying around or who gets what kind of ass chewing around here. Just think about it." Cooper looked at Izzy. He'd forgotten about the parole hearing and what it meant if Hugh McKnight walked out of Folsom in three days.
"I should say something,"
"Just let it go Coop. It'll pass. Just think before you smart off."
"I didn't mean anything by it."
"Yeah. Get out of here and get some rest." Cooper grabbed his coat and headed out the back door before Cody decided to come back out and finish chewing him out. Izzy poured Jess a cup of tea and set it on the desk in front of her.
"Thanks for putting out that fire."
"Anytime Jess. Just don't start anymore today. I thought Cody was going to plow right though me."
"Sorry. I just can't help myself today."
"Must have been the good night sleep I guess." Izzy had always been somewhat of a non talker when it came to most things. "If you need anything Jess, Clair and I will be willing to help you out." Jess smiled.
"Thanks Izzy. I may take you up on that." The phone rang. "High Mountain Rangers, Jess Hawkes. How may I help you?"
"Jess its Sheriff Weaver."
"Hey Sheriff what can I do for you."
"I need a tracker. You or one of your brother's free?"
"I can call Matt and see where he is. If not I'm sure Cody can help. What do you need?"
"I'm between Chambers Lodge and Homewood. I have a car with one occupant and a gunshot wound to the head."
"I'll have someone there within the hour."
"Thanks Jess."
"Anytime Sheriff." She hung up and grabbed the radio. "Flying Tiger this is base."
"Go ahead base."
"Sheriff Weaver over in Placer County is looking for a tracker. You close?"
"Not even close. Send Ace. He lives for the hunt. Have him take Izzy with him"
"I'm on it. When are you coming in?"
"An hour or so. I had to run an errand for mom."
"Okay. Don't take too long. You two might be needed if the phone doesn't stop ringing."
"Robin isn't with me. Isn't she back yet?" Jess looked up when the door slammed.
"Just walked in." Jess watched as she pitched her boots in the corner and stomped upstairs. "Flying Tiger, Frost Bite just brought a cold front and it's moving in fast."
"Whatever just get Cody and Izzy on that track."
"Yes sir." Jess put down the radio and picked up the phone and buzzed Cody. "Ace your up." Cody came in and grabbed his coat.
"What do you have?"
"Placer County needs a tracker between Chambers Lodge and Homewood. Take Izzy."
"Okay. " Izzy grabbed his coat and they both headed out the door. Jess looked at the clock. Getting up she went to the kitchen to make some lunch. Robin was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee.
"Hi." Jess went to the fridge. "You want something for lunch. My mom cleaned out her freezer. We have a ton of stuff."
"No thanks." Jess pulled out a dish and read the label. Taking off the lid she put it in the microwave and turned to look at Robin.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Jess sat down next to her.
"Robin please. I know that look. It's the one you get when my brother said something and you didn't have time for a decent come back."
"He just thinks I don't get his commitment."
"To what?"
"The job, your family. I do. Why can't he see that?"
"Because he knows that if he lets you in chances are at some point it's all going to be over. He doesn't want to risk loosing everything with you. If it means pushing you back to where you were before."
"Jess we can never go back to just being friends."
"I know. He thinks me and Cutler have this great thing. That our friendship lasted out our horrible romantic relationship."
"Didn't it?"
"Robin there are days when I can't stand to be in the same room as the man. He irritates me and intimidates me. There have been days I've just wanted to have angry sex with him just to get it out of my system. But that's the kind of relationship we had. He cheated and I got pissed and we fought and in the end we'd spend a week in bed. If he hadn't of taken the skier into our bed we might still be on that rollercoaster. You and Matt are different. You respect each other. It's so different." The microwave beeped. Jess buttered some bread and put the dish on a tray.
"You'd never even think about a life with Cutler?" Jess turned around.
"I had three more years before I had to make that call. We decided when we broke up three years ago that we would reevaluate our lives when I was thirty five and he was forty five."
"Well I guess finding Morgan was a good thing. You might have had to marry Cutler."
"He's not so bad if you take away the cheating, sarcasm and the bull headedness." Jess poured a glass of milk and put it on the tray. Clipping the phone to her belt she took the tray. "Just let Matt get thought the week and he'll be back on track like the rest of us." Jess started upstairs and stopped and turned. "And for the record angry sex fixes everything." Jess smiled and brought the trey to Cutler.
"Jess, thanks."
"Has the room stopped spinning?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Jess set the trey down on the table.
"Good. I'll be back up when someone comes in to man the phones."
"Okay. Thanks again Jess." Jess smiled and headed back down stairs to the front desk. The radio crackled.
"Ace to Lady Hawke." Jess sat down and put her head phones on.
"Go ahead Ace."
"We're going to be awhile. We have two sets of tracks and the dogs lost the scent but I still have the track."
"Okay. Stay warm." Matt came in. "Where were you big brother?"
"None of your business. What's Cody got?"
"He still has a good track. The dogs even lost it."
"That's our Cody. Robin?"
"In the kitchen last time I saw her." He blew out the air in his lungs.
"I should go talk to her." Jess looked at him.
"Now isn't the time for any of us to confront anyone. We're all on edge. Just say your sorry or whatever and let it go. I nearly took off Coopers head and Cody nearly flattened him."
"I know. I felt the tension when I walked in. How's Cutler?"
"I fed him and watered him."
"Good for you." He walked into the kitchen. Robin was sitting at the table. "Kids get home okay?"
"Yeah. Their parents said to say thank you."
"Good. My mom wants you to stop by after work. She and Sarah have some things they want to ask you about Jess and the wedding."
"She hasn't talked to me much about anything."
"I'm just relaying the message." He took a cup and got some coffee. "Are we playing this game because of something I said or didn't say?" He sat down across from her.
"I didn't mean to sound bitchy this morning. I…I guess I just thought we'd have some time together."
"With six preteen boys?"
"Not the point. In the last two weeks other then work you've been over a three times."
"Sorry in between avalanches and injured employees and keeping my brother from going off the deep end I've had all but three hours to do anything else. Now if you'll excuse me." He stood up and took his cup into his office and slammed the door.
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Jess looked at her watch. Hart was do in soon and she still had a few dozen things to get done. She's be working late again. She looked up to see Matt in his office. He kept pretending he was filling out paper work but Jess knew something was wrong. The door slamming after leaving the kitchen was a big clue. Now wasn't the time for her to go console her bother. There was too much to do. Robin came in once and left when her shift ended at four. The whole place was falling down around them. After Thursday Jess promised herself she would clean up the messes the last two weeks had made.
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"Izzy it's getting dark. Radio Jess and tell her we'll pack it in at Placer Creek. There's an old hunting cabin there. Maybe that's where these guys are headed." Cody looked at the tracks left by the man and the woman they had been following most of the day.
"You got it." Izzy turned on his radio. "Pocatello Kid to Lady Hawk. Come in Lady Hawke."
"Lady Hawke here. How's the weather out there?"
"A balmy ten degrees. We're packing it in at Placer Creek. Cody says there's an old hunting cabin there we can hold up in if the bad guys didn't get there first. We have two Sheriff's search and rescue boys here with us."
"Ten four. I'll let your wives know there in for a lonely night." Matt came in.
"Was that Cody?"
"Izzy. They're staying at the hunting cabin on Placer Creek." Matt looked at the map on the wall.
"I don't like them staying out there with a killer or killers on the loose."
"You want me to send some more of the Sheriff's men out that way?"
"No. I just worry. I know they both are more then capable. Hart's got point tonight and Jacobs is back from vacation."
"Flynn's on at six too. Cody was on flight call."
"I'll take that."
"You hate flying."
"I do it when I have to."
"I can do it Matt."
"Not with your shoulder and the wind is suppose to pick up tonight. If you have to go up in it you might hurt it more then it already is." He looked at her. "I don't want to fight with you today to Jess."
"You won't have to. I won't ask how it went with Robin."
"Thanks. She just doesn't get that I can't drop things and spend time together. When we were just friends it all kind of fit, you know?"
"Yeah. Let's stay away from all talk that could lead to an emotional discussion at this time. You staying here tonight?"
"Yeah."
"Me too. I'll cook…heat up dinner."
"Okay. I got the radio and phone." Jess got up and stopped in front of her brother.
"When this is over we need to clean up our messes."
"I know." The both looked when they heard something on the stairs. Cutler was nearing the bottom. "What the hell are you doing out of bed?" Jess took three steps to help him the rest of the way down.
"I was going crazy up there alone. Don't make me go back up there Jess." She smiled.
"Okay. Go sit down before you fall down. I was just about to put dinner in the oven. Matt make sure this clown behaves himself."
"That's asking a little too much don't you think." Cutler sat on the comfortable chair across the desk from Matt. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now that I can see something besides Jess's snow board and stash of ruined jackets." Matt laughed.
"I told her to throw those things out."
"She never throws anything out."
"Yeah I think I remember seeing her retainer from the eight grade in a box somewhere." Matt looked at his friend who finally got some color back in his cheeks. "You look better my friend. I was worried there for a while."
"You don't have to worry about me Matt. I'm too friggin ornery to die."
"That's what my dad always says. One of these days it's going to bite both of you in the ass." Jess came back into the room.
"Dinner's in the oven and the salad is made." Hart came in.
"Please tell me you didn't cook Jess." She glared at him.
"Just for that Tim I should make you starve. No I did not cook it. My mother did." She turned and left the room.
"Not a good day to piss her off Hart." Matt said. "She's taken Cooper down today and given the chance you could be next."
"I keep forgetting. She used to have such a sunny disposition." Hart took off his gloves and hung up his jacket. "How's business?"
"Cody and Izzy are tracking a couple who might have killed a man on highway eighty nine near Homewood."
"That's some heavy forest up that way."
"Well you know Cody once he gets a bone."
"Don't I know it. " Jess called everyone for dinner. Matt grabbed the phone and a radio. Flynn came flying though the door.
"Should have known he wouldn't miss a meal." Jess said as she set another place. Benji could smell her mom's lasagna a mile away.