The Forest Ranger's Rescue

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“What do you estimate the dollar price of the theft is at?” Jill asked.

He pursed his lips, making some mental calculations. Grateful to have his attention drawn away from Jill’s creamy complexion and the warm feelings coursing through his chest. “At least two hundred thousand dollars, possibly more.”

Jill nodded. “I concur.”

He wasn’t surprised. She’d grown up in the timber business and knew the value of trees as well as he did.

Just then, she turned and stumbled over a low tree stump. He reached forward and caught her. She fell against him, one hand latching on to his biceps, the other sliding against his chest. She looked up and their eyes locked. He stared at her, mesmerized. For several pounding moments, they stood frozen in time. The world spun away and nothing existed but them. He felt her warmth and breathed in her fragrant scent. Her lips parted in surprise and he felt the overpowering urge to pull her in and kiss her.

Then he came to his senses. He must be losing his mind. He had to break this off right now. “You okay?”

She snapped back and blinked, not meeting his eyes. She brushed at her shirt, as though it was wrinkled. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Think. What should he say? Something to appear normal and unaffected. To regain his composure.

“I...I’ve already started a replanting program to repair the damage to the forest,” he said. “The crew should finish the work in another week or so, before the heat of summer comes in.”

There. That was good. Right back to business.

She took a steadying breath. “I’d like to help.”

He glanced at her, his eyes widening with wonder. “Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She blinked, as though his blunt question had taken her off guard. And quite frankly, he was feeling a bit off balance himself. He didn’t understand how a woman could smell so delectable.

“Do I need a reason?” she asked.

“No, it’s just that I didn’t expect you to help with the project. Under the circumstances, I think you can understand my surprise.”

“Yes, you’re right,” she conceded. “It doesn’t make sense to me either. But I’d really like to help. It’s for a great cause. I want to ensure our forests stay forested and there are trees to harvest in the future. Mankind has done enough damage to our earth already. So, when do you need me?”

He looked away, thinking. “Um, I’ve got a work crew planning to come out again next Monday morning. They’ll be finished with their work by noon. So you’ve got a few days. If you come to the Forest Service office, you can ride up with them and know exactly where they’ll be working.”

“Okay, what time?” He told her the necessary information and she nodded her acceptance. “I’ll be there, so don’t let them leave without me. I want to work with the Forest Service in any way I can to clear my brother’s name. He insists he didn’t have any part in this theft, and I believe him. So we’re eager to help catch whoever did this and clear our name.”

Our name. He couldn’t help noticing that she included herself with her brother. And although he was positive she was completely innocent of any wrongdoing in the situation, her loyalty to her family was just one more reason he liked her.

“I’m glad to hear that. But like I said, we haven’t made any accusations yet.” He shifted his weight, again wishing he could confide in her. Wishing he didn’t have to keep the truth a secret. It was a good thing Alan hadn’t betrayed his instructions from the US Attorney’s office.

She showed a skeptical smile. The silence lengthened and he knew what she was thinking. Soon enough, the LEI would want to prowl around her family’s sawmill as they performed an investigation. It was inevitable. Having Jill’s cooperation would help a great deal with the ugly chore.

A tug on his arm brought his head down to Evie. She held up her erase board and he saw that she’d written the word danc. She’d drawn a little stick figure at the side, wearing what appeared to be a ballerina tutu. She then pointed at Jill.

He crinkled his brow. “Do you mean dance?”

Evie nodded and jabbed her finger more forcefully toward Jill.

“You want to invite Jill to your dance recital?” he asked.

A bright smile lit up Evie’s face and she pumped her head up and down. Brent tried not to stare, but it’d been so long since he’d been able to communicate effectively with her. And seeing her smile again knocked the breath right out of him.

His gaze swung back to Jill. “Um, Evie would like to invite you to her dance recital tomorrow night. It’s at seven, in the civic center.”

Okay, he’d made the invitation. From the withdrawn expression on Jill’s face, he could tell she felt uncomfortable about it, too. It didn’t help that she’d tripped and he’d held her in his arms like a giant leech.

Jill bent at the waist and smiled at Evie. “I’d love to come, sweetheart, but I’ve already got a commitment with my own family. I’ll try to make it if I can. Okay?”

The woman was trying to be so careful. So considerate. Trying not to injure Evie’s feelings. And Brent appreciated her efforts more than he could say.

Evie nodded, but didn’t hide her disappointment. She sidled over to Brent and took his hand as she stared at the ground in dejection.

“Ah, we’re still friends, aren’t we?” Jill asked, her voice filled with invitation.

Evie glanced at her, then gave a timid smile indicating they were.

“Good.” Jill stepped back. “Well, I’ve got to get back to work. Nice to see you both again.”

“Yeah. You, too,” Brent said.

He breathed an audible sigh of relief when she got into her car, turned on the engine and headed down the dirt road.

Watching her go, he missed her already. And he shouldn’t miss this woman. She was nothing to him. Just a permittee whose sawmill cut logs on national forest lands. And yet, he couldn’t fight the bevy of mixed emotions in his mind. How he wished they’d met under different circumstances. How he regretted that the timber-theft issue stood between them like a huge dangerous giant.

Maybe it was best if Jill didn’t attend Evie’s dance program tomorrow evening. Because his heart and mind couldn’t take the emotional assault.

Chapter Four (#ulink_dd414fc7-5e4b-535b-a04a-3e988acbb6e7)

Brent awoke slowly. The sounds of voices drifted in and out of his mind. He was dreaming. Yet, it seemed so real.

No, it wasn’t a dream.

He blinked his eyes. The sounds filtered around him. Voices sifting through the house in hushed tones. Subtle but persistent.

He sprang into a sitting position and stared into the dark. A quick glance at the electronic clock resting on the bedside table told him it was one thirty-eight in the morning. He’d been asleep for less than an hour.

Everything looked normal. Night shadows clung to the large dresser hugging the far wall. The basket of clean laundry sat right where he’d abandoned it earlier, still waiting to be folded and put away. He’d been too tired to deal with it before morning.

For a few moments, the voices faded. He heard nothing. Just the hum of crickets outside his bedroom window and the persistent whoosh of the furnace blowing warm air throughout the house. Maybe the neighbors were getting in late. Maybe they were watching a late-night show and had the TV volume turned up too high. Maybe he’d imagined the noise.

He shifted his weight against the mattress, prepared to lie down and go back to sleep.

There it was again! The unmistakable sounds of people talking. It wasn’t the neighbors. It was here in his house. And in a rush, he realized what must be happening.

Evie couldn’t sleep. Again.

Tossing aside the blanket, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. Padding barefoot across the thick Berber carpet, he paused in the hallway and cocked his head to one side, listening.

Yes, definitely the TV set in his living room.

Treading down the hall, he peeked around the corner. All the lights were off; an eerie red glow emanated from the TV screen. Evie lay curled on the couch, snuggled beneath her monkey blankie. Lina had made the blanket when Evie was a newborn baby. Evie had later named it after the myriad of little blue monkeys covering the soft flannel. It was one of her most prized possessions. A memory of her mother. The girl never went to bed without it and her stuffed bunny rabbit. Both the bunny and the blanket were now so threadbare that Brent didn’t dare wash them anymore. They might fall apart, and he feared he wouldn’t be able to console Evie over their loss.