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Dinner at his sister’s had gone just about the way he’d expected. Volta, with all the subtlety of a locomotive, had seated him next to the new nurse at the table and kept throwing out random pieces of information designed to force them to bond. “Leith, Marley’s blood type is B negative, just like yours and mine. That’s only two percent of the population. Interesting coincidence, huh?”
What did you say to something like that? Marley had seemed like a perfectly nice person, but after going through a divorce three years ago, Leith had decided the safest route was to avoid getting involved with women, period. So, when Volta made a point of asking him if he had a date for the wedding in front of Marley so that he’d almost be forced to invite her, it had given him great satisfaction to assure her that, yes, he did have a date. He’d almost laughed out loud at the expression on his sister’s face when her plot failed. Fortunately, Marley didn’t look all that brokenhearted. She was probably glad to have gotten out of Volta’s trap unscathed as well.
Leith couldn’t understand why his sister was so fired up to find him a girlfriend. As far as he knew, Volta had been on less than a dozen dates since her daughter, Emma, had been born seven years ago, seven months after Volta’s husband had died in an avalanche. Leith worried about his sister sometimes, but he didn’t push her. So why did she feel entitled to push him?
Anyway, this nondate with Sabrina would take care of that problem for the time being, and all he had to do was teach her a few basic camping skills. How hard could that be?
He found her apartment building, a weathered fourplex split-level. Her door was down a half flight of steps. He knocked. A minute later, she opened the door a few inches, pulling a restraining chain tight. “Oh, hi. You didn’t have to come get me. I thought you’d just call my cell.”
“No, I...” He’d been lectured by his mother that a gentleman always walked a lady to and from her doorway. Of course, she’d meant on a date, and this wasn’t a date. “Never mind. Are you ready to go?”
“I think so. Let me grab some yogurt for lunch.”
“No need. I brought food to cook. That’s part of the lesson.”
“Oh, thank you. In that case, I’m ready.” She closed the door to unhook the chain and slipped out before he could see into her apartment. Today Sabrina wore tight jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and an Orson-brand fleece vest. She carried a small leather backpack that was obviously more for looks than practicality, since it wouldn’t last a day in the rain. At least she was wearing enough layers this time, and the sky was clear today. The jeans weren’t the most practical, although he had to admit, they fit her well. She carefully locked the door and turned to him with a smile. “I appreciate you doing this for me.”
It was a disarming smile, but three years ago, he’d developed immunity. “No problem, as long as you keep up your end of the bargain. Remember, you still have to do that wedding next week.”
“Yeah, but weddings are fun.”
“Maybe from your perspective. From mine, camping is fun. Weddings are a pain. But one of my best friends is getting married, so I got stuck as a groomsman. I even have to wear a suit.”
Sabrina laughed. “You’re a true friend to sacrifice so much. Where are we going?”
“I thought we might head over to Ekulna Lake, do a little hiking and set up a mock camp. Sound okay?”
“You’re in charge.”
Sabrina approached his ancient Land Cruiser without the usual comments about what a dinosaur it was. One point in her favor. Whatever she drove probably required premium fuel.
As they approached, Tal jumped up from her spot on the back seat and stuck her nose out the window he’d left open a few inches, madly wagging her tail.
“Oh, you’ve got a dog! Hi, sweetie,” Sabrina crooned. “What’s your name?”
“Talkeetna.” Leith reached past Sabrina to wrench open the stubborn passenger-side door. “Tal for short.”
“Hello, Tal.” Sabrina climbed into the seat and twisted around to reach for the dog. “Oh, my goodness, your ears are so soft. You’re just a big love bug, aren’t you?” All the while, she was rubbing Tal’s head, and Tal was eating it up, thumping her tail against the seat back. A long thread of drool dangled from her lip, but if Sabrina saw it, it didn’t faze her. “Is Tal a boy or a girl?”
“Girl.” Leith slammed Sabrina’s door closed and went around to the driver’s seat. “Better buckle up.”
Sabrina fastened her seat belt. “She’s so soft and fluffy. How long have you had her?”
“Almost six years. I got her as a puppy.” Not long before Nicole decided she needed a graduate degree from an out-of-state college and moved in with a guy in Seattle who she’d insisted was only a roommate. Leith couldn’t believe he’d fallen for that story. He patted Tal’s head. Happily, this female in his life had remained loyal.
“I love dogs, but I’ve never had one,” Sabrina said.
“You didn’t have a dog when you were a kid?”
“No.” Sabrina’s effervescence lost some bubbles. “We couldn’t af— Have pets.”
Her mother probably didn’t want dog hair on her nice furniture. Everything about Sabrina—the trendy clothes, shiny hair and flashy fingernails, which, he noticed, were pale green today to match her shirt—shouted upscale. Any outdoor activities she’d experienced growing up probably took place at the country club. Some people would envy her. He wasn’t one of them. His brief experience in high school with country-club life only made him more appreciative of what Alaska had to offer.
Leith drove out of the neighborhood and merged onto the Glenn Highway. He glanced toward Sabrina. Should he mention her clothes? He was supposed to be training her in woodcraft. “I see you’re wearing a fleece vest today.”
“Yes. I bought it yesterday.”
“Good. The vest will be useful, but jeans may not be the best hiking pants, especially up here.”
She tilted her head at him. “You mean because cotton is hydrophilic?”
Huh. She must have been reading the company catalogs. “Yes. If they get wet, jeans take forever to dry. But also because they’re tight on your thighs, and when you’re lifting your feet to climb uphill, that extra effort tends to tire you out.”
“Okay, but these jeans have Lycra, so they stretch.” She paused. “What did people wear outdoors before synthetic fabrics? Wool?”
“Mostly.”
“I know wool is warm when wet, which is one reason they use it for tweed hunting jackets in Britain.”
Leith didn’t know anything about British hunting jackets, but it made sense. “It’s not supposed to rain today, so your jeans should be fine. And I just have a short hike planned.”
“I looked at some nylon hiking pants at the store, but they’re going to have to wait until the next payday.”
He glanced at her before returning his eyes to the road. “I guess they don’t pay trainees a lot, huh?”
She shrugged. “They pay reasonably well. But, you know—student loans, moving expenses, security deposits. And I need to replenish my emergency fund.”
“Emergency fund?” He grinned. “What? For fashion emergencies, like shoe sales?”
She didn’t look amused. “Emergency fund so I can pay the rent if I don’t make the cut in September and I’m unemployed again.”
This didn’t quite jibe with the lifestyle he’d imagined, but it was hard to feel too sorry for her. Even he could tell those jeans she was wearing didn’t come from a discount store, and her manicure probably cost as much as the hiking pants. But there was no use getting into an argument about how she spent her money. “I hope you’ll learn enough today that you will make the cut to management.”
“Here’s hoping.”
Sabrina was quiet during most of the drive to the lake. Leith got the uncomfortable feeling she was annoyed at him. She stared out the window at the birch trees, with their yellow buds just starting to turn to green. In the distance, snow still covered the top half of the Chugach Mountains. He tried to think of something to say to improve her mood, but nothing came to mind.
Finally, just before they reached the exit, Sabrina spoke. “It is beautiful. I was starting to wonder what all the fuss about Alaska was about, but now that the sun has come out and I can see the mountains, I’m starting to understand.”
“It’s been a wet spring, and breakup is never the prettiest season,” Leith acknowledged, relieved that she seemed to have forgotten his stupid joke. “Give it another two weeks, and you’ll be amazed at how green everything is.”
They reached the trailhead parking lot. Sabrina pulled on the handle, but the door jammed. Before Leith could get around to help her, she slammed her shoulder into the door and knocked it open. Without comment, she slid out. “What a pretty lake. I love that color. Somewhere between azure and lapis.”
“Looks blue to me.” Leith opened the tailgate to grab Tal’s leash and went around to let her out.
Sabrina turned, and her eyes widened as she looked at something over Leith’s shoulder. “Oh, a dog.” She trotted past him.
Leith looked up. Oh, nuts. “Sabrina, wait.” He pushed Tal back into the car before she could see what was going on and escalate the problem.
“I’m just going to check out that dog,” she called back to him. “There’s nobody else here. It must be a stray.”
“Don’t go any closer.” Leith slammed the door and hurried around the car after her. The dark gray animal at the edge of the woods startled and ran for a few steps before pausing to look toward Sabrina.
Sabrina slowed to a walk, creeping forward while gently crooning. “Here, pup. You’re a big guy. Are you lost? I think you’re wearing a collar. Do you have a microchip? I’ll bet your family is missing you.”
“Stop!” Leith finally yelled loud enough to get through to her. She turned. The creature at the corner of the parking lot looked toward him as well.
Sabrina scowled at him. “What? I just want to help that dog. He seems shy. I wonder if someone abandoned him.”
“The reason he’s shy around people is because he’s not a dog.” Leith grabbed her elbow and dragged her back toward the safety of the Land Cruiser. “He’s a wolf.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“NO WAY.” Sabrina looked up at Leith’s face, expecting to find that he was teasing her, but he wasn’t smiling.
“I’m serious. We need to stay back.” He nudged her closer to the car.
Sabrina squinted at the animal, who was now hovering at the very edge of the woods, holding his head low as though ready to run. “Are you sure? I think he’s wearing a collar.”
“He is,” Leith agreed. “A radio collar.” He opened the car door and reached under the seat, pulling out a pair of binoculars. After focusing, he handed them to Sabrina. “Take a look.”
She put the binoculars to her eyes, and the animal jumped into focus. A black collar with a boxlike attachment under his chin almost disappeared in the dark gray fur. Now that she could see him more clearly, he looked a little rangier than most dogs. He lifted his head to stare straight at her with amber eyes, and then he was gone.
“A real wolf.” Sabrina returned the binoculars to Leith. “That’s incredible.”
“Yeah. You don’t see wolves often, especially this time of day. They’re generally too skittish.”
“Were we actually in danger?”
“Probably not. They had a little trouble with a pack north of Anchorage several years ago following people and attacking their dogs, but I haven’t heard much about them lately.”
“Do wolves ever attack people?”
“Almost never. Every case I’ve heard of is a lone runner attacked by a pack, and in the middle of winter when food is scarce. This wolf seemed to be alone. I suspect he got separated from his pack and that’s why he’s wandering around this morning, trying to find them.”
She nodded. “Does this mean we can’t stay here?”
“I’d suggest we give him a fifteen-minute head start while we make as much noise as possible unloading the equipment, and then carry on with our plans. We’ll keep Tal on a leash today, just in case.”
“Good.” Sabrina walked to the back of the Land Cruiser. “Because this lake is lovely.”
Leith eyed her, his eyebrows raised.
“What?”
“Honestly, I thought you’d be scared.”
“Why should I be? From what you said, a wolf fifty yards away is not much of a threat. Now, scorpions in your bed. That’s scary.”
“You found scorpions in your bed?”
“Once. I didn’t sleep much that night.” Scorpions weren’t the only scary things around the apartment building they’d moved to after Sabrina’s dad declared bankruptcy and disappeared from their lives. She’d seen a cockroach in the hallway that looked like it could take on a Chihuahua in a fair fight. And some of the people living in the building were even scarier than the roaches. But she didn’t like to think about those days. She smiled at Leith. “So, what’s my first lesson today?”
“Eager to get started?”
“Got to get that management position.”
“Right. Well, I figure since your goal is to impress with your product knowledge, we should experience as many different activities as possible today. I thought we’d start with how to load a backpack and take a short hike first. Then we can set up in one of the campground spots.”
“Sounds good.”
He pulled out a red backpack. Sabrina wasn’t surprised to see the Orson Outfitters logo on the flap. “First, I’ll show you how to adjust the straps so that the pack fits you. Then we’ll load it up.”
Once he had all the buckles and belts adjusted, the pack felt quite comfortable on her back. At least when it was empty. He had her take it off and load it up with a tent, a sleeping bag and other equipment, then put it back on. It didn’t feel too bad. “How much does this thing weigh?”
“About twenty-five pounds. Rule of thumb is not to carry more than twenty-five percent of your body weight.”
“I think sometimes my purse weighs this much.” Sabrina buckled the waist strap and followed Leith and Tal along the flat trail that circled the lake. Maybe the climb during the team-builder had toughened her up, because she wasn’t having any trouble keeping up with them.
They reached a Y in the path. Leith looked back at her. “Doing okay with that pack?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Then we’ll go a little farther.” He took the path off to the right.
Sabrina followed. The pack grew heavier, but he’d said it was a short hike, so she didn’t want to wimp out. This path seemed harder than before. Eventually she realized they were climbing steadily uphill. Leith glanced back a few times, but he never slowed down. Sabrina was sucking wind when he finally stopped.
She stopped, too, resting her hands on her knees and drawing in vast lungfuls of air. Tal came to stand in front of her, staring. The dog had probably never seen a human panting so hard. After a few minutes, Sabrina had recovered enough to speak. “Sorry. I can’t climb any farther without a rest.”
“That’s okay.” Leith handed her a bottle of water. “We’re here.”
She gratefully accepted the water and gulped down half the bottle. “Where’s here?”
He offered his hand. “Come see.”
She took his hand and he led her a few steps out of the forest, toward the edge of a bluff overlooking the lake. She dug in her heels several feet from the edge. “This is close enough.”
“What’s wrong?” He studied her face. “Oh. Not a fan of heights?”
“No.” She hated this. It was embarrassing to be the one who couldn’t do something simple, like cross a bridge. The one whose fear inconvenienced everyone in the group. She knew the danger was in her head, but her pounding heart never listened. She tried to shrug it off. “Not from ledges.”
He nodded. “No problem. Here. If we stand on this rock away from the edge, you can still see.”
He climbed onto a boulder and Tal scrambled up beside him. Leith reached down for her. The boulder was at least ten feet back from the edge. Sabrina took his hand and climbed onto the rock. He was right. It did give a magnificent view without that sense that the earth was falling away. And he’d done it without making her feel small.
Sabrina shaded her eyes with her hand and looked outward. The lake stretched out below them, a few puffy white clouds reflected on the deep blue surface. Furry dark spruce lined one edge of the lake. On the other side, cerise buds scattered like confetti across the branches of white-barked trees. “It’s gorgeous here.”
“I thought you’d like it.”
She looked up at him and that amazing smile was back. The blue eyes were watching her again, but now they seemed friendly. It was obvious that Leith was in his element. Sabrina realized she was still holding his hand, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to let go. After a pause, Tal pushed between them and the spell was broken. Sabrina dropped his hand, rubbing along Tal’s head to cover her sudden awkwardness.
“It’s almost worth the climb.”
Leith raised an eyebrow. “Almost?”
Sabrina sucked in another deep breath. “Totally worth the climb. Just maybe not while carrying another fourth of a person.”
He laughed. “You did well.” He jumped down from the rock and she followed. “It will be easier going downhill. We’d better get started if we’re going to cook in camp today. By the way, I brought supplies to make chili. Is that okay with you? I should have asked if you eat meat.”
“I love chili.”
“With kidney beans?”
She grinned. “You trust me with a can of beans?”
“Absolutely. I figure that lesson is one you’ll never forget.”
“You’re right about that. I just wish it hadn’t been such a public lesson. I’m afraid Walter and the others will never forget it, either.”
“Don’t worry about it. Someday, it will be one of those funny stories they tell each other about how they knew you before you were a big shot.”
“You really think so?”
“Why not? You say you’re willing to do the work. You’ve lined me up to teach you the skills you need, which shows excellent judgment. How can you lose?”
“Too bad Walter can never know about my excellent choice of instructors.”
“You can impress him in other ways. Maybe volunteer to staff the Orson Outfitters’ sponsor table at one of the events this summer.”
“Great idea. Thanks for the suggestion.”
“No extra charge. Let’s go.” He set a brisk pace on the return trip, but as he’d said, it was easier going downhill.
Once they reached the parking lot, they dumped their backpacks into his car and Leith drove to the campground. “Since we’re not staying overnight, I could take us to a picnic area for the practice camp, but I want to show you how to build a fire, and they’re only allowed in designated campsites.”
Only four of the campsites were occupied, three with giant RVs parked and one with a tent. Leith drove away from the others and stopped at an isolated spot near the lake. He got out of the car, so Sabrina followed him. His gaze swept the campsite and then he turned toward her. “What do you think of this spot?”
Sabrina looked around. A metal picnic table was chained to concrete sunk into the ground. Beside a gurgling creek was a flat place under some trees where she assumed the tent would go. A round metal firepit sat in the clearing, with an unobstructed view of the lake. “It’s beautiful. But I can tell by that little crinkle in the corner of your eye there’s something I’m supposed to notice.”
He laughed. “You’re good.”
“Not good enough to figure out the problem with this campsite.”
He nodded toward the creek. “Today, there’s no problem. But if this warm weather keeps up, the water coming off the glacier will cause the creek to rise, and you might wake up in the middle of the night with the creek running through your tent. In a public campground like this, the host will probably put up a sign not to camp here, but it’s something to keep in mind for wilderness camping.”
“Wilderness camping? Is that out in the open without designated campsites?”
“Exactly. But today, this will work just fine. I’ll go back to the gate to check us in, and we can get started.”
Sabrina insisted on paying the ten-dollar camping fee. Leith protested, but they were using Leith’s gas and Leith’s food even though this was all for her benefit. She filled out an envelope, enclosed two fives and dropped it in a slot in a post beside the campground sign. A handwritten note on the bulletin board warned that someone had spotted a wolf in the area and to keep your dogs and children close, so the wolf must have tracked through the campground after leaving the parking lot.
She returned to the campsite, where Leith had stacked an armload of wood beside the fire ring. Tal wagged her tail and whined at Sabrina, clearly upset to be tied to a tree. Sabrina hurried over to stroke her head. “Does she have to be tied up?”
“I’m afraid so.” Leith gave the dog a pat. “She’s pretty good about staying close, but in case she spots a squirrel or something, I don’t want her wandering off with that wolf around. Come on. Our first lesson is fire building.” He handed her a bucket. “Go fill this with water from the creek.”
Was he kidding? “Water. To make a fire.”
“Never start a fire unless you have the equipment ready to put it out. Safety first.”
“Oh, I get it.” She filled the bucket and wrestled it back to camp, while he watched. He could have helped. On the other hand, she was supposed to be learning to camp independently, and lifting buckets of water was probably good arm-toning.
When she got to the edge of the fire ring, he did take it from her and set it against a log. “Ready to learn how to build a fire?”
“One second.” Sabrina closed her eyes and took in an exaggerated breath. “I’m unleashing my inner pyromaniac.” She opened her eyes. “I’m ready.”
Leith didn’t laugh but his mouth twitched. “Good thing I brought a fire extinguisher and first-aid supplies.” He nodded toward a large canvas case with a red cross on the front.
“I’ll try to keep it under control. Okay, how does this work?”
Leith took a knife from his pocket and showed her how to create kindling from a branch. She was surprised to discover that fires were literally built; she’d always assumed it was a figure of speech. But Leith showed her how to create an intricate arrangement of tinder, kindling, twigs, sticks and then logs with spaces in between for air circulation. “Now you just need to strike a match.”
“Where do you keep the matches?”
“You didn’t bring matches?” Leith raised his eyebrows as though it was a serious question, but the laughter in his eyes gave him away.
“I guess I missed it on the invisible supply list you gave me. Do you have any matches, survival guy?”
“Why, as a matter of fact, I do.” Leith reached into his pocket. “In fact, I have two matchboxes, so one must be yours.” He handed her an orange plastic cylinder. “Don’t go into the wilderness without it.”
The Learn & Live logo stamped on the side of the box identified it as a promotional goodie. Sabrina clutched it to her heart. “Thank you. I’ll treasure it always.” She unscrewed the top and removed a match.
“Striker’s on the bottom.”
“I suspected as much. I once lit a candle, all by myself.”
“Impressive.” He smirked.
Sabrina tossed a twig at him before she knelt in front of the fire. “So, just hold the match to the dry grass, right?” At his nod, she struck a match. A slight breeze she hadn’t noticed before blew it out. She sneaked a look at Leith, but he didn’t seem to be laughing at her. Yet. She struck another match, this time cupping her hand around it until she could touch the flame to the tinder.
The flame caught for a second, and then sputtered out. Sabrina blew out a breath of frustration. She moved so that the wind was at her back and struck a third match. This time, the grass caught fire and burned, lapping at the kindling she’d shaved from a branch. As she watched, the kindling started burning and began to ignite the twigs.