“What are you going to do with him?” Ryan panted.
“We’ll have to take him with us.” Alex sucked the knuckles of his hand where needle-like teeth had gashed him. “We don’t really have much choice. He’s far too young to survive on his own. There’s a wildlife refuge west of Prince George. When we get back to town I’ll give Cindy a call and see if she can take him.”
“Will he travel all right in the helicopter?” June asked.
“I’ve got a veterinary kit in the storage compartment,” Alex said. “I’ll give him a shot of tranquillizer, enough to keep him calm. We should be okay.” He looked from the furious little bundle on the ground to the four-wheelers they had arrived on. “But first, we have to get him there.”
In the end, June drove the ATV back to camp, with Alex perched precariously behind her, facing backward, cradling the cub on his lap and letting his long legs trail over the rear of the machine. She could feel the muscles in his back flex and strain as he curbed the cub’s efforts to get free. Once at the tree planters’ camp, Alex dug out a syringe and injected the cub with a minuscule dose. Its whimpers and cries faded away, and even though its eyes remained open, the ferociousness left them, replaced with drowsy bewilderment.
They made a tiny nest in the space behind the pilot’s seat, and Alex lifted the bear in. He loosened the noose around its nose, but kept it in place, then turned to Ryan.
“Thanks for your help.” They shook hands. “Remember, if anyone sees anything, notices anything that might be relevant, we need to know.”
“No problem. Let me know how the little guy makes out.”
“I will.”
Ryan backed away from the helicopter as Alex and June hoisted themselves into their seats. They rose into the air in a whirl of dust. Her last glimpse of the camp was Ryan shielding his eyes from the flying scatter and the tents flapping in the breeze.
****
The Nechako Home for Rescued Wildlife kept a low profile with the public, but to those in the know like Alex and his colleagues there was no better place to bring a wild animal. He, June and their small companion travelled about half an hour west of Prince George, then turned onto a narrow, gravel road heading north. After fifteen minutes or so, during which time the cub became more and more restless and vocal, it branched off. Keeping to the right, Alex negotiated the Jeep over a rutted, bone-jarring track. Finally the route widened, and he pulled to a stop.
It was an idyllic, albeit rustic, example of the rural beauty of Northern British Columbia. Spreading out before them was a tiny lake, perhaps one kilometre long and half a kilometre wide, bordered by willows and pine trees and edged with marshy, reedy areas. A battered yellow canoe floated next to the dock that T’d into the water from a pebbly beach. To the right a dull red cabin with a wrap-around porch, stone chimney, and metal roof faced the lake. Paint was peeling off the window frames and a number of the slats on the deck railing rested sleepily against each other.
To the left a long, low roofed building, resembling a dog kennel, stretched out into the forest. Instead of the usual domesticated canines, however, the inmates of these runs were their wild cousins, including a number of scruffy foxes and a coyote with three legs. Separate from this structure was an enormous enclosure, two stories high and constructed around a number of living shrubs and two tall spruce, with walls and roof of thick chain link. Alex couldn’t see any inhabitants, but he knew it was used to house cougars, lynx and other feral felines. And the occasional bear. Behind these facilities were various corrals, complete with lean-to shelters, water troughs and feeding racks. A doe stood at one of the mangers, calmly chewing hay while her tiny spotted fawn suckled vigorously.
A short, stocky woman carrying a pitchfork loaded with hay came around the corner of the kennel block. They stepped out to meet her.
“For Christ sake, if it ain’t Mr. Weaver,” she shouted. “Come to ask another goddamn favour, I suppose. Always needs something for nothing.” She leaned her pitchfork against the wall and strode forward, continuing at the same volume. “Biggest mooch I’ve ever seen. Don’t know why I bother. Costs me money every time he stops in.”
She peered into the tinted windows of the Jeep. “Whatcha got this time? Wolverine? Porcupine? Bald eagle?” She spun toward Alex and poked him in the chest with a gnarled, grimy finger. “It better be good, or you can take it right away with you.”
Alex grinned. “Cindy, Cindy, you know you love it when I visit.” He wrapped his arm around her wide shoulders and turned her toward June. “I’d like you to meet June Brandt.”
“Nice to meet you,” Cindy said gruffly, glaring out from pale eyes hiding behind straggling bangs. Alex had seen her in the city one day and had barely recognized her with combed hair, tidy jeans, and clean parka. He was more used to her as she was today. A ratty old fisherman’s hat was jammed on her head and tousled, Medusa-like locks of light brown hair snaked out from underneath. The red and black checked flannel jacket and blue coveralls she wore were indescribably dirty, with holes in knees and elbows. On her feet were large rubber gumboots caked in mud and filth.
She elbowed Alex in the ribs. “So, whatcha got? Ain’t got all day, you know.”
Alex opened the back door of the Jeep and Cindy pushed him aside to see her prize.
“Oh,” she crooned, the first sound she’d made not at full volume. “Looky, here, lovey. Mama’s got you.” She reached in and scooped up the cub, cradling it in her brawny arms.
The cub seemed to recognize a sympathetic presence, and stopped its panicked whining. White still showed around the bark brown of its irises, but the stiff ruff on its neck settled down as it relaxed into Cindy’s embrace.
“Shhh,” she whispered, rubbing her chin between its ears, “you’re gonna be okay now.”
Alex smirked at June triumphantly, who stood mouth agape. Without another word, Cindy turned and trudged off to the kennel.
They followed behind, entering the concrete hall in time to see Cindy and her new love disappear through a doorway on the right. They stopped in the entrance. She laid the cub on a straw filled bed on the far side of a chain link fence dividing the space from left to right. With great gentleness and deliberation she unwrapped the blanket and removed the rope from its muzzle, all the while sing-songing in a soothing tone. The cub’s gaze never left her face, and even though it was now free to defend itself, it lay quietly, paws curled.
Cindy stepped out of the wire enclosure and closed the gate. She headed across the hall and filled a metal pail with fresh water. Striding back, she unlatched a small opening in the fence and slid the pail into the cub’s space, locking it afterward. Only then did her focus return to her human visitors.
“What are you two still doing here?” she blustered, once again at full volume. June flinched, bumping into Alex. “I don’t need you anymore, and neither does he. Go on, get.”
Alex hugged her. “You’re a good woman, Cindy.”
“Go on with you,” she said brusquely and shoved him away. “If I need you I’ll call you.” She turned her back on them to beam adoringly at her new charge.
Chapter Six
The vehicle jounced and bounced its way back along the rutted track. Once travelling on the smooth surface of the main highway June turned to Alex. “What the hell was that?”
He laughed. “I thought you’d enjoy meeting Cindy. It’s not often you discover someone who knows exactly what she wants. All Cindy wants to do is help animals and stay away from humans. She’s very good at both.”
The affection in his voice had June laughing back. “How long have you known her?”
“I met her about two years ago, shortly after I moved up here. We’d captured an injured cougar in a rural residential area. It had torn its leg open trying to get through a barb wire fence. We sedated it and had a vet stitch it up, but the doctor didn’t have the facilities to keep it, and we didn’t want to release it until we made sure there was no infection. She suggested Cindy. She was exactly the same then—had no use for you unless you had four legs or feathers.”
They neared the city limits. The sky trumpeted orange and pink and rose and salmon as the sun set behind the hills west of town.
“Are you hungry?” June asked. It had been hours since the granola bar she’d scarfed down during the helicopter ride back from the camp, and she was starving. “If you want, I could probably manage to throw something together at my house. And by I, I mean we.”
Alex gave her a sideways smile. “Sounds good. I, I mean, we, could probably handle that.”
The street in front of her house was full of vehicles, as it often was in the evening, so June directed Alex to the alley running along the rear of the houses and he pulled into the gravel space behind her home. A greying wooden fence separated the parking area from the lawn of the backyard. They went through the creaking gate and up the narrow path, slippery with the decaying remains of apple blossoms. She unlocked the back door and led him into the kitchen.
She went to throw her pack in her bedroom, and noticed on her way through the living room the red light flashing on her land line. She set a large pot of water on the stove and rummaged through the fridge. “How does pasta and salad grab you?”
“Right by my taste buds,” Alex answered. “What can I do?”
“Why don’t you pour us some wine? Glasses are in the cupboard next to the sink.” She put a head of romaine on the counter. “Then you can rip this up and give it a wash. I do a mean Caesar dressing from scratch, but it needs to sit overnight, so this time you’ll have to live with store bought.” She set a bottle on the counter. “And while you’re doing that, if you don’t mind, I’m going to check my messages.”
She punched in the code, and Richard Fleetham’s baritone voice asked her to call him on his cell. She erased the message and dialled.
He answered on the first ring.
“Richard,” she said, “June returning your call.” Alex came from the kitchen and handed her a glass.
He stood hip-shot against the door jamb and sipped his wine. His uniform was rumpled and creased from the tussle with the bear cub and his dark hair fell messily over his forehead. He looked so good she lost her train of thought and didn’t hear Richard’s reply. She scrambled to catch up. “I, uh, got your message.”
“Yes, I called for a couple of reasons. One was to see how you were doing after all the excitement recently. Seen any more of your conservation officer?”
Her gaze travelled up and down Alex’s length and his eyes narrowed at her scrutiny. “Yes, I have seen more of him. In fact, we spent the day together at another kill site.” She told Richard of the day’s developments.
After a pause Richard said sorrowfully, “June, June. I asked you to stay safe.”
She swallowed irritation. “Helping Alex isn’t dangerous, Richard. And besides, I really enjoy it. I’m thinking of asking him for a full-time job.” Alex saluted her with his wineglass, and she winked back.
She waited through another short silence. “I can’t keep you from doing what you want,” Richard said, “but I have another project you might like to take on. Not quite as exciting, of course.” He gave a throaty chuckle. “RiverForce has received a small government grant to hire a part-time administration assistant over the summer, to get our files in order and do some organizing, nothing strenuous. I thought of you right away.”
“Me?”
“Why not you? You’re bright, interested and a university student who, I assume, needs the experience and the money. If you don’t want it, however...”
“No, that’s not what I meant. Of course I’ll take it. When do you want me to start?”
“I know it’s short notice, but how’s tomorrow? I’ll be at the university and can set you up with everything you need. Meet me at my office...say ten a.m.?”
“That will work.” Aware she didn’t sound particularly excited, she injected her voice with more enthusiasm. “Thanks again, Richard, for thinking of me. I appreciate it.”
“No problem, no problem at all,” he replied, and broke the connection.
She gave Alex a quick rundown while she thawed shrimp under cool water. “I suppose I should be more grateful,” she said with a shrug, “but it seems very odd he would offer it to me. There’s a fellow called Thomas in the group that would do it all for free...probably is doing it already for free. Getting paid would make him think he’s died and gone to heaven.” She pulled out a cutting board and knife. “But I’m not one to turn down easy money. Thomas will have to suffer.”
She minced onion and garlic, then sautéed it with olive oil and added the shrimp. While it simmered she added fettuccine to the water. Alex finished the salad, and she told him where to find plates and silverware and he set the kitchen table. When the pasta was tender and the shrimp deliciously pink, she tossed it all with a hefty sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and served it up in a brightly coloured pottery dish.
They slurped the fettuccine noisily and peeled the shrimp with their fingers. She was tinglingly aware of her knees grazing his under the table.
June put away leftovers as Alex ran hot water, then they stood side by side and did the dishes together, shoulders bumping occasionally. After she dried the last pot, Alex took the towel from her hands. She leaned against the counter. His deep brown eyes, keen and glowing, met hers, and an answering heat lit deep within her. He draped the towel over her head, around her neck and pulled her forward until their bodies were almost touching. June’s pulse beat heavily and her eyes dropped to his mouth. He rested his forehead against hers. His breath feathered her cheek, scented with the wine they’d shared.
She closed her eyes. “What do you want to do now?”
He laughed deep in his chest. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”