Roz Denny Fox - The Single Dad's Guarded Heart

“Gosh, Mary, you’ve had this place since before I was born.” Marlee stripped off the gloves she’d donned to better grip the bulky crates, and pulled out a wicker chair. “I take it neither of your boys plans to keep the lodge?”

“Nope, we sent them off to college where they met city girls. Matt’s an insurance broker in Spokane, Washington. Lewis teaches history in Bozeman. So does his wife.” As the woman spoke, she dashed in and out of the lodge, setting plates and cups on the glass-topped table sheltered from the afternoon wind by an ivy-draped trellis. “I’m surprised to see you back in Whitepine. Mick, now I understand.”

Marlee knew, of course, that she’d have to explain about Cole. She hadn’t expected that merely mentioning his death would be so difficult. After all, it’d been a year. And in her heart she’d guessed some six months before that, they were losing him. She lowered her voice and stumbled through minimal facts.

Mary listened, sad eyes cutting to where Jo Beth sat petting an oversize cat that had curled up on her lap. “I’m right sorry, Marlee. A woman your age shouldn’t have to lose her man when she’s still raising young’uns. How do you cope?”

“The navy chaplains do a fair job preparing personnel to accept loss.” Marlee patted the chair beside her, encouraging the older woman to sit. “Mary, when you scolded that fisherman, Dave, for gossiping, did you mean there’s no truth to the rumors concerning Wylie Ames?”

“Jo Beth, honey,” Mary called out. “Inside and down the hall is a place where you can wash up if you’d like a slice of chocolate cake. Would you like milk or juice?”

“Mama, may I have cake and milk?”

“Yes, sweetheart. Ms. Mary asked you , though. You can answer her directly.”

“Grandmother said I should always ask before I take anything to eat from a stranger.”

Marlee felt a twitch. Her mother-in-law had rules on top of rules. But this one made sense, and was one Marlee would have instituted if she had raised her daughter. “Thank you for checking with me first, Jo Beth. You don’t know Mary and Finn, but I’ve known them since I was little.”

“Then, yes, please.” The child carefully set the big gold cat onto the porch and slid out of her chair. Mary waited until the screen door closed to address Marlee’s question. “I’ll go on record straight away. I think Wylie’s gotten a bad rap. No one knows for sure what happened to his wife. He’s not much of a talker. But the kind of man who’d trek in here on snowshoes in the dead of winter, him carrying an infant son in a front pack, just to see how a couple of old folks are getting along, isn’t a man who’d mistreat a woman. I know him to be generous, honest and polite. Wylie’s raised his boy to be the same. And something else… those two rescue and treat injured animals. That doesn’t mesh with the rumors of foul play.”

“Was his wife’s disappearance investigated?”

“By whom? Rangers are more or less police themselves. Did something happen over at Wylie’s?” she asked.

Marlee spent a moment in thought. “Actually, no. It’s just that Pappy Jack mentioned the rumors, too. I have to say, though, I didn’t find Ranger Ames sociable.”

“Jo Beth said he served you two lunch.”

A ghost of a smile flickered at one corner of Marlee’s lips. “Dean invited us to stay. His dad tried every way possible to wiggle out. Lunch was delicious but far from the most comfortable time I’ve ever spent. Saying he’s not much of a talker may be too big of a stretch.”

As Jo Beth skipped out of the house, her mother’s smile broadened. “I was about ready to send out a search party. What took you so long to wash?”

“I saw another fluffy kitty and stopped to pet her. Gosh, that cake looks yummy.”

Mary patted a chair. “Climb up, and dig in. See if it tastes as good as it looks.”

Rising, their hostess excused herself to fetch Jo Beth’s milk. When Mary returned, the three ate slices of cake while the adults discussed how much Northwest Montana had grown in the years Marlee had been away.

“Growth’s another reason Finn’s talking of selling out. Used to be word of mouth brought in enough guests for us to make a decent living. Now there’s a resort, a lodge, or bed and breakfast in every scenic byway.” Mary stacked her plate and Marlee’s as she talked. “Owners have to advertise with the tourist bureau, the Ranch Vacation Association and the Board of Outfitters. We’re told we need a Web site that’s accessible through the chambers of commerce of nearby towns. People used to just call and book a cabin, and ask if Finn had time to show them the best fishing holes. Now they ask if we have certified river guides, liability insurance and oh, a lot of silly stuff. It’s like they want to claim they’re roughing it, but their kids demand cable TV, DVD rentals, a hot tub and swimming pool.”

Marlee shook her head in commiseration. “And in the few days I worked on Mick’s books, I saw how property taxes have tripled.”

Inside the house a phone rang. Mary excused herself and went to answer it.

“Are you almost finished with your cake, Jo Beth? Nice as this visit’s been, I want to head home before much more of the day slips away.”

The girl’s lower lip protruded. “I want to stay and play with the dogs. They like me, Mama. See, they’re all waiting for me to be done eating.”

Marlee glanced down at the ring of eager pet faces. She thought it more likely the animals were hoping for a crumb.

Mary burst out of the house clutching a cordless phone. “Marlee, it’s Pappy for you. Gordy Maclean has been gored by a rogue bull at his ranch near Whitefish Lake. Angel Fleet called to see if Mick would fly him to the Kalispell hospital.”

Marlee’s stomach dropped. She accepted the phone with a shaky hand. “Pappy, Marlee here. Mick said he’d ask Angel Fleet to remove Cloud Chasers from their roster until he’s able to fly again.”

The old man either wasn’t hearing the fear in Marlee’s voice or else he didn’t understand. She didn’t want to handle mercy flights . Her grandfather kept repeating Angel Fleet’s request. Finally, he took a breath and said, “Twin, here’s the deal. There’s no other plane available. Gordy’s wife told Angel Fleet he’s gonna bleed to death if somebody doesn’t transport him to a hospital fast.”

Marlee was rattled further by that news. The last thing she needed was for Jo Beth to see anyone else on the verge of dying. “Pappy,” she began, but he had hung up.

The cake and coffee Marlee had just consumed balled in the pit of her stomach along with the gumbo she’d eaten at Wylie’s.

“Are you all right, Marlee?” Mary collected the phone, which was sliding from the younger woman’s grasp. “Are you worried about landing without an airstrip? Gordy will have harvested his wheat. I think you can land in his field. If you look at Finn’s wall map, you’ll see exactly how to reach Gordon’s ranch. Will that help?”

“Probably.” Marlee stood on legs that felt pulpy. She concentrated on the issue front and foremost. No other plane was available. She tried not to think about what Pappy had said about a man maybe bleeding to death.

“Jo Beth, we need to make another stop. Please go to the bathroom if you can, and hurry.”

The girl scuttled off while Marlee checked the map showing an excellent overview of the northwest woods. She mentally logged coordinates. “Mary, thanks for the refreshments. If you’ll send Jo Beth out, I’ll go warm up the plane.”

Her daughter appeared before Marlee had climbed aboard. She boosted her in and helped settle her earphones.

Before Marlee taxied to the end of the runway for takeoff, she radioed Pappy. “This is Arrow one-three-six-niner. Come in home base.” Her radio crackled. “Pappy, I’m in transit to Maclean’s. Do you have any other word on the patient? Out.”