Broken Trails

She gazed levelly at him. “Yeah, I think I will.”

He nodded in acceptance. “Eat up,” he said, returning to the stove and starting another egg.

Lainey knew they would have to have a long talk in the near future, but not until the race was over and she and Scotch had time to figure out what they were going to do with their lives. Not wanting to dwell on it, she ate her lunch and followed the conversation over her head as the musher and Strauss continued to chat.

When she was finished, she stood and stretched. “I’m going to catch some sleep.”

“Well, you might want to wait a little longer for that,” Strauss said, finally sitting down to eat himself. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. “There’s a phone in the other room. You’re supposed to call that number.”

She gave him a suspicious look. “Is this who I think it’s from?”

He considered a moment, chewing. “Tall, blonde and tired?”

“Yeeeeess.”

“Yup, that’s who it’s from.”

Lainey smacked him on the shoulder. “You should have given this to me the minute I walked in the door!” She spun around and headed for the phone.

“Uh uh,” he said to her back. “I was ordered to make sure you ate first.”

She found the phone. A sign next to it indicated all mushers were allowed only fifteen minutes. Here was the nerve center of the checkpoint. The statistics board hung on one wall and a white board beside it had the list of finishers. Scotch’s name was the third on the list, her time less than three seconds different from Owens.

A ham radio set up hulked on one of the tables, manned by a … woman. Lainey smiled at the word play and gave the operator a nod. She received one in return, the woman hardly pausing in her discussion over the air waves.

Lainey’s hand shook as she dialed the number on the paper. She felt ten kinds of fool for being so nervous. This was Scotch, for crissakes! They had been living together for months! There was no reason to be so skittish.

As she listened the line ringing on the other end, she swallowed hard.

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

“HELLO?” AN UNFAMILIAR voice said.

Lainey frowned in confusion. Strauss did say this was the number for Scotch, right? “I’m looking for Scotch Fuller?” she asked, chewing her lower lip. Did she dial the number wrong?

“Is this Lainey?” the woman asked. She sounded as if she was smiling. Before Lainey could answer, she said, “Hold on, I’ll go get her.”

It had to be Beth or the unnamed roommate. At least she knew the number was right. Lainey sat on a folding chair and leaned her elbows on her knees. Even with the promise of hearing Scotch’s voice her body had other ideas; she alternated between shaky with nerves and lethargic from fatigue. She yawned widely and scowled at the floor. A full eight hours here gave her plenty of time for a nap. Waiting a little longer to sleep would not kill her.

“Hello?”

Lainey’s petulant expression washed away at the sound of Scotch. “Hi there. Congratulations on third place.”

“Thanks. How are you going?”

“Right now? I’m doing fantastic.” Lainey wiped tears from her eyes before they could fall. “I miss you so much.”

Scotch’s tone was warm and understanding. “I miss you, too. What time did you check in to White Mountain?”

Lainey took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus on the race rather than her seesawing emotions. “A quarter after one, give or take. Ben just fed me and gave me your number. When we’re done, I’ll take a nap.”

“How are the dogs doing? I saw you’ve dropped a few. Anything serious?”

She spent the next few minutes discussing her experience of the race, how her team had managed, and which dogs were dropped for what reasons. Talking shop served to ground her flighty emotions, and she soon lost the urge to cry.

“You’ve still got His Highness?” Scotch asked in surprise.

Lainey’s tone was smug. “Yup. Not only that, but he kissed me.”

“Liar.”

Her smile widened, knowing Scotch was not calling the occurrence into question. “Yeah, he did, and I’ve got thirteen furry witnesses to the fact.”

“I’ll bet Kaara was jealous.”

“Oddly enough, she didn’t seem to be.”

“Well, I am. That mutt better steer clear once I get you here.”

Lainey’s grin became a shy one and she lowered her voice so the radio operator would not overhear. “I think that can be arranged. Don’t tell him, but I prefer your kisses to his any day.” Scotch’s laugh warmed her to her toes.

“That’s not saying much, Lainey,” Scotch said, still chuckling. “Bon’s kisses are better than a dog’s.”

“Yours are way better than a three year old’s,” Lainey assured her.

“Well, that’s a load off my mind.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I can’t wait to see you again.”

“I know. I feel the same.” Pause. “If you’re going to get any sleep, we need to hang up.”

Lainey frowned again, toeing the floor with her sock. “I know—”

Her voice trailed off into a shared silence that Scotch finally broke. “I love you, Lainey Hughes.”

Feeling as if she were going to burst, Lainey said, “I love you, Scotch Fuller.”

“Now hang up the phone and go get some sleep, baby. You’ll be here by tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lainey wiped at her quickly returning tears. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

She stood and reluctantly hung the receiver on the cradle. Her hand remained on the phone for the longest time, not wanting to lose even that tenuous connection with Scotch.

“You all right?”

Lainey looked up to see Strauss standing in the doorway, his gentle smile contrasting with the concerned lines on his brow. The desire to weep overwhelmed her and she stepped into his embrace and cried.

She had no idea how much time passed as she vented her exhaustion, worry and relief. There had been a vague sensation of movement, and when she became aware of her surroundings once more, she found herself on a couch with Strauss holding her. Embarrassed, her chest feeling hollow and her outrageous mood swings alleviated, she pulled away from him. He offered her tissue which she accepted, wiping her face and blowing her nose.

“Thanks. I really needed to do that.”

“Any time,” he said. His hand found her back and rubbed gentle circles there. “It’s been years since you’ve had to call, but things are still the same. Any time, anywhere, Lainey.”

She grinned at him. He had received many a call once he had become her sponsor. That first couple of years had been rough. Strauss had taken her calls in stride, whether it was three in the afternoon or three in the morning. He had been her connection while she put her life back together after the shooting, neither condemning nor condescending toward her as she fought with the nearly overpowering urge to return to the bottle.

Lainey patted him on the knee. “Thanks, Ben. That’s good to know.”

“Are you going to be all right now?” he asked.

His words indicated the here and now, but she knew him well enough to understand the real question. “She finally said it,” she told him. “She said she loves me, and I said I love her back. I think I just needed to let go of all the crap I’ve been riding with this week.”

Strauss nodded in commiseration. “I know it’s been exhausting for me just following the trail. I can’t imagine doing the real thing like you are. You’ve got a set of balls the size of Texas, Lainey.”

She laughed out loud and blew her nose once more. “Thanks. I’ll take that in the spirit it was given.”

He stopped rubbing her back, placing his hand on hers. “It was inevitable, you know.”