Broken Trails

By now, Miguel finished his task. He climbed onto the ATV, and called out a command to the dogs. Lainey could not help but smile at the enthusiastic barks as the team leapt forward.

She watched him direct the animals to circle the dog yard, sending up a round of excited howls from those left behind. The clamor distracted the visitors, and they watched wide-eyed as Miguel expertly drove the team toward them, pulling to a halt nearby. Lainey felt the most amazing thing was that there were no reins, no method of control except verbal commands. Sure, the ATV could be steered, but the dogs followed their commands rather than tried to go a different way. Scotch made a show of greeting each dog, urging the children to do the same. Then she helped everyone aboard the cart, standing back as her brother joined them.

Lainey stared as sun dappled through the trees, lighting the golden highlights of Scotch’s hair. A trickle of desire eased along her spine, exploding to mild warmth when the musher turned and smiled at her.

“Interesting,” Howry said.

She tore her attention away to give him a glare, but he ignored her, reaching for a cookie from the tray before resuming his seat.

“This cabin doesn’t look all that big,” he observed. “Where are we going to bed down?”

“There’s an extra bunk with Miguel for you, Mr. Howry. Miss Hughes will be sleeping with Scotch.” Irish said, watching Bon as his gaze fell upon the cookie in the man’s hand.

Lainey almost choked on her coffee.

“Out of the mouths of babes,” Howry murmured, grinning.

Her attention darted to the girl, praying she had not heard him. Fortunately, Irish had zeroed in on Bon, scooping him out of reach of the cookies he made a dive for. Safe for the moment, Lainey whispered, ‘shut up!”

“Is everything okay?” Scotch asked. She climbed the steps, and opened the gate.

Howry, his expression impudent, and his eyes never leaving Lainey’s, said, “Everything’s fine. I hear Lainey’s sleeping with you.”

Lainey seriously wondered how much of this she could stand. Surely there was some way to arrange a fatal accident for her associate, something that would result in extreme pain for an extended amount of time.

Guileless, Scotch looked from Howry’s glee to Lainey’s irritation. “If that’s not a problem,” she said, appearing uncertain. “Unless you’d rather bunk alone. I guess I could move back in with Irish.”

The expressions of both the Fullers indicated their distaste for such an arrangement, and Lainey hastened to relieve them. “No! This is fine. I’m just … I tend to be a loner sometimes, that’s all.” She wished she were close enough to kick Howry’s shin and wipe that smarmy grin from his face.

Scotch relaxed, and she said, “I can understand that. I’m a loner, too.”

The gentle smile on her lips washed away Lainey’s anger at the cameraman’s teasing. She smiled back, lifting her cup in salute, not caring if her intentions were transparent to Howry. Right here, right now, under the friendly regard of Scotch was the only place to be.

CHAPTER SIX

THE PROMISED TOUR eventually took place. Lainey learned that the carport was actually referred to as a dog kitchen, and the building attached to it the dog barn. Like any standard barn, the loft held straw. Scotch told them it was for bedding during winter. The lower floor had nine fenced animal runs, all of them empty. These were used primarily during winter for injured dogs or new mothers, since this building was heated. Two chest freezers hulked in one corner, and the remainder of the room was relegated to storage - five sleds of varying styles, bins of dry dog chow and rice, assorted tack lines and cables, shelves of vitamin supplements, and cabinets filled with doggie blankets and booties. Several clipboards hung near the door, each clearly labeled. Lainey read “Big Dog” on one, and scanned down to see Rock had a grease pencil checkmark beside his name. Others proclaimed “Kennel Rotation,” ‘vaccinations,” and “Rides.”

Barking dogs interrupted their lesson as the visiting family returned from their outing, urging those left behind to give enthusiastic greeting to their companions. Miguel brought the team to a halt just outside the barn, and the dogs grinned at Lainey, panting from their exertions. While Scotch and her brother helped the family out of the cart, their handler tied the team to a post. He gave Lainey and Howry a nod of greeting as he passed them, emerging a few moments later with chunks of frozen treats that he fed to the dogs.

“I’m going to see these folks off,” Scotch said. “You’ll be okay for a minute?”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” Howry waggled his camera, indicating he had plenty to keep him entertained.

Lainey smiled in agreement, unable to contain the slight increase in her respiration as she received one in return. She was really beginning to think this was a bad idea. Scotch escorted the tourists away, and Lainey swallowed as she watched the slight sway of her hips.

“So, what are you feeding them?” Howry asked Miguel.

Steeling herself, Lainey remembered why she came here. After spending extensive time with Scotch this obsession would fade. The woman was young, probably stubborn, uneducated here in the wild, smelled of dog crap. She was also athletic, vibrant, possessed of an extraordinary confidence, and cute as a button … With an inner groan, Lainey turned her attention to the conversation nearby.

Miguel was halfway through the team. He had started at the leaders, and worked his way back, heaping praise and caresses as he treated each animal. “Frozen whitefish,” he said. His tenor voice held little in the way of an accent. ‘sometimes frozen salmon or chunks of liver. It helps them cool off from a run, and rewards them for a job well done. Isn’t that right, girl?” he asked the next in line.

“How long have you been working here?” Lainey asked, forcing herself to at least make an attempt at doing her job.

“Since the beginning.” Miguel returned to the front of the line, and began closely inspecting each dog. He massaged shoulders, hips, and spines before checking feet and wrists. “I worked for Thom on a couple of construction sites. When he conned Helen into starting a kennel, I volunteered to help build the vet hospital and this barn.” He shrugged. “Ended up hiring on permanently.”

They watched his thorough examination of each animal in silence. When he finished, he stood and stretched, arching his back.

“So, you’re the reporters, right?”

Lainey smacked her forehead lightly. “Whoops, sorry! Yes, I’m Lainey Hughes and this is Don Howry.”

Miguel wiped his hand on his jeans before offering it to them. ‘Miguel Sanchez, handler.”

Introductions over, Lainey now smelled of dog, and she fought the urge to rub her palm on her shirt. She was always fastidious upon first contact, some ingrained habit of cleanliness that would dissipate as she submerged herself into a new situation. Smelling of dog was better than some odors she had been forced to carry during her career. The handler appeared amused, and she wondered if she had given something away in her expression. As she worried the question, he continued speaking.

“You’ll be sleeping in my cabin,” he told Howry. “It’s kind of dormitory style, but all right. It’s just over there along that path.” He pointed out the trail, a cabin barely visible among the trees. “We even have running water.”

Alarm bells went off in Lainey’s head. With a feigned casualness, she asked, “No electricity?”

“Not yet,” Miguel said, chuckling. “I’ve been meaning to get a generator set up out there. Haven’t had the time.”

Howry digested this information admirably. ‘so, propane lanterns are the rule rather than the exception?”