Denali Dreams (6 page)

Clint stepped closer to Zack. “Excuse me, Ranger Taylor?”

Zack stopped. “Yep?”

“Do you like to read?”

He narrowed his eyebrows. “Read?”

“Yes, read. As in books.”

“Um, sure. I guess.” Where was this going?

“My sister is a book buff.”

Zack scratched his head. “A book buff.”

Clint let out a sigh. “As in, she loves books. Inhales books.”

He still didn’t get it. “Okay. And I need to know this, because …”

“Are all rangers this dense?”

If it hadn’t been so funny, Zack might’ve been offended. “I sure hope so.” Otherwise, he really was an idiot.

Clint laughed at that one. “I’m trying to help you out.”

“What do you mean?”

“With my sister. Karon.” Clint crossed his arms. “You like her. I saw how you were looking at her in the briefing … your reaction when she said I was her brother.”

Whoa. Zack held up his hands.

“Don’t deny it. You already stuck your foot in your mouth, and if you looked at her much longer today, I guarantee there’d be drool frozen to your chin.” He turned to walk away. “If you want to talk to her again, ask for a book. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

Karon couldn’t believe it. Her first night sleeping in a tent on the side of Denali and she threw off the sleeping bag because she was hot. Maybe she wore too many layers. Or maybe the fact that the sun still shone played tricks on her mind. Her brother snored on the other side of the small tent, his long arms extended. That man needed a king-sized bed just for himself. Shoving him over, she smacked his arm. “You’re snoring, you big lug. Be quiet.”

A grunt and then a snort and then blessed silence. Karon peeled off her top layer and slid back into her bag. Tomorrow she might see Zack again. That alone made the delay in ascension worth it. At first, she hadn’t been too happy with the schedule, but the need for her body to adjust to the altitude was imperative. She did
not
want to be one of the poor people who suffered from acute mountain sickness. Now that she knew Zack would be at camp all day, her impatience sputtered to a stop.

Never had she been so instantly attracted to a man. What drove him? His prickly exterior appeared to cover … something. Cover she knew all too well. But never in a million years did she think a man would be attracted to her after cancer.

A glance in the mirror earlier that morning had made her pause. For years, she’d avoided her reflection. Today, she’d run her fingers through her short curly locks, stared into the brown eyes, and wondered if a man could love a battle-worn woman like her.

Karon leaned back on her pillow and prayed. God loved her more than she could ever imagine. She’d leave her attraction to Zack Taylor in His hands.

A pillow in the face woke her up the next morning. “Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” Clint’s hair spiked in several directions. “I’m hungry.”

Grit filled her eyes. She cracked one open. “And what? You expect me to fix it?”

“Don’t you want to?”

“No.” She pulled the sleeping bag over her head. “It’s my summer vacation.”

Clint guffawed. “Like I’m going to believe that. You chose to spend your summer vacation climbing a mountain. What’s a little breakfast?”

“Get it yourself.”

“Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the slope.” He tapped the top of her head. “It’s okay, because I’m going to be gallant and make breakfast for
you
today.”

She lowered the bag to below her nose. “Really?”

“Yep.”

“This I gotta see.” Karon flung off the sleeping bag and jumped to her feet.

After her “sumptuous feast” as Clint called it of bagels, omelets, and a protein shake, Karon strolled through the Base Camp enjoying the sounds and activities. A
lot
of people were climbing this mountain. More than she imagined. But the thought comforted her rather than discouraged her. At least she wouldn’t be alone if there were problems.

For some strange reason that she didn’t want to admit, her gaze searched for a certain ranger. When she spotted him, she felt the smile all the way to her toes. He was so stinkin’ cute. Rugged. And fierce. There really wasn’t a good reason why his somber personality attracted her. But she was drawn. Like a moth to a flame.

Zack turned. Waved.

Karon’s heart did a double flip. Man, he was downright gorgeous. Why would he be interested in her? Best not to get her hopes up.

Heading her way, Zack spoke to another ranger as he walked. Karon took several tentative steps toward him. If there was ever a time to start living her life—it was now. Her steps grew longer, more purpose filled her stride. And she allowed the smile that filled her to flood her face.

Snow crunched under her boots and in two more strides, she met Zack in the middle of the Kahiltna camp.

“Hi, Karon.”

“Ranger Taylor.”

“You can call me Zack.” One side of his mouth curled up half an inch. “I hear you’re a book buff.”

Clint. She looked back toward her tent and saw her brother wave. The stinker. “I am.” A laugh bubbled up. “And I can guess how you found that out.”

Zack gave her a simple nod, started walking to the side, and with a slight move of his hand invited her to join him. “So, do you have any recommended reading? Something a guy like me would enjoy?”

“Sure, I’ve got lots of ideas. But I only have two books with me because of the weight. I would’ve brought ten in case we got stranded in a blizzard, but AMS set me straight on the norm being two. That and the fact that everyone shares and trades on the mountain.” She was rambling. Stinkin’ nervous jitters. Always brought out the worst of her jabbering. Best to focus on his question. “You need something while you’re on the mountain or for once you get back?”

“If you’ve got something now, that’d be great. I didn’t bring anything to read with me this time.”

Time to test the waters. “You okay with Christian fiction? Because that’s all I read.”

“Sure …”

An idea formed. Several titles ran through her brain. One of her favorites was the
Discarded Heroes
series by Ronie Kendig. She had
Nightshade
—the first book in the series—with her and wanted Clint to read it, but maybe Zack would be a better choice. “I have a military thriller with me that’s one of my faves. I’d be willing to let you borrow it. On one condition.”

“And that would be?”

“You have to discuss it with me when you’re done.” Maybe then she would find out where he stood in his faith.

He tilted his head for a second. “I think I can handle that. As long as there’s not a test or a bunch of worksheets I have to fill out.”

“Ah. So you’ve found out I’m a teacher.” Her heart did another flip. How much did this man know about her? And did he find it out all on his own because he was interested? Or did the rangers have to know all this information in advance?

She hoped it was the first option.

“With tiny feet.” He kept walking. Slow, long strides that allowed her to keep up with him.

He’d noticed her feet? Seriously? This guy was full of surprises. “Yep. Some of my kindergartners have feet almost as big as mine.” She smiled. “So you don’t have to worry about tests from me. But I might ask you to finger paint your book report or make a macaroni sculpture to represent a character from the book.”

His eyebrows raised. “You have a great sense of humor.”

Was that a good thing or a bad thing? He was so hard to read.

“I bet your students love you. Even if you do have the same sized feet as a five-year-old.” That corner of his mouth turned up again. This time, a little higher.

She stopped and turned toward him. “I’ve got to know. What is it with the feet? Aren’t most men completely unobservant? I know my brother is, and all my friends tell me their husbands are.”

He halted, pulled up his glacier goggles, and looked down at her feet. “That’s a secret, Miss Granger. But let me ask you a question.”

“Okay. Shoot.”

“Haven’t you ever heard that a long time ago, the Chinese would bind the feet of the girl children so that their feet would remain tiny?”

Ah, she knew where he was going with it now. The Chinese believed that tiny feet were beautiful and attractive. “I did know that. I’d forgotten.” So was he implying what she hoped?

D
id he just give too much away? Zack watched her face as she processed the information. Might as well go for broke. “Bet you don’t have trouble finding footholds when you’re climbing.”

Her bell-like laughter split the air. “I never thought of it, but you’re right. I’ve never had trouble because my feet fit on almost any little ledge, crack, or crevice.”

Yep. The guys would never let him live it down if they saw him flirting.

She continued walking, seeming comfortable in the silence. Her questions about Christian books threw him a curve. After talking with Kyle, he still wasn’t sure if he was ready to let God back in. But faith seemed important to Karon. What did that mean, that both of them had mentioned faith? That God was trying to get at him?

They walked a ways up the glacier before she spoke again. “So … tell me about your job. I know you’re a mountaineering ranger, but you’re also a rescue helicopter pilot. How do you do both?”

A safe topic. She wanted to get to know him, too. Good. “Well, during climbing season, I take rotations at Base Camp and High Camp like the other rangers. Just one of each, though, because High Camp rotation is thirty days. Right now, I’m on Base Camp rotation, then I’ll return to the ranger station and be on call for rescue duty. There’s another guy they call in for rescue when I’m on rotation. Then next month, I’ll do my thirty days up at High Camp.”

“Wow. You guys do that all winter, too?”

“No, we don’t keep rangers up here during the winter months. It’s too brutal. Although there are those who’ve tried to climb it.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Seriously? Someone would attempt this in the winter?”

“Yep, last year, we had three guys try it in January.”

“That’s crazy.” She shook her head. “Why would anyone do that?”

The question made him laugh. He’d wondered the same thing, but he’d been itching to go rescue them in one of the worst storms ever. “Because if they would have made it, they would’ve been able to say they summitted Denali in January, in the dark.”

Her mouth made an O. “Gotcha. So it was totally a macho, conquering thing.”

The comment caused him to bristle a little. “Maybe. But isn’t that what you’re doing?”

She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe. At least the conquering part. But it’s more than that.”

He waited. Hoping she would share the real reason she was attempting to climb this mountain.

“It’s about living my life.”

“Can’t you live your life back down in Louisiana?”

“Well, sure. But …” Several moments passed. “I need to do this.”

“Why?”

“I just do.”

Should he tell her he knew about the cancer?

Too many thoughts jumbled in his brain and confused him. Kyle had nagged him, as promised, since their talk, and Zack couldn’t decide what God wanted from him.

Karon’s light voice broke through the moment. “Haven’t you ever longed to live your life to the fullest? No one holding you back. No
thing
holding you back. Just living … to live.” She paced with her hands on her hips. “Making the most of every day. Because every second is precious. Every person is precious. Every breath—”

“Precious.” He smiled. “Yeah, I get it.” He turned away. Had God answered him? She put his very thoughts into words—understood him. In a way no one else ever could. “We’ve got the same perspective, we just traveled different roads to get there.”

“What do you mean?” She paused in her stride and watched him.

“You came here with a life wish. You want to summit this mountain as a symbol of your life—that you’re living it.” He put a hand on her shoulder.

No flinching. No pulling away. No confession. She just stood there, waiting for him to go on.

“I came here with a death wish … trying anything and everything to risk my life.”