So Hard To Forget Part 2

Max grinned. "I never doubted it for a moment." He was about to sneak a thick slice of pickle from Doug's plate when Sandra interrupted them.

As he gazed at her, his heart was in his throat. Her short hair was. still damp at the ends and smelled of gardenias, ,.

The faded green-and-yellow-striped shirt was tucked neatly into the waist of her walking shorts, and her hiking boots were scuffed and well-worn. She couldn't have been more beautiful to him if she'd been wearing silk and pearls.

Nicole handed, first Max, then Doug, a single sheet of paper. "These are liability-release forms. I need you to read them carefully and sign them before we leave. She made herself look at Max, even contrived a tiny smile as her gaze ran over him from head to toe. He was wearing an expensive shirt, slacks and Italian loafers. "I think you'll have just enough time to change before we leave."

Max and Doug watched her walk away, followed her every movement until she was out of the room. "You've got to stop drooling and staring, Max. They're liable to think you're either a pervert or have some medical problem."

Max laughed, thumped his friend on the back and headed for his room. When he'd changed and returned to the dining room, it was to find it empty except for Doug.

"Everyone's outside and waiting for you." Doug fidgeted with his gla.s.ses, then ran his fingers through his hair and eyed Max's old jeans and polo shirt with distaste. When his gaze dropped to the hiking boots, he gave a nod of approval. "Did you put on two pairs of socks? You know how your feet sweat."

"Yes, Mother Hart. Listen, I'm taking the cellular phone with me, so I'll keep in touch. You call Ray and Tommy at the office and have themm" "Already done."

"You told them not to let a whisper of this get out, didn t y .

"Not a word."

Max glanced around for his gear. "And don't call Helen Applewhite, either. Not until we know what's going on here."

"How long have we been partners, Max?"

He was distracted by a thousand things and didn't understand Doug's question. "Seems like forever. Why?"

"Then don't give me orders like a rookie investigator, will you?"

"I'm sorry, pal. I just... Where the h.e.l.l's my gear?" "I took it out to the truck. You'd better get going."

"You're not p.i.s.sed off that I'm going to the lodge, " instead of you, are you?"

"Yes, but I'll get over it." Doug's answer was said with a smile and they both laughed. "Be careful. Something strange is happening around here. It could be anything."

Max was halfway out of the dining room when he remembered the form and dug it out of his pocket. Then he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. The retort on the tip of his tongue died as he saw Doug's worried expression. "You've heard something?"

"Just rumblings about things happening around here. Weird things I think I'd like to look into." He caught up with Max, slung his arm around his shoulders and escorted him outside. "By the way, Charlie was more than willing to let me have a room here for the week after I explained I was all strung out and needed the rest, quiet and relaxation. Too bad, I like the old guy."

They stood at the top of the porch steps and Max watched the scene below. Suddenly what Doug had just said sunk in. "Too bad about what?"

"Earth to Max." Doug's voice sounded like the hiss of a snake next to Max's ear. "Don't forget what and who brought us here in the first place. We do have a client--Carl Bedford, remember?"

Max nodded and started off down the steps. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever. I'll keep in touch. And, Doug, stay out of trouble."

Nicole eyed the lounging group of five men, half listening to what they were saying to one another, but catching the excitement in their voices that they tried to hide. Weekend fisherman, she judged. Forget the bragging. She figured none of them had ever been on a serious fly-fishing trip. She knew from experience that if they were true sportsmen, all that c.o.c.kiness and chest-thumping would disappear in about a day or two. That was when they'd realize they were actually living their dream.

Five men, she thought, and tried to size them up individually.

Hal Overton, whom she'd dubbed lover boy, was thirty-two. He was a real California pretty boy, with that gilded hair, deep tan and a body that probably kept him in the gym more than he was in his Hollywood law office. She had an idea he was one of those spoiled, obnoxious, rich guys who thought he was an expert and seasoned outdoorsman. He'd bragged to Charlie, Reed, Ash and anyone else who would listen of the places he'd fished and hunted all over the world.

Hal's friend, Preston Waters, was the opposite: short, overweight, with visible "love handles" and a stomach that stretched the limits of his waistband and pulled at the b.u.t.tons on his shirt. From watching and listening, she lea mad that Preston and Hal were child-the one with the brains and manners, and he'd be the one to pull Hal into line. From long experience, she knew the mountain had a way of changing people for the better. She'd seen it happen too many times to discount the magic.

Clarence Wiltshire and George Morrison laughingly told her they were number-crunchers. Accountants and brothers-in-law from St. Louis, Missouri, and old fishing buddies who said they'd saved for three years for this trip to Montana. To Nicole, they even resembled each other. Middle-aged. Of average height with light brown hair and dark eyes. They were still pale from a long cold Missouri winter. She liked them immediately and Smiled at' their identical caps loaded with what she was sure were homemade fishing flies. These two would be easy to please as long at they had their lines in the water. She sensed the idea of a female guide didn't bother them a bit.

Larry Spell was the oldest of the group--sixty-five. His dark brown hair was heavily streaked with gray, his short legs were bowed, and his hands were rough and callused. He was also the only loner, and that was a little unusual. Most of their guests came in pairs or groups. But Larry was as comfortable with his solitariness as Hal and Preston were with each other's company. Larry had left the occupation portion on his form blank and named as next of kin his sister in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which he also claimed as his home.

Out of the seven paying guests, only six were going to the lodge. She raised her eyes when the Sixth man, Maximilian Warner, came down the porch steps and approached. She wanted nothing more than to back away, but managed to stand her ground.

"I'm sorry to hold everyone up." He handed Sandra the form and watched as she gave it a quick glance, then pa.s.sed it to Charlie. He arched a dark brow and said for her ears only, "You're not the least bit interested in my vital statistics?"

Her emerald green eyes flashed. The corners of her sensuous mouth curled slightly upward. "I think I know all I need to know without any help." Nicole turned to the group, and her smile was sincere and friendly. "If you're all ready, I think it's well past time to leave. But first off, I'd like to ask that you follow the path and try not to lag behind, and if anyone--" she cut a glance at Max "--gets tired or the pace is too fast, let me know and we'll stop."

Hal stepped forward and put on his most charming smile. "What's the mule for? To carry the old-timers if they can't make it?"

Everyone turned to look at the st.u.r.dy brown animal with the two box-shaped canvas-covered packs strapped to his back. "That's Pepper and he's carrying water and some refreshments. We'll be taking a couple of rest stops along the way." She frowned, looked around and was about to ask her father where Reed was when Reed and his brother, Ash, came racing around the corner.

Reed picked up Pepper's lead, stroked the short bristle-brush mane, then turned to face his audience. "Sorry I'm late. But I had to call my dad about the changes." His younger brother elbowed him in the ribs and he cleared his throat. "Is it okay if Ash comes up with the truck?"

Nicole bit her lip and looked at her father. The issue had been settled earlier between them, but she kept quiet, knowing how much of a kick Charlie got out of teasing the As her father let the tension stretch, sh I and Ash eleven, and they could have pa.s.sed for twins even though Ash was shorter. They both resembled their mother, Shannon Reed Bartlet, with her black-Irish heritage. Even the boys" five-year-old sister, Ginny, was fast growing into the same mold. Their father, Ash, Senior, with his blond good looks, had been left out of the gene-pool loop when the three were conceived.

"Oh, h.e.l.l," Charlie grumbled, when all the while he knew he'd let the kid go. "I guess it's okay. Looks like everyone is running off on me, anyway." He glanced at Doug and his expression brightened. "You don't by any chance play poker, do you, young man?" "My middle name's five-card draw," Doug said. "Dad," Nicole warned, "you promised."

"No high stakes. Penny ante. Just a friendly little game or two." She shrugged and turned away, but the worry rode heavily on her shoulders. An unsupervised Charles Dawson was an open invitation to trouble. "Gentlemen, if you're ready?"

Nicole took the lead, forcing herself to keep her pace to that of her guests. They rounded the side of the house and strung themselves out in a long line, with Reed and Pepper bringing up the rear.

Two hours later, when they'd put the house and fenced pastures far behind them and had started up a gentle incline, Nicole headed for a grove of tall trees. The sizable boulders that had tumbled down the mountain had been strategically placed within the shady ring of trees in a cimular seating arrangement around a bigger slab of rock, which could be used as a picnic table. She stopped to let everyone catch up with her.

The incredible beauty of the mountain was in front of Max, and he could only imagine what lay ahead.

The scenery was indescribable. "Breathtaking" was too cliche With every step that had brought him closer to the mountain, he'd felt the tension in his body seeping slowly away. For a group of men on a dream vacation, they were strangely silent, he thought. Then Max realized why.

Like him, they were shedding their problems, responsibilities and worries the way a snake sheds its skin. He could not only feel the difference but see it. Hal's manic pace had slowed, and Preston was no longer sprinting to catch up with his friend. Larry's and Clarence's postures were more relaxed, and their arms were swinging in rhythm with their feet. And Larry's ramrod-straight back and military-squared shoulders looked rounded and at ease.

Max glanced back over his shoulder and was surprised at how high they'd already come. He could see the expanse of rolling meadows, squared off by fence lines. He could still see the slate roof and chimneys of the Dawson homestead. It was a magical sight, one that stirred something deep inside. Despite all that was on his mind, he felt the strength and peace of the land. A kind of homecoming he hadn't experienced since his childhood in Texas. He noticed that Sandra--he couldn't even begin to think of her as Nicole---had stopped, and he quickened his steps.

"Max?" Nicole raised her voice to get his attention and motioned for him to join the others. She recognized that look of awe, had seen it often in many other tourists and sportsmen. Their excitement and wonder never failed to touch her, and usually put her in a good frame of mind.

Today for some reason was different. When she'd to check on others, she found h gaze ing to the last guest in line. He certainly was good-looking. Damreit admit it she scolded herself. He was extremely s.e.xy with his dark hair, rugged features and sky blue eyes. Although a New Yorker, he didn't have that pale city-boy elegance. Max Warner reminded her of the men of Montana, smart and strong, tough, sure of themselves, but gentle where and when it counted.

She gave herself a mental shake and a kick in the b.u.t.t. She had to stop letting him insinuate himself into her thoughts, interfering with her job. "We're going to take a short breather here and have something cold to drink," she said. "If anyone has to converse with Mother Nature, trees make a great cover." She motioned for Reed to bring Pepper over, and as soon as the big mule b.u.t.ted her with his head in greeting, she and Reed began to untie one side of the canvas. "Need any help?" Hal asked.

Nicole gave a start and spun around. He'd slipped up behind her, and was too close. When she attempted to step away from him, he grasped her arms. It would have been innocent enough if he hadn't let the back of his fingers brush the sides of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He smiled, all teeth and bright eyes.

The little slug, she thought, and slapped his hands away. "Don't--"

"Need some help with that?" Max asked, and roughly shouldered Hal aside, and in the process stepped on the man's toe. When he grunted in pain, Max leaned close, pressed down harder and whispered. "Don't play your games with the lady, pal, or..." He left the threat hanging.

Nicole figured she and Reed where the only ones to overhear what Max had said. Stiff, she was furious. But not with Hal. She knew she could and would han die him with a few chosen threats. Without thinking, she grabbed Max's arm and yanked, managing to throw him off balance and allowing Hal to get away. She brought her face close to his so their noses were almost touching. "I'm sure you meant to help, but don't," she said, her smile overshadowed by the sarcasm in her voice. Then her voice lowered and she all but growled, "I mean it. Don't ever do that. I don't need protecting."

"Don't ever?" Max repeated. He was puzzled by her anger. Sandra was too sensitive and too much of a lady to use that tone or manner with anyone.

Nicole dropped his arm as if touching him actually burned her fingertips. "Right. Don't. Stay out of my business." She motioned Reed, who was frozen with youthful admiration, to go ahead and untie the canvas. "Listen, I was just--" Max began.

She flipped the cover off the cooler. "I know very well what you were doing," she snapped. "But I don't need your help. I didn't ask for it and I don't want it."

"But--"

"No exceptions." She nodded for Reed to grab one end of the cooler and together they lowered it to the ground. "If they don't respect me, see that I can take care of myself in any situation, how are they going to respect my abilities to guide them and take care of them? So do us both a favor---back off and stay away from me." She spun on her heel and calmly joined the group of men. They were beginning to let down their guards with one another and discuss past fishing trips. She summoned a smile she was far from feeling.

"There's cold water or soft drinks," she announced. "We'll rest here about fifteen minutes, then push on."

She didn't want them cooling down and stiffening up too much.

Larry Spell touched her arm to keep her from leaving them. "How's the fishing this time of year? I wasn't sure."

Nicole relaxed. She was comfortable talking about what she'd known and done all her life. "We have a pretty long fishing season. And I guarantee you the trout in Dawson Mountain rivers are the biggest in Montana." She winked and smiled, then said seriously, "I promise you, you won't be disappointed."

"I bet it gets pretty cold here, doesn't it?" Preston Waters asked.

Max watched her laughing and talking with the men as he accepted the. bottle of water Reed tossed him. He couldn't figure it out. For what he was sure was the first time in his life, he'd had all the finesse of a gorilla. He'd jumped into the middle of her problem like a jealous lover. Hal had touched what was his, and like a demented animal, he'd reacted.

"Better drink the water and cool off, Mr. Warner," Reed said.

He turned his head and looked at the kid. He was suddenly embarra.s.sed by the amus.e.m.e.nt in the boy's expression. "Is she always so ... self-sufficient?"

"You mean hardheaded? Yes, sir. And she can be dangerous, too, when she gets really mad. I once saw her lose her temper at a bear "cause he was disturbing one of her guests while he was fishing. She screamed and cussed at that bear until he just up and ran off."

Max studied the serious young face and the sparkling forest green eyes. Still unsure how to react, he saw the way the boy's lips twitched. Suddenly they both started laughing. When he could catch his breath, Max said, "You're the tall-tale teller of your family, are you?"

Reed placed his hand over his heart, but he couldn't keep a straight face as he said, "I swear it's the truth."

Here was a well of information, Max thought, just waiting for him to explore. He wanted to ask the boy more, but was stopped when Nicole joined them car-tying an armload of empty cans and a couple of bottles. Stepping out of the way, he had time to get a closer inspection. He realized that maybe he was wrong, that there was no way this Nicole could be his Sandra. She didn't have the elegance or sophistication. And she certainly didn't have Sandra's sweet disposition. He watched as Reed pulled out a plastic garbage bag and held it open while she dumped the trash into it Nicole smiled at him, her anger in control, and said, "Are you through with your water?" She held the bag out to him, and he dropped in his bottle.

She was positioned directly in front of him, only a foot or so away, and there was a look about her, the way she gazed at him, that went straight to his groin. He fought the feeling by inhaling. A mistake. A fragrance, unidentifiable, nameless, that had nothing to do with manufactured perfume, filled his head. A scent that tantalized his senses and tickled his imagination.

Despite the coolness of the shade, he felt the heat of desire flash through him. The impact almost knocked him speechless. She leaned down and helped Reed lift the cooler back up so "he could strap it onto the side of the mule. That one smooth move paralyzed was no Ion on fire with but froz owe red and tilted her head, he'd seen the small dark crescent-shaped mole behind her left ear.

If he'd had any doubts about her ident.i.ty, they'd flown away on the breeze that stirred her short hair and allowed him to see the distinct birthmark. He was looking at his Sandra. The only problem, he figured, was she didn't know she was Sandra Applewhite.

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE GROUP had really loosened up. They talked among themselves more, trading stories, discussing jobs, homes, wives and girlfriends. Nicole deliberately tried to stay far enough ahead so they'd feel at ease about what they were saying, but still close enough to remain in sight. A couple of times she'd glanced over her shoulder to gauge the distance between herself and the men, and couldn't help but notice the way Max and Reed seemed to be becoming fast friends. That surprised her.

Reed was something of a loner. A self-contained thirteen-year-old who worked hard and kept pretty much to himself. She guessed she was the only one besides his family he actually talked to at any length. She wondered what a man of Max Warner's age and sophistication could possibly have in common with Reed.

Max had no idea how long he'd been walking, just putting one foot in front of the other, his mind overflowing with the vision of that crescent-shaped birthmark. There was only onecouM be only one--ex-planation. Sandra was alive and well and living in Montana. But how could that be? For the first time since arriving in Montana and seeing her, he really doubted what his and his heart wanted so much He was tired. Tired of the way questions kept running over and over in his mind, tired of endless nights lying awake thinking about her. He was tired of feeling empty inside. Oh, h.e.l.l, admit it Max, you're just tired of being alone. Now, the endless turmoil of was she or wasn't she Sandra had to stop, or he thought he might go stark raving mad.

Concentrate on the differences, he told himself. Instead of being the sweet-natured uncomplicated Sandra he'd come to care about, she was an enigma. Like a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces altered only a fraction so they almost, but not quite, fit together. The pieces could be forced, but the finished puzzle would never look right. It Would always be off-kilter.

His thoughts were pursuing each other like a dog chasing its tail. He'd maybe'd and what-if'd himself until he was almost cross-eyed. And still he had no real answers. He tried to clear his head by taking deep breaths and focusing on what was around him. The day was rapidly cooling now and a breeze had kicked up, shaking the leaves in the trees overhead.

Reed was keeping pace with him in companionable silence, breaking it only now and then to fuss at the mule. A good investigator always talked to friends and neighbors of the person being investigated. The boy could be a well of information just waiting to be tapped. But Max had a hard-and-fast rulemnever use children in an investigation, no matter how overwhelming the urge. If he started breaking his own rules, then where would he be?

It didn't take but a moment to shoot down his every excuse. When had he ever let anything or anyone stand in the way of getting what he wanted? He tried to abide by a set of standards he'd set, and he did most of the time. A little voice whispered in his ear that this situation was entirely different. There should be no holds barred. Should be-Dammir, no one had ever called him a coward.

Once coward had been spoken in his mind, he'd have to face the truth head-on. He looked at the woman leading the way over the trail, around the twists and turns, in and out of the trees, and knew he couldn't retreat from his search for the truth. He had to know what and why. He had to start somewhere, and now was as good a time as any.

"Tell me something, Reed. How long have you known ... Nicole?"

Reed glanced at the big man moving with easy strides beside him. He wasn't like the usual sportsmen from the city who bragged about their money and the other trips they'd been on, and were full of dirty talk about women. Max was different, and besides, he was dying to hear all about New York or any place away from Montana. Furthermore, it was as plain as day that this man was interested in Nicky, and Reed thought he might be able to strike up a deal, finagle a trade of sorts. He was about to answer Max when Pepper dug in all four hooves, pulling everything to a teeth-jarring stop, and began braying as loud as a diesel horn. Reed dived for the canvas cover.

When Nicole heard Pepper's braying, a chill of fear rippled through her. She swung around and headed back down the trail at a run. When she came level with Hal and Preston, she shouted, "Group together and freeze. Do it---owl" she snapped at them when they just stared. She told the rest of the men the Same as she pa.s.sed them and was pleased to see that they ! her.

Skidding to stop beside Pepper, she ignored the ear-splitting noise. She shouldered Max aside just as Reed got the canvas untied, flipped the covering out of the way and drew a Browning .380 rifle from its scabbard. She double-checked to make sure it was loaded, then rushed back up the trail.

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Max demanded.

His voice, so close, startled her, making her already pounding heart beat faster. She hadn't heard him following her. "Get back with the others, Max. Now." She kept her attention on the woods beyond, straining to catch a glimpse or a sign of what animal had set Pepper off.

"What're you looking for?"

"Do you ever do what you're told?" She could see by the way his eyes narrowed that he didn't like taking orders and certainly wasn't about to take them from her. Keeping alert to every changing nuance around them, she thought she caught a whiff of fear on the breeze.

"what is it?" he asked.

She kept searching the perimeter. "Bear. Mountain lion. Maybe a wolf."

Cautiously Max glanced around, trying to sense where the danger was coming from. His first thought was of Sandra. "Give me the rifle and get back down the trail." All his senses were attuned to the strangeness all around them. "Jeez, can you make that d.a.m.n animal shut up?" As he was reaching for the rifle, his attention shifted back to her face. if looks had the power to turn a person into something loathe some he would have been a slug.

Nicole stepped away from his outstretched She had no intention of giving up the rifle, but it didn't mean she wouldn't have liked to turn it on him. "You better thank your lucky stars for Pepper, Mr. New York," she ground out between clenched teeth. "He's an alarmist, sure. But he only acts like that when he senses danger." She swung around, checking out the men, the surrounding trees and boulders. "He'll stop when he feels safe and whatever spooked him is gone."

Instead of taking offense, Max laughed. "Mr. New York? I could tell you a thing or-Oh, never mind. Pepper's your watchdog, so to speak?"

"So to speak." She deliberately stepped around him so her back was to the rest. "Mr. Warner, I'm capable of taking care of myself against beast and man." She hesitated long enough to let the last of her sentence sink in. "I don't need or want your help or interference." She started to walk away, then paused and said over her shoulder, "And don't ever try and take anything away from me."

As abruptly as Pepper had voiced his alarm, he stopped, then everyone started talking at once. Max rejoined Reed, and through the barrage of excited questions, Nicole explained what had happened.

Hal demanded, "There're bears and wolves up here?"

Preston edged closer to his friend as the rest of the men moved together in a tighter group. Everyone was suddenly nervous.

She bit her lip to keep from smiling and said as seriously as she could, "This is the wilderness, Hal."