Denali Dreams (25 page)

Logan tried to fend off the heat flooding his face. Up on Kahiltna, his cheeks should be red from the bitter wind, not from taunting. He hated that he could be embarrassed so easily when it came to Deline. But facts were facts. “This isn’t about her. It’s about her father.”

“Yeah.” David walked the camp with Logan, checking to make sure the caches were covered and protected, no litter had been left behind from those who’d cleared out around midnight, and verifying the remaining campers were well. “But it’s a sweet way to get in under her radar.”

“That is
not
what I’m trying to do. Mr. Tsosie has been cooped up in the house for two weeks. I know it’s driving him crazy.”

“It’s doing that to Deline, too. She nearly threw a frying pan at me when we were in the café.”

Logan laughed. “You had that coming. How is it you always bring out the worst in her?”

“It’s my special gift.” A wide grin flashed. “It’s why we gave up dating. She wanted to kill me all the time and it just made me laugh.”

A curling in Logan’s gut warned him of the green-eyed monster. “You dated?”

“Now, don’t get all jealous on me, man. I realized I saw her more like a little sister than a girlfriend. Same with her—she looked up to me. Literally.”

“Logan, David!”

They both swung around and hustled back to the rangers’ tent, snow crunching beneath their boots and slowing them as Zack ducked back inside.

Logan hurried in. “What do you have?”

“Climber headed up to 7800, passed a guy coming down who has AMS. Guy could use an escort.”

“On it,” Logan said as he grabbed his gear. Acute mountain sickness could happen to anyone. There were precautions to ward it off, of course, but the mountain had a way of weeding out climbers. But if the climber didn’t descend immediately, things could get ugly fast.

It took him an hour to meet up with the climber. Battling a nosebleed, the guy slumped against a rock. “Unbewevabuh,” the guy muttered as he tried to stem the flow of blood.

“Hey. What’s your name?” Logan asked as he led the guy toward a boulder.

“Barry.”

“Well, have a seat, Barry.” Shrugging out of his gear, Logan knelt. “Ever had mountain sickness before?”

“No.” Shoulders down, head shaking, the guy sighed. “I’ve climbed a dozen mountains.”

“Yeah?” Logan smirked. “Well, the High One takes her climbers seriously. When d’you start feeling sick?”

“Night before last.”

“What Base Camp?”

“9500.”

“When were you at 7800?”

“Tuesday night.”

Doing the math, Logan figured out the guy had ascended too fast. Probably a bit cocky with his “dozen mountains” rating and a little anxious to get to the top. “Any drug allergies?” He dug out a two-milligram tablet of dexamethasone.

“Nope.”

“Okay, take this, sip water, and we’re going to head down.”

The guy grunted but complied. “I’m a pro climber.”

“Yeah, well, happens to the best of us.”

“Happen to you?”

“You have water?”

“Yeah.” The climber unclipped his high altitude water bottle, popped the pill into his mouth, then swallowed.

Logan shouldered his pack then reached for Barry’s.

“Hey.”

“Relax. I want you to focus on staying upright and alert. Can you do that?”

“I’m not—”

“Or we can do this the hard way, and I strap you to a litter and haul you down. Most important thing is that you
descend.
” Logan tempered his frustration. “If you don’t, this could turn fatal on you, Barry. With your dozen climbs, that should be something you know.”

Defeated, Barry nodded.

“All right, then. Let’s get it moving back to Base Camp. No talking. Conserve your energy and focus on moving down this mountain.”

Together, they set out as Logan keyed his mic and notified Zack of the climber’s situation and that they were on the way back down to Kahiltna. Once they’d reached Base Camp, the guy seemed sturdier, more alert and confident. Logan checked his pulse and breathing. “You made the right decision to turn back. Denali’s a beast to conquer. Guess she wasn’t ready for you.”

“Apparently not,” Barry groused as he walked toward his cache.

“You can stay here or head down to Talkeetna with the next plane.” Logan headed to the rangers’ tent and slumped back against the supplies. The scent of cinnamon and apples wafted through the tent, pulling him to the large dispenser. “Ah, thank you.”

“Knew you could use some when you got back.” David sat on the stool at the back, arms folded and hands tucked under his armpits. “Jolie’s sin.”

Logan shed his gear and stilled. Surely he hadn’t heard that right. “Come again?”

“Jolie—she’s in. The party. She’s in.”

Oh. Good. Because he didn’t want to know anything about Jolie and her sin. “Dude, you have a wedding, and I have no plans other than a thought percolating in my head.”

“Well, now you have a party. And Jolie.” David guzzled his cider. “Thank goodness. She’s starting to drive me crazy, asking if I like this flower or that flower. They’re red. That’s all I know. Who cares if one has straight petals or not?” He scratched the side of his head. “But she did say she didn’t think Deline would like not knowing beforehand.”

“If I tell her about the party before, she’ll say it’s not necessary or tell me to stay out of her life.”

David’s eyebrow winged up. “She’s already given you the brush-off.”

“Why’d you think I agreed to switch with Josh?” He sat down and sipped the cider, glad to have a reason not to talk. But then again …

“Want my advice?”

“No.”

“Too bad. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Logan gave him a sidelong glance.

“Deline’s used to having her way, used to casting off men when she thinks they’re getting too close.”

“You’re saying the harder she fights, the more she likes me?”

“No,” David said, dragging it out. “I’m saying ever since Deline’s sister, Lydia”—he snapped his mouth shut. “Look, just don’t stop.”

Logan set down the thermos. “What’s this? You’re encouraging me now? I thought I was dumb and dimwitted.”

David stood. “Hey, you said it, not me.” He snickered. “I think you’d be good for her. And I like how you pay attention to her. It’s not just you going after her body or something, you know?” He shrugged. “But if you hurt her … I’d have to call Enli home.”

“Who’s that?”

With an evil laugh, David moved toward the flap. “Her brother. And if you thought her dad was big … wait till you meet Enli. If he finds out you like Deline, he will rip you up worse than a grizzly.”

Grizzly. “That’s what everyone calls you.”

Brown eyes bore a strong message. “Exactly.”

R
ain dumped its relief on Talkeetna. Clouds stomped over the horizon, their anger dissipating as they reached Denali. The wipers groaned and smeared rainwater over the windshield as she aimed her truck down the street.

“Looks clear at the peak,” her father said from the passenger seat. “Tell me again why I’m going out in a storm?”

“Jolie asked for you to come, Daddy. And it’s about time. You’ve been in the house for the last six weeks.”

“I need my rest.”

“You’re hiding.”

“Getting just like your mama.”

“Thank you.” She couldn’t hide her smile.

Sunlight peeked through the clouds and gave a portent of the pretty day ahead once this storm passed. Funny, that was exactly how she felt, too. Then again, good things hadn’t come since Mama died. Two years. Ironically, that was how long it’d been since Logan had shown up. Even to her, the analogy felt unfair. Logan was a good guy. Even if she didn’t want to get involved with him.

She aimed the truck up to the front of the café.

“What’re we doing here?”

Deline rolled her eyes. “We’re meeting Jolie and David here. They invited us for dinner.”

He grunted and climbed out.

Heart twisting as she watched her once-strong father lumber out of the truck and stumble to get himself righted. Shoulders stooped, head down, he trudged forward, but she could see the pain knotting his handsome features.

He gripped the rail and pulled himself up the steps.

As she watched his feet, her gaze careened into a license plate. Washington. Her heart vaulted into her throat. No, it was just a coincidence. Enli had told her he couldn’t come back.
“Too many clients, Line-de.”
She’d always loved how he inverted the syllables of her name. Whereas Lydia had taunted Deline, calling her “Line Spleen.” It was stupid. Sure they rhymed, but
spleen
didn’t exactly conjure up any images, good or bad.

They stepped inside. Her mind snagged on the dark environment and she slowed.

“What’s wrong?” her father asked as his hand automatically swung toward the light switch.

Lights and shouts erupted. “Surprise! Happy birthday!”

Deline took a step back as the words and smiles and faces registered. Trembling from the momentary fright, she shifted quickly to a smile. A laugh. Especially when she saw her father’s weathered, aged features smooth from terse to pure delight.

Arms enveloped her from behind. “Don’t hate me,” Jolie said then kissed her cheek.

With a laugh, she turned to her friend. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Sorry, I was a little busy planning a huge birthday bash for my friend’s father.”

Another laugh. Oh, it felt good to laugh! As Jolie and David led her to a table, she found herself wondering about Logan. Had he come? Surely they’d invited him.

The humiliation over their last encounter, though, made her hope he hadn’t come. Never would she forgot how it felt to be cradled in his arms. How the strength of his hold told her how seriously he took the task of protecting her. Of his feelings. She knew that night, right there in his arms, that her father had spoken the truth. And she pushed Logan away.

“So, have you seen him yet?”

Deline’s heart kick-started. “Who? Logan?”

David and Jolie shared a look before David went on, “No, I meant—”

“David,” a voice boomed. “You bothering my sister again?”

Deline whipped around. “Enli!” Launched into the arms of her big brother. Tears erupted. Fled her hold. His arms were tight and hard, crushing her against him.

His laugh vibrated through his chest and against hers. “Line-de!” He planted a noisy kiss on her cheek and set her down. He tugged one of the curls that dangled over her shoulder. “See you’re still trying to trap a guy with that Aleutian beauty.”

She tugged her hair out of his hold. “No such thing.” She patted his arm. “What are you doing here? You told me you had too much to do!”

“I did. But he said you needed me. That you wouldn’t ask.”

“Well”—she glared at David, then back at her brother—“nobody seems to want to let me grow up.”

“Oh please!” Jolie laughed. “Girl, you’re already there. And there are gawking men to prove it.” She bobbed her head in the direction behind Deline.

Glancing over her shoulder, she only saw her father.

Then a dark blue shirt caught her eye. And the blue eyes that matched. Logan stood talking with her father.

“
Who
is that?” Enli demanded. “Do I need to know something?”

“Just that you haven’t been home in two years.” The jest fell flat, since he’d left after their mother’s death—two years ago—he misconstrued her meaning. “Enli, I only meant Logan showed up after you left.”

“Logan, huh?” He deflected the hurt well, just like her. “Do Logan and I need to have a talk?”

“Leave him. He’s a nice guy. Dad likes him.”

“Even more reason for this guy and I to have a little one-on-one.”

“That must have been hard on you.”

The compassion of Mr. Tsosie floored Logan. He hadn’t met a man like this in … well, since he’d lost his father. “Yes, sir. It was. His death was the reason I came out here.”

“Searching.” Understanding pinched wizened brown eyes. “Denali is a good place to wrestle those demons.”

“Yes, sir. Tried it out in the military, but I found it enabled and encouraged the anger rather than sated it.” Oh good.
Smart move, champ. Just tell the guy you’re sadistic.
“I came out here to find peace.”

“Did you find it?”

“Well …” That was a tricky answer. “I stopped blaming God.”

“But the peace isn’t there, not like it used to be?”

Raised in a good Christian home, Logan felt sinful. “No, sir. It’s not.” He saw Deline standing across the café, gorgeous in jeans and an orange shirt. Not a T-shirt. This was a blouse. A slight ruffle around the collar mimicked her curls—

A hand reached over and touched that curl.

Demons had nothing on what he felt right now.
Let it go. She told you how she felt.

Realizing Mr. Tsosie watched him still, Logan took a sip of his punch. “However, I am learning to surrender my dreams to the supreme High One.”

Again, a smile wrinkled the man’s eyes. “You mean the Lord.”

“Yes, sir. I do.”

“Please, call me Kuzih.”

Honored that the man made the request, Logan couldn’t help but battle nerves. Now if only Deline would be as easy to find favor with. “If you insist, sir.”