Chapter 24 #3
They headed up to the table where they’d left their towels and bags, dried off, got water out of their bags, drank some, then grabbed everything, and ascended the stairs to their lodging.
Once inside, they dressed in cargo pants, T-shirts, and hiking boots and headed back downstairs to the grill and coffee shop.
They found an empty table covered by a rainbow-striped umbrella and checked out the menu. “A grilled ham and cheese sandwich for me,” Kendra said, licking her lips.
He smiled. “A juicy cheeseburger for me. How about some Buffalo-style hot wings?”
“Yes. And seasoned curly fries. Caramel coffee for me. We can have the ice cream after our hike.”
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll have the coconut coffee.”
“That sounds good too.”
Then they ordered their lunch and watched as the kids played in the water and on the slide. It looked like they could do that all day long.
“When you were a kid, I bet you were like that,” Kendra said.
“Oh, yeah. Except we didn’t have a bounce slide or bounce house.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Once they had their meals, they chowed down on them, and she realized they hadn’t had any calls from Rowland. “I guess Rowland has no news.”
“He said he wouldn’t call us and disturb us.” Grayson ate one of the wings.
She twisted a curly fry between her fingers.
“However, if he had any important news, he would let us know.” Grayson checked his phone anyway.
She did the same with hers. Then she noticed most of the people eating at the tables were looking at their phones. She set hers down on the table. “You’re right. So nothing has happened that he needs to inform us about.”
Grayson pocketed his phone. “Yeah. I agree.” He took a bite of his cheeseburger.
“Is your cheeseburger good?”
“It is. What about your grilled ham and cheese sandwich?”
“Delicious. So are their Buffalo wings.”
“I’m glad we got those and the curly fries. I’ll grill the steaks and corn-on-the cob for us tonight. I forgot that I paid for the whitewater rafting with the steak dinner tomorrow. Will that be all right?”
“I love steaks. That sounds like a winner to me.”
After they ate lunch, they headed out on a trail and ran into a park ranger. “Any problems, ranger?” Grayson asked, then he smiled when he smelled that the park ranger was a grizzly bear shifter.
They worked well in the forestry service industry as game wardens, park rangers, and forest rangers because they could detect drugs or fires before non-shifters could.
“Ranger Patrick O’Leary,” the officer said, and shook their hands. “I’ve met Miss Kendra before while she was trying to track down a fugitive, and she ran into me. I helped her locate him in the park.”
“That’s great. I’m Grayson Stone, a fugitive recovery agent also. We’re getting married and working together in the business.”
“Some guys have all the luck.”
Kendra chuckled. “You were never interested in dating me. You had your sight set on Amy, but you weren’t sure about her claims of psychic abilities, which meant you weren’t the right one for her.”
“True. I would have come around eventually, but Cedric beat me to it. As to your question, Grayson, I’ve closed off the trail up north of here. I spotted a sow and her cubs on the offshoot. You don’t want to tangle with her.”
“We already did with a male looking for some loving. We were trying to locate a fugitive,” Grayson said.
“Hell. Did he fight you over Kendra?”
“Yeah. I’m used to fighting a bear shifter who holds his punches, so to speak. But the wild bear was ready to kill me over Kendra.”
“I had to step in to distract him,” she said.
“I wish I had been in the area. I would have helped you to chase him off,” Patrick said. “So are you joining our sleuth?”
“Yeah, I need to do that. I belong to the sleuth in Whitefish that encompasses the northern side of the state.”
Patrick handed him a business card. “If you need my help whenever you’re in the park, just let me know. I know you couldn’t have contacted me before when you were wearing your bear coats, but if you’re in human form, call me. You’ve got some bear spray, right?”
Grayson patted his backpack. She patted the one at her belt.
“Just stay off the taped-off trail, keep scenting the area because, like I tell park visitors, bears move around, so even if I put up an off-limits sign on a trail, it doesn’t mean the bear or bears will stay in that area.”
“Exactly,” Kendra said.
“Enjoy your hike and be safe,” Patrick said.
“Thanks, we will.” Grayson and Kendra continued walking through the forest until they finally reached the spot where Patrick had put up a sign to keep people off the trail for the time being. They smelled that two men had gone on that very trail just minutes ago.
Kendra and Grayson paused. “Do we call Patrick and let him know a couple of men have gone on the closed trail?” Kendra asked.
“Yeah.” But Grayson didn’t move from where he stood on the path.
Kendra let out her breath, took Patrick's business card, and called him. “Hey, it’s Kendra and Grayson. We reached the forbidden trail, and two men had gone down it.” She put it on speakerphone.
“People just can’t follow the rules, and they can pay for it with their lives. I’m on my way.”