Chapter 16
Sixteen
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
—Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher
Coop kept stealing glances at Kate as they checked their backpacks one more time before locking up the truck at the parking area off Pilgrim Creek Road. He had to smile at the shiny new string of bells hanging off her backpack. He was pleased she’d listened to him after her Willow Flats scare.
“I haven’t been this far north. Are we close to Yellowstone?”
“Very close,” Coop said.
They started up the trail that led from Middle Pilgrim Creek to Wildcat Peak Trail. His heart was racing and he didn’t know if it was because of the task ahead, the altitude, or because he was spending time alone, quite intentionally, with Kate. He did know that he felt stomach-twisting nervous, like he was sixteen again and asking a girl out for the first time in his life.
He really hoped this afternoon might give Kate a chance to get that special photograph she was after. She deserved it, if for no other reason than her resiliency. It impressed him. He’d overheard the daily digs from the other photographers. And it sounded like her own family and jerk-boyfriend had their own share of doubts about her abilities. Imagine growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia in a family full of PhDs. Yet she’d found her own path, despite facing obstacles along the way.
What Coop didn’t anticipate was the unexpected connection he felt with Kate, one that seemed to deepen each time they interacted. It reminded him of how he had felt with Emma, long ago. And yet, it was different too. Better. He didn’t think he’d ever meet someone who could make him forget his feelings for Emma.
In a good way, Kate threw him off balance, made him reassess things. When she questioned him about Emma’s role as a principal, it caught him off guard. He’d never really considered it before. The truth was, Emma excelled in her role.
As they headed up the steep rise of the Middle Pilgrim Creek Trail, single file, the rushing creek didn’t allow time for talking but it did for reflecting. Kate seemed lost in her own thoughts too, and he wondered what was running through her mind. He hoped she might be thinking about breaking up with the jerk-boyfriend. He considered him a jerk because—hard to admit but it was true—he reminded Coop of himself, back when he was with Emma. It struck a chord, resonating with Tim’s question about Emma’s sudden change of heart. Had he been blind to the signs, too consumed with planning their future to notice Emma’s feelings shifting beneath the surface?
Getting to know Kate, seeing her situation with the jerk-boyfriend through her perspective, gave him a stark clarity of how he had stifled Emma. Same thing that this guy was doing to Kate. She deserved better.
And Emma had deserved better.
Which meant that he’d been just as selfish and obtuse as Kate’s jerk-boyfriend. He’d been so determined to plot the future that he hadn’t taken into account how Emma’s feelings were changing. And she kept accommodating him until she couldn’t do it anymore.
Coop saw it clearly now. He’d been so focused on his own desires that he hadn’t given her the space to flourish in her own right. Emma was thriving in her role as principal, doing precisely what she was meant to do.
He took a deep breath, as if stung by a bee. Shamed. It was time to truly let go of Emma. To let her off the hook. Yes, she had hurt him deeply. But he had a role in that too. He shared responsibility in the demise of their relationship.
It was as simple and as painful as that.
“Hey, Coop?”
He stopped and turned to see that Kate had fallen far behind. Her face was red, she was puffing from exertion. Argh. He was doing it again! Moving at his own pace, not thinking about someone else.
“Can we take a water break?”
They were exiting the cover of trees, so he knew he was close to the intersection of Wildcat Peak Trail. “We’re almost to a place where it’ll level off a bit. We can rest there.”
She nodded, but he knew she was running out of steam. Just ahead, he spotted a fallen log in full sun to lean against, to rest and rehydrate. “You doing okay? Too cold? Too hot? Want me to carry your backpack?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. I just need to take a little break.” She unscrewed the cap on her water bottle and took some swallows.
And kept gulping. Coop scolded himself at how thirsty she’d been. The trail that followed Pilgrim Creek rose rapidly, a steep ascent of thousands of feet. The narrow path was muddy in most places too, and they had to traverse several water crossings, dead falls, and go-arounds. It wasn’t an easy hike for him, and he was accustomed to backcountry hikes. He should have warned her that they’d be aiming straight up for the headwaters of the creek. He watched her carefully for signs of overexertion, but she seemed to be recovering quickly. A good sign. Her face was less flushed, and her breathing was back to normal.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said.
“Even prettier in the fall, when the trees are in full color. Spruce, aspen, white bark pine. Now that’s a sight worth photographing.”
“You’ve been here often?”
“A couple of times. Tim and I spent a few days up here last fall, before the park closed for the season.”
She took another swallow of water, but less like she was parched, so he decided to keep talking. He pointed to the meadow in front of them. “Hard to imagine that brown field, still with patches of snow, will be full of wildflowers in a month or so. Full of bears too. Tim calls it a grizzly-strewn meadow.”
Swallowing a sip of water, she practically choked. Her eyes went wide as she looked over the meadow. “How many?”
“Grizzlies in the park? Hundreds of ’em. And Yellowstone’s got even more.” He gestured in that direction. It dawned on him that he might be freaking her out. “But don’t stress, I’ve got bear radar—always keeping an eye out.”
“I sure hope so, Ranger.”
Yeah, he was spooking her. “Here’s something cool about bears that I didn’t mention in my ranger spiel. They have a habit of sitting for long periods at vista points, just staring. Scientists think they might have the ability to interpret the beauty of nature.”
Gazing out at the meadow, Kate quietly said, “‘But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the L ORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.’”
“Bible verse?” Coop said.
She looked a little embarrassed. “Yes. From the book of Job.”
“You’ve memorized it?”
“Well, not the whole book. But I do love that verse. And I learned at an early age to memorize. Compensation for not being much of a reader.”
See? There was that resiliency again. “Tim would be pleased to hear you quote the Bible,” Coop said. “He’s always trying to get me to go to church with him.”
“Have you gone?”
“A couple of times.” But he thought he might start going regularly this summer.
“You and Tim seem to know each other well. Have you worked for him a long time?”
“A couple of years. He’s the one who talked me into being a seasonal ranger. He helped me get a job here at Grand Teton. These jobs are super competitive. Everyone’s after the plum assignments. He’s a great guy to work for. I’ve learned a lot from Tim.”
“Like what?”
“Like ... trusting your gut instincts. He’s big on that. Most of the problems in life can be solved by listening to intuition, he says, so pay attention to it, especially when it rears up. As much training and protocol as rangers receive, Tim has always said that gut instinct will serve you best.”
She gave him a look that he had trouble reading. He pulled out his own water bottle and drank from it.
After a while, he said, “Feeling okay?” He thought she’d fully recovered, but now she seemed awfully quiet.
“Feeling great.” She gave him a side glance. “You’ve got me thinking.”
“Yeah? About bears among wildflowers?” That made her smile. Man , she had a nice smile.
“About trusting your gut.” She took a swig of water, swal lowed, then turned to him. “About making some changes in my life.”
He tapped his water bottle against hers. “Cheers to that.” He wondered what changes she might be considering and hoped it might include rethinking this jerk-boyfriend. It’s not that Coop was the type of guy who would ever come between a couple, but it sounded to him like this guy wasn’t ready for the give-and-take of a real relationship. Not yet. Just like Coop hadn’t been ready for one with Emma. He thought he was, but he wasn’t. Not really.
However, watching Kate’s profile as she gazed at the meadow in front of them, he thought he might have found a reason to be ready now.
Maisie sat on a park bench at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, her legs kicking excitedly against her BMX bicycle tire as she chatted on the phone with Kate’s boyfriend, Oliver. He had texted her early this morning to set up a time to talk about surprising Kate. Since then, she’d been nearly bursting with enthusiasm, her mind running wild with ideas for the perfect marriage proposal.
“Okay, okay, hear me out,” Maisie said, barely pausing for breath. “You could rent a skywriter to fly overhead and write the words ‘Marry me.’”
“Um, no,” he said.
“How about hiring a flash mob to dance and sing while you pop the question?”
“No.”
“Too much? Okay. I’ve got more ideas. What do you think about taking her on a treasure hunt around the park, and at the end, there’s a hidden ring waiting for her?”
“Well, that’s an improvement on the first two ideas.” Oliver sounded unimpressed. “All I need from you is to know when and where Kate will be later tonight, before sunset. I need your help to make sure she’s in the right place when I arrive.”
Maisie’s enthusiasm dimmed. “Oh, right, of course. Sorry, I just got a little excited there. Where do you want Kate to be?”
“Is there some general location to meet up? A place where people go to hang out?”
Maisie looked around. “Well, the Jenny Lake Visitor Center is easy to find. There’s a big patio in front of it. It can get crowded, though.”
“Sounds ideal.”
“And then I thought you’d both drive over to Oxbow Bend for the big event.”
“Why there?”
“Because ... it’s so memorable. So impressive. But there might be a crowd there too.”
He chuckled. “I’m not worried about crowds. The whole world is welcome to watch me propose to Kate.”
Maisie practically swooned.
“I’ll be at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center thirty minutes before sunset.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be wearing a yellow down jacket. You can’t miss me.”
“Just be sure that Kate is there. Thanks, Mary. I appreciate your help.”
“Maisie,” she corrected. Before he could hang up, she said, “Wait a minute. Have you given plenty of thought about what you’ll say? You need a romantic speech that’ll make her cry happy tears.”
“I’ll worry about the speech. You worry about getting Kate to the right place at the right time.”
“Got it, got it,” Maisie said. “One more item on the agenda. We haven’t talked specifics about the ring. The right ring can make or break the proposal.”
“And you know this because...”
She scoffed. “Because I watch The Bachelor .” Obviously. “You gotta go big with the ring. Break the bank.”
Oliver laughed. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay, bye!” Maisie said cheerfully, but he’d already ended the call.
She had barely put her phone back in her pocket when Frankie flopped down on the bench beside her, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “What are you up to?”
“I shouldn’t really say ... but ... promise you won’t tell Kate?”
“Tell her what?”
She scooted over a few inches on the bench. “Kate’s boyfriend is planning an epic surprise marriage proposal. He’s heading to the Grand Tetons today!” She expected Frankie to look pleased, but a scowl darkened his expression.
“What makes you think Kate wants him to come here?”
“Um”—she tried not to sound too know-it-all-ish—“because he’s her boyfriend. Of course she wants him here.”
Frankie shook his head. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Kate these last few days. A lot. And she’s never once mentioned a boyfriend to me.”
Huh. Actually, Kate had never mentioned Oliver to Maisie, either.
Frankie raised an eyebrow. “What do you even know about this guy? Where does he live? Where does he work?”
Maisie’s enthusiasm faltered. “Um ... I’m not sure.”
“How long have they been dating?”
Maisie hesitated. “Sounds like ... for a while?”
Frankie whistled two notes, one up, one down. “Clearly, you know a lot.”
Maisie felt a bit deflated.
“Kate told me it took her months and months to save enough money for this trip.”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. She’s working really hard to break into the wildlife photography world. This guy will do nothing but distract her.”
“She can get back to her picture taking after she’s engaged. Trust me. Girls dream of a proposal like this.”
“You should give Kate a heads-up about this.”
“No way! And don’t you dare tell her. You promised me.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Shoot. He was right. She should have exacted a promise out of him before she spilled the beans. “Well, I made a promise to Oliver that I’d help him with the surprise proposal.”
Frankie made a tsk tsk sound.
“What?”
“You’re making a big mistake.”
“I’m not! Oliver asked me for his help and I said yes.”
“Right. You just want to feel important.”
Maisie opened her mouth to object ... but there was some truth in that. Not entirely, though. “Frankie, you don’t realize how significant this moment will be for Kate and Oliver. Someday they’ll tell their children and grandchildren all about it. Imagine ... getting engaged at Grand Teton National Park!”
“Seems to me,” Frankie said, “you’re meddling in something you have no business with.” He leaned back, crossing his arms. “You know what they say about meddling, right? ‘To force nature is to do her harm.’”
Bleh! Why couldn’t he just talk normal? “Um ... meaning...”
“When you try to control everything, it can totally backfire and mess things up big-time.”
Frankie got up and walked away, leaving Maisie sputtering with outrage. “Control everything? Me? I’m just trying to help people with love!”
Without turning back, Frankie lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
What was his problem? Why was he so upset?
Hold it. A thought came out of nowhere, like a sudden storm cloud, casting a shadow of doubt over her excitement. Could it be that Frankie had more than a schoolboy’s crush on Kate? Was he ... in love with her?
This was a tragic discovery! Maisie had set her own heart on Frankie, but now, after he practically made a declaration of his devotion to Kate, her hopes felt like fragile glass, ready to shatter at any moment.
She sighed, leaning back against the bench. Love was so complicated.
Wade had told Feldmann to make sure the hotel staff did not enter his room, not for any purposes. But today, when he returned from archery practice, he found his room had been cleaned, vacuumed, sheets changed, and worst of all, his highly valuable papers—topographic maps, satellite imagery, bear anatomy charts, aerial photographs—had been tidied up and stacked, like they were today’s junk mail.
Topping that off, Feldmann was calling to tell him that he saw a bear near Mormon Row. “I thought you might want to try some target practice with the new bow.”
“Feldmann,” Wade said, his voice tight and sharp, “who else might be sighted near Mormon Row?”
There was a very long pause. “Oh. Right. Rangers.”
“Exactly.” Mormon Row was one of the most visited sights in Grand Teton National Park. Wade had driven by it nearly each day. He wasn’t all that surprised that a bear might be roaming the area, as there was vegetation and fast-flowing streams—all things bears sought.
Wade was this close to firing Feldmann and calling off the hunt. If he weren’t so deeply invested in it, if he hadn’t promised his mother that this would be the last one, he’d do just that. Hiring Feldmann had been the worst decision he’d ever made.
Feldmann had been highly recommended by a big game hunter, Jack Miller, whom Wade had known for a couple of years. Jack and Wade shared a similar philosophy about hunting and were some of the few who didn’t use apps on their smartphones, like onX Hunt, to provide GPS, satellite imagery, or to track movement. Using technology was cheating. Wade scoffed at it. And so did Jack.
So when Wade put out word that he was looking for a seasoned scout (frontman) for an inside job (inside the park), he took Jack at his word when he vouched for Feldmann. Not just vouched. He sang the guy’s praises.
Something occurred to Wade. A hunch.
“Feldmann, by any chance ... are you related to Jack Miller?”
“Uh ... well, I, uh, I married his little sister.”
Bull’s-eye.