Chapter 17
Seventeen
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
—Albert Einstein
Two hours later, after hiking what felt like a never-ending vertical ascent, Kate was struggling again to keep pace with Coop. Just as she was about to voice her exhaustion, he came to a sudden halt, his gaze fixed ahead. Peering through his binoculars, he scanned the landscape before dropping them.
He pointed to a hillside. “There is 399’s lair. At least, it was last year’s den. I saw her coming in and out last spring. Bears usually reuse their dens, or they den in the same area.”
Shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun, Kate strained to see. “I see nothing but trees and thick brush and granite.”
Coop handed her his binoculars. “About halfway up, there’s a big hole under a huge Douglas fir tree. It’s an earthen den.”
It took Kate a long moment before she spotted exactly what he had described. “Is this as close as we can get?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to risk getting any closer. She’d catch our scent in the wind. A hungry bear coming out of hibernation is not one you want to tangle with.” Coop scanned the surroundings. “Can you set up your camera from here?”
“I think so.” It was farther away than she had hoped to the cave’s opening, but it would have to do.
“While you set up, I’m going to explore a little and see if I can find any evidence that she’s been out of the den. I won’t be far. I’ll be in sight at all times. But if you need help, blow on your world’s loudest whistle.”
As he ventured off to explore the area below the den, Kate settled on the ground, getting her equipment ready, all the while sneaking glances at Coop. The way he looked at her! His gray eyes held such concern and steady reassurance, making her feel like she was nailing it—even though she was struggling to keep pace with him. Coop had this knack for making her believe she could conquer the world.
Here she was, perched atop a freezing mountain, setting up her beloved camera to capture that elusive bear. It was a task she never imagined, but Coop’s faith in her abilities made her feel brave. The sheer joy and excitement bubbling inside her were intoxicating. It was amazing what a difference having someone in your corner could make.
Unzipping her backpack, she retrieved her camera bag and carefully attached her 200–600 mm lens. Peering through the viewfinder, she aimed at the den’s entrance. Not ideal, but it was her best chance for a shot.
Setting the motion detection functionality for still photography, Kate hoped her battery would hold up. Tonight’s cold temperatures might deplete it. She didn’t let on to Coop, but it did worry her to leave her precious camera unattended overnight. Any wild animal could easily destroy it, even if just out of curiosity. If a rainstorm hit tonight, it would ruin it. If a gust of wind knocked it over, it could shatter.
She’d spent months saving to buy this specialized equipment. This was a significant risk, both financially and professionally.
She placed the front leg of the tripod firmly into a deep crevice in a boulder, thinking that might keep it from toppling in the wind. Wiping down every inch of her camera and tripod with unscented wet wipes, once, then twice, Kate ensured it was as inconspicuous as possible, just as Coop returned to her. “All set?”
“Did you find any sign of her?”
“I’ll tell you on the way down. We should get going before the weather changes and the wind picks up.” He pointed to the low and overcast sky. “Are you ready to head back?”
Inhaling, she felt a burst of energy. “I’m ready.” She hoisted her backpack on and glanced one more time at her camera, saying a prayer that she knew was the right one to pray. Lord, thy will be done here.
This might not even work.
But it might.
And if it did, this could be the one-in-a-million shot Kate came to the park to get.
Maisie’s anticipation bubbled as she waited outside the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, her phone clutched tightly in one hand, a dozen red roses in the other. It was actually happening ! Oliver decided to take Maisie’s advice and propose to Kate at Oxbow Bend at sunset. Maisie planned to film the whole event on her iPhone. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Kate’s face when Oliver popped the question.
The only glitch in the plan was that Maisie had no idea where Kate had gone all day. Or when she’d be back. It was a sizable glitch.
As Maisie paced in front of the visitor center, she spotted Frankie and ran over to him. “Hey, Frankie! Do you know where Kate is?”
“No.”
“Do you know where Coop went?”
“No. Why should I? No one tells me anything.”
“But Coop is your roommate. You’re his intern. You must have some idea where he went. He’s been gone all afternoon.”
“All I know is that Coop said he’s doing ranger work and I should butt out.”
“Oh.”
“What’s the big deal? Why are you looking for Coop and Kate?”
Maisie felt as if she might burst with excitement. “It’s happening! Tonight! Oliver’s coming to the park to propose to Kate tonight!”
Frankie raised an eyebrow. “No way.”
“Yes! I’ve been helping him plan the whole thing.” She held up a bouquet of roses that were wilting. She should’ve put them in water hours ago. “The proposal is going to take place at Oxbow Bend, if, y’know, you want to come.”
“Ha! You couldn’t drag me there.”
Frankie’s lackluster response was a disappointment. “Why not?”
“I told you. Because it’s a terrible idea to meddle in people’s lives.”
Before Maisie could respond, she caught sight of a drop-dead gorgeous man heading toward her. This man had to be Oliver. He looked like a tall Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible . Of course it was him! He was as handsome as Kate was beautiful. They were a perfect couple.
So odd that Kate had never mentioned him. If Maisie had a boyfriend who looked like Oliver, she would tell the whole world.
“You must be Miranda,” Oliver said, grinning, as he drew close.
Maisie returned his greeting with a beaming smile of her own, her heart fluttering with excitement. “Maisie, not Miranda,” she said. “So, Oliver, you made it!”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. “Where’s my Katie-Kat?”
Katie-Kat. Sooo cute! But then Maisie’s smile faltered. “Um, actually, at the moment, I’m not quite sure where Kate is. I haven’t seen her today.”
Oliver’s expression fell, disappointment clouding his beautiful features. “She hasn’t answered my texts or calls, either. Where could she have gone?”
Frankie gave Maisie a nudge and she looked to see him tip his head toward the parking lot. Coop’s truck had just come rumbling in and Kate was in the passenger seat. Perfect timing. This was meant to be! “Oh look—there she is.” Maisie tugged on Oliver’s jacket. “Let’s go! She’ll be so excited to see you.”
Kate had climbed out of the truck and hoisted her backpack over her shoulder when she caught sight of Oliver and Maisie approaching the truck. Kate froze, looking stunned. Dirty and tired, too. Not a great look for a wedding proposal moment. Maybe Maisie should’ve given her a heads-up.
“Oliver,” Kate said in a flat voice. “ What are you doing here?”
Uh-oh. Maisie thought Kate’s tone sounded ... irritated. Yep. She definitely should’ve given her a heads-up.
Oliver’s gorgeous smile faltered, but he quickly composed himself. “I came to see you, of course.”
Maisie watched as Kate’s expression softened slightly. Okay, there was hope.
Oliver eyed Coop. “And you are...”
“Ranger Grant Cooper,” Coop said.
“Kate,” Oliver said, eyes on Coop, “is this who you said you had to meet up with? The two of you spent all afternoon together?”
Frankie elbowed Maisie and mouthed, “See? I told you.”
Coop hoisted his backpack over one shoulder. “I think I’ll just head over to the visitor center. Maisie and Frankie, why don’t you come with me?”
“I can’t,” Maisie said, holding up her smartphone. “I’m needed here.”
“Why?” Kate looked at her in confusion. “What’s going on?”
“Something wonderful!” Maisie clapped her hands. “I’ve been in cahoots with Oliver!”
“What do you mean?” Kate looked from Maisie to Oliver and back to Maisie. “How do you know each other?”
Maisie glanced at Oliver. “There’s a special surprise waiting for you! We need to go to Oxbow Bend.” She glanced at the sun, already worrisomely low in the horizon. Almost disappearing. “Right now!”
“Yes,” Oliver said. “We should hurry. My rental car’s over there.”
Kate squinted in confusion. “Oliver, this isn’t a good time,” she said, her tone apologetic but firm. “In fact, it’s a terrible time.”
“Kate, I came a long, long way ... to see Oxbow Bend at sunset. To be with you.”
“But I told you that I was here to work.” Kate sounded like she was upset. Really upset. “You just don’t listen to me, Oliver.”
“But I do! You’ve made Oxbow Bend sound magical. You said it was the most beautiful sight in the world.”
“For photography. For viewing wildlife.” Now Kate’s voice had a sharp edge.
Maisie exchanged a worried glance with Oliver, unsure of how to proceed. He seemed baffled too. What was going wrong? She had wanted today to be so perfect. The sun was already setting behind the mountains. Now it would be too late for the perfect Oxbow Bend videography she had planned.
She felt Coop’s hand on her shoulder as he steered her away from Oliver and Kate and toward the visitor center.
Maisie kept looking over her shoulder. She stopped when she saw Oliver bend down on one knee and hold out a little jewelry box to her. The ring! Maisie hadn’t had a chance to see it. To give it her approval.
Coop and Frankie stopped and turned around. All three watched the wedding proposal in the parking lot of the visitor center. Kate had her arms crossed against her chest. She didn’t look at all happy.
Coop squeezed Maisie’s shoulder. “Let’s let the two of them sort things out.”
Frankie snorted. “You mean, let’s let them break up without an audience.”
Maisie blew out a puff of air. “This isn’t going the way I planned.”
“Kiddo,” Coop said, “sometimes life has turns of its own.”
She glanced up at him, confused by the lighthearted smile in his voice. Coop was never lighthearted. The expression on his face was a mixture of emotions. Sheepish yet hopeful.
Frankie caught it all. Laughing, he gave Maisie another elbow jab. “Told ya.”
What? What had she missed?
Kate plopped down on the edge of her bed in her Jackson Lake Lodge hotel room, fuming. The scenic beauty of the Grand Tetons out her window, usually a balm, might as well have been a blank wall for all the peace it offered her now.
The audacity of that man, thinking a surprise visit—and a proposal, no less—was a good idea. How dare Oliver just show up here, especially after she’d spelled it out that she didn’t want him to come? Hadn’t she been clear? Apparently not clear enough for Oliver, who seemed to operate in a world of his own, where “no” was just a hurdle on the way to “yes.”
Kate could still see the bewildered look on Oliver’s face when she let loose her fury, a mix of hurt and confusion that made her feel like the villain in a bad romance novel.
But no, she reminded herself, she was not the villain here. She had every right to be angry. Oliver had crossed a line, ignoring her wishes and invading her space, all under the guise of a grand romantic gesture. It was suffocating, presumptuous, and ... and just plain wrong.
Oliver, for his part, seemed stunned by her reaction. Then crushed. As if the thought had never crossed his mind that she wouldn’t be overjoyed by his unannounced appearance and proposal while she was on a work trip. There he was, bent on one knee in the parking lot, looking like a lost puppy that had just been kicked, not understanding what he’d done to deserve such treatment.
“Kate, I ... I thought you’d be happy,” he had stammered, still down on one knee, the ring box in his hand. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
“What I wanted?” Kate’s voice had risen, incredulous. “When did I ever say I wanted this? Oliver, I’ve been trying to find the right moment to talk about us ... about how things aren’t working. And instead of giving me space, you show up here ... with a ring! You involve a very overly enthusiastic, overly talkative thirteen-year-old girl with your plans to propose to me. Everyone in the park is going to hear about this!”
At that, Oliver rose to stand. He turned to look at Maisie in front of the visitor center, watching them with her hands held tight against her heart. Next to her were Frankie and Coop. And next to them was a semicircle of at least twenty strangers, all staring at Oliver and Kate, curious to observe the proposal-gone-sour.
Great, just great. They’d all witnessed the whole cringeworthy episode.
Kate had to pause her rant for a moment, take in a deep breath, as she struggled to untangle her thoughts from her feelings, to find a little calm amid the storm of emotions. “You just don’t listen to me, Oliver.”
“Don’t listen?” Oliver looked incredulous. “What do you mean I don’t listen? When you said you thought it was time for a change, I thought this was what you meant.”
“I’m sorry.” Kate softened slightly, despite herself. “But you thought wrong.”
There was a heavy silence, filled with words unsaid. Oliver finally nodded, a sad acceptance in his eyes. He closed the jewelry box and tucked it in his coat pocket. “I think I’d better just head home,” he said. “Goodbye, Katie-Kat.” On that note, he turned and walked to his car.
She stood there, watching his car disappear into the distance. At last, he had heard what she’d been trying to tell him. They weren’t meant to be.
Kate collapsed back onto the bed, a mix of relief and sadness washing over her. The hurt in Oliver’s eyes was hard to see. She’d never wanted to hurt him ... which was probably why she’d let their dating relationship continue too long. This was for the best, she told herself. It was time to move on, to find her own path. Without Oliver.
But first, she had to straighten things out with Maisie. Sweet, meddling Maisie, who somehow got caught up in this mess, turning it into an exhibition for all to see! Kate pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off the headache brewing from the whole debacle. Maisie had only been trying to help, in her own chaotic way, but goodness, did she have to turn it into such a public spectacle? Did she have to make it happen in front of Coop?
Coop. She wanted to spend more time with him. Because throughout the afternoon, as they hiked along Pilgrim Creek, she’d seen something in Coop’s eyes that suggested maybe she wasn’t the only one feeling something more than friendship.
Coop couldn’t have been more pleased with this day.
First, having the entire afternoon with Kate was ... awesome . Talking with her was so easy, so natural. They discovered they had a lot in common, even their embarrassingly vast knowledge of Lord of the Rings trivia. It had been a long time since he’d met anyone he liked half as much as Kate.
Second, the bothered look on Kate’s face when she first spotted Oliver was no small thing. To Coop—well, to everyone within earshot at the visitor center—it was clear that their relationship was over.
Which meant that he had a shot with Kate.
And then there was 399. He had found convincing evidence that she was alive and well—the remains of an elk calf carcass below the lair. Fresh scat, to boot. The bear, he was pretty sure, was just taking her own sweet time to leave the cozy den. He called Sally and told her. After he hung up, he decided to call Tim. He repeated everything that he’d just told Sally—the evidence she was alive, the coordinates of the den. It took him off guard that Tim had sounded alarmed that he’d given the coordinates of the den to Sally, but what else should he have done? She was the boss. The NPS was a vertical chain of command.
Let Tim do the worrying about Sally. Coop had other things on his mind.
It was a great day.
He reached over to check his phone. Was it too late to text Emma? Why not? Well, if so, he hoped she had her silent notification on.
He texted her:
Still up?
A few minutes later, she texted back.
Yes. What’s up?
I owe you an apology.
For what?
For not really listening to you. I’m sorry.
Long, long pause. So long that Coop started to think he should’ve called instead of texted. Finally, he saw three dots start dancing.
I’m sorry too.
He smiled, relieved. Then he added:
And I hope you can forgive me.
Another long pause. Then, finally, three dots appeared.
Of course! I hope you can forgive me too.
I do. And I hope ... your wedding day is everything you wanted.
Another long pause. And then...
Thank you, Coop.
A wave of relief washed over Coop as he set his phone aside. It felt right, finally addressing the rift between them. Tim was right. He should have done it long ago. Closing his eyes, he welcomed the peace that settled over him and drifted off to sleep.
Wade’s day had turned out even better than he thought it would, especially when he got the update that the bear was still cozy in her den. But his mood almost hit the roof when he found out the turncoat refused to cough up the coordinates. She was adamant about leading the expedition herself. According to her, the lair was way up there, trickier and more dangerous than expected, what with high altitudes, treacherous water crossings, and plenty of bears roaming around. She claimed to know the terrain like her own fingerprints, boasted of her marksmanship, and promised she could bring them back in one piece.
That’s when it clicked for Wade. Why not play along? Let her think Feldmann was the client. They could scout ahead, handle the rough patches, and keep the bears at bay. Meanwhile, he’d trail behind, out of sight. Once they made it to the lair, Feldmann could throw a curveball—fake a twisted ankle or play up some altitude sickness, anything to get her to focus on him and head back down the trail.
And just like that, Wade would have his chance to swoop in and finish the hunt.
As the sky hung on to that twilight glow, Wade drove around the park restlessly. His car’s headlights sliced through the gloaming, spotlighting elk and moose grazing on meadow edges, oblivious to how easily he could take them down. So tempting, he thought, eyeing them.
But Wade wasn’t here for them.
As darkness started to take over, that thrill—the hunter’s buzz—started pumping through his veins. He knew he was on the verge of something epic, a showdown that was months in the making. He imagined the bear, out there somewhere, totally unaware that tomorrow would be its last day.
Gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, he peered into the growing shadows, half expecting to see those telltale eyes staring back. The big moment was almost here. No more rehearsals, no more planning. It was game time.
Bring on the morning, bring on the hunt.