Colton’s Wilderness Rescue (The Coltons of Dark Canyon #1)

Chapter 1

Contrary to popular opinion, Sabrina West did not in fact hate all men. Mostly she didn’t think about them. Unless they went out of their way to be misogynistic, condescending, rude or career-limiting.

Then she made it a point to earn every one of the unflattering names they called her behind her back. They being the particular subset of male creatures she worked with.

“You assigned yourself to search the Peavine area?” she asked as she stormed into the briefing room.

It wasn’t really a question. She never had to ask if Bonner had done something specifically to irritate her.

The man lived to best her, belittle her, beat her. Too bad for him that he never succeeded.

Bonner glanced up. The fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across his face as he leaned over the topographical map spread across the conference table.

Three other rangers huddled around him, hanging on his every word like he was some kind of forestry wizard instead of just another officer gunning for the same promotion she wanted.

“Of course I did,” he replied, his annoying drawl dripping with manufactured concern. “That terrain is brutal. Especially this time of year.”

“I can handle Peavine.” She kept her voice steady as she approached the table, boots thudding against the linoleum.

The January cold had followed her inside, but the heat of righteous indignation made her wish she’d shed her heavy coat.

“Unless you’re suggesting there’s something about that terrain that makes it more manageable for an officer with a Y chromosome? ”

Bonner’s eyes widened with fake innocence. “Come on, West. I’m just looking out for your safety. That area’s full of deadfalls and rockslides waiting to happen. One wrong step—”

“Exactly why this situation calls for assigning the most experienced officer to that region.” She placed both palms on the table, mostly to keep from punching the smug smile off Bonner’s face. “That would be me. I’ve logged more wilderness hours than anyone else in this room.”

The other rangers shifted, finding sudden and intense fascination with the map they all should know like the backs of their hands but probably didn’t. Only she’d grown up breathing Dark Canyon’s wild air, learning its moods, absorbing the energy of the stone and sky.

Bonner’s jaw tightened, but before he could respond, Marcus Reynolds’s deep voice cut through the tension.

“West is right.” Marcus stepped into the room, his weathered face impossible to read.

Just like her father’s had been—which made working for this man familiar but not easy.

“She knows that territory better than anyone. As you’ve all read in the alert that went out, we’ve got three separate hiking parties who haven’t checked in this morning—a father and son near south Elk Ridge, a solo hiker who started at Woodenshoe Trailhead and a couple who were supposed to camp at Peavine last night.

Time is critical with this weather system moving in. Rain’ll be here soon.”

Sabrina suppressed a smile as Bonner’s face reddened. She didn’t need her boss’s validation any more than she’d needed her father’s, but it felt good anyway—even if accepting it made her feel like that eager-to-please kid all over again, the one who’d never quite measured up.

“I’ll take Peavine,” she reiterated firmly, already mentally cataloging her gear. The unusually snow-free January had lulled some hikers into a false sense of security. They didn’t understand how quickly conditions could turn deadly up there, especially when the temperature dropped.

Bonner opened his mouth to object, but Reynolds was already discussing the other search zones.

Sabrina studied the map, memorizing the coordinates while adrenaline hummed through her veins.

This was what she lived for—the challenge, the urgency, the chance to prove herself against the wilderness and anyone who doubted her.

Let Bonner play his games. She had a job to do, and doing it better than anyone else was the surest path to that promotion. She wasn’t about to let any man stop her from claiming what she’d earned.

“Gear up and move out in fifteen,” Marcus ordered. “Check-ins every thirty minutes. And people?” He paused, making eye contact with each of them. “Be careful out there.”

The gear room smelled of sweat and pine, familiar scents that centered her. Sabrina pulled her emergency pack from her locker, examining each item methodically. New batteries in the flashlight, fresh supplies in the first aid kit, extra radio battery, emergency shelter. Check, check, check.

“Going to be nasty up there.”

She glanced up to find Pete Holloway watching her from the doorway.

The officer’s dark eyes held none of Bonner’s condescension—just genuine concern.

Pete was a good guy, a rare one. Married fifteen years to his high school sweetheart, he treated Sabrina like a fellow officer instead of eye candy in a uniform.

Unlike some other guys she could mention. Most of her colleagues fell into one of two camps—the flirty types who figured they should at least give it a go and the ones who’d already been shot down.

Two guesses which category Kirk Bonner fell into.

“Weather system’s moving in fast,” Pete continued. “They’re saying high winds by afternoon.”

“All the more reason to find those hikers quickly.” She shouldered her pack, double-checking the radio clip. “You headed to Woodenshoe?”

Pete nodded. “Keep your head on straight up there, West. Peavine’s no joke even in good conditions.”

“Thanks, Pete. You be careful too.”

He’d always acted like he’d never noticed she had boobs under her uniform, a rarity in this male-dominated world of treacherous terrain, extreme elements, and breathtaking elevations.

Though sometimes it got really old never meeting anyone who appreciated all of her assets.

It wasn’t like she started out trying to chop off all the male extremities in a mile-wide radius.

Was it her fault none of them could hack it?

The last guy she’d dated had tapped out after three months, claiming she was too intense, too focused, too much. Too bad.

Sabrina wasn’t about to dial herself back just to make some man comfortable with her strength.

What she really wanted was someone who matched her in every way.

Who was man enough from the first moment that it never occurred to him to feel threatened.

A guy who could keep up, be a companion.

Make her feel like being feminine might have some pluses in certain situations.

A unicorn, basically. So she’d be single for the next seventy-five years. It was fine. Watching her parents go through a bitter divorce had cured her of any happily ever after dreams long before the reality of the dating pool had.

The cold bit through Sabrina’s heavy coat as she jumped into her Forest Service vehicle, then navigated it up the winding access road. Heavy cloud cover turned the sandstone rock ahead a grayish color.

She’d learned to read these canyons like other people read books, each shadow and contour familiar. But wrong. Everything should be draped in white by this late in the season. Even the air felt off, heavy with potential energy that made her skin prickle.

She tried to shake it off.

Her radio crackled. “West, what’s your position?”

“Approaching Peavine Canyon access point,” she responded calmly, even though Bonner’s voice alone chafed against her skin. “Beginning segment sweep from the northwest quadrant. Over.”

“Let me know if you need backup.”

She rolled her eyes. Bonner was something else. “Copy that. I’ll radio Reynolds if I need support.”

The road ended at a small turnaround. Beyond, the wilderness yawned, stretching as far as the eye could see, both stark and beautiful at the same time. Sabrina grabbed her pack and stepped out into the crisp morning air.

Now she could breathe. Finally.

The vast open space of Dark Canyon called to her soul. Out here, she wasn’t Officer West or the product of a broken home—she was simply herself, fierce and free. Part of the land, part of the sky.

A red-tailed hawk screamed overhead, the sound echoing off the canyon walls.

She tracked its flight, noting the wind direction.

The missing couple—Jason and Sarah Miller, according to their backcountry permit—were supposed to have made camp in the sheltered valley two miles into Peavine Canyon, a logical choice for its protection against the wind and for its proximity to seasonal water sources.

She pulled out her GPS unit and marked her starting coordinates.

The Millers were experienced hikers, according to their permit application, but experience didn’t always translate to good judgment.

Sabrina had seen too many seasoned outdoorsmen make rookie mistakes, especially when unusual conditions lulled them into complacency.

The first mile of trail showed no signs of recent passage—no scuffed rocks, no disturbed vegetation, nothing to suggest anyone had come this way in the past twenty-four hours.

She documented her observations into her field notebook, keeping her notes concise.

Detail work like this bored some officers, but Sabrina liked everything about her job.

She liked being good at it more than anything. Even in this small, likely insignificant area of note-taking. That’s what integrity and excellence meant—doing your best despite the lack of an audience.

Bonner could take a lesson.

She’d be sure to teach it to him when she got the district ranger position and became his boss.

The trail wound through stands of juniper and pinon pine before opening into a rocky stretch that required careful navigation.

Each step carried her deeper into the canyon, the walls rising steep and unforgiving on either side.

The Millers’ planned route would have taken them through here yesterday afternoon.