Authors: Marisa Logan
Chapter 3
Lauren’s plane landed in Anchorage with a bump and a bang as an overhead bin sprang open dumping its contents into the empty seat below. Fortunately, all of the surrounding passengers escaped injury and everyone had a laugh at the relief of finally being back on the ground. This was the not the final leg in Lauren’s journey, but it was the last leg she’d travel in a ‘real’ airplane. From here on, she would be relying on the wilderness honed skills of ‘bush’ pilots, according to her cousin, Amber.
Lauren didn’t want to put too much thought into that as flying had never been one of her favorite modes of transportation. She was happy to gather her things and get off of this plane alive. The creaks and groans of the aging plane had given her fits all the way from Seattle. She was sure it was going to fall apart and drop them in a fiery death spiral at any given moment. This was one of those times when she was sure it would have been better to spend a little more on her ticket. Saving a few bucks didn’t always work in one’s best interests.
Knowing that Anchorage was the largest city in Alaska, Lauren wasn’t too surprised to find the modern looking airport rivaled the ones she was used to on the East coast. Although it was barely spring, the arrival gates were bustling with the early seasonal workers and a few tourists hoping to get ahead of the summer influx. Lauren couldn’t help but feel a bit smug that she was here for more than just a brief tour of the largest state in the nation. She was actually going to ‘live’ here and go through an entire winter. Just the thought of it, gave her the shivers, more from excitement than cold, though that would come later. She paused for a moment to get her bearings.
A shout of joy broke into her thoughts as she recognized her cousin’s voice calling to her from across the way. Amber wasn’t one to stand on protocol and had never cared about making a scene in public. Lauren winced as she spotted her cousin running towards her waving both hands in the air. She knew she was about to get pounced on and there was no avoiding it. Dropping her bags, she steeled herself to be overwhelmed. Amber didn’t disappoint her, turning their reunion into a full-on event.
As Lauren stared at the beautiful young woman standing before her, she realized that more than 10 years had passed since they’d last seen each other. Gone were the two young girls that had grown up together, and gone were the college students that had shared a dorm room. Their twenties had been spent a continent apart with a smattering of e-mails and phone calls holding them together. Now that they were both in their early thirties, Lauren wondered how their new relationship would reflect the missing years and life experiences between them. There was no time to consider this as Amber grabbed the two closest bags and started to hustle her out of the airport.
“Come on. We’ve got to hurry. I’m double-parked outside and they can get ugly about that here at the airport,” she said abruptly.
She led the way out through a side door to a beat-up old pick-up waiting by the curb. Effortlessly tossing the bags into the back of the truck she ran around and jumped in the driver’s side while Lauren struggled to follow her lead and heave the rest of her luggage over the rusty side of the truck without getting her clothes dirty.
Amber didn’t seem to notice her cousin’s reluctance to climb up into the torn and dirty seat in her stylish pencil skirt and white blouse. She was busy grinding the starter and looking around for the closest exit. The truck roared to life and she slammed it into gear just as Lauren managed to pull the bulky door closed. She fell back into the seat and nearly screamed as a pile of mangy fur let out a yelp and jumped up towards her. The dog stared at her in surprise and then turned round and curled back up on the seat.
Amber reached over and patted the mound of fur before turning her attention back to the afternoon traffic.
“Never mind her,” she said. “Maggie wouldn’t hurt a fly and she’s not much of a people dog. It’ll take her a while to get used to you, but she will.”
As Lauren breathlessly watched her cousin dodge traffic and tear around corners, she realized that one thing had definitely not changed. Amber still drove like a teenager on a joy ride. She didn’t relax her grip on the edge of the seat until they’d screeched to a halt in front of what appeared to be an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city.
“We’re going to be staying here for a couple of days until Carson gets back from his run. That’ll give us some time to get you outfitted for winter and order up some supplies,” Amber said as she jumped out of the truck. “Then he’ll fly us up to the homestead so we can get acclimated before the Dorman’s head off to Greenland. They plan to teach us everything we need to know in the next few weeks before they leave. I sure hope you’re ready for this.”
This last part she said with a dubious look at Lauren’s high heels and fancy skirt. “I do hope you’ve brought some jeans…”
Lauren laughed at the look on her cousin’ face and that broke some of the tension. It was clear they had some catching up to do and she was looking forward to it. Giving her cousin a quick hug, she shook off her jet lag and took a deep breath of the cleanest air she’d ever breathed. The mountains seemed close enough to touch and the wilderness seemed to press in along the edges of the airfield that ran next to the building. She half expected a moose or a bear to step out of the trees and wave hello. She was in Alaska!
Chapter 4
The next couple of days were a flurry of shopping and packing as Amber explained that her job with Carson involved scheduling his flights and deliveries for several remote homesteads on his route. She explained how she and Carson were often the only link these people had with the outside world during the long, dark winter months. They handled everything from food deliveries to transporting someone with a medical emergency including women about to give birth. Amber had plenty of stories to fill in the moments where the years between them left the two women wondering if they were doing the right thing.
It was through her job here that this opportunity came for her and Lauren. One of Carson’s clients needed someone to ‘house-sit’ for their very remote homestead. The couple that owned the homestead were going to spend a year in Greenland to continue their genetic study of the caribou’s DNA pools and compare their findings with their research here in Alaska.
Carson wasn’t too happy about losing his personal secretary/receptionist/general manager, but he was resigned to her need for a change. Amber didn’t explain any more than that and Lauren sensed it was better not to ask.
***
As they drove to Wasilla on yet another shopping expedition, Lauren marveled at the juxtaposition of wilderness with stores and strip malls. Moose and bear walked the streets of these cities as freely as any stray dog in Boston. Wiping the sweat from the back of her neck, Lauren commented on how hot it was for Alaska. Amber laughed and said that anytime you didn’t like the weather, just wait a little while. It would change and not always for the better.
Suddenly she jammed on the brakes and swung into the parking lot of a little strip mall. Lauren studied the shops looking for a clue to her cousin’s sudden move, but didn’t see what had caught her eye. Pulling up next to a panel van with a hand-lettered sign, Amber threw the truck into park and jumped out.
“Come on! We’ve got to get you a pair of bunny boots,” she said as she disappeared around the corner of the truck.
Sure enough, the sign on the truck said, “BUNNY BOOTS”, and Lauren could only wonder why she needed new boots. She made it to the back of the van just as the back door slid up and her cousin shoved a bulbous pair of hideous white boots at her.
“Try them on,” she ordered Lauren. “Make sure you’ve got plenty of toe-wiggle room for a pair of wool socks.”
Lauren nearly staggered at the size and the weight of the boots her cousin handed her and wondered how she was even going to be able to walk in these monstrosities.
“Are you kidding,” she asked. “What are the purpose of these?”
“
These
will keep your little tootsies toasty warm at 50 below and
then
, you will thank me for making you buy them,” Amber retorted with a grin.
Lauren groaned at the thought of even considering going outside at 50 below, but figured this was one area that she’d best leave to her cousin’s expertise. Shoving her feet into the boots, she wondered just what kind of outfit would be complemented by a pair of bunny boots. They sure wouldn’t look good with any of her skirts. She had to giggle at the mental picture that came with that idea.
The bored ‘bunny boots’ vendor took her $100 bill with barely a glance and closed the back of the van before disappearing around the corner. Lauren heaved her latest purchase into the back of the pickup with a sigh. Money was flying out of her wallet a lot faster than she’d expected or planned. She hoped that she wouldn’t find herself sitting outside a shopping mall with a sign asking for donations to get home when all this was over.
The two women finished their shopping and headed back to their warehouse accommodations. Carson was flying in the next morning with Amber’s replacement and within the next couple of days, they’d be heading out into the wilderness to begin their training program. Amber hadn’t shared too many details of what kind of training they were going to need and Lauren was afraid to ask.
***
The next morning, Lauren was the first one up and she quickly made a pot of coffee before stepping outside to see what kind of day had arrived. She was surprised and delighted to find a mama moose with a cute little calf standing near the pick-up. She pulled out her cell phone hoping to snap a close-up to send to her grandmother.
]The moose eyed her warily, but didn’t seem to mind her presence. She took a couple of steps closer hoping to capture the baby’s cute face. She failed to notice the mama’s ears falling back and the look in her eye.
Suddenly, a strong arm came around her waist and jerked her backwards towards the door. At the same time, the mama moose lunged towards her with definite intent. Lauren gasped as she was pulled back into the building and the door was slammed shut. The thud of both hooves against the side of the door literally shook the building. Lauren was stunned by force of the blow and struggled to catch her breath and her composure.
Turning to face her rescuer, she found herself looking up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen close up. The anger and confusion mixed with concern on the handsome face was almost funny under the sleep-mussed blond hair, and Lauren didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry in that moment.
Carson was more upset with her stupidity than he was concerned, but he tempered his response with a sudden awareness of her soft brown eyes and silky red hair framing her face. His body still felt the warmth of hers against him as he’d pulled her inside. He swallowed hard to clear his thoughts before he spoke.
“Do you have any idea of what you were doing out there,” he asked through clenched teeth. “Never! Never approach a wild animal with their young. A mother moose can stomp you clear to China if you make her mad enough.”
“I didn’t realize…I just wanted a picture of the baby….it was so cute,” Lauren faltered.
“What happened,” Amber asked as she came around the corner with a cup of coffee in her hand.
“Your ‘cheechako’ cousin here just tried to get a close-up of a
cute
little baby moose,” Carson answered. “Didn’t you bother to explain anything to her about the local wildlife?”
Amber managed to look annoyed and concerned at the same time as she reached out to pull Lauren away from Carson’s sarcasm.
“There hasn’t been any time for that as we’ve been running around trying to take care of your business,” she retorted. “Come on, Cuz. Let’s get you a fresh cup of coffee. You look like you need another cup, and its excellent coffee.”
Lauren realized in that moment her first cup of coffee was soaking the leg of her jeans as she followed Amber. She had no idea where her cup or her phone had ended up. Maybe the moose had stomped them to China in revenge for her escape. Somehow, she managed to keep her composure as she went to the little bedroom to change her jeans. Her thoughts kept slipping back to blue eyes and tousled blond hair.
Chapter 5
Amber was kept busy for the next two days trying to train her replacement on a million little details that existed only in her head. She’d been running Carson’s operation for something like five years and documentation was the last thing that got any attention. It was a ‘fly by the seat of the pants’ set-up that only worked because the need was far greater than the inept way that Carson ran his business.
Lauren was left with little to do so she busied herself with sorting through her wardrobe and taking inventory of her cosmetics and personal toiletries. There wasn’t going to be any shopping for such things once they left the city and she wasn’t sure what she really needed out in the wilderness. It wasn’t like she’d be dressing for work, business dinners or dates. She quickly realized that most of her clothes would be of little use on the homestead and packed up almost all of her dresses and skirts to lighten her load. Amber assured her that she could safely store whatever she didn’t need here at Carson’s warehouse. There was plenty of unused space available.
She’d recovered her cell phone which the moose had fortunately ignored in her haste to get her baby away from the mishap created by Lauren’s ignorance. The pictures actually turned out great and her grandmother and her parents enjoyed her e-mails outlining her little misadventure. She managed to gloss over most of the details of her ‘rescue’ by her cousin’s handsome boss.
Carson was away much of the time on business matters, but his anger had faded that same day he’d rescued her, and he was quite charming towards her when he was around. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was a definite tension in the air between Amber and him. She suspected there was a story, but no one was talking. There wasn’t a water cooler either. If she hadn’t sworn off men, Carson might have held a little more interest to her….if.
***
Finally, the day arrived for the two women to travel north to their final destination. Amber explained how the area they were going to didn’t have any road access. The only way in or out was by plane or dogsled.
The homestead was located between two major wildlife refuges on the migratory path of the caribou. It was the last stop on Carson’s north run before he’d head back south to Anchorage. He only made this trip once per month and that was weather permitting. She also mentioned, with a sly look at her cousin, that Carson usually stayed overnight on his runs before heading back south.
In addition to their own research, the Dorman’s provided a way station with food and housing for anyone passing through the area, so the occasional visitors were to be expected. There were geologists that monitored the volcanic activity and forestry teams passing through and stopping by every now and then. They also had a couple of neighbors they traded with for supplies and relied on in times of trouble. The station was off-the-grid and self-sufficient, most of the time. Amber assured Lauren it wouldn’t be a boring winter for either of them.
Lauren listened to everything her cousin said with an air of trepidation. Her encounter with the moose had made her painfully aware of her ignorance of wilderness life. She dreaded the thought of coming face to face with a bear or a wolf.
The long, cold darkness of winter also loomed large in her mind and she was starting to wonder what she’d gotten herself into by coming to Alaska. She was a city girl, ‘a cheechako’, the Alaskan term for someone ignorant about life on the tundra. It wasn’t like she could read a book or study a manual to prepare for what lay ahead.
She decided that her last action before leaving Anchorage was to indulge in a nice long chat with her grandmother. She hoped it would give her some confidence to face what lay ahead.