Denali Dreams (3 page)

“Hey there, what can I get for you on this gorgeous day?” The woman’s long black hair shone.

“Well, I’m new in town. I’d love something new and different.” Karon hopped up onto a stool at the counter and ran her fingers through her hair. The natural beauty of the woman in front of her caused her to feel frumpy and out of place.

“New to Talkeetna, or new to Alaska?” The woman’s genuine smile calmed Karon’s uneasiness.

“Both.” Her excitement surged again. Karon felt like a kid in a candy shop.

The lady’s eyes sparkled. She wiped a hand on her apron and held it out to Karon. “I’m Deline; my dad owns the café. Welcome to Alaska. It’s the greatest place on earth.”

A smile lifted Karon’s cheeks. “Nice to meet you. I’m Karon. And I’m beginning to think the same thing.”

“Good.” Deline winked. “‘Cause it is.” She placed a menu in front of Karon. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

Deline plopped a cup in front of her and filled it. “Have you ever had reindeer sausage?”

Karon stirred in sugar and cream. “You know, I saw it on the menu in Anchorage, but hadn’t worked up the courage yet.” The coffee slid down smooth and robust.

“You’ve got to try it. My dad makes the best. Although it’s a little spicy—you okay with that?”

Karon laughed hard. “I’m Cajun—from south Louisiana—I don’t think it will be a problem.”

Deline patted her hand. “I knew I liked you.” She pulled a pencil out from behind her ear. “You want eggs and sourdough pancakes with that?”

“Ooo, that sounds amazing. I’ve never had sourdough pancakes before. By the way, this coffee’s amazing.” The half-empty cup testified for her.

“In my opinion, it’s the only way to eat pancakes, and my dad’s sourdough starter is forty years old.”

In the middle of a swallow, Karon choked out, “What? I’m not sure I want to eat anything forty years old.”

Deline just smiled. “Oh yes. You do. I promise. Now, do you want fireweed honey, fireweed jelly, salmonberry jelly, salmonberry syrup, blueberry syrup, or blueberry jelly with that?”

“Um … surprise me. Whatever you think goes best with the forty-year-old pancakes.”

The waitress laughed hard at that one. She shook her head. “Eggs?”

“Not this time. But I’d love some sausage and a refill on this coffee.”

“You got it.” Deline turned and yelled through the window behind her, “Order of hots and links!” She turned back to the counter and sat a carafe in front of her. “Help yourself to as much as you want. So, what brings you all the way from the bayou to igloo country?”

Karon’s insides flip-flopped. She hadn’t said it out loud yet to anyone here. “I’m here to climb Denali with my brother.”

Deline’s face registered a bit of shock. “Wow. I’m impressed. Have you done much climbing?”

Karon giggled. “Only in the last twelve months to prepare for this trip.”

“Whoa. That’s intense. Are you ready?”

“I’m ready for anything.”

The doubt on the waitress’s face said it all. “I’m amazed you even want to try it. You’re so tiny.” A smile accompanied the comment.

But it still felt like a punch in the gut.

“Well, chemo and radiation will do that to a person.” The words were out before she could stop them. She closed her eyes. How could she allow herself to admit that to a stranger?

Deline’s face turned serious. She leaned over the counter and whispered, “Are you telling me you have cancer and want to climb the High One?”

Karon straightened her shoulders. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted that out. I’m a cancer survivor. Emphasis on
survivor.
” She brought her coffee to her lips hoping to dispel the awkwardness of the moment.

A hand came around hers when she set the cup down. The dark eyes looked away, but not before Karon saw the cache of pain.

A moment passed. Then two. Deline focused back on Karon, poked a finger in her face. “You climb that mountain. And you’ll summit. I just know it.”

For the first time in a long time, it’d been her
choice
to tell someone about her cancer. No one blurted it out, or explained her situation in a whisper behind her back. No one told her she didn’t look good, or asked if she wanted to sit down. Deline had looked upon her as an equal. As a healthy person. She didn’t know whether to choke up and cry, or rejoice. And she wasn’t sure she could handle the emotions either way just yet. “You know, I wanted to do some sightseeing first. In fact, since you’re from here, maybe you can direct me to a good flightseeing service. I’d love to see the mountains from the air.”

Imagining herself on top of Denali made her heartbeat race. She would do this. And prove that she wasn’t fragile like a piece of china. No longer would she face life with timidity. She’d take the proverbial bull by the horns and tackle it. One day at a time.

“You’re in luck. I just happen to be a pilot with a flightseeing operation. This season has been pretty crazy, but since this is normally my day off from flying and I like you, I’m pretty sure I can fit you in.” Another wink. “You wanna go today?”

“Seriously?” Karon jumped off her stool. “That would be amazing! I can’t believe you have time to do this.” She swallowed her emotions. “Thank you.”

“It
will
be amazing—that I can promise.” Deline untied her apron. “Let me get your food, and then I’ll prep the Otter—that’s my plane—while you enjoy.” She pulled a card out of her jeans pocket. “Here’s my cell. Just call me when you’re done.”

“You mean, we can go now?”

“Shhh, don’t want all the other tourists to hear. Yes, we’ll go this morning, but you’ve got to eat first. Don’t want you getting sick up there. I’ll even let you sit in the copilot’s seat.”

Karon caught Deline’s arm before she could race out the door. “Why are you doing this?”

Deline straightened and smiled before looking away. “Because you’re living your life.”

Zack watched from his truck as the petite brunette left the café. Her aviator sunglasses hid her eyes, but the smile couldn’t be mistaken.

Jeans, a T-shirt, and a fleece vest were her wardrobe. Just like him, she looked like she enjoyed being comfortable. Her tiny feet caught his attention. He’d never seen a pair of hiking boots so small. Maybe she shopped in the children’s department.

As she strolled down the street with her arms swinging by her sides, he watched. Something about her struck him deep inside.

A knock on the passenger window jolted him. Kyle, a fellow mountaineering ranger, stood with hands on his hips, grinning like the Cheshire cat. “You gonna unlock the door?” he shouted. “Or should I wait until she’s out of sight?”

Zack allowed a laugh and hit the
Unlock
button. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, uh-huh. I watched you.” Kyle climbed into the Dodge 2500. “So … who is she?”

Zack shifted into
Drive.
“I have no idea.”

“Gonna meet her?”

“Nope.”

“Right.” Kyle drew out the word.

“Come on, man. You know I don’t introduce myself to women. Don’t have time.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got enough time to try and kill yourself every chance you get.”

Zack shook his head and drove toward the station. Was that what everyone thought? “I am not out to kill myself.”

“Fair enough, but you never seem satisfied. You’re always after the next great adrenaline rush. Like you just want to be as careless as you can.”

Ouch. Maybe it was true. But he didn’t know everyone thought that. Couldn’t he just be labeled an
adventurer
? The alternative sounded … pathetic. “Hey, it’s who I am.” He shrugged, trying to get Kyle’s words to roll off his back.

“Zack, you know that’s not true. As a ranger and a pilot—you’re top-notch. But your
adventures
, as you call them, are not who you are. You’re trying to fill a hole that can’t be filled with all the adrenaline in the world.”

Kyle was a good guy and he meant well, but Zack didn’t think anything could fix him. Especially his friend’s preaching. The beautiful brunette came back to mind. He wished
she
could heal his heart.

But no. He’d be trying to fill that void till he died.

T
he ranger station stood in front of her. A relatively small building with its wood beams and front porch, the adventure it held beckoned to the deepest places in her heart. Stepping inside, Karon took in the rustic atmosphere. The huge close-up shots of the mountains she’d just flown over, the bear track samples, and the front desk.

Behind the desk was the climbing board. Posted were the stats: mountains, climbers for the season, how many were on each mountain at the time, and the one that mattered most—how many had summitted.

Karon wanted to add one more to that last number. She
would
summit. They’d planned a private, twenty-eight-day expedition to allow for weather conditions and acclimatization. This wish would come true. It just had to. Even though Clint insisted on paying for them both and their private guide, this was
her
dream.

An adorable woman with a name tag that read
Missy
came to the desk.

Karon smiled. She’d been waiting to meet the ranger friend for over a year. The familiar, high-pitched voice she knew from their many phone calls was a balm. “Welcome to the Talkeetna Ranger Station. How can I help you?”

“Missy! I’m Karon Granger from Louisiana.” The woman’s face lit up in a smile and Karon reached over to hug the woman. “I’m so excited to meet you finally.”

“Same here. I didn’t expect you for a few days.”

“I decided to have some fun by myself before my brother came up for the climb.” She rolled her eyes. “You know men. Anyway, I need to properly thank you. You have been a lifesaver.”

Missy just laughed. “You don’t have to thank me, Karon, you already—”

“Nope, don’t even go there. You answered every one of my calls, helped me with all my questions—good grief—you totally made this a reality for me.” Her emotions got the best of her and tears sprang to her eyes. Karon hugged her new friend again. “All these months, you’ve listened and been there.”

Missy leaned close. “Well, you’ve worked hard for this. I’m happy to help out. And don’t worry—only the personnel scheduled to be at Base Camp and High Camp during your climb will know any details.”

“Thanks. It’s nice to just be Karon and move forward from here.”

Missy smiled. “I don’t want to overstep my bounds, but I did talk with our head mountaineering ranger about your situation. Follow me. I want to show you something.” She led Karon into the great room. “You see all these?”

Flags covered the walls. “Wow. Are these all expeditions?”

“Yep. They represent summits and safe climbs. And look over here.” The ranger paused. “These are people with prostheses.” She pointed to another set. “Cancer survivors … people like you.” Missy turned and captured Karon’s eyes. “They’re all proud of what they’ve overcome. Proud of their accomplishments. Proud of the strength it took to do what you’re about to do.”

Shame filled her gut. And here she’d been hiding. Afraid to tell the truth. Afraid someone else would try to convince her not to go. Afraid of being seen as less of a person. Her eyes roamed the flags, reading each one. She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “So, you’re saying you think I should be bold about it. Not scared of sharing it.”

Missy squeezed her arm. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, Karon, but I think after all the conversations we’ve had, and meeting you in person, you should know that what you’re doing is something to be proud of, not something to hide.”

Karon’s insides tumbled. Wow, she was nervous. She’d always thought climbing Denali would prove to people that she was okay. But what did she really have to prove? Hadn’t the doctors cleared her? Hadn’t she survived? Wasn’t she living her life already?

One burning question remained. Why did she care so much about what other people thought? As the reality of her own inner struggle settled in her gut, Karon found a chair and sat.

Had she really turned into a people pleaser?

Missy smiled. “I’m going to give you a few moments alone. I’ve got a list a mile long. But I’ll be back.”

Voices argued inside Karon’s head. All this time. Had she been fighting herself? Holding herself back? Was that why people coddled her? Because they knew she didn’t believe in herself?

Blaming other people had been the easy way out. The way she’d coped. But the truth shone a bright light on all the fog-covered thoughts and ideas swarming in her mind.

The only one holding her back was
her.
Resolve shot through her veins. She would stop hiding behind her lame excuses. If she wanted to live life, she needed to live it. She
was
a cancer survivor. No shame in that.

Her faith had taken a huge blow with the cancer diagnosis three years ago, but thankfully, God never gave up on her. And through it all, she’d grown closer to Him. But her confidence had been shattered as she watched people she cared about retreat from her life. The roller coaster of emotions it created hadn’t been a fun ride. Self-doubt battled with her confidence of who she was in Christ.