Wilderness Challenge - Chapter 21

Chapter 21

         Candi was in her garden, weeding and picking the last of her vegetables for the noon meal.  She had been down by the river earlier after her morning swim, and had caught several fish, which she would also add to it.  Bart Hampstadt would arrive soon to pick up her assignment and bring another.

         It was during those moments of complete solitude that she reflected back on the past month.  Logan stopped by daily to check on her progress.  He never stayed longer than a half hour, long enough to accept a cup of coffee.  Candi hadn’t told him any more about her childhood, and she wondered if he wanted to know.

         She looked up when she heard the sound of a helicopter.  She watched as it came in view and head over to the station.  She wondered who was visiting.  Perhaps it was Sandra and Stan’s kids.  She said they came by occasionally.

         After she took care of the vegetables, Candi made her way to the cow shed, and made sure the cow had enough feed.  She was out grazing at the moment.  Lightning Storm stood there though.  She had been skittish since the hunt, and Candi decided to allow her to have her own head.  She always left the door open to the shed in case she wanted to go out.

         Her chickens arrived a couple days after she returned from the station.  Candi was grateful for the eggs once again.  She was very happy everything was back to normal.

         Logan had been right.  As the wounds healed, she looked at the scars as a badge of honor.  She was able to hunt and fish along with the best of them, and like the best of them, she had her own scars and stories to tell.

         She was back in the cabin putting the finishing touches on lunch when she heard the drone of the plane about to land on the river.  She hurried out the door and down to the river as the plane taxied to a stop.

         “Hi Bart.”

         “Hi.  How have you been?  No more accidents to tell about I hope.”  He embraced her around the shoulders and winced from the simple action.

         They walked together up to the cabin.  “None I care to talk about.  I’ve cooked us up some fish to go along with some vegetables from my garden."

         “Where’s Rascal?”

         “He’s off doing his own hunting.  He’ll show up when he’s hungry or wants attention.  No doubt he’s heard the plane and will be here to investigate soon enough.”

         The table had been set for two, with a vase of wildflowers in the center.  “Very nice.  It’s hard to believe you’re living very primitively out here.”

         “Thanks, I do my best.”

         “Now honestly, how have you been?”

         “I’ll have my tall stories to tell, when and if I ever go home.”

         “What kind of stories?  Or don’t I want to know?  By the way I have your mail.  I stopped by your folks, and they also sent along a letter, as well as one from the office, from a Marsha Wilson.”

         Candi took the mail from him, and located the one from Marsha, and opened it.  ‘Dear Candi, I’m so happy.  I wanted you to be the first to know.  At least I’m writing to you as soon as it happened, by the time you get this everyone will know.  Anyway, I’m engaged.  Paul Mitchell from church has asked me to marry him.  He’s so sweet and wonderful.  I just want to thank you again, and ask if you’d come back to civilization long enough to be my bridesmaid of honor.  I’d really love it if you would.  We’re getting married at the end of next month.  That should give you enough time to get this and let me know if you can make it.  You’ll need to be here long enough to go through all the dress fittings, and everything.  Which I guess means you’ll be in the office while you’re here.  What do you say?  I can’t wait to see you and talk to you.  God bless you and I hope you’re doing well and are safe.  Your best friend, Marsha.’

         Candi checked the date of the letter.  “She’s getting married in two weeks.  She wants me to be her bridesmaid of honor.  That means I’ll be coming home for a short time.  I’ll have to ask the rangers to take care of the place while I'm gone.”

         “You’ll actually come back to civilization?”

         “Just for a week or so.  I’ll need to do some dress fittings, and there’ll be the wedding rehearsal.  I’ll be coming back right after the ceremony.”

         “When do you want me to come back for you?”

         Candi thought about what it would take to get ready for a wedding in so short a time.  “I’ll have to leave with you when you leave today.  There’s no time to make any plans.  I’ll have to make arrangements on the go.  Talk about short notice.”  She knew Logan would be working at the moment.  She had to let the station know she wouldn’t be here for the next couple weeks and to take care of the animals while she was gone.

         Candi went over to the transmitter.  “CM Alpha One to RS Tango Five.  Logan come in.  Over.”

         “RS Tango Five to CM Alpha One.  What can I help you with?”

         “Logan, I’m leaving today.  I need some help with the animals.”

         “What do you mean you’re leaving today?”

         “Can you come over?  I know you have duty, but I’ll be gone in a couple hours.”

         “I’m on my way.  RS Tango Five signing off.”

         “What do you think it means?”  Stan looked up when Logan entered the station office.

         “I don’t know.  She didn’t sound upset, or worried.  I’ll be back shortly.  I’m taking the helicopter.  If she’s leaving in a couple hours, there’s no time to ride over.”

         Moments later Candi heard the helicopter as it headed for the cabin.  “He’s here.  Now how about lunch?  I just have to cook the fish, the rest is ready.”

         “Sounds great.  You’re not reading the letter from your parent’s?”

         “That can wait.  Right now I have lunch to fix then I have to get ready to leave.  I’ll read it later.”

         The helicopter landed and Candi went out to meet Logan.  “I’m glad you’re here.  I need you to take care of Rascal and the other animals.”

         “You’ll be back then?”

         “Of course.  What did you think?”

         His lips descended on her own in the most passionate kiss he had given her yet.  “I thought you were leaving.”

         Candi looked up at him, her own passion evident in her eyes.  “My best friend is getting married.  She’s asked me to be her maid of honor.  It’s short notice.  I’ll be gone for two weeks.  I need your help.”

         “You’ve got it.”

         “Would you like to join Bart and me for lunch?”

         “I would be honored.”  He followed her into the cabin, where Bart waited discreetly for them.  Logan went over to Bart.  “Bart, a pleasure.”

         “It’s good to see you again.  I’m glad she has a friend here.  It looks like this project in loneliness failed after all.”

         “I don’t think so.  I haven’t been lonely, but--”  Candi looked up at Logan and knew that despite the fact she had done everything herself, she hadn’t had a day alone since she had returned to the cabin.  “I’ve been too busy to be lonely.”

         “I can see that.”

         Candi spent the next half hour getting their lunch ready.  “So what did you bring me that I will be working on back at the office?”

         “New author.  Mr. Mills wants your opinion.  He’s already had several, and so far he’s not satisfied with what he’s heard.  He wants your opinion on this one.”

         “I’ll take a look at it, and have an answer for him tomorrow.”  She fixed the fish over a broiler she had rigged herself.

         “Handy.”

         “There are just some things that taste better broiled.  Fish is one of them.”  She paid attention to the fish, and served them on plates as soon as they were ready.

         Rascal scratched at the door to come in at that moment.  “See, I told you he’d be back in time for lunch.”  Rascal bounded over to the newcomers, for a scratch behind the ears, and a pet.

         Bart looked him over.  “Looks like he’s been in a tussle, you too, if I don’t miss my guess.  I didn’t miss that wince earlier when I hugged you around the shoulders.”

         “I was afraid he was going to die.  He got involved with some coyotes.”

         “What about you?  I suppose you went after them?”

         “As a matter of fact I did.  They’re taken care of.”

         Bart took a bite of the fish.  “This is very good.”

         “Thank you.”

         “So how long did it take you to heal up after your own tussle?”

         Candi looked up at him in surprise.  “I. Three weeks.”

         “How bad were you hurt?”

         “I’ve got my scars.  Doctor Carmichael here calls them badges of honor he’s the one who fixed up Rascal.”

         “And you too, no doubt.”  He turned to look at Logan, who had been very quiet as he listened to the two of them.  “You had better not hurt her in any way.”

         “I have no intention.”

         She looked up at Bart to find him studying her.  “You know I get the feeling that you care about me in a fatherly sort of way.”

         “Is that so surprising?  I worry about you out here all alone, with only the ranger station and Rascal to keep you company.”

         She looked into his face and saw the truth of it mirrored there.  “I’ve never had anybody worry about me before.”

         “I lost my wife about ten years ago.  We were never able to have any children.  I feel like you’re the daughter we never had.  I find myself praying for your safety every night before I go to bed.  And every time I come out here, I see that much more confidence in you.  I’m very proud of what you’ve achieved on your own, but you have to start trusting someone sometime.”

         “I’ve been telling her that since she got here,” Logan said.

         They finished eating and went out on the porch together.  “I have to get back to the station.  Don’t worry about anything.  I’ll be here twice a day to take care of your cows and the chickens.”

         “I really appreciate it.”  She watched him leave with Rascal.  The helicopter was a speck in the distance when she turned back to Bart.  “I’m starting to trust Logan.”

         “How much?”

         She was quiet for quite a while, while she contemplated the question he had asked.  “I guess a lot more than I’ve trusted anyone before now.”

         “That is a step in the right direction.  Tell me about him?”

         She thought back to the day he had brought her back to the cabin.  He had kissed her and told her he cared about her a great deal also.  Since then, he had come by to make sure she hadn’t done anything before she was ready to tackle it.  He had done some simple things around the cabin, which she was unable to do herself, until just that day.  He had finally given her the go ahead to pursue all her previous activities. 

         “He’s a very caring and understanding person.  I guess that’s what makes him an excellent doctor: his great bedside manner.”

         “But it wasn’t ‘Doctor Carmichael’ you called him just now.  How do you feel about him personally?”

         “I miss him when he’s not here.”

         “So, you are lonely.”

         “I find myself wondering what he’s doing.  I wonder if he’s happy, and I find myself dreaming.”

         Bart looked into her green eyes.  “You love him.”

         “Yes.”

         “It’s good you finally found someone you can trust.  Show me what you’ve done since the last time I was here.  Mr. Mills is as interested as I am.  He was amazed at the improvements you’ve made.  It’s all he talked about for days after we left.  He told me gave you permission to make any necessary improvements, but even he wasn’t expecting what he saw.”

         “I’ve got more chickens.”  She gave him a guided tour of the home site, and showed him the new addition.  She was able to store the milk right in the river and raise it up with a simple pulley device.  “I’ve built a storage house for the milk and eggs, so they won’t spoil.”

         She had constructed the new hut on a dock over the water.  Inside was an open hole in the floor.  She operated the simple device and up came a wooden box open at the top to allow her to extract the milk stored there in sealed containers.  With the temperature of the river, the inside of the hut felt like she had her own refrigerator.

         “You did this yourself?”

         “I have to admit, Logan helped me with it.  It was his idea.”

         “You accepted his help willingly?”

         "Well, not at first, but I had to eventually.  What I constructed to cure the meat didn’t work like I expected, and I needed to store milk and other things that needed refrigeration.  Together we came up with this.  I had no idea how to make this work until he showed me the pulley device.  As you can see it works great.”

         “You’re growing.  You’ve done a good job of it here.”

         “Thanks.”

         They went back to the cabin where she packed a suitcase for the trip.  Bart took it from her and they were soon on their way.  She didn’t expect to be as nervous about going back as she was.  Her stomach felt tied in a knot.

         Bart watched as she looked at the cabin that had been her home for the past four months.  “Relax.  Everything will be fine.  You’ll see.”

         For Candi it was hard to believe it was September.  The trees were beginning to change color, and get ready for the cold winter months ahead.

********

         Logan watched from the tower as she climbed aboard the plane.  He had contacted Mr. Mills to let him know Candi would arrive with Bart in a few hours.

         “She’s on her way,” Stan said.

         “Yes.”

         “Your folks seem real nice.”

         “Yes, they are nice.  They’re proud of me and the work I do out here.  It’s so different from the other visit.”

         “Tell me.  What are your feelings about Miss Martin?”

         “She’s a great person.  She’s a quick learner.  She has a surprisingly strong faith in God.”

         “I didn’t ask for a résumé about her character.  I asked how you felt about her.”

         “As soon as the time is right, I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

         “In the meantime?”

         “In the meantime, I want her to know what she’s fully capable of.  I want her to know who she is.”

         “Does she know how you feel about her?”

         “She knows I care about her.  She’s starting to trust me.”

         “Is your dad going to perform the ceremony?”

         “I’m going to ask him.  I’ve already told them a little bit about her.  They want to meet her.”