“And you’d be right.” She grinned at him. “Let those guys do it.”

  He chuckled and walked away.

  She stopped at a fast food restaurant on the way home and sat outside with a decaf coffee, trying to calm her racing pulse. She hadn’t experienced an adrenalin rush like that since she did her obligatory training in the ER. Back then, she’d thrived on it, but now she simply felt drained. When she got the second mosquito bite she stood, tossed her coffee cup into the trash bin and drove back to the winery.

  Faith was sitting up watching television when she got back to the cabin. She muted the sound and looked up expectantly. “How did it go?” she asked.

  Laura sat down, suddenly tired. “He’ll be all right, I think.” She could see the fear in her roommate’s eyes and gave her what she hoped was a comforting smile. “There are some amazing clot-busting drugs now, and if a stroke victim is seen within the first three to four and a half hours, they often recover fully.”

  The tension drained out of Faith’s shoulders. “So he got there in plenty of time, right?”

  “Yeah.” Laura lay down. “When I was talking to the doctor it was forty seven minutes since the stroke happened, so chances are good.” She had a sudden flashback to the scene in the restaurant and sat up abruptly. “I forgot all about the restaurant. I didn’t do the clean-up in there.”

  “Not to worry.” Faith brightened. “Jason and I were taking a walk in the vineyard when we heard the ambulance. By the time we got back, you’d driven off. I did the cleanup with Jason and the two wait staff who were setting up tables for the morning. So that’s all cool. Matt and Candy came home just as we were finishing up and we filled them in on everything that happened.”

  “That’s a relief.” Laura glanced at her hiking boots which she’d set out by her locker earlier in the day. For a moment she thought she’d have to forego her hike. “Thank you for doing that.”

  “Are you kidding? You’re a real hero. Everybody’s talking about it.”

  “Everybody?” Laura gave her a sharp look.

  Faith knew what she was asking. “Well, everybody except Bradley.” She paused. “He was there when this whole thing was going down, wasn’t he?”

  Laura nodded. “Yes, he was very helpful.”

  “Huh. Well, he managed to disappear.” Faith turned off the television and pulled up the blanket. “You have the day off tomorrow, right?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Well, I’m getting up early to do inventory of housekeeping supplies, so I’ll be quiet.” She rolled over. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Faith.”

  * * *

  Laura set her internal alarm clock for five a.m. It was a skill she had mastered years ago and it sometimes puzzled her that others needed an alarm clock to wake up. Faith snored softly while she got dressed, then pulled her backpack from the closet. She’d already packed it with three bottles of water, a muffin, two pieces of fruit and a can of bear spray, just in case.

  She closed the cabin door behind her and stood for a moment, admiring the geometric patterns created by the rows of vines. It would be an hour before the sun crested the eastern hills, and by that time she planned to be half way to her destination.

  * * *

  Bradley entered the staff room shortly after six, surprised to see Faith and Jason already there. After last night’s excitement, he’d walked up to his lookout point, not wanting to be part of the inevitable discussion that would follow. It was hard enough to be in a ‘conversation’ with one person, let alone a whole group.

  He’d sat there a long time as the light faded, replaying every second of his encounter with Laura before the emergency out on the restaurant patio. When he closed his eyes he could see her face, luminous with a slight sheen of perspiration and framed by curls that had escaped from the confines of the bun on the top of her head. But it was the look in her eyes that made his heart thud every time he thought about it. There was no doubt that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The idea frightened and excited him at the same time.

  While he was sitting above the vineyard, he’d seen her come back and enter her cabin. Even from that distance, he could tell by the way she walked that the earlier events had taken a lot out of her. If she hadn’t looked so exhausted he might have gone down and talked to her about her remarkable poise in handling the stroke victim. But that could wait until morning.

  He left his lookout and walked back down, thankful that he’d remembered to bring a flashlight. In spite of the fact that thoughts of Laura filled his mind, he managed a few hours of solid sleep between two a.m. and six.

  “Hi Bradley.” He didn’t know why Jason had decided to call him by his name, instead of “Old Man’ but he didn’t question the change. “That was quite a scene last night, huh?” Jason waved a piece of toast as he spoke and Bradley smiled. Some things never change.

  He grabbed a coffee and sat down with them.

  “So you were there when the guy almost croaked?” Jason was almost vibrating with excitement. “What was it like?”

  Bradley typed one word. Gruesome.

  Jason’s gaze darted to Faith and then back. “Faith says Laura told her there’s a good chance he’ll make a full recovery.”

  Faith nodded. “I wish I’d been there to see her in action. Jason and I talked to the two waiters while we were helping to clean up, and they said Laura was amazing.”

  Bradley nodded. She was, he typed.

  “That guy’s so lucky there was a nurse on hand.”

  Bradley wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. She’s a nurse? he typed.

  “Oh, yeah.” Faith frowned. “She doesn’t talk a lot about it, but she was a paediatric nurse in Vancouver.”

  The pieces were starting to fall into place. Bradley looked around. Where is she? His BlackBerry was getting quite a workout.

  Faith’s brow furrowed. “That’s what’s so weird. She has the day off today but when I got up at five thirty she was already gone.”

  Bradley absorbed this information. He typed one word, showed it to Faith. Where?

  She gave him a knowing look. “Sorry, but I don’t know.”

  The door opened and they all turned. Candy stood in the doorway, backlit by the sun. “Oh. I was hoping to find Laura.”

  Faith spoke up. “We were just talking about her. I thought she’d be sleeping in on her day off but she was gone by the time I woke up.”

  “Oh.” Candy looked around, as though she might find Laura hiding under one of the tables. “Her car is still here.”

  “Sorry.” There was an uncomfortable silence while Candy stood in the doorway. Faith finally spoke. “Is there a problem?”

  “No.” Candy seemed flustered. “Well, yes. Two of the wait staff just called in and we’re already booked solid for dinner tonight. I was going to ask her if she would bus tables.” She looked at Faith. “I know you’d help if you could, but the way you’ve been servicing the rooms during that time has worked out so well...” Her voice trailed off.

  “I could start early and come over as soon as I’m finished,” Faith volunteered. “If you think that would help.” She paused. “You said Laura’s car is still here?”

  Candy nodded.

  “I just thought of something. She had her hiking boots out last night, which is unusual.” She gave a little laugh. “She’s so tidy, makes me look like a slob. Anyway, they were gone this morning. I think maybe she’s gone for a hike.”

  “Oh, great.” Candy’s face fell.

  Bradley listened to the exchange with interest. He got up and moved to the computer in the corner of the room. Google Earth had been left up on the computer a few days ago, and now he had an idea who’d been checking it out. Laura had been planning a hike. He called up the history. Sure enough, she’d zeroed in on one particular lake directly east of the vineyard.

  I know where she is, he typed, and showed the message to Candy. He fingered his watch, calculating rapidly. Could have her back in time for dinner, he typed.

  Candy’s relief was palpable. “That would be wonderful,” she said, then turned to Faith. “If you could possibly cover for lunch, Bradley says he knows where she is and could have her back in time for tonight’s dinner rush.”

  Faith gave him a sly look, but said nothing. He felt himself blush, but he was beyond caring.

  “Okay, then.” Faith gathered up all the cups and placed them in the dishwashing tray. “It looks like a busy day ahead. Might as well get started.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Laura hiked steadily for the first half hour. The route she had chosen was still in shade so she decided to take advantage of that fact. Once the sun crested the hill, the temperature would rise precipitously.

  She paused and looked back down. From this vantage point, Raptor Ridge was just one of many vineyards carpeting the valley bottom. It didn’t take a horticulture graduate to see the effect of irrigation on this arid valley. The contrast between the lush green of the vineyards and the dun-coloured hills was readily visible from this height. She had reached the treed area now and she stopped under a Ponderosa pine, brushed the pinecones aside and sat down. The tree scented the still morning air and she breathed in deeply, relishing her newly regained health. She saw the faces of the men from last night, flushed and irresponsible from drink. She shuddered to think what might have happened if she hadn’t been there and they’d continued to treat their friend’s condition as nothing serious. And yet just a few months ago she’d been little better...who was she to judge them now?

  She took a long drink of water and stood up, eager to get on and leave her negative thoughts behind. Setting out again, she recalled the route as she’d mapped it out on the computer. To her right, an old creek bed had scoured the hillside and she planned to stay parallel to it on her climb. It was easy to spot; she reasoned that there must still be some residual moisture there, supporting the growth of deciduous trees. She walked steadily, disturbing grasshoppers and the odd magpie, but little else.

  Head down, she was unaware that she was approaching the huge rock formation she’d spotted on Google Earth. On the computer screen she’d studied it from various angles, and had decided to skirt it on the left. It loomed ahead now, a dark, lichen-covered mass. Beyond it, if she was correct, the climb became fairly simple, with several levelled-off areas. She paused to take another drink and the sun came bursting over the hills, heralding another beautiful day.

  Reinvigorated, she moved ahead. Loose rock lay around the base of the huge obstacle and she kept her distance, mindful that rattlesnakes were in the area they would have sought the warmth of the rocks for the night. She had no fear of snakes, but caution was better than anti-venom any day.

  Her instincts had been right. Once past the rocks, the climb eased considerably. Grateful for the respite, she was aware of the heat of the sun. At this higher altitude the temperatures might be cooler, but it was also possible to get sunburned in no time.

  She climbed over a small rise and gasped with delight. Tucked into a narrow valley, a small lake shimmered like a gem. The far shore was rocky and studded with pines, but the side closest to her sloped gently down from her present position. At water’s edge, erosion had left a narrow sandy beach. Off to the left, sparse reeds grew up from a sandy bottom. As she watched, a spotted sandpiper searched for food along the shore, tail teetering up and down as though it was trying to keep its balance. It looked up, saw her and scurried back the way it had come.

  A few feet to the right of where she had come down the sand was free of reeds and she wondered idly if someone had cleared it for swimming. The water was incredibly clear and no doubt cold, but it was tempting. She wandered down, navigating her way past the few shoulder-high bushes that lined the shore. An old fire pit announced that she wasn’t the only one to have ventured this way, but there was no sign of recent activity.

  “Perfect,” she said aloud. “This is exactly what I was hoping to find.”

  She eased off the backpack and sat down in the shade of one of the bushes. She was hungry now, but there was no rush. She nibbled at the muffin and drank from the half-full bottle. Behind her, somewhere in the trees, a squirrel chattered and she smiled. At least she wasn’t alone.

  What was Bradley doing right now? She looked around as though he might appear; she almost wished he would. But if he did, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to control the desire that had been building ever since the first time she’d laid eyes on him. That had been how long ago? Two weeks? She lay back on the sand, closed her eyes and relived that moment last night when she’d come out of the restroom and almost bumped into him. The look in his eyes had taken her breath away and she groaned softly with frustration, wondering what might have happened if they hadn’t been disturbed. The possibilities were arousing and she sat up, alarmed at the direction of her thoughts. The lake sparkled just a few feet away and she chided herself for not bringing her bikini.

  But did it really matter? There was no one within miles. As she took off her clothes and placed them in a neat pile near the water’s edge her thoughts drifted back to when she and Jenna were fifteen. They’d gone skinny dipping, dashing in and out of the lake in the space of a couple of minutes, feeling wildly daring. Even now she could remember the silky feeling of the water against her bare skin. She pulled out a couple of pins and re-arranged her hair on top of her head. This opportunity was too good to miss and she stepped into the cool water with a sigh. The only thing that could improve this idyllic setting was Bradley, and it was too late to invite him. She set out to swim down beyond the point of land.

  * * *

  Bradley packed a few items into his backpack and set out almost immediately. The sun was well up in the sky by now, but he was well used to working in the heat. He rode the ATV to the base of the mountain and set out on the familiar route to his lookout spot. Once there, he took a swig of water as he eyed the climb ahead. He’d noticed the creek bed on Google Earth and decided that she’d probably use that to keep herself oriented.

  His instincts paid off when he came to the spot where she’d stopped under the tree. Pine cones had been brushed aside, and he could see the indents in the earth where she’d sat with her heels dug in. His pulse rate kicked up a notch and it wasn’t from the effort of the walk. He continued on, watching for signs of her passing. Tracking wasn’t as easy as they made it look on television but he was confident that he was going in the right direction.

  He came up over the last hill and caught a flash of sunlight bouncing off the water below. For a moment he stood there, taking in the beauty of the scene below. Not a breath of air moved in this secluded valley, and the lake lay as still as a mirror, reflecting the trees on the far side. Across the lake, a large dark bird launched out of a dead tree and he recognized an Osprey. He scanned the surrounding forest for a few moments before spotting the nest, a large, sprawling mass of branches and twigs woven into the top branches of a tree. Probably a lightning strike lopped the top off, he told himself. A perfect nest site beside a lake...no doubt full of fish, otherwise the bird wouldn’t have bothered. As he watched it soar overhead it called, and its mate answered with a high-pitched ‘skree’. He shaded his eyes and spotted the mate perched in a tree close to the nest. At that sound, a couple of heads poked out of the nest. He considered Ospreys to be some of the finest fliers in the avian world and this sighting filled him with wonder. Even if I don’t find her, the Ospreys made the trip worthwhile, he told himself as he made his way down the hill.

  Where was she? He took off his back pack, dug out a bottle of water and looked around as he drank. There was no sign of her. How could she not be here? He was positive that this was her destination; Candy would be disappointed if he failed to find her.

  The sun beat down relentlessly and he took off his shirt. There were no cooling breezes in this sheltered valley and he poured the remains of the water over his head, then dug out an old beach towel he’d borrowed from Matt. He dried himself off thoughtfully, wondering where he’d gone wrong.

  Not much I can do about that now, he thought. Might as well go in for a swim and cool off. He removed his shoes and socks while scanning the waterfront and spotted a perfect access point beyond some low bushes on his right. Towel in hand, he wandered in that direction, enjoying the feel of sand between his toes. It was a long time since he’d been on a beach.

  A splashing sound came from his right, beyond a small point of land. It was probably the Osprey, diving for fish. He backed up and stood partly obscured beside a bush, hoping to spot it as it rose into the air with a fish in its talons.

  And then he saw her. She was swimming lazily, obviously enjoying herself. The hair at the base of her neck was damp, but she’d somehow managed to pile the rest up on the top of her head. There was something voyeuristic about watching her this way, without her knowledge, but he couldn’t call out, and the truth was he didn’t know if he even wanted to. Unaware of his presence, she swam closer to shore until her feet touched bottom.

  She stood up and he drew in a sharp breath. Water streamed from her nude body and a desperate groan caught in his throat as she lifted her arms to release her hair. Caught in the sun, her breasts shimmered with moisture, her nipples tight and hard from the cold water. Desire raged through his body like liquid fire, and he was instantly aroused, his erection urgent and painful inside his jeans.

  He couldn’t stop looking at her. Long, lean legs led his gaze upwards to the bush of tawny curls at the apex of her thighs. His hands flexed instinctively and the beach towel dropped to the ground.

  * * *

  Overhead, a large bird soared on the thermals. Laura floated on her back for few moments, watching it aimlessly before she turned to swim back. She hadn’t brought a towel, but in this heat she’d dry off in no time. Her feet touched bottom and she stood up, grateful for the warmth of the sun. She loosened her hair and tossed back her head, letting her hair fall down her back.