Page 94 of Mountain Rescue
As often happened making a movie, everything ran past schedule. It was late when she got home, and she hadn’t had dinner. Her stomach was eating itself. She stuck her head in her refrigerator to see what she had that could be eaten straight out of a carton while she listened to her messages.
One was from her grandmother asking when she could go back to the dude ranch with the hot cowboys. Dallas’s family’s dude ranch. Which made her think of Dallas, and she wasn’t so fond of her grandmother for that. She’d call June later.
The next message was from Jack, asking her to call him when she got a minute. That was unexpected. She only ever had phone calls from his wife, never him. If he hadn’t sounded so casual and added when she got a minute, she would have panicked, thinking something had happened to Nichole. She closed the refrigerator door, more curious as to why he was calling than her growling stomach.
“It’s Rachel,” she said when he answered. “What’s up?”
“Wanted to offer you a job.”
She wasn’t expecting that. “Doing what?”
“You know I’m expanding Operation K-9 Brothers. The new foundation will be called Operation Warriors Center. You saw the cabins and lodge we’re building. The intention is for vets who need our help adjusting to civilian life to have the opportunity to stay for a week or two with their families. Like I told you when you were here, I want to offer them a variety of activities. Things like rock wall climbing, trail hiking, overnight camping, stuff for their kids to do, and whatever else we can think of, and I need someone to head that up. Nichole told me you were getting disillusioned out there in La-La Land, and I think you’d be perfect for what I have in mind.”
She was stunned. Even better than a job she thought she’d love, she could go home. There was just one problem. “It’s really tempting, Jack, but there’s one issue.”
“Dallas?”
“Yeah. Is he coming to work for you? If so, I don’t think—”
“Before you say no, take a few days and think it over. Don’t let a dumb cowboy who can’t get his head out of his ass keep you from something you want. Besides, things usually have a way of working out.”
“Okay, I’ll think about it.” After she finished talking to him, she couldn’t help wondering if he knew something she didn’t. No, if he did, surely he would have said something. His offer did excite her. It would give her tremendous satisfaction to help people while doing things she loved.
She could climb a rock wall like a monkey, and hiking was one of her favorite activities. Ideas were already popping into her head. She could organize Saturday night talent contests, there were all kinds of fun field games kids would love, and... She laughed. Her mind was going a mile a minute. It beat crying over a cowboy, that was for sure.
The cowboy in question was the complication. Could she handle seeing Dallas every day? What if he showed up someday with a girlfriend? That would kill her. She’d probably have big boobies—fake ones, of course—and fat Botox lips. Okay, she was being ridiculous, but she wasn’t feeling charitable toward him at the moment.
Was she willing to turn down a job she really wanted because of him? She’d do as Jack asked and take some time to think about it. In the meantime, her stomach was demanding to be fed.
Dallas’s honorable discharge from the Navy was official. It happened much sooner than he’d planned, but after what he’d gone through, it was time. He’d ended up spending two weeks in Colorado and was now sold on equine therapy. He couldn’t wait to get the program up and running for Operation Warriors Center.
He’d be in Asheville right now if he hadn’t felt the need to spend time with his family. Tomorrow, he was leaving. Since he was taking Lego with him and also wanted his truck in Asheville, he was driving. His father and siblings were supporting his decision, but his mother was not happy.
“Asheville is two thousand and ninety miles from here,” his mother said, coming into the kitchen. “That’s entirely too far away from your family.”
“Google is not your friend, Mom.” It was going to be a helluva drive towing a horse trailer. Not willing to risk leaving Lego unattended, he was planning to spend his nights sleeping in his truck in Walmart parking lots or at rest stops. He’d slept in worse places on deployments.
“Your family needs you here. The ranch needs you.”
She wasn’t going to give up, but he got it. She wanted her children near her where she could make sure they were safe and happy. When Shiloh had enlisted in the Coast Guard, then he in the Navy, she’d about had a meltdown.
“The ranch doesn’t need me.”
“How can you say that?” She refilled his coffee, poured herself a cup, and then sat across from him. “Phoenix would love to have you work with him.”
“Forhim, you mean.” He reached across the table and put his hand over hers. “I promise I’ll come back a couple of times a year, and you know you can visit whenever you want. I’m excited about this, Mom. What we’re creating is going to help a lot of people who are important to me. Some of these men and women are struggling to fit back into civilian life. They’re lost, and some decide they can’t face another day.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Approximately six thousand veterans a year make that decision. I know because I googled it. When you first came home after your ordeal, I was terrified you were going to be one of them.”
Ah hell, she was killing him. “I’d never do that to you. That’s a promise. I’m okay, really. The thing is, if I can help save one of those lives, how can I not be a part of what Jack is doing?” He’d told his family over dinner his first night home about his experience in Colorado and how amazing equine therapy was.
“I’ve never seen you so excited about something, son,” his father had said. “I think it’s going to be good for you.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Well, I guess I better start planning a vacation.” She pushed her chair back, then stood. “You make sure you find a house that’s big enough for your family when we come.”
“All of you at the same time?” Heaven help him.
