Page 79 of Capture the Moment

Sally’s brow furrowed as she continued her search, seemingly unfazed by Tim’s questions. “Just protective measures. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Tim pressed on. “Unless something out of the ordinary is going on?”

She gave him a sharp look. “Like what?”

Tim took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to say. “Like, what’s this about a Yellowstone ranger on loan to us?”

Sally’s gaze flicked to him briefly before returning to her rummaging. “He’s on temporary assignment, doing some cross-park collaboration.”

“First of all, I’ve never heard of Yellowstone having surplus staff to spare a ranger. Second, just a few weeks ago, it seems like we would’ve talked about that kind of thing.”

“Oh, I get it.” She paused. “Look, I know I haven’t had much time for”—she waved her hand back and forth between them—“us lately. But that’ll change soon.” She gave him a benign smile. “You have nothing to worry about, dear.”

Tim frowned. “But I do. I’m worried about you.”

Sally’s smile faltered, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. “I appreciate your concern, Tim, but this conversation will have to wait. There’s someplace I need to be.” She pulled open another drawer and riffled through it.

Tim knew to go slowly here. “You know what I’ve always admired about you, Sally? You’ve had a guiding principle to take care of the park, its wildlife and its visitors, above anything else. ‘Make the trails a little bit better for park visitors and you’ll be making the world a better place.’ I’ve heard you tell rangers that very thing hundreds of times. In the parks, it’s not about profits or investors. It’s simply making someone’s experience a good one.”

“Mm-hmm.” Riffling through her desk, she hardly paid any attention to him.

“It’s a good life, this ranger work. We might be paid in sunsets, but a nest egg would be nice too.”

Growing increasingly annoyed by her dismissiveness, Tim couldn’t hold back any longer. He pushed himself off the wall. “Sally, I wish you’d have come to me first about your money troubles. Before...”

Sally froze. She looked at Tim, eyes narrowed.

“Before you got yourself involved with a poacher.” Timreached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

The air between them practically vibrated before she reached out to snatch the envelope from his hand. “You’ve made me late,” she said, her tone sharp with resentment. She marched out of the office, leaving Tim more troubled than ever.

Hands on his hips, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that her rifle was not in the case. Out the window, he saw her jeep make a fast turn out of the parking lot.

He had a feeling he knew just where she was headed. He bolted out the door and down the hall to follow her.

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the parking lot as Kate stood beside Coop’s truck, her fingers tapping impatiently against her thigh. She glanced at her watch for what felt like the hundredth time, anxiously waiting for Coop to arrive. Finally, she saw him heading toward her, Frankie following behind.

Frankie’s face lit up when he spotted Kate. “Aww, yeah!”

“I couldn’t get rid of him,” Coop said.

“Kate! Coop! Frankie! Wait! Wait for me!”

They turned to see Maisie, easy to spot in her big yellow coat, running from the park shuttle bus. “Pops left a note that I should spend the day with Kate.”

Kate and Coop exchanged a look. He sighed and opened the passenger door to the truck to let Frankie and Maisie get in the back.

Immediately, Maisie started to ask about Oliver, but Kate shut her down fast. “You do not mention his name today, got it?” She gave her a don’t-mess-with-me look.

Chastened, Maisie nodded. She recovered quickly, and soon her steady chatter filled the truck. Frankie cross-examined every one of her fun facts. Now and then Coop would glance over atKate, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled at her, as if to say,Can you believe those two?

So much for having some time alone with Coop. On the upside, Kate was glad Maisie was preoccupied with Frankie and didn’t press her to explain what happened with Oliver. Because she was still sorting it out herself.

Whatever it was between them, it wasn’t the real deal. Ending things had absolutely been the right decision, long overdue. But the look on his face! Devastated. Shattered. She wobbled, nearly caving in.

She didn’t, though. Not this time.

Too soon, they reached the Pilgrim Creek Road turnoff. After parking the truck, Coop went through his backpack in the truck’s bed, ensuring he had all the essentials for the hike. “I’ll try to be back within two hours. Three at the most. You all stay put.”

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