Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) (13 page)

Chapter
23

T
urning
left out of the parking lot onto Railway Ave, in less than 30 seconds, I gave
Vic the scenic tour of Mistatim, passing the single pump gas station / general
store combination and the Postal Office. Taking a right on 2nd Ave. and then
another immediate right, drove us directly to the timber framed lodge, my
original destination, less the delectable detour. Many fond memories since the
early nineties have been created here. Duck hunts, goose hunts, bear hunts and
deer hunts weaved their way into my life and those I called friends. I’ve
watched Greg’s children grow up and have children of their own. How I miss
those days.

I
wonder if this is the hunter he was talking about
?
“
Why are we stopping here, D?
We
’
re
not hunting.
”

“
Ah, but we have cameras. Maybe we can persuade Greg to let
us shoot something with those.
”

“
Good luck with that. Greg, you said? Sounds like you know
him better than you let on.
”

“
Come on girlfriend, let
’
s check it out.
”
Greeting us at the front door was Debra, Greg
’
s wife and lifelong
companion. Exchanging hugs,
“
By the looks of things, I see you got Greg
’
s message. It
’
s really good to see you.
How long
’
s it been Jon David, seven years?
”

“
I didn
’
t get his message, I
’
m glad he got mine. Seven
sounds about right
—
give or take.
”

“
He
’
s out scouting for you now. We don
’
t have another group of
hunters due in until late Monday. Excuse me, Miss. I
’
m Debra. This man has no
manners to speak of. And you are?
”

“
Victoria. After where we
’
ve been, it
’
s both a pleasure and a
relief to meet you.
”

Speaking
up before the conversation went south,
“
I took her to the hotel and
let her check out the rooms. She was not impressed.
”

“
That sounds like something you would do. So she doesn
’
t know she
’
s staying here tonight?
”

“
She does now,
”
I relented.

“
Now I understand your last statement, Victoria. Jon David,
go get your luggage. Victoria, come with me and I
’
ll show you to your room. I
’
m sure you
’
d like to relax and maybe
even have a bath after riding all day with this clown.
”

“
That sounds marvelous, Debra. If you only knew. Bring the
bags to our room, Jon David,
”
I
instructed before turning and sticking my tongue out at him.

Dropping
the gear in the bedroom, I pounded on the bathroom door over the sound of
running water.
“
Your luggage, Miss. Should I wait for the tip or come back
later?
”

“
Kind sir, if you
’
re naked, you can claim your
tip in the tub now. Otherwise, later please. I
’
ll be clean and fresh and
ready to give you a tip to remember.
”

“
Works for me.
”
I made my way to the great room. Its walls adorned with
North American wildlife trophy mounts of all shapes and sizes. In the adjoining
library, a new addition since my last visit, were numerous exotic mounts from
Africa.
Greg has been a busy boy, during my long absence, I mused to myself
.
Sitting down at his desk, I flipped through his journals until I found me,
proudly kneeling beside a rather large black bear, many years and far too many,
unheralded memories ago.

“
Where are you, D?
”
I called out, bouncing into the great room, dressed in
sweats and a camo t-shirt that read Mistatim Outfitters.
“
You like? It
’
s a gift from Debra. You
have one just like it, only bigger.
”

“
Cute, girlfriend. I never quite pictured you in camo. It
’
s
…
well
…
different.
”

“
Different good or different bad? You
’
d better say good. If the
host gives you something to wear; you wear it.
”

“
Gotcha. You look delicious, in a woodsy sort of way. How
’
s that?
”

“
It will do. One question. Why did you take me to Will
’
s place and put me through
that torture earlier knowing damn well we were coming here?
”

“
Wine you, dine you, make you laugh.
”

“
You left out
—”

“
Shhh ... Look around you. These walls have ears. Besides,
with you, that
’
s a given. Did you happen to see all the animals?
”

Gazing
up and down and side to side, I tried to embrace the moment just for him.
“
They
’
re beautiful, D. Did he,
Greg isn
’
t it, shoot all of these?
”

“
I think so, Debra too. But there may be a few strays mixed
in. You know, shot by others, but displayed here. Come on; let
’
s go for a walk. I
’
ll show you around town.
”

“
Didn
’
t we like just do that in like 30 seconds?
”
What did I miss? What did I miss?

“
Kinda, but we were riding. This will be the walking while
exercising tour.
”

All
the streets in town are hardpan gravel and make an excellent base. That is
until they get wet and soggy from rain and snow and quickly turn to sticky,
clingy muck. Vic and I wandered up and down the two main streets as well as a
couple of the side streets before stopping by the little community store.
Stacked floor to ceiling with everything you could imagine, food, hardware,
automotive and farming gear in every size and shape imaginable, this store was
the lifeblood of the town. And why not? The next closest town is almost an hour
away.
“
Could
you live here, girlfriend?
”

“
Absolutely not. This gives new meaning to the words quaint
and rural. I thought I knew what rural was being from Iowa. This takes the
cake, hands down.
”

“
It
’
s a hard life here, especially with the long, cold winters.
But these are good, strong people in this town who use the gifts God
’
s given them to survive and
thrive. Look around you; almost all the houses are small, neat and maintained.
Nothing pretentious here, excluding you.
”

“
Smart-ass. I can see that, otherwise you
’
d pack up and haul ass to
the big city.
”

“
Want to go grab a beer with Will before we head back?
”

“
Absolutely. Now that we
’
re not staying there, let
’
s give him some business. I
want to talk to him about some long overdue upgrades.
”

Three
Molson
’
s
apiece, four and two if I
’
m being honest, two games of darts and an hours worth of
banter and local gossip later, it was time to go.
“
Will, thank you for filling
us in all on the happenings going on over the last year.
”

“
My pleasure. Not much happens here, but when it does I don
’
t easily forget it. Tonight
is Karaoke. Remember? If you
’
re not doing anything after eight, come on back.
”

“
I can tell you right now we probably won
’
t. I
’
ve got some unfinished
business to undress about that time,
”
I said winking, before latching on to D
’
s arm and escorting him out
the door, mid sentence.

“
Subtle is not your middle name,
Victoria?
”

It
’
s taken him long enough to
figure that out
.
“
Nope,
as long as I
’
m breathing and you
’
re breathing, we
’
re good. Remember?
”

“
How could I forget,
”
I replied, while pinching her on the rear, leisurely
swinging her hand in mine as we traipsed back to the lodge.

Chapter
24

W
alking
into the den, Debra emerged from the kitchen announcing dinner would be ready
soon. “Greg’s back and in the basement. He asked me to send you down when you
got back. Victoria, I could use some extra hands in the kitchen.”

Hands
I
’
ve got. I hope that
’
s all she needs
.
“
My pleasure. I have to warn
you, I burn toast.
”

“
She has other skills, don
’
t let her fool you, that
more than make up for her lack of culinary charm. She
’
s a high priced
…
lawyer and worth every penny.
”

Walking
into Greg
’
s shop, I found him busily laying out an assortment of
clothes for our adventure tomorrow.
“
Jon David, it
’
s great to see you again.
How have you been? You kinda dropped off the face of the Earth a few years back.
I tried multiple times to reach you, but my cards and letters were returned and
the last phone number I have for you now belongs to some character named Lodi.
”

“
It
’
s a long story that
’
s still being written. It
’
s best you stay in the dark.
I
’
m
here now and I
’
m coming back. We had some great times, didn
’
t we, Greg? Duck hunts,
grouse hunts, bear hunts. We did
’
em all. I enjoyed the
fellowship. I guess that
’
s what I
’
ve missed most, the fellowship.
”

“
You
’
ve got another opportunity tomorrow, if only for the day.
She wants to see bear and moose, yes?
”

“
If possible. I know that nothing is guaranteed.
”

“
Speaking of that, I
’
ve got to issue you a
license so you can carry a gun in the woods with you. I
’
ve laid out all the clothes
I have here on the table. Bring your friend down after supper and try them on.
We
’
ll
leave early afternoon. I found an active bait area twenty miles north that has
a two-person film stand over it. We
’
ll haul the four wheelers
with us and use them the last five. To make it memorable, we
’
ve gotta cross three beaver
dams. You think that will be a problem for her?
”

“
Only if we wind up wheels up like that last bear hunt you
dragged my ass on.
”

“
Oh, I
’
ve got side by sides now. They
’
re a whole lot more stable.
Except when they turn over, then they
’
re a bitch.
”

“
Copy that. Then I
’
ll do my best to keep us
upright and wheels down.
”

The
intercom buzzed. Debra announced,
“
Dinner is served.
”

Catching
up on old times and sharing new stretched our meal into a two-hour ordeal.
“
You been staying up on the
news?
”
asked Greg.
“
Somebody just made a whole
lot of people millionaires. It
’
s all over CNN. Rumor has it that the only connection
anyone has come up with is that they were all victims of that banker, A.J.
Standford, and that Ponzi scheme he ran out of Texas.
”

My
tea glass slipped slowly through my fingers before I caught it just as it
reached the table, while Victoria choked violently on her last sip of water.
“
Are you OK, Vic?
”

Catching
my breath,
“
The question is, are you OK, D? And so it begins.
”

Oblivious
to our conversation, Debra spoke up,
“
If only
…
we were so lucky.
”

Startled,
I inquired further.
“
Debra, would you like to be a millionaire too?
”

“
Heavens no, Victoria! We
’
ve got all we need here. It
’
s just ... There is this
seriously ill six year old, neighbor girl, Missy Bryan, who has a rare disease
called MDS
—
Myelodysplastic Syndromes
—
that is waiting for a clinical trial and stem cell
transplant that could possibly save her life. The only hospital that has done
this procedure before is in St. Petersburg, Florida. All Children
’
s Hospital, I believe is the
name of it. They say it will cost up to a million dollars U.S. because it
’
s still in the experimental
stage. So far, between the farmers and ranchers, here and in Tisdale, we
’
ve raised one hundred eighty
thousand Canadian in the last three months. I
’
m afraid she
’
ll run out of time before we
can raise the rest.
”

Without
looking over, I felt Vic
’
s piercing green eyes staring right through me all the way
to my heart.
“
Victoria and I would like to make a contribution before we
leave. Right, Vic?
”

“
Yes, Debra, D and I would be glad to help. Everyone,
regardless of circumstance deserves a second chance and sometimes even a third.
Miracles happen everyday. Don
’
t they, D? Sometimes, you just have to run across the right
miracle worker. You
’
re lucky, I happen to know
—”

Grabbing
her knee in a vice grip before she could utter another word,
“
So Victoria, how did you
like the moose balls?
”

“
What?
”
taken
aback by his abrupt change in the current conversation,
“
Uh, well, I ... Debra said they were meatballs, not moose
’
s balls.
”

“
Meatballs made with moose meat, not moose balls, silly.
Think about it.
”

“
Whew, you scared me because I liked them a lot. I was
hoping Debra would show you how to make them for me when we get back.
”

“
Honey, Jon David knows. I taught him how to make them a
long time ago,
”
chuckled
Debra, much to my chagrin.

“
We don
’
t have moose meat in Tennessee, ladies. It
’
s a little tough to make
them when you
’
re moose-less.
”

“
It
’
s getting late,
”
announced Greg,
“
thank you for your generous
offer to help Missy, every little bit helps.
”
Looking directly at Vic,
“
come down stairs with me and
try on some hunting clothes I
’
ve gathered up for you, Miss.
”

“
Wait, we
’
re not going hunting ... are we?
”

“
No, in a manner of speaking, yes. Greg has been so kind to
create for us an impromptu adventure. Don
’
t bother asking for the
details, it
’
s a surprise.
”

“
Then a surprise it will be,
”
I proudly exclaimed,
“
I wear a size 10, in some
things a 12 in Misses, just so you know.
”

The
table erupted in laughter, laughing not so much at her, but with her.
Nope,
that
’
s not true, we were laughing
at her and the naivety she brought with her to this place.
The laughter continued long
into the basement.

OMG!
“
These clothes stink! What is
that smell, D?
”

“
A little urine, a little blood. Wouldn
’
t you agree, Greg?
”

“
I would, and maybe a little musk and bile thrown in.
”

“
And you expect me to wear them on this body,
”
I asked, before tossing them on the floor.

“
They
’
ve been washed, Vic. They
’
re clean, I promise
—
just not scentless,
”
I explained, gingerly trying to allay her fears.

Picking
up a man
’
s size small,
“
Then, I
’
ll take these. But, I
’
m wearing my own clothes
under them and you
’
re not stopping me.
”
There. I
’
ve said it, whew
!

“
Not a problem, Miss. No perfume and you
’
ll have to wash what you
’
re wearing tomorrow in
scent-free soap. Where we
’
re going we need to smell like we belong,
”
shared Greg convincingly.
“
Here, Miss, you
’
ll need these rubber boots,
plus a hat and gloves. Rummage through this box for those. D, I
’
m done here. She
’
s all yours.
”

“
Tell me again, why do I need to wear all this?
”

“
For our surprise adventure, Victoria. Humor me or at least
try to.
”

I
’
m totally confused
.
“
An adventure? How long will
we be gone?
”

“
Eight hours, maybe.
”

“
Joy, D. I
’
ve got to smell this horrendous odor for an entire day? I
just bet you
’
re going to make me pee in the wilds again?
”

“
Nope, you pee in a bag.
”

“
Thank you, Mr. Wise Guy. Now I have even more to worry
about. How am I supposed to do that by the way?
”

“
If you can sit it, you can hit it,
”
I assured her, cracking a smile that hushed her up.

Moving
beyond the incessant whining,
“
thank you, Greg. I
’
d like to borrow a truck and
take Vic on a tour of the countryside right before dark.
”

“
Pins and Greenies are feeding ten miles south. Honkers are
feeding about five miles west. Is that what you
’
re looking for?
”

“
That
’
s the bulk of it with a little light show thrown in.
”

“
You
’
re in luck. Skies been screaming the last few days around
7:30.
”

“
Come upstairs before you leave and I
’
ll have you some directions
to the fields. Keys are in the four door green Dodge I call the Green Mule.
”

“
Why are you men talking in code? Speak English.
”
I mean, I
’
m standing right here.

“
It
’
s another surprise. Date night, just me and you and for
once on this ride, bike-less.
”