Bitter Sweets

photo I showed him.”

    “And .. .” Savannah held her breath, hoping, hoping.

    “And he bought two rooster tails.”

    “I beg your pardon?” Dirk asked sarcastically.

    “Rooster tails. A special kind of spinner bait used for trout fishing.”

    “Oh, yeah...I knew that.” Dirk cleared his throat. “So, what does that prove?”

    “It doesn’t prove a thing. But most of the fishermen in this area use rooster tails for creek fishing, and almost all of the creeks are dried up. That one little shower we had the other night was the first one we’ve had in months.”

    “Okay, okay. We don’t need a weather report,” Dirk growled. “Everybody knows about the drought.” He jumped as Savannah pinched him again.

    “The creek that runs along the edge of the Montoya Ranch almost always has water,” Ryan continued, “and trout. And everybody who fishes around here knows that it’s the best place to use a rooster tail.”

    Savannah looked at Dirk, Dirk looked at her, and they both looked at Ryan. A contagious smile spread across all three faces in unison.

    “How long will it take us to drive there?” Dirk asked.

    “Less than an hour. But we can only drive as far as Turner Canyon.” Ryan chuckled; he seemed to delight in giving this information. “From there on in, we have to hike.”

    “How far?” Savannah asked.

    “Six or seven miles. Maybe a couple more. But it’ll be fun.”

    Savannah turned to Dirk and saw her own lack of enthusiasm registered on his scowl. “Sure,” she said, trying not to sound sick at the thought of hiking anywhere, anytime, for seven miles, and maybe a couple more. “Great fun.”

    Dirk rolled his eyes. “Yeah...who-o-pee.”

    CHAPTER TWELVE

    The first two miles of the hike, Savannah had reveled in the joys of the great outdoors: the tantalizing smell of the sage, the marguerites growing in wild profusion with their yellow-andwhite faces lifted toward the sun, the gentle breeze stirring her hair, and the occasional shade offered by a fragrant cedar or pine.

    The third mile, the romance began to fade. The breezes were too damned gentle-hardly even there at all. The pines and the cedars were too few and far between. And she had decided that the wild sage and daisies stank.

    Four miles in, she consoled her aching feet and back that this was some sort of spiritual excursion, a discipline that would enrich her soul. Hell, she might even lose a few pounds.

    The fifth mile she began to curse Ryan Stone silently for bringing them into this godforsaken place.

    The sixth, she let him have it.

    “They’d better be out here, Stone, ‘cause if we’ve gone through all this for nothing, you’re dead meat,” she said, huffing and puffing as the sweat dripped down her forehead and into her eyes. “I’m going to bop you over the head and leave you out here to rot.”

    “I’m more convinced than ever that we’re on the right track,” Ryan said, dropping to one knee to examine the ground.

    Savannah was grateful for the chance to pause and catch her breath. Turning to look back down the trail they had come, she saw Dirk, trudging along. His face was a deep, sun-scorched red, but the top of his head was even worse. He refused to put sunblock on his bald spot; to do so would be to admit it existed.

    Pulling the canteen-which Ryan had bought for them at Mort’s-from her back, she unscrewed the lid and took a long drink.

    Instantly, she spit it onto the ground. “Yuck! What the hell did you put in my water after I filled it up at that last stream? This tastes like crap.”

    “Actually, it tastes like iodine,” Ryan replied good-naturedly. “Those little tablets that I dropped into your canteen kill the bacteria in the water. Believe me, you don’t want to catch beaver fever. John and I caught it once and it nearly killed us.”

    She gave him a searching look to see if he was serious or making some sort of silly, obscene joke. But his eyes were wide and almost innocent.

    He chuckled. “Seriously, Savannah...just swallow fast and you won’t taste a thing.”

    “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered. “I’ve heard that one before. When do we eat?”

    “Why didn’t you ask sooner? I bought some wonderful, nutritious treats to keep our spirits and energy up.”

    He took off his newly acquired backpack, reached inside, and pulled out a couple of packets. “Here you go. Trail mix ... or would you prefer beef jerky?”

    “You wouldn’t happen to have a