The Alaskan Rescue Read Online Free Page B

lived on Prince of Wales Island. We’ll head south to Hydaburg
to see the totem poles and study some ancient sites in the area. Then we’ll head
north to the cave El Capitan, where we’ll go spelunking to find ancient
petroglyphs.”
    “That sounds amazing.” Cole tried to keep the disappointment
out of his voice. He was thirty-five, for Pete’s sake, not some schoolboy. “Will
you need a flight in from the island, or will the tour end in Ketchikan?”
    “The tour ends in Ketchikan. I told the guide I wanted to get
in early so we would have a six-hour layover. Do you think you’ll have time to
see me and my friend then?”
    Cole found his first smile of the day. The E.R. had been a mess
because of the storm, and he’d been wondering what would happen with Sashi. Now
he knew he’d be able to see her again. “All you have to do is let me know what
airport you land at and I’ll be waiting for you.”
    “Okay, that sounds great.”
    “Look, you’re too special to let go. Have fun, New York. I’ll
see you in a couple of days. Promise me you’ll be safe. It’s bear country out
there.”
    “I know. I’ve been living in it for three months.”
    “Take care, anyway.”
    “Bye,” Sashi said softly.
    “Miss you already, New York.” Then Cole clicked off.
    * * *
    I T WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING to be leaving Marshall’s. The sun had turned the water along
the coastline turquoise-blue. Sashi could hear sea lions barking in the
distance. The majesty of Alaska was something she would never forget, and the
huge paycheck she’d just wired home to her bank really made her stay up here
worth it. She felt giddy knowing she’d earned enough to get a business loan to
open up her dance studio. She finally had a place in the world where she
belonged.
    She got busy loading up Kendra’s and her gear into their
guide’s plane. He was Joe Running Bear, an older Native chief with black hair
peppered with white, whom she found very kind and apparently happy to do this
tour.
    Kendra was still having a hard time saying goodbye to Freddy
even though she claimed she’d broken up with him. Why she continued to spend
time with that weasel was beyond Sashi’s comprehension.
    Sure he was good-looking, if you liked pretty boy features,
calculating blue eyes and a tall wiry frame. But when you got past his looks, he
had nothing else. He was a phony, just stringing every girl on. Now Kendra was
standing next to him, part of his usual fawning entourage of women and men.
    Finally Kendra emerged from the mob. She seemed happy.
Obviously something had just happened between Freddy and her friend.
    “Why are you all smiles?” Sashi asked directly.
    Kendra didn’t look at her. “Joe? Are we ready to go?”
    “Yes, we are.”
    “Great! Come on, Sashi,” Kendra called out as she climbed into
the pontoon plane secured to the dock. “I’ll tell you inside.”
    Sashi had a bad feeling. What had Freddy promised Kendra now?
What had she gotten herself into?
    The door closed and Joe climbed into the pilot’s seat. He told
them to put on their seat belts along with headphones so they could talk. He
started the engine and soon they were taxiing over the water, then lifting in
the air. Both girls stared out the windows, caught up in the splendor of Prince
of Wales Island. Sashi found this land, covered in a rain forest of ferns and
pines, magical. Bears and bald eagles made their home there, and whales dotted
the coastline.
    Before they touched down at their first site, Kendra grabbed
Sashi’s hand. “We have to talk.”
    Sashi didn’t want to stop looking out the window. “So now you feel like talking?”
    “I’m going to have Joe fly us up to a lake called Red Bay.
Freddy, Bridgette, Natalie, Nick and George are going to fly out for a goodbye
party at the cabin located right on the lake. It’s all been arranged.”
    Sashi bit her lip. She didn’t really care for Nick or George.
They were two local guys from Craig who worked the fishing