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archetTitle: Angels Ain’t Easy
Author: Archet
Pairing: OMC Jody McKinnon/Matt Hawkes
Fandom: High Mountain Rangers
Summary: a story of falling in love, figuring things out and just holding on.
Disclaimer: I did not create the High Mountain Ranger character/s, only this fic and the Original Male Character, Jody McKinnon, and any other original characters in supporting roles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: this fic is set in 1989, approximately a year and a half after the events of the final episode of High Mountain Rangers. There will be no acknowledgment of the events of the spin-off show Jesse Hawkes.
Warnings: none as yet
Note: this fic takes place a little over four months after Bad Luck, Bad Guys and High Mountain Rangers and is a sequel to that fic, so reading that first is recommended.
Additional: this fic will depict same sex relationships. If this ain’t your thing, venture no further.
***Additional story notes and etc at end of chapter***
~*~
Prologue
Standing barefoot on the front porch in the early Monday morning sunlight, Jody watched as his niece and nephew waved at him before climbing the steps of their school bus. Nursing a cup of coffee in one hand, he tapped his thigh absently with the rolled up newspaper he’d rescued from the clutches of the Giant Saguaro Cactus that grew by Emmy’s paved front walk. He waited until the bus’s door levered shut, watching as the kids bounced down the center aisle. They slid into their usual spot, a seat midway down the length of the bus, and pressed grinning faces against the window, waving again.
Smiling, Jody lifted the paper and waggled it at them, and as the bus shifted gears and lurched off, he took a sip of coffee. He tracked the bus’s progress down the street, observing as it paused to pick up another set of kids from the house down at the end of the block before it turned at the corner, and rolled out of sight. Stepping down the brick steps onto the walkway, Jody curled his toes against the sun-warmed pavers and gazed down the smooth, curving street that cut through the row of houses standing shoulder to shoulder in the open sunlight.
It was a nice neighborhood. Clean, quiet, and the sameness of the houses reminded him heavily of many of the military bases he’d been stationed at, one time or another, during his fifteen years in the Marines. Overhead the smooth, blue sky held the flimsiest excuses for clouds; white filaments strung out high in the atmosphere.
The yellow sun was quickly burning off the desert chill from the night before, and by midday it’d be uncomfortably warm to stand out in the open for any length of time. Jody took another sip of coffee, savoring the rich nutty blend on his tongue. The neighborhood was beginning to stir, morning commuters emerging from their houses with briefcases in hand, joggers with their bicycle shorts and Walkmans heading out to get a morning run in before the temperature rose.
Pivoting Jody walked back to the house, and mounting the steps to the porch he paused at the top. Frowning, he looked to the northwest. In hazy distance arid mountains lined the horizon, brushed in golden morning sunlight. Jody squinted at them, wishing he could see past them, miles and miles onward where his mountain stood… his mountain, so different from these dry, desert formations. His mountain, whose soaring craggy peak and high shoulders should still be cloaked in deep snow, even now in the last week of May, weeks into spring. He’d been monitoring the evening weather reports, and knew the resorts were doing a brisk business, benefiting from a bevy of late season snowfall out Tahoe way.
Exhaling, Jody looked again down the street of Emmy’s quiet, orderly neighborhood.
God, I hate it here.
A rush of guilt flooded him, even though he knew his dislike had nothing to do with Emmy or the kids, or even his dad, who routinely danced on Jody’s last nerve. This just wasn’t his place. It never had been. Jody glanced back to the horizon, now shimmering in the rising warmth of the day.
“Hey.”
Jody turned. Emmy stood just inside the doorway, her robe belted neatly around her waist.
“Are you coming in for breakfast, or just gonna stand there pining?”
Jody smirked, shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Emmy rolled her eyes, turned and walked back into the house leaving the front door ajar. Sighing, Jody followed, trailing in her wake as she headed into the large, open kitchen. By the time he made it to the round kitchen table and slid into a chair, she’d poured herself a cup of coffee and had her hip resting against the ceramic tile countertop.
“You never were a good liar.”
Jody tossed the newspaper on the table top. “Tell that kid that delivers these he needs to improve his aim. I’m tired of fishing these out of that cactus every morning.”
Emmy set her mug on a coaster on the counter. “You mean George?”
It was Jody’s turn to roll his eyes. He’d never known of anyone that treated their plants like pets, right down to naming them, but that was his little sister. “All right, tell that kid to stop smacking George in his stupid face with the newspaper.”
Emmy sighed. Jody sensed her building up a head of steam, and sitting his mug down, reclined back into his chair, getting comfortable for the duration. “I do not want to have this conversation, yet again.”
“Jody, Emmy started.
“Emmy, Jody echoed.
“God, you’re such an asshole.”
Jody snorted. “Well, at least dad can say I get it honest.”
Emmy softened. “Don’t be that way; everyone knows you take after mom the most.”
“Maybe,” Jody allowed.
Giving him a moment, Emmy busied herself with loading the toaster with two slices of bread. “You want some?”
Jody shook his head. “Nah.”
Swinging around, Emmy regarded him with that gentle, mothering look Jody was well acquainted with. “You’re miserable here.”
Jody couldn’t deny it. He loved his sister, loved his niece and nephew, Emily and Emmett…hell, he even loved his dad, for all the fucking trouble the man had brought them, but, he was restless.
“Why don’t you--”
Jody cut Emmy off before she could unreel her argument. “Why don’t we not get into it right now?”
“You know you want to see him.”
Score.
Jody sighed. As a former Art History professor, Emmy just loved drawing information out of a student. “I don’t even know him, Em. Not really.”
Latching onto his hesitation, and a glimmer of something other than stubbornness, Emmy ignored the toast when it popped up. Heading to the table, she slid onto the chair opposite Jody. “Well, go get to know him. Jo-Jo, the way you spoke about him, I think you two are more connected than you’re willing to admit.”
Jody’s jaw tightened. Emmy rolling out her childhood nickname for him was a low blow, and effective. “I can’t stop thinking about him,” he admitted reluctantly.
Dark brown eyes widening, Emmy zeroed in on the admission. Reaching out, she rested a hand on Jody’s forearm. “You love that stupid mountain, you always did. Maybe, you ending up there, him being there just when you needed help, maybe that means something?”
Tilting his head, Jody looked at his sister fondly. She’d always been the romantic in the family. He shrugged. “Maybe, but you guys need me here.”
Her brows lowering, Emmy sat back with a frown. “No offense, but says who?”
Jody gave her a wry look. “Well thanks a lot, sis.”
Emmy softened. “We are doing fine. I’m doing fine. The kids are fine. Jesus, even dad is doing better than he has in fucking years.”
Jody raised a brow, and Emmy pinned him with a look. “Don’t use us as an excuse.”
Jody pulled away. “I’m not. Fuck, Emmy, your lives were threatened just a few months ago. What if--” he let the thought go unfinished.
Emmy pursed her lips. “Yes. Bad things happened, and it scared the holy hell out of me, but that’s all over. You dealt with it. You kept us safe and by the grace of God, came back all in one piece.”
Emmy paused, took a long, deep breath. “Sheriff McBride said they got all of them-"
“He said he thought they got all of them,” Jody clarified.
“He said he was confident they apprehended all the involved parties,” Emmy corrected.
Jody grinned. “Yes, Professor.”
Emmy tossed her long curly hair over her shoulder. “You know I don’t teach anymore.”
Jody chuckled. “Em, we both know, even if you never so much as put a toe back into a classroom, you’ll always be that professor.”
Smile tugging at her lips, Emmy shook her head, pushed up from her chair and moved back to the toaster. She pushed the lever down again, leaning one elbow on the counter. “Mike said it himself, if we were being targeted, we’d have found out about it before now. These are not the type of people to play the long game. It’s been over four months, Jody. Mike feels we’re in the clear, or he would’ve never allowed us to come back home. There’s nothing we have anyone wants, nothing we know that anyone can use. Dad never remembered what he did with the money he won, and even if he did those men that hurt him and were after you and Matt are all either dead or in jail and won’t be getting out anytime this decade, or the next.”
Jody stared down at the varnished whorls of the kitchen table. “I know all that.”
“Then why haven’t you at least called Matt? Didn’t you practically promise him you’d be back? When did Jody McKinnon start breaking his promises?”
Jody’s gaze snapped up. Behind Emmy the toast popped, and for a second time she ignored it. “Stop feeling guilty you weren’t here when those assholes showed up. Stop feeling guilty that you took off and joined the Marines when mom and dad split, and for the love of God, stop feeling like you have to fix everything now that you’re out of the service and at loose ends.”
Clearly agitated, Emmy fished a hair band out of the pocket of her robe, and jerkily gathering her thick brown hair into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, twisted the band around the dark curls. It didn’t quite hold as she turned, tendrils escaping as she pushed the lever back down on the toaster with a forceful snap.
Reaching out, Jody pulled the newspaper over to him, fiddling with its curled edge. “You’re right, I am at loose ends. For the first time since I was a kid, I don’t know what my next move is. It’s got me turned around, Em.”
Huffing in annoyance, Emmy blew a strand of hair away from her face. “I don’t think that’s all that’s got you turned around.”
Jody looked away, suddenly engrossed again in the rolled up newspaper. “Either open it and read it, or leave it alone,” Emmy snapped.
Jody pushed the paper away, mouth pulling down, and folded his arms over his chest. Emmy sighed, letting go of her annoyance. “Jody, didn’t you tell me last year, when you were thinking of leaving the service, that you needed more? More than what the Marines could give you?”
Jody nodded slowly. “That’s what I said, sure.”
Pinning him with a flat stare, Emmy pressed on. “And is that still true?”
Jody sighed. “Sure.”
Behind her, the toast popped up, but Emmy paid it no mind, resting her hands on her hips. She regarded him with a long, speculative look. “Didn’t you say you wanted to make a home someplace, that you were tired of moving around every few years?”
Lifting his gaze to the ceiling, Jody exhaled. “That’s what I said.”
Advancing across the kitchen, Emmy braced both hands on the edge of the kitchen island that separated them. Tilting her head, her gaze sharped. “Didn’t you tell me you wanted someone to come home to, every night?”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, tension releasing as he suppressed a grin as Emmy cursed and fumbled with the band again, more hair having slipped loose and falling in her face.
Lips twitching, Jody shook his head. “Fine. You win.”
Going still, Emmy abandoned the reconstruction of the bun, a smile pulling at her lips. “You’re going?”
“I’m going,” Jody replied with a nod, just barely keeping his grin in check.
“Thank God,” Emmy moaned, and returned a third time to the toaster.
Jody chuckled, watching as she wrinkled her nose, pulling both charred slices of bread from the toaster.
“You asshole! You made me burn my toast,” she complained, tossing the bread into the trash.
Jody smirked. “Prove it, teach.”
Emmy rolled her eyes. “Come on, soldier boy, I’ll help you pack.”
~*~
Chapter 1: Unexpected Visitor
Matt hauled his briefcase out of the back of the Chevy Blazer, and slammed the door shut. Fumbling with the duffle slung over his shoulder, as well as the briefcase and binder held under one arm, he cursed as he nearly dropped the upcoming year’s budget spreadsheets all over the slushy snow at his feet. It was past midday, he hadn’t had lunch, and the yearly budget meeting with the city council had worn on an hour later than scheduled.
In other words, he was in a mood.
Making it up the steps to the High Mountain Ranger Station, Matt shouldered open the door and shuffled inside. He didn’t look up as he crossed the station’s lobby, concentrating on containing the spreadsheets that seemed determined to slither out of the binder. In his haste to extract himself from the endless meeting, Matt had stuffed the pages in the binder without securing the sheets in the three metal rings built into its spine.
“Shit,” he mumbled as the budget form for the repairs and maintenance of the station’s helicopter made a bid for freedom, shaking loose and falling away, sliding out of sight underneath the edge of his desk.
Dumping his armload onto the chair beside his desk, and his duffel on the hardwood plank floor, Matt knelt, growling his frustration as he called out. “Hey Izzy? How’s it been this morning? Sorry, the meeting ran over. Has Jim and Frank made it back from Mt. Rose?”
Finally locating the sheet, Matt yanked it out from under the desk and levered himself up, feeling a twinge in his left knee. It still bothered him more than it should at this point, this many weeks out from reinjuring the joint, so that he still wore a light brace most days. By a minor miracle he’d managed to avoid surgery this time around, but he’d skipped his last two physical therapy sessions, and he had a sinking feeling he was pushing his luck.
Matt made a mental note to call the doctor’s office and reschedule his session. Maybe he’d actually keep this one. Ski season had been nuts this year, but was gradually winding down, and hopefully he and his rangers would finally have a chance to catch their breath. The last couple weeks they’d been running with a skeleton crew as well, as his field medic, Robin Kelly, had been called back east to deal with a family emergency, and another ranger, Jim Cutler, had recently missed a string of days with the flu, and was only newly back on duty.
Where was Izzy?
“I see you got that knee checked out.”
Matt turned at the voice that definitely did not belong to his Probationary Ranger, Izzy Flowers.
Gripping the budget sheet in one hand, Matt’s mouth fell open. A flash of warmth, as sudden and unexpected as heat lightning, rolled through him. “Jody,” he finally managed, blinking stupidly at the tall, dark haired man standing a few feet away.
Fuck. He looks good. Was he that big before?
Jody did look good, indeed, wearing a pair of snug, faded blue jeans, black boots and a navy button-up under a black leather jacket. They stood staring at each other over the striped rug of the lobby for a couple seconds before Matt pulled himself together. Tossing the spreadsheet on top of the pile on the chair, he stepped forward, a crooked smile curling up the corner of his mouth.
Matt held out his hand. “Christ, Jody. It’s good to see you.”
Jody’s big hand took his, but the other man didn’t shake it, just held Matt’s in a warm grip as their gazes met. “It’s good to be seen,” Jody said, smiling more with his eyes than his mouth.
The last time Matt had seen Jody McKinnon he’d been lifting off in a Douglas County chopper, being taken to reunite with his family, and then to be placed under protective custody. In the weeks following their ordeal on the mountain, Sheriff Mike McBride had kept Matt somewhat informed as to how Jody and his family were doing, at least as much as he could without disclosing any real details. All specifics regarding the case, and Jody, had been kept on strict lockdown, even from Matt, until McBride had been satisfied there was no clear and present danger to the McKinnon’s.
With a quick squeeze, Jody released Matt’s hand. “I hope it’s alright, just dropping by like this,” Jody said, running a hand through his hair. He wore it loose, dark brown waves just brushing his shoulders. It was longer than Matt remembered.
“No, it’s fine,” Matt assured him. He gestured to the chair by his desk. “Come on, have a seat.” Quickly stepping over, he scooped up his briefcase, the binder and spreadsheets and dumped it all on his desktop.
“Sorry,” he said, steadying the pile with one hand when it all threatened to slide off onto the floor. He looked up to find Jody watching him, dark gaze fixed. Matt’s face warmed and he looked away, shifting the binder to a more stable position on top of the pile to buy him a second or two.
Christ, he must think I’m an idiot.
Finally, swinging his gaze back up, “Um, McBride came by a few weeks ago, said that there wouldn’t be charges brought against you.”
Jody stood perfectly still for a moment, gazing at Matt, and then he smiled full on, a slow curving of his lips. “Yeah,” he said as he sat down, resting his hands on the armrests of the chair, perfectly relaxed where a moment prior he’d been intently focused.
“Mike feels like they’ve got all the players. Well, he’s as sure as anyone can be, I guess.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, he’s been keeping me in the loop. Well, not really, I mean he couldn’t give me any details, but he let me know you were okay and that they were working the case.”
Jody pursed his lips. “McBride really went to bat for me. I can’t thank him enough, or you.”
Matt shook his head. “I was just doing my job.”
Jody laughed shortly. “That’s what he said you’d say.” Leaning forward in his chair, resting forearms on his knees, Jody said, “Is there any chance we could go somewhere and talk? There are some things I’d like to run by you.”
Matt glanced at his watch. He opened his mouth to ask if Jody had already had lunch when Izzy appeared, balancing two cups of coffee in his hand. The tall, sandy haired ranger paused, brows lifting at the sight of Jody seated in his chair, and Matt at his desk, arms around the pile of spreadsheets and binder stacked haphazardly on his desk.
“Sorry,” he said to Jody. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward and extended one long arm to offer Jody one of the mugs. “I had to go to the back to find some more coffee.”
Izzy’s blue eyes shifted between them as Jody accepted the coffee, cradling the cup as he leaned back in his chair. “Thanks,” he said, giving Izzy a polite nod.
Matt watched as Jody took a cautious sip, then carefully pulled the cup away, balancing it on the arm of his chair. Matt hid a grin. Nearly through his year of probationary training, Izzy was still hit or miss in making a good pot of coffee, and when he missed, he missed by a mile. “Thanks, Izz. Everything quiet this morning?”
Izzy nodded. “Yeah, nothing much going on, for once. Jim and Frank are on their way back from Mt. Rose. Should be back in an hour or so, they stopped off for some lunch.”
Matt nodded. “All right.” He glanced over at Jody. “Have you eaten? I haven’t had a chance to grab anything. I know a great diner.”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Jody said.
“Cool.” Glancing at Izzy, Matt asked, “Izz, we’re going over to Cherry's, you want anything?”
“Meatball sub and some fries?” Izzy asked hopefully.
Matt grinned. “Got it.” Straightening, he looked at Jody. “Are you good to go now?”
“Sure,” Jody said, standing from his chair. He thanked Izzy as the probie made to take the still steaming cup of coffee from him. Jody handed it over. “Thanks.”
Izzy smiled. “No problem.”
Standing, Matt patted his pockets, searching for his keys. “Hey Izzy, did Robin check in this morning?”
Izzy nodded, balancing a coffee mug in each hand. “Yeah, she said her mom is doing a lot better. She’s planning on coming back next Tuesday, but if anything changes she’ll let us know.”
“Good news,” Matt said, locating his keys in his jacket pocket. Jingling them at Jody, he asked, “Ready?”
Tilting his head toward the door, Jody said, “Waitin’ on you, boss.”
Matt didn’t miss the uptick of Izzy’s brows. “I’ll take care of that when I get back,” he told Izzy, gesturing to the mess of papers and the binder on his desk and ignoring Izzy’s amused, wondering glance.
Jody preceded Matt to the double doors of the station. He swung one door open and held it as Matt passed by. There was the lightest touch at the small of his back, felt through his jacket, and Matt didn’t break stride, but was immediately grateful to be facing away from Jody as warmth rose over his face.
Christ, get hold of yourself, dude.
Matt didn’t know what Jody wanted to talk about, or why the man was back on the mountain, but his sudden appearance had certainly knocked Matt off his game. They’d known one another for barely more than a couple days, but still, while Jody and his family had been in seclusion Matt had thought often about the former Marine….okay, he’d thought about the man a lot.
Eventually, Matt had put his preoccupation with Jody McKinnon down to just not knowing….not knowing how Jody was doing, or if charges were being brought against him, or what was going on with him, wherever he was. They’d exchanged only the vaguest of messages, all routed through Sheriff McBride, who’d kept a tight lid on anything involving Jody up until recently.
It seemed everything had worked out well for Jody and his family, and no doubt it’d been a terrifying, chaotic time for the McKinnon clan, but Matt would be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t been hoping to hear from the man, a phone call…or something. A couple weeks after his last communication via Mike that basically contained a rather final sounding missive from Jody that basically added up to ‘thanks for all your help’ Matt had started to think maybe he’d imagined the mutual attraction that’d sparked between them, those months ago on the mountain. He’d spent more time than he cared to admit on brooding amid his disappointment at the Marine’s radio silence, and had finally decided to regulate the subject of Jody McKinnon and his intense brown eyes to memory, and the occasional fevered daydream.
Now Jody was here, out of the blue, wanting to talk. Matt was curious, and more than a little puzzled. He reigned in his curiosity, and his expectations. He’d learned from past experiences, no expectations, no disappointments.
Moving down the steps outside the station, Matt gestured to the Blazer, its blue and red paint job marking it as an official ranger vehicle. The rangers boasted a small stable of vehicles at their disposal, from four wheel drives, like the Blazer, to motorcycles and snowmobiles. The station had several Blazer’s, and everyone had their favorite, for one reason or another though each were essentially identical. This one was Matt’s favored driver for everyday use.
“We can take my truck.”
Jody followed him wordlessly, swinging the truck’s door open and climbing in. On the driver’s side, Matt slid in behind the wheel. Pulling the seat belt across his lap and snapping it in place, he attempted to ignore the way Jody’s mere presence seemed to fill up all the space in the truck as he slotted the key in the ignition. Matt kept his eyes off Jody as he swiveled, resting one hand on the back of Jody’s seat, close enough to touch the man’s dark hair as he focused on backing out of the station’s parking area.
Only after straightening them out and getting onto the road did he glance over at his passenger. “Have you been to Cherry's before? It’s been here forever, maybe you remember it from when you lived here?”
Stretching out in his seat as much as a guy could with legs that long, Jody replied. “Oh yeah, I remember Cherry's. Best cherry pie this side of the Mason-Dixon.”
Matt’s stomach chose that moment to growl, rather loudly. Jody laughed out right. “I see some things haven’t changed.”
Shaking his head, Matt defended himself. “Hey, I was stuck in a budget meeting all morning with nothing but a cup of coffee and the waning desire to live. I offer no apologies.”
Jody chuckled. “You’ll get no judgments from me, baby.”
Another wave of warmth rolled over him, and Matt tightened his hands on the wheel, keeping his eyes resolutely forward. He had the distinct impression Jody was watching him again with that deeply intent way of his, and an annoyed part of him thought it so wasn’t fair, him leaving Matt on pins and needles all this time only to show up with that smile and that voice and calling him that.
“So, family all okay? Mike said your dad has made a lot of progress.” There. Nice, safe topic of conversation.
Jody waited a beat before replying. Matt risked a glance and found the other man gazing out the passenger side window as they sped down a back road. Matt knew every road on the mountain, and was taking the fastest route to Cherry's Diner which meant traveling through the dense evergreen forest that carpeted the west side of the mountain. The road would eventually spit them out on the back side of Bear Valley, the moderately sized town that clung to the side of the mountain he called home.
The head of one of the most popular ski runs was situated just north of Bear Valley, and so the community was afforded a good amount of tourist revenue each year. The resorts scattered around the mountain listed Bear Valley as an ‘authentically charming’ stop on the way to excellent skiing in all their glossy brochures. For the rangers it meant a steady stream of work stemming from emergencies mostly involving inexperienced skiers and hikers, especially during the busy winter season.
“They’re all doing pretty good. Emmy and the kids are back home. McBride seems to think he’s accounted for all the assholes that hurt my dad, and that threatened him, and us, not to mention all the shit that was done up here, but that part you know about.”
Jody paused as the truck bounced over a rough patch of road and Matt said, “From what he’s told me, Mike feels pretty confident they rounded them all up. You sound a little unsure.”
Jody let out a long breath. “Not necessarily. I just worry, you know?”
Matt nodded, slowing the truck as they passed out from the shaded corridor of thick trees on either side to a looping curve in the road. On his left the mountain fell away and the vista stretched out endlessly under a clear blue sky. Sunlight filled the windshield. Far in the distance Lake Tahoe glimmered like plate glass. Snow still clung to the edges of the road, but was melting fast, leaving behind a slurry the truck splashed through as Matt took the curve.
Following the narrow road curling around the side of the mountain, Matt pursed his lips. “How could you not? I mean, with these kinds of people, I don’t blame you.”
Matt remembered those men well, remembered the things they’d done and the things they’d promised to do if their demands weren’t met. Matt was glad that most of them were dead and the rest were in prison, and he didn’t examine too closely the sense of hardened satisfaction that brought him.
Finally rounding the long curve, Matt gestured up ahead. Weaved in amongst the piney forest and rocky outcroppings stood the town of Bear Valley, aptly named for the mountain on which it stood, Bear Valley Mountain. The narrow two lane road they’d traveled on from the ranger station widened, becoming smoother as they passed into the city limits. Traffic merged in around them from various side streets and intersections as they entered the downtown area.
Cafes with brightly colored umbrellas nestled along wide sidewalks stood alongside bookstores, ski and gift shops with attractive storefronts. There were the unavoidable vacation rental offices sprinkled here and there, and on one block a fast food joint had managed a foothold in the otherwise picturesque area, but regardless the town largely maintained a pleasing, low key, rustic vibe.
“Wow,” Jody said, swiveling his head to take it all in. “It’s really grown up since I lived here. I recognize several of these shops, but there’s a lot of new stuff.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, when they put Bear Valley Resort in, back over on the east side, things up here really picked up. We get all kinds of tourist traffic, almost year round now.”
Seeing the sign for Cherry's Diner, Matt flipped on his blinker and piloted the truck off the roadway and into the parking lot. Easing into an empty spot, Matt shifted the truck into park, and shut off the engine. Pocketing his keys he grinned over at Jody.
“You ready for this?”
Jody’s eyes seemed to darken, though Matt supposed it could be just a trick of the slanting afternoon light.
“I sure am.”
A shiver raced up Matt’s spine. Damn the man for being able to pull these reactions out of him so effortlessly. Pretending he hadn’t just spent a couple seconds crushing on his passenger, Matt slapped Jody’s shoulder before swinging open his door and stepping out of the truck.
“Well, come on then. Pie waits for no man.”
~*~
Additional notes: I read someplace that the show was filmed largely around Bear Valley, so this is an actual place that I decided to use for my own purposes. I don't remember a name ever being given to anything as far as the mountain, or mountains in the show, and so far I've avoided naming Jody and Matt's mountain, but decided to change this in this fic. I realize the rangers would be called to respond to events all over the area, but I also like the idea of them based near a pleasant mountain town, along with the nearby setting of Lake Tahoe. I'll most likely use a mix of fictitious and real world settings going forward, along with a heavy dose of artistic license to make whatever I'm dealing with fit my story, ;).
I'd like to post a chapter or two once a week, buuuuttt don't hold me to that! I'm going to try this posting format and see how it goes. I'll most likely hold off posting to A03 until I'm a little more ahead, if I don't just wait until this is finished completely.
I have a lot of ideas swirling for this fic, and I'm just going to let it unwind as it will, but I foresee romance and lovely boys falling for each other/slice of life type of story, but that doesn't mean that more of the action/adventure, or even hurt/comfort from the first fic won't figure in. The boys are in control here!
Minor caveat: it's possible these chapters could be edited later as the story evolves, though really I don't think there'd be much more than minor edits...though just putting this out as one never knows until "The End" is laid down at, well, the end. I have no idea right now how long this will be, guess we'll see!
I think that's all for now.
Author: Archet
Pairing: OMC Jody McKinnon/Matt Hawkes
Fandom: High Mountain Rangers
Summary: a story of falling in love, figuring things out and just holding on.
Disclaimer: I did not create the High Mountain Ranger character/s, only this fic and the Original Male Character, Jody McKinnon, and any other original characters in supporting roles. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: this fic is set in 1989, approximately a year and a half after the events of the final episode of High Mountain Rangers. There will be no acknowledgment of the events of the spin-off show Jesse Hawkes.
Warnings: none as yet
Note: this fic takes place a little over four months after Bad Luck, Bad Guys and High Mountain Rangers and is a sequel to that fic, so reading that first is recommended.
Additional: this fic will depict same sex relationships. If this ain’t your thing, venture no further.
***Additional story notes and etc at end of chapter***
~*~
Prologue
Standing barefoot on the front porch in the early Monday morning sunlight, Jody watched as his niece and nephew waved at him before climbing the steps of their school bus. Nursing a cup of coffee in one hand, he tapped his thigh absently with the rolled up newspaper he’d rescued from the clutches of the Giant Saguaro Cactus that grew by Emmy’s paved front walk. He waited until the bus’s door levered shut, watching as the kids bounced down the center aisle. They slid into their usual spot, a seat midway down the length of the bus, and pressed grinning faces against the window, waving again.
Smiling, Jody lifted the paper and waggled it at them, and as the bus shifted gears and lurched off, he took a sip of coffee. He tracked the bus’s progress down the street, observing as it paused to pick up another set of kids from the house down at the end of the block before it turned at the corner, and rolled out of sight. Stepping down the brick steps onto the walkway, Jody curled his toes against the sun-warmed pavers and gazed down the smooth, curving street that cut through the row of houses standing shoulder to shoulder in the open sunlight.
It was a nice neighborhood. Clean, quiet, and the sameness of the houses reminded him heavily of many of the military bases he’d been stationed at, one time or another, during his fifteen years in the Marines. Overhead the smooth, blue sky held the flimsiest excuses for clouds; white filaments strung out high in the atmosphere.
The yellow sun was quickly burning off the desert chill from the night before, and by midday it’d be uncomfortably warm to stand out in the open for any length of time. Jody took another sip of coffee, savoring the rich nutty blend on his tongue. The neighborhood was beginning to stir, morning commuters emerging from their houses with briefcases in hand, joggers with their bicycle shorts and Walkmans heading out to get a morning run in before the temperature rose.
Pivoting Jody walked back to the house, and mounting the steps to the porch he paused at the top. Frowning, he looked to the northwest. In hazy distance arid mountains lined the horizon, brushed in golden morning sunlight. Jody squinted at them, wishing he could see past them, miles and miles onward where his mountain stood… his mountain, so different from these dry, desert formations. His mountain, whose soaring craggy peak and high shoulders should still be cloaked in deep snow, even now in the last week of May, weeks into spring. He’d been monitoring the evening weather reports, and knew the resorts were doing a brisk business, benefiting from a bevy of late season snowfall out Tahoe way.
Exhaling, Jody looked again down the street of Emmy’s quiet, orderly neighborhood.
God, I hate it here.
A rush of guilt flooded him, even though he knew his dislike had nothing to do with Emmy or the kids, or even his dad, who routinely danced on Jody’s last nerve. This just wasn’t his place. It never had been. Jody glanced back to the horizon, now shimmering in the rising warmth of the day.
“Hey.”
Jody turned. Emmy stood just inside the doorway, her robe belted neatly around her waist.
“Are you coming in for breakfast, or just gonna stand there pining?”
Jody smirked, shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Emmy rolled her eyes, turned and walked back into the house leaving the front door ajar. Sighing, Jody followed, trailing in her wake as she headed into the large, open kitchen. By the time he made it to the round kitchen table and slid into a chair, she’d poured herself a cup of coffee and had her hip resting against the ceramic tile countertop.
“You never were a good liar.”
Jody tossed the newspaper on the table top. “Tell that kid that delivers these he needs to improve his aim. I’m tired of fishing these out of that cactus every morning.”
Emmy set her mug on a coaster on the counter. “You mean George?”
It was Jody’s turn to roll his eyes. He’d never known of anyone that treated their plants like pets, right down to naming them, but that was his little sister. “All right, tell that kid to stop smacking George in his stupid face with the newspaper.”
Emmy sighed. Jody sensed her building up a head of steam, and sitting his mug down, reclined back into his chair, getting comfortable for the duration. “I do not want to have this conversation, yet again.”
“Jody, Emmy started.
“Emmy, Jody echoed.
“God, you’re such an asshole.”
Jody snorted. “Well, at least dad can say I get it honest.”
Emmy softened. “Don’t be that way; everyone knows you take after mom the most.”
“Maybe,” Jody allowed.
Giving him a moment, Emmy busied herself with loading the toaster with two slices of bread. “You want some?”
Jody shook his head. “Nah.”
Swinging around, Emmy regarded him with that gentle, mothering look Jody was well acquainted with. “You’re miserable here.”
Jody couldn’t deny it. He loved his sister, loved his niece and nephew, Emily and Emmett…hell, he even loved his dad, for all the fucking trouble the man had brought them, but, he was restless.
“Why don’t you--”
Jody cut Emmy off before she could unreel her argument. “Why don’t we not get into it right now?”
“You know you want to see him.”
Score.
Jody sighed. As a former Art History professor, Emmy just loved drawing information out of a student. “I don’t even know him, Em. Not really.”
Latching onto his hesitation, and a glimmer of something other than stubbornness, Emmy ignored the toast when it popped up. Heading to the table, she slid onto the chair opposite Jody. “Well, go get to know him. Jo-Jo, the way you spoke about him, I think you two are more connected than you’re willing to admit.”
Jody’s jaw tightened. Emmy rolling out her childhood nickname for him was a low blow, and effective. “I can’t stop thinking about him,” he admitted reluctantly.
Dark brown eyes widening, Emmy zeroed in on the admission. Reaching out, she rested a hand on Jody’s forearm. “You love that stupid mountain, you always did. Maybe, you ending up there, him being there just when you needed help, maybe that means something?”
Tilting his head, Jody looked at his sister fondly. She’d always been the romantic in the family. He shrugged. “Maybe, but you guys need me here.”
Her brows lowering, Emmy sat back with a frown. “No offense, but says who?”
Jody gave her a wry look. “Well thanks a lot, sis.”
Emmy softened. “We are doing fine. I’m doing fine. The kids are fine. Jesus, even dad is doing better than he has in fucking years.”
Jody raised a brow, and Emmy pinned him with a look. “Don’t use us as an excuse.”
Jody pulled away. “I’m not. Fuck, Emmy, your lives were threatened just a few months ago. What if--” he let the thought go unfinished.
Emmy pursed her lips. “Yes. Bad things happened, and it scared the holy hell out of me, but that’s all over. You dealt with it. You kept us safe and by the grace of God, came back all in one piece.”
Emmy paused, took a long, deep breath. “Sheriff McBride said they got all of them-"
“He said he thought they got all of them,” Jody clarified.
“He said he was confident they apprehended all the involved parties,” Emmy corrected.
Jody grinned. “Yes, Professor.”
Emmy tossed her long curly hair over her shoulder. “You know I don’t teach anymore.”
Jody chuckled. “Em, we both know, even if you never so much as put a toe back into a classroom, you’ll always be that professor.”
Smile tugging at her lips, Emmy shook her head, pushed up from her chair and moved back to the toaster. She pushed the lever down again, leaning one elbow on the counter. “Mike said it himself, if we were being targeted, we’d have found out about it before now. These are not the type of people to play the long game. It’s been over four months, Jody. Mike feels we’re in the clear, or he would’ve never allowed us to come back home. There’s nothing we have anyone wants, nothing we know that anyone can use. Dad never remembered what he did with the money he won, and even if he did those men that hurt him and were after you and Matt are all either dead or in jail and won’t be getting out anytime this decade, or the next.”
Jody stared down at the varnished whorls of the kitchen table. “I know all that.”
“Then why haven’t you at least called Matt? Didn’t you practically promise him you’d be back? When did Jody McKinnon start breaking his promises?”
Jody’s gaze snapped up. Behind Emmy the toast popped, and for a second time she ignored it. “Stop feeling guilty you weren’t here when those assholes showed up. Stop feeling guilty that you took off and joined the Marines when mom and dad split, and for the love of God, stop feeling like you have to fix everything now that you’re out of the service and at loose ends.”
Clearly agitated, Emmy fished a hair band out of the pocket of her robe, and jerkily gathering her thick brown hair into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, twisted the band around the dark curls. It didn’t quite hold as she turned, tendrils escaping as she pushed the lever back down on the toaster with a forceful snap.
Reaching out, Jody pulled the newspaper over to him, fiddling with its curled edge. “You’re right, I am at loose ends. For the first time since I was a kid, I don’t know what my next move is. It’s got me turned around, Em.”
Huffing in annoyance, Emmy blew a strand of hair away from her face. “I don’t think that’s all that’s got you turned around.”
Jody looked away, suddenly engrossed again in the rolled up newspaper. “Either open it and read it, or leave it alone,” Emmy snapped.
Jody pushed the paper away, mouth pulling down, and folded his arms over his chest. Emmy sighed, letting go of her annoyance. “Jody, didn’t you tell me last year, when you were thinking of leaving the service, that you needed more? More than what the Marines could give you?”
Jody nodded slowly. “That’s what I said, sure.”
Pinning him with a flat stare, Emmy pressed on. “And is that still true?”
Jody sighed. “Sure.”
Behind her, the toast popped up, but Emmy paid it no mind, resting her hands on her hips. She regarded him with a long, speculative look. “Didn’t you say you wanted to make a home someplace, that you were tired of moving around every few years?”
Lifting his gaze to the ceiling, Jody exhaled. “That’s what I said.”
Advancing across the kitchen, Emmy braced both hands on the edge of the kitchen island that separated them. Tilting her head, her gaze sharped. “Didn’t you tell me you wanted someone to come home to, every night?”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, tension releasing as he suppressed a grin as Emmy cursed and fumbled with the band again, more hair having slipped loose and falling in her face.
Lips twitching, Jody shook his head. “Fine. You win.”
Going still, Emmy abandoned the reconstruction of the bun, a smile pulling at her lips. “You’re going?”
“I’m going,” Jody replied with a nod, just barely keeping his grin in check.
“Thank God,” Emmy moaned, and returned a third time to the toaster.
Jody chuckled, watching as she wrinkled her nose, pulling both charred slices of bread from the toaster.
“You asshole! You made me burn my toast,” she complained, tossing the bread into the trash.
Jody smirked. “Prove it, teach.”
Emmy rolled her eyes. “Come on, soldier boy, I’ll help you pack.”
~*~
Chapter 1: Unexpected Visitor
Matt hauled his briefcase out of the back of the Chevy Blazer, and slammed the door shut. Fumbling with the duffle slung over his shoulder, as well as the briefcase and binder held under one arm, he cursed as he nearly dropped the upcoming year’s budget spreadsheets all over the slushy snow at his feet. It was past midday, he hadn’t had lunch, and the yearly budget meeting with the city council had worn on an hour later than scheduled.
In other words, he was in a mood.
Making it up the steps to the High Mountain Ranger Station, Matt shouldered open the door and shuffled inside. He didn’t look up as he crossed the station’s lobby, concentrating on containing the spreadsheets that seemed determined to slither out of the binder. In his haste to extract himself from the endless meeting, Matt had stuffed the pages in the binder without securing the sheets in the three metal rings built into its spine.
“Shit,” he mumbled as the budget form for the repairs and maintenance of the station’s helicopter made a bid for freedom, shaking loose and falling away, sliding out of sight underneath the edge of his desk.
Dumping his armload onto the chair beside his desk, and his duffel on the hardwood plank floor, Matt knelt, growling his frustration as he called out. “Hey Izzy? How’s it been this morning? Sorry, the meeting ran over. Has Jim and Frank made it back from Mt. Rose?”
Finally locating the sheet, Matt yanked it out from under the desk and levered himself up, feeling a twinge in his left knee. It still bothered him more than it should at this point, this many weeks out from reinjuring the joint, so that he still wore a light brace most days. By a minor miracle he’d managed to avoid surgery this time around, but he’d skipped his last two physical therapy sessions, and he had a sinking feeling he was pushing his luck.
Matt made a mental note to call the doctor’s office and reschedule his session. Maybe he’d actually keep this one. Ski season had been nuts this year, but was gradually winding down, and hopefully he and his rangers would finally have a chance to catch their breath. The last couple weeks they’d been running with a skeleton crew as well, as his field medic, Robin Kelly, had been called back east to deal with a family emergency, and another ranger, Jim Cutler, had recently missed a string of days with the flu, and was only newly back on duty.
Where was Izzy?
“I see you got that knee checked out.”
Matt turned at the voice that definitely did not belong to his Probationary Ranger, Izzy Flowers.
Gripping the budget sheet in one hand, Matt’s mouth fell open. A flash of warmth, as sudden and unexpected as heat lightning, rolled through him. “Jody,” he finally managed, blinking stupidly at the tall, dark haired man standing a few feet away.
Fuck. He looks good. Was he that big before?
Jody did look good, indeed, wearing a pair of snug, faded blue jeans, black boots and a navy button-up under a black leather jacket. They stood staring at each other over the striped rug of the lobby for a couple seconds before Matt pulled himself together. Tossing the spreadsheet on top of the pile on the chair, he stepped forward, a crooked smile curling up the corner of his mouth.
Matt held out his hand. “Christ, Jody. It’s good to see you.”
Jody’s big hand took his, but the other man didn’t shake it, just held Matt’s in a warm grip as their gazes met. “It’s good to be seen,” Jody said, smiling more with his eyes than his mouth.
The last time Matt had seen Jody McKinnon he’d been lifting off in a Douglas County chopper, being taken to reunite with his family, and then to be placed under protective custody. In the weeks following their ordeal on the mountain, Sheriff Mike McBride had kept Matt somewhat informed as to how Jody and his family were doing, at least as much as he could without disclosing any real details. All specifics regarding the case, and Jody, had been kept on strict lockdown, even from Matt, until McBride had been satisfied there was no clear and present danger to the McKinnon’s.
With a quick squeeze, Jody released Matt’s hand. “I hope it’s alright, just dropping by like this,” Jody said, running a hand through his hair. He wore it loose, dark brown waves just brushing his shoulders. It was longer than Matt remembered.
“No, it’s fine,” Matt assured him. He gestured to the chair by his desk. “Come on, have a seat.” Quickly stepping over, he scooped up his briefcase, the binder and spreadsheets and dumped it all on his desktop.
“Sorry,” he said, steadying the pile with one hand when it all threatened to slide off onto the floor. He looked up to find Jody watching him, dark gaze fixed. Matt’s face warmed and he looked away, shifting the binder to a more stable position on top of the pile to buy him a second or two.
Christ, he must think I’m an idiot.
Finally, swinging his gaze back up, “Um, McBride came by a few weeks ago, said that there wouldn’t be charges brought against you.”
Jody stood perfectly still for a moment, gazing at Matt, and then he smiled full on, a slow curving of his lips. “Yeah,” he said as he sat down, resting his hands on the armrests of the chair, perfectly relaxed where a moment prior he’d been intently focused.
“Mike feels like they’ve got all the players. Well, he’s as sure as anyone can be, I guess.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, he’s been keeping me in the loop. Well, not really, I mean he couldn’t give me any details, but he let me know you were okay and that they were working the case.”
Jody pursed his lips. “McBride really went to bat for me. I can’t thank him enough, or you.”
Matt shook his head. “I was just doing my job.”
Jody laughed shortly. “That’s what he said you’d say.” Leaning forward in his chair, resting forearms on his knees, Jody said, “Is there any chance we could go somewhere and talk? There are some things I’d like to run by you.”
Matt glanced at his watch. He opened his mouth to ask if Jody had already had lunch when Izzy appeared, balancing two cups of coffee in his hand. The tall, sandy haired ranger paused, brows lifting at the sight of Jody seated in his chair, and Matt at his desk, arms around the pile of spreadsheets and binder stacked haphazardly on his desk.
“Sorry,” he said to Jody. He paused for a moment, then stepped forward and extended one long arm to offer Jody one of the mugs. “I had to go to the back to find some more coffee.”
Izzy’s blue eyes shifted between them as Jody accepted the coffee, cradling the cup as he leaned back in his chair. “Thanks,” he said, giving Izzy a polite nod.
Matt watched as Jody took a cautious sip, then carefully pulled the cup away, balancing it on the arm of his chair. Matt hid a grin. Nearly through his year of probationary training, Izzy was still hit or miss in making a good pot of coffee, and when he missed, he missed by a mile. “Thanks, Izz. Everything quiet this morning?”
Izzy nodded. “Yeah, nothing much going on, for once. Jim and Frank are on their way back from Mt. Rose. Should be back in an hour or so, they stopped off for some lunch.”
Matt nodded. “All right.” He glanced over at Jody. “Have you eaten? I haven’t had a chance to grab anything. I know a great diner.”
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Jody said.
“Cool.” Glancing at Izzy, Matt asked, “Izz, we’re going over to Cherry's, you want anything?”
“Meatball sub and some fries?” Izzy asked hopefully.
Matt grinned. “Got it.” Straightening, he looked at Jody. “Are you good to go now?”
“Sure,” Jody said, standing from his chair. He thanked Izzy as the probie made to take the still steaming cup of coffee from him. Jody handed it over. “Thanks.”
Izzy smiled. “No problem.”
Standing, Matt patted his pockets, searching for his keys. “Hey Izzy, did Robin check in this morning?”
Izzy nodded, balancing a coffee mug in each hand. “Yeah, she said her mom is doing a lot better. She’s planning on coming back next Tuesday, but if anything changes she’ll let us know.”
“Good news,” Matt said, locating his keys in his jacket pocket. Jingling them at Jody, he asked, “Ready?”
Tilting his head toward the door, Jody said, “Waitin’ on you, boss.”
Matt didn’t miss the uptick of Izzy’s brows. “I’ll take care of that when I get back,” he told Izzy, gesturing to the mess of papers and the binder on his desk and ignoring Izzy’s amused, wondering glance.
Jody preceded Matt to the double doors of the station. He swung one door open and held it as Matt passed by. There was the lightest touch at the small of his back, felt through his jacket, and Matt didn’t break stride, but was immediately grateful to be facing away from Jody as warmth rose over his face.
Christ, get hold of yourself, dude.
Matt didn’t know what Jody wanted to talk about, or why the man was back on the mountain, but his sudden appearance had certainly knocked Matt off his game. They’d known one another for barely more than a couple days, but still, while Jody and his family had been in seclusion Matt had thought often about the former Marine….okay, he’d thought about the man a lot.
Eventually, Matt had put his preoccupation with Jody McKinnon down to just not knowing….not knowing how Jody was doing, or if charges were being brought against him, or what was going on with him, wherever he was. They’d exchanged only the vaguest of messages, all routed through Sheriff McBride, who’d kept a tight lid on anything involving Jody up until recently.
It seemed everything had worked out well for Jody and his family, and no doubt it’d been a terrifying, chaotic time for the McKinnon clan, but Matt would be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t been hoping to hear from the man, a phone call…or something. A couple weeks after his last communication via Mike that basically contained a rather final sounding missive from Jody that basically added up to ‘thanks for all your help’ Matt had started to think maybe he’d imagined the mutual attraction that’d sparked between them, those months ago on the mountain. He’d spent more time than he cared to admit on brooding amid his disappointment at the Marine’s radio silence, and had finally decided to regulate the subject of Jody McKinnon and his intense brown eyes to memory, and the occasional fevered daydream.
Now Jody was here, out of the blue, wanting to talk. Matt was curious, and more than a little puzzled. He reigned in his curiosity, and his expectations. He’d learned from past experiences, no expectations, no disappointments.
Moving down the steps outside the station, Matt gestured to the Blazer, its blue and red paint job marking it as an official ranger vehicle. The rangers boasted a small stable of vehicles at their disposal, from four wheel drives, like the Blazer, to motorcycles and snowmobiles. The station had several Blazer’s, and everyone had their favorite, for one reason or another though each were essentially identical. This one was Matt’s favored driver for everyday use.
“We can take my truck.”
Jody followed him wordlessly, swinging the truck’s door open and climbing in. On the driver’s side, Matt slid in behind the wheel. Pulling the seat belt across his lap and snapping it in place, he attempted to ignore the way Jody’s mere presence seemed to fill up all the space in the truck as he slotted the key in the ignition. Matt kept his eyes off Jody as he swiveled, resting one hand on the back of Jody’s seat, close enough to touch the man’s dark hair as he focused on backing out of the station’s parking area.
Only after straightening them out and getting onto the road did he glance over at his passenger. “Have you been to Cherry's before? It’s been here forever, maybe you remember it from when you lived here?”
Stretching out in his seat as much as a guy could with legs that long, Jody replied. “Oh yeah, I remember Cherry's. Best cherry pie this side of the Mason-Dixon.”
Matt’s stomach chose that moment to growl, rather loudly. Jody laughed out right. “I see some things haven’t changed.”
Shaking his head, Matt defended himself. “Hey, I was stuck in a budget meeting all morning with nothing but a cup of coffee and the waning desire to live. I offer no apologies.”
Jody chuckled. “You’ll get no judgments from me, baby.”
Another wave of warmth rolled over him, and Matt tightened his hands on the wheel, keeping his eyes resolutely forward. He had the distinct impression Jody was watching him again with that deeply intent way of his, and an annoyed part of him thought it so wasn’t fair, him leaving Matt on pins and needles all this time only to show up with that smile and that voice and calling him that.
“So, family all okay? Mike said your dad has made a lot of progress.” There. Nice, safe topic of conversation.
Jody waited a beat before replying. Matt risked a glance and found the other man gazing out the passenger side window as they sped down a back road. Matt knew every road on the mountain, and was taking the fastest route to Cherry's Diner which meant traveling through the dense evergreen forest that carpeted the west side of the mountain. The road would eventually spit them out on the back side of Bear Valley, the moderately sized town that clung to the side of the mountain he called home.
The head of one of the most popular ski runs was situated just north of Bear Valley, and so the community was afforded a good amount of tourist revenue each year. The resorts scattered around the mountain listed Bear Valley as an ‘authentically charming’ stop on the way to excellent skiing in all their glossy brochures. For the rangers it meant a steady stream of work stemming from emergencies mostly involving inexperienced skiers and hikers, especially during the busy winter season.
“They’re all doing pretty good. Emmy and the kids are back home. McBride seems to think he’s accounted for all the assholes that hurt my dad, and that threatened him, and us, not to mention all the shit that was done up here, but that part you know about.”
Jody paused as the truck bounced over a rough patch of road and Matt said, “From what he’s told me, Mike feels pretty confident they rounded them all up. You sound a little unsure.”
Jody let out a long breath. “Not necessarily. I just worry, you know?”
Matt nodded, slowing the truck as they passed out from the shaded corridor of thick trees on either side to a looping curve in the road. On his left the mountain fell away and the vista stretched out endlessly under a clear blue sky. Sunlight filled the windshield. Far in the distance Lake Tahoe glimmered like plate glass. Snow still clung to the edges of the road, but was melting fast, leaving behind a slurry the truck splashed through as Matt took the curve.
Following the narrow road curling around the side of the mountain, Matt pursed his lips. “How could you not? I mean, with these kinds of people, I don’t blame you.”
Matt remembered those men well, remembered the things they’d done and the things they’d promised to do if their demands weren’t met. Matt was glad that most of them were dead and the rest were in prison, and he didn’t examine too closely the sense of hardened satisfaction that brought him.
Finally rounding the long curve, Matt gestured up ahead. Weaved in amongst the piney forest and rocky outcroppings stood the town of Bear Valley, aptly named for the mountain on which it stood, Bear Valley Mountain. The narrow two lane road they’d traveled on from the ranger station widened, becoming smoother as they passed into the city limits. Traffic merged in around them from various side streets and intersections as they entered the downtown area.
Cafes with brightly colored umbrellas nestled along wide sidewalks stood alongside bookstores, ski and gift shops with attractive storefronts. There were the unavoidable vacation rental offices sprinkled here and there, and on one block a fast food joint had managed a foothold in the otherwise picturesque area, but regardless the town largely maintained a pleasing, low key, rustic vibe.
“Wow,” Jody said, swiveling his head to take it all in. “It’s really grown up since I lived here. I recognize several of these shops, but there’s a lot of new stuff.”
Matt nodded. “Yeah, when they put Bear Valley Resort in, back over on the east side, things up here really picked up. We get all kinds of tourist traffic, almost year round now.”
Seeing the sign for Cherry's Diner, Matt flipped on his blinker and piloted the truck off the roadway and into the parking lot. Easing into an empty spot, Matt shifted the truck into park, and shut off the engine. Pocketing his keys he grinned over at Jody.
“You ready for this?”
Jody’s eyes seemed to darken, though Matt supposed it could be just a trick of the slanting afternoon light.
“I sure am.”
A shiver raced up Matt’s spine. Damn the man for being able to pull these reactions out of him so effortlessly. Pretending he hadn’t just spent a couple seconds crushing on his passenger, Matt slapped Jody’s shoulder before swinging open his door and stepping out of the truck.
“Well, come on then. Pie waits for no man.”
~*~
Additional notes: I read someplace that the show was filmed largely around Bear Valley, so this is an actual place that I decided to use for my own purposes. I don't remember a name ever being given to anything as far as the mountain, or mountains in the show, and so far I've avoided naming Jody and Matt's mountain, but decided to change this in this fic. I realize the rangers would be called to respond to events all over the area, but I also like the idea of them based near a pleasant mountain town, along with the nearby setting of Lake Tahoe. I'll most likely use a mix of fictitious and real world settings going forward, along with a heavy dose of artistic license to make whatever I'm dealing with fit my story, ;).
I'd like to post a chapter or two once a week, buuuuttt don't hold me to that! I'm going to try this posting format and see how it goes. I'll most likely hold off posting to A03 until I'm a little more ahead, if I don't just wait until this is finished completely.
I have a lot of ideas swirling for this fic, and I'm just going to let it unwind as it will, but I foresee romance and lovely boys falling for each other/slice of life type of story, but that doesn't mean that more of the action/adventure, or even hurt/comfort from the first fic won't figure in. The boys are in control here!
Minor caveat: it's possible these chapters could be edited later as the story evolves, though really I don't think there'd be much more than minor edits...though just putting this out as one never knows until "The End" is laid down at, well, the end. I have no idea right now how long this will be, guess we'll see!
I think that's all for now.
