Chapter 13
Lewis Campground cleared out without a problem. Most campers had already left, as the smoke moved in, making breathing uncomfortable and many people nervous. As fires developed, sections of the park had to be closed for safety. Some roads were closed became impassable at times.
Katlin would rather be in the field, hanging out in the office running operations made for a very long day. She checked the war board to see Michael's current location. It looked like he'd be flying sorties to and from the Mink Fire all day. This fire had quadrupled in size over the last two days, blazing along the ridgeline north towards the east end of Yellowstone Lake. He'd be busy until evening so she grabbed a quick bite for lunch and went back to work..
Dinner arrived and so did the flyboys. Returning crews looked like chimney sweeps exiting the helicopters. Kat pointed them to the chow line as she made her way down the flight line. She knew first order of business for the firefighters was a good meal, then a shower and bed. She reached the UH-60 as Michael was buttoning up the aircraft.
"Good to see you again, Rick." She shook his hand as she leaned over to speak into his ear. The other choppers idling made it hard to hear. "You are welcome to spend the night on my couch, you know."
Rick looked at Michael and smiled. "I don't think so, but thanks anyway. I hear there's a poker game tonight, thought I'd make some extra money." He gave her a peck on the cheek and left.
"What was that about?" Michael stood near Kat, but not touching her.
"Oh, I told him he could keep staying at my cabin."
"I don't think so." Michael grumbled.
Kat laughed. "That's what he said. Are you ready to go, how about a nice steak dinner? I haven't gotten a chance to show you what a fabulous cook I am."
"I've heard rumors. You were entertaining the troops, before I got here."
"Some old acquaintances from flight school, but that's nice." She said.
"What is?"
"That mildly jealous streak you have."
He was a little miffed. "I don't get jealous, no point in being with someone you can't trust."
"You can trust me, but there are other kinds of jealousy. Like missing out on something you would have enjoyed. I wouldn't worry about it though, it was just a bunch of friends reminiscing about the crazy times we had at Rucker and since you have put those days out of your mind, well....?"
They reached the main building. "I told you, that place has nothing but bad memories for me."
"Why thank you, kind sir, for the compliment."
He turned her around by the elbow, expecting her to be mad. "I didn't mean you."
Kat gave him her usual smirk. "I know, but you are so easy, I couldn't resist teasing."
"I swear to God, Kat, you keep me on egg shells. I don't know whether to throttle you or make love to you."
"Good. Glad to see we are on the same sheet of music." Taking his face in her hands, she gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Let's go home."
The drive was much quicker, now that he was familiar with the way. "I wanted to tell you, I love the moose sculpture at the beginning of your driveway. Do you know the artist?"
"He's a local guy, Running Bear, does all the chainsaw carvings sold at Grant Village. We're pretty good friends. He put a lot more work into mine. Hand-sanded and stained it for a birthday present. Speaking of which, I guess I could have wished you Happy Birthday, when you got here."
"How did you know June was my birthday?"
"I only know it's between the 23rd and 29th. It was one of the last things you told me, that I would miss your birthday next week. I left June 22nd."
"And you remember that?"
"Michael, I remember almost everything about you. There was more to us than the Cherokee and camping trip Slider and Bennett. I wish you would remember, too. It was the best time of my life."
"I'm sorry. I feel like there was more, but things got so shitty, I blocked it all out."
"It's okay. We aren't the same people. Come help me get dinner ready." She led him inside.
He carried his bag into the cabin and set it down near the stairs. Katlin was pulling steaks and vegetables out of the refrigerator. He took the dinnerware outside and set the table. They moved easily around each other. Michael had been in her cabin for a week, with Rick, and knew his way around her kitchen.
"Beer, wine or whiskey?" He asked, pulled a beer out for himself.
"Wine please, the burgundy that is open." She replied, happy that he was comfortable in her home.
They ate dinner on the back deck. Smoke left a light haze through the trees, but it wasn't enough to drive them inside. They talked about their day. He asked insightful questions about the park ecology and history. She asked about places he'd been and things he liked to do. They both had a love for the mountains and photography. He liked to scuba dive; she liked to skydive. After a mild argument over jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, they decided to drop it. It had been a nice evening, having someone to talk to. She became aware that they both smelled a little smoky and needed a shower before bed.
Kat took two towels out from under a cabinet that sat in the deck corner. She wandered down to the lake; Michael followed. The sun had set, but it was an unseasonably warm summer and she thought a dip would be nice.
"What are you doing?" He asked, as if he didn't know.
"Going for a swim, wanna come?"
"I don't have swim trunks."
"Neither do I. Come on, no water moccasins this time." She turned back to the lake and stripped down to her panties. She waded shoulder deep into the water, before turning to look at him. He shook his head and remained on the beach. "Suit yourself. It's chilly, but refreshing."
Michael watched her dive underwater, her backside gracefully popping to the surface as she went under. She did that on purpose, he thought. Damn it, I know she did. He also knew that she was sure he'd eventually follow her. Stripping down, he cut cleanly through the water. She surfaced next to him with a smile.
"Kat, you little liar, this water is freezing. I get shrinkage you know."
"Well, then, I'll have to warm you up." She molded the length of her body to his. Her heat felt wonderful in the cold water. His arms circled her, trapping her to him. He kissed her for a long time. It felt good to come home to someone, rather than an empty apartment. "So, do you want to stay out here freezing all night or go back inside?"
She knew she was turning blue and barely stopped her teeth from chattering. "How's some whiskey and a movie in bed sound?"
He lifted her off her feet. "Great! Let's go." He carried her until they were waist deep and put her down. "You know I can't carry you across these rocks."
It was fun while it lasted. She was glad he had followed her into the water. At least she knew he wasn't as stuffy as he came across sometimes. At the beach, she handed him a towel and she quickly dried off. Wrapping the towel around her, she bundled her clothes up and went inside.
Dinner and dishes were quickly cleaned up and put away. Katlin showered first, putting on her usual tank top and panties for bed. As she walked out of the bathroom Michael wondered how he was supposed to watch a movie, lying next to her dressed like that. She went upstairs and put in The Ugly Truth.
When Michael came out of the bathroom, he saw the bourbon and glasses on the counter. Taking them he headed up the stairs. Kat sat in the middle of the bed, the head and foot of the mattress raised, with a tray of cheese, crackers, and fruit, in the center of the blanket.
"This is one of my favorite movies. Hope you like it." She indicated the TV screen.
"I'm sure it's fine. I don't watch that many movies."
"I love movies, reading, music. I get snowed in for days sometimes and we have to do something. There's only so much cross-stitching I can handle."
The movie was as funny as promised. They talked about people they knew, that fit the lead roles. Kat didn't understand why so many women tried to make men into girlfriends. How hard was it to keep a man happy? Good food, good sex and simple fun. Why make life difficult? She liked to get dressed up and go out on the town, like every other girl, but that's on special occasions, not the norm.
So far we've had good food and fun, onto the good sex. She placed the tray on the floor. Ridley would take care of the leftovers. Downing the whiskey, she placed her glass on the night table. Michael watched her carefully as she rolled over and planted herself in the middle of his chest.
A slow grin settled on his face, his held her snuggly to him. "Now what? You have a nice little seduction scene going here."
"Actually, this isn't much different from how I spend most nights, but I usually drink iced tea. What do you do when you get home from work?"
"I get a shower, have a beer, and go down stairs to the bar for dinner, most of the time. The food is good and they do breakfast on the weekends. I don't cook much, it's just me, but this is much nicer and I have a warm body on top of me."
"Restaurant food is terrible for you. You need to eat your veggies. I'll have to make sure you eat right while you are here and we'll have to work off some of this beer, too."
"Again, you're calling me fat. I'll show you who is out of shape." He kissed her long and hard, making her tingle down to her feet. They spent the next hour making long and leisurely love, satisfying their needs to touch and taste. He fell asleep in her arms, feeling warm, safe and contented. Kat whispered, I love you, to him as he slept. He hugged her a little tighter and she drifted to sleep with a smile of her own.
She woke the next morning trapped under Michael, the man who said he didn't like to cuddle. Ridley was plastered to her other side. There was no way she could move without waking them both. Finding the TV remote, she turned on the local channel for the latest Yellowstone news. The evening winds had spread the fires even more than expected overnight. Grant Village was in eminent danger. It was going to be another long day.
Elsewhere, the day started very early. Grant Village is located on the shore of the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, in the midst of the lodgepole pine forest. It is famous for the fact that it sits in the middle of grizzly bear country and presents tourists with many opportunities to photograph the grizzlies and cubs. As the Shoshone fire advanced north, it was the first major tourist area impacted this season.
Friday night, a Xanterra Parks and Resorts tour bus was scheduled to stay at Grant Village for two nights. The smoke was thick this week and many passengers were nervous about staying there. The guide let the passengers know that they had had smoky conditions on and off for several weeks and not to worry. Saturday, July 23rd, wake-up knocks came two hours early.
"Everybody up! Gather all your belongings. We need to evacuate the area immediately. Every body up!" The firemen shouted as they went from room to room pounding on doors and clearing the area of all non-essential personnel.
Some people answered the door having spent the night in their clothes, afraid the fire might overtake the village while they slept. Most of them beat the driver to the bus. A tour had never been diverted before and they left having no idea where they would be spending the night. The bus passed dozens of fire trucks and hundreds of firefighters.
It looked like Christmas in July, instead of the majestic woodland retreat everyone had expected. Santa's elves dressed in yellow firemen's gear held large hoses foaming down the structures on the edge of the village. Others continuously watered down trees close to the buildings. Helicopters could be seen dipping Bambi buckets in Yellowstone Lake, dumping vast amounts of water on the fire that was slowly surrounding Grant Village.
American bison, bears and elk wandered down the road occasionally stopping to watch the men at work. They kept just ahead of the fire, out of the blistering heat. A few nibbled grass at the roadside, seemingly unfazed by the roaring flames behind them. It amazed the on lookers; the animals accepted the situation as a fact of nature that was only a temporary nuisance to them.
Katlin had the weekend off; her first since the 4th of July. Michael still had to fly as his two weeks would not be up until Monday. She drove him to base and checked in to make sure she would not be needed. She met Michael coming out of the morning briefing.
"Hey, before you go, I need you to give me a kiss." She said.
Michael looked around. "Here?"
"Yes, here, in front of God and everyone." He opened his mouth to argue. She stopped him, "No arguments, we are not a secret, so stop being a puss and kiss me." She closed her eyes and puckered up, waiting.
He groaned and gave her a chaste peck on the lips. "Happy?"
"Yes. By the way, I have off today. There are things I need to do at home. If I'm not here when you are done, give me a call. I'll come get you."
"You don't have to."
Kat give him a dead pan look, with her eyebrow raised. "Yes, she does." Rick replied for her as he came up behind Michael. "Time to hit the tarmac. Nice seeing you, Kat." He winked at her as he pushed Mike in front of him.
"Buddy, you do not turn down a woman willing to chauffer you to and from her bed and feed you. No wonder you're single. Jeez. So, how is the happy homemaker?" Must be good stuff, if she got Mike to kiss her in public, he thought.
"Rick, it's a wonder you are married. How does your wife put up with you full-time?" Michael asked.
"She doesn't, because you have me half the time, Ha! Give, did you have a good time?" Rick was dying to know.
"She made me go swimming."
"I don't recall you packing swim trunks?" Rick was barely restraining himself, he couldn't wait to get home and tell his wife what was going on.
"I swam in boxers. God knows the water was so cold, I think my pecker crawled up to hide inside me. Then we dried off and watched a really good movie before bed. We had a good night's sleep."
Rick looked crest fallen. He gave up her comfy couch and a home cooked meal for that.
Michael elbowed him. "The sex was pretty good, too."
Rick perked up. "That's my boy, you make me proud." Rick didn't miss the fact that Michael spent the rest of the day with a smile on his face.