The Ranger and the Lady

"Mike, I need your help. My brother and my nephew were out camping. They should have been back yesterday. He's had some heart problems and we concerned something happened. We tried calling but no answer on the cell phone. We have a team out already but I would feel better if you were there. Can we could out to help? Call me back please."

A few minutes later, I noticed my phone blinking so I listened to the call and returned it. "Pete, man, I'm sorry about your brother and nephew but I haven't been on a mission in over a year," Mike responded. "I don't know how much help I would be."

"Mike," he pleaded, "you're the best in the business. Just come be with us. You have been all over this mountain and you know it better than anyone. Please, Mike, I'm begging you."

"Pete, I'm sorry man. I just would be in the way. You may end up having to rescue me. Sorry but I just..."

"Okay Mike, they told me you wouldn't do it but I told them you wouldn't let us...me...down. Sorry I bothered you." He hung up.

Thirty seconds later I called him back. "Pete, if you think I can help I'll be there in 15 minutes."

That was the beginning of Mike's reentry back into the service. He and Pete found the two hikers. The brother had slipped and broken his leg, and when they attempted to call they realized that both cell phones were dead. So there was no option but to try to hobble to a main road to get help. But on the way they got turned around and took several wrong trails and were miles away from where they should be. A few hours later, they heard a whistle and by yelling over and over, Mike and Pete found them. They used a portable stretcher and brought out the injured party; they had someone meet them with an ATV to take him for medical treatment. It was not the most difficult or dangerous rescue but it did result in an old familiar adrenaline rush for Mike.

Over the next few weeks, Mike assisted with several other rescues, two of them extremely serious involving families. He was finely persuaded to rejoin the service. He only did so on the condition that he go on the search and rescue team rather than return to management.

******

Mike got back to the office from being out all day and when he checked his messages, he saw that he had gotten a call from a Trudy Lollich. It had been several months so it took him a few minutes to place the name of the woman he'd helped rescue with her husband and daughter. He called her back the next morning.

"Mrs. Lollich, this is Mike Christopher, at the park service. I got a note that you'd called. How can I help you?"

"Hi Mr. Christopher, please call me Trudy. I...I just called to let you know we are all doing well after you saved our lives."

Mike interrupted, "Not I, Mrs. Lollich. The team rescued you, not just me."

She laughed, "okay, the team. And please call me Trudy. Anyway, I have been thinking a lot about that and, well, I just wanted to call and say that...to say thanks again Mr. Christopher."

"I appreciate that Mrs...Trudy...I really do. But no need to keep thanking me. We were just doing out jobs. Lord knows they pay us like Bill Gates you know, so the big money is enough. Seriously, we were just glad we could help and I hope you and your family are fully recovered. And you can call me Mike. I don't even know a Mr. Christopher."

"Thank you, I will Mike. Yeah, we have pretty much recovered. I think Stan still is having difficulties psychologically but physically he's fine. He...he is just more...well, short-tempered than he was, and he seems, well, not as sure of himself. But, I don't know...that probably has nothing to do with the fall." As she was saying this, she was almost whispering, like someone else might overhear her."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe time will help. I guess it just takes a while to get over these kinds of things. I'm sure he'll be back to normal soon." Mike didn't quite understand what he was expected to say or for that matter, the reason for the call.

"Yeah, you may be right," Trudy replied. "He...he was already a, let's just say challenge before so maybe it's just more of that. Abby is doing great though and she told all her classmates about the tall giant that saved her."

"Well, tell her that the giant is doing just fine. Thank you very much for calling, and again, you don't have to thank us. I'm not even going to tell my team you called. Their heads are big enough already. Any more praise and I won't be able to stand having them around."

Trudy laughed, "okay, I won't thank them any more. But who knows, I may thank you again."

Mike was puzzled about that comment. "Okay Trudy. Thanks for calling. You take care and be careful next time you go on a mountain adventure."

Trudy said hurriedly, "wait Mike, before you hang up. I was wondering...I have been thinking about taking Abby up on the mountain for a picnic. I'd love for you to join us. It'd be another way to say how grateful we are."

"That's generous of you Trudy, but seriously, we're not allowed to accept gifts or anything, and you have generously expressed your appreciation. So, you and the family come on up and have a great picnic. There are some wonderful tables with really nice views. And the weather is still good so come before it gets too cold."

"It'll just be Abby and me. Stan won't come. Mike...could I...I know this is forward but could I have your email address? I would just like to let you know when we're going to be there and maybe we - Abby and I - could drop in to see you when you'll be in the office." Her voice betrayed her nervousness in making this request.

He saw no problem giving her his address. "I will be glad to let you know when I might be in but my schedule is so unpredictable, I can't promise anything. But, if I'm not here, some of my team may be. Abby may want to meet them. They could show her some of their gear."

Trudy hesitated. "Yeah, that would be fun. Let's just see what works out."

As he hung up, Mike was puzzled by the call, but he remembered that in fact, they were in danger of dying so he could understand why she kept returning to that harrowing time.

Over the next few days, Mike got a couple of emails from Trudy trying to find a time when she could come up for a picnic and drop in and see him. They set a date but at the last minute Mike was called out on an operation, as he and his team called the search and rescue mission. He didn't have her cell number so he'd emailed Trudy but she was already on her way in. Later he sent her an email apologizing but saying that he hoped they had a great time. She immediately emailed him back and said that she and Abby had a very nice time but she was going to keep trying until they could see him as well.

She kept emailing and finally he figured he might as well get it over so they set a time for the visit.

He was in the staging room inspecting some equipment when he got a call that they had arrived. When he went into the lobby, Trudy greeted him warmly and while Abby was smiling broadly, she was a little shyer in her approach. They went over to a seating area to chat. He asked someone to show Abby around and get her something to drink while he chatted with her mom. They talked about normal things that virtual strangers talk about...the upcoming winter season, Abby and what she was doing etc. Trudy somehow knew that Mike wasn't married and if she'd tried to look it up, probably also knew about his family being killed so she steered the conversation away from talking about children.

Abby came back excited about the tour she'd been on, particularly seeing the helicopters. Even though Mike had already indicated in the email that he couldn't go on a picnic because he had so much to do, he did finally agree to drop by the picnic area in the afternoon for a few minutes.

So, around three he finally had a break so he drove over to where they said they'd be. He quickly located them. Trudy was sitting quietly on a blanket reading and Abby was on another one close by sleeping.

"We took a long hike and then played Frisbee for a little while. Then, another she and another little girl played tag or something that seemed to mostly involve just running, so she passed out right after lunch. We just finished a little bit ago; sure we can't get you anything?" Trudy asked.

"No thanks, I had something a couple of hours ago. I normally use that time to do paperwork because I just always want to get it over with so I often eat at my desk," he replied.

"Well, at least sit down and relax for a minute, please? Just for a little bit. I know you're busy but you can spare a few minutes," she pleaded.

They talked for thirty minutes or so. Trudy explained that her husband worked in his family firm but mostly just managed his own investments. They'd gotten married in college and intended to move east where she was from but his family pressured him not to move. They lived in something like a family "compound" on several acres with houses for his parents and one each for a sister and brother. The way Trudy expressed it, she lived a very "cloistered" life.

Mike couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. While she was very slim, petite almost. The simple outfit she wore - a short, simple dress with a light unbuttoned sweater over her arms - displayed the outline of her shapely body very well. She sat with her legs out in front and the skirt pulled up slightly above mid-thigh to get the last rays of the late summer sun. Her legs were shapely and lightly tanned. He kept trying to figure out if she was wearing a bra; if so, it seemed to be a loose one because a couple of times when she moved they jiggled enticingly. Mike couldn't tell if she noticed his roaming eyes - but he sure hoped not. He'd always been somewhat shy with women but after his family's death, he'd become even more so. Over the last couple of years, people periodically tried to set him up with women but he always resisted. He simply couldn't see how it would work. He loved his wife very much and the thoughts of being romantically involved with someone else was anathema to him. Even his sex drive, which before his wife's death was extremely strong, had waned. He'd met a divorced woman in the southern part of the state that he'd periodically visited and had a sexual relationship with and while that did provide needed relief, it was empty of real emotion. And recently, he'd broken that off because she - naturally - wanted it to be more than sex. Mike didn't.

He had to get back to work and Abby has awakened so he helped them pack up the car. As he was bidding them goodbye, Abby wanted to kiss him so he leaned down and with a big smack, she kissed his cheek. As he stood, Trudy tiptoed, pulled his face down and gave him a kiss as well. As she did so, her breasts pressed against his chest. While he certainly noticed it, his dominant emotion was one of sadness. He remembered what he lost. As they were leaving he turned back to the truck with tears streaking his face.

That night, he got an email from Trudy asking if he had a private email account. She said if he did, would he please text it to her cell phone. She'd given him that number a few days before when they were trying to set up a time for the picnic. He replied that he didn't have a private email account. He said he hoped they enjoyed the picnic.

Lying in bed that evening, as he did most nights he thought about his wife and little girls and how much he missed them. Most times it seemed like the hole in his life had not filled one centimeter. But, in spite of himself, his mind also roamed to the view of Trudy sitting on the blanket with her beautiful legs exposed, and how her breasts looked, covered by the thin dress fabric, and how they felt when pressed to his chest. For the first time in a long time he got an erection just by his imagination. It was one of the few times in the last several years that he spontaneously got a hard cock.

He got up early the next morning, still thinking about Trudy and the emails she sent. Against his better judgment, he impetuously set up a google email account and texted it to her cell phone. Immediately he got a response back:

"Thanks so much!!. Check this mail later, please?"

He tried not to think about it all day. Luckily he had a lot of diverting work to do so he was able to resist, but when he got home at 6:30 or so, he grabbed a beer and sat down at his computer.

He went to his email account and saw that he had a message. He opened it.

"Hey Mike. I am so excited to write you on your private email. Am I the first one or did you just tell me a fib yesterday about not having one? Either way, I am really glad you sent it to me. I have something to ask you.

First, please don't get upset with me. I know this is really strange and awkward, but I wondered if I could come up sometime, just to visit you? I mean, without Abby, just me? I know you want to know why and I don't know exactly why but I just want to visit and talk. What do you think? I know you don't know me but I promise I am not some crazy girl...well, at least not TOO crazy. Seriously, I just want to talk. If you say no, I won't bother you any more. But...please??"

As he was thinking about how to respond, he got a second email that pretty much repeated the first, again imploring him to see her. Again, against his better judgment, he told her it was fine. They set it up for the following Thursday. He wanted to make sure it was in public so they agreed to meet at a small outdoor café. She was already there when Mike arrived. She was wearing slacks and a long-sleeved cream-colored silk blouse. This time he knew she wasn't wearing a bra. Her nipples were too prominently displayed to be covered by much of anything. She stood up to kiss him on the cheek. As she did so, her breasts moving against his arm confirmed his belief. She was an extremely attractive woman.

They made small talk for the first ten minutes or so. Then Trudy started talking about her marriage. She said that she married too early and Stan turned out to be much less mature than she realized. He was hot-tempered and if he didn't get his way, he would pout for days on end. She explained he wasn't physically violent, just sometimes hostile, but more often, sulky and petulant like a difficult child. Mike didn't really have to say anything; he just listened. After a while, it was like a light went on and she stopped mid-sentence.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I know you don't want to just hear a bored housewife whine about her troubles. It's just that I don't really have any men friends to talk to and most of the women I know are part of Stan's family or people that know both of us and I can't say what I want around them. So I just it was just all pent up. I'm sorry."

He assured her it was okay.

She looked at him. "You don't offer much do you? You seem reserved. Look, I have to admit something. I looked you up on the internet and, and...I know about what happened to your family. I am so, so sorry. I just wanted to say that. I certainly understand if you don't want to talk about it. Really, I do. So, what do you do in your spare time Mike?"

He smiled, "well, I don't have much free time but if I do, I mostly just read, work out or kayak. I don't have much of a social life. And thanks for understanding about my...what happened to my family. It is still hard to talk about. I'm sorry about your marriage. Have you tried to get him to a counselor? Maybe that would help."

"I've asked him about it but he gets very upset when I did a few times so I quit. I just coast along I guess. I don't quite know what to do. I used to think Stan would change but I don't believe he ever will. It's funny, he dotes on Abby and she loves him. Most of the time he seems not to be able to stand being around me. I wonder if maybe I send out subtle signals that I feel so...confined living among all his relatives and friends. I hope I don't but I might without intending to. I guess I should do something else but...I stay with him I guess because Abby loves him and her grandparents and all the aunts, uncles and cousins. So...so...as my mother has told me a hundred times...I will make the best of it. She figures that since he is a loaded as he is, it must make him a wonderful human being."

Mike couldn't see where this was going and couldn't figure out why she chose him to complain to. "I'm sure it'll work out. You're just going through some bad times and maybe...hopefully...they will pass. Well, I have some stuff to do and I suspect you soon need to drive back. I've enjoyed this. Bring Abby back up sometime for another picnic. The weather's getting a little chillier but when it's sunny, it's still nice."

"Wait, Mike. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just talked about my marriage so much. The truth is I just wanted to talk to you. I like you, and not just because you saved my life. You seem like a very, very nice man. Someone I'd like to get to know better. Stay a little longer please? I want to...I want to be friends with you. Please?" she implored. As the sun was setting, the fading light shined in her eyes and she had a very intense look.

Mike shifted in his seat. He thought he'd better confront this directly before it went any further. So he replied nervousl. "Thanks Trudy, I'm flattered. I like you as well. You're a very nice, very attractive lady. But, you're a married woman. I have a job that keeps me extremely busy, I'm twice your age, I'm black, you're white. You spend your time playing tennis and going to the country club; I spend my time tromping around the mountains. We could not have less in common. Don't you see that? But it's not just that. Even if we did have things in common, you have a family. I just don't think that seeing each other one-on-one would make sense. I assume you mean doing this and not telling your husband or anyone that you're sneaking off to see me right?"

Trudy reddened and said, haltingly. "I understand. I'm sorry I bothered you. Please forgive me Mike. You're right. It was a crazy idea. I didn't mean I was going to sneak up here and rape you or something. I just like to talk to you. But, forget it. And I will try to do the same. Thanks again for seeing me."

He assured her it wasn't a problem, and that he would love to see her and Abby the next time they went on a picnic.

They got up to leave. At their vehicles, she reached up to kiss him. He turned his cheek. This time, she pressed against him tighter. "Bye, Mike, thanks for seeing me. Thank you for everything."

"Drive carefully, Trudy. It's beginning to get dark."

As he was walking to his truck, she rolled down her window. "Mike, one more thing..."

She walked over to the car and leaned down. "Mike, I bet I know one we have in common."

"What?" he asked.

Her face flushed. "Check your email later tonight and I will tell you. Promise?"

Puzzled, Mike agreed and just stared as she drove away.

As Mike drove home he kept thinking about Trudy's last comment. He knew everything he said to her was absolutely right; they had almost nothing in common. Besides, any involvement with someone like her would be more complications than he wanted in his life. Mike had convinced himself that he had set his course for life. He wasn't depressed as much as before about being alone; he was too much of a realist to understand one has to accept what can't be changed. He wasn't happy but he wasn't sad either, at least not all the time. He just was. He'd had his period of happiness, it was amazing, but now it was over. Since that's the case, he rationalized, why complicate things unnecessarily. He had to admit though, with those black, sexy eyes and a slim but very alluring and curvy body, she was very tempting; just not enough to get into a confusing situation that could not end well. Nothing is worth that. And he also realized he was not someone that a woman would like long term; he just had too much baggage. Mike was a good enough actor that co-workers didn't see the brooding side of him, the side that would quickly make anyone run away when they saw how he was. But, he kept visualizing those tits that seemed to move so lively as she gestured, the big nipples scraping against the fabric.