“All set?” Trevor asked one warm June afternoon.
Lorella nodded as Trevor revved up the truck’s engine.
“I’m so glad to return to forest rangering. You’re going to love it in the wilderness, Lorella, trust me. I hope we’ll see Noelle at some point along the way. You know, the one I told you about that’s gay?”
“I’m sure you told her I was gay, too,” Lorella said glumly.
“Well, only in explaining why you came up here. I mean, after I mentioned you lost your loved one and she referred to her as he, I automatically corrected her and said it was a she.”
“I see,” said Lorella, gazing out at the passing scenery.
“How’s your friend Shalinda doing?” Trevor asked.
“She’s okay. We exchanged emails last night.”
It was a long drive, perhaps forty minutes or so. They passed by farms throughout most of the drive, which consisted mainly of cattle. Suddenly, they were at the base of a very large mountain, and the farms gave way to towering pines and junipers.
“This is it,” Trevor told her as they climbed higher and higher up the mountain.
“Is any of the wildlife up here dangerous?” Lorella asked as the truck ascended into the vast forest.
“Well, there are some mountain lions and bears.”
“Lovely.”
“I’ve never personally seen any myself, if that’s of any consolation to you. What you’ll mostly see will be deer, maybe an occasional elk or moose.”
“So where exactly are we going?” Lorella asked.
“Up to the main watchtower. We’ll go to the one I was assigned to afterward. I was assigned to the one in Unit 1. You’ll be amazed at the view from up there.”
“How many units are there?”
“Just four in this area. I’m in 1, there’s a guy in 2, a lady in 3, and then Noelle has Unit 4.”
They pulled onto a dirt road topped with a thin layer of gravel. At the end of the road was the watchtower.
“Wow, that’s high,” Lorella said, craning her neck to gaze up at it.
Trevor nodded. “About 150 feet. Looks like both Noelle and the boss are present.”
Lorella noted the other two vehicles parked nearby, an old car and a newer dark blue SUV. When they exited the truck, Lorella had to admit that the area was quite serene and lovely. She especially liked the mix of wildflowers and the many butterflies that fluttered about. “This is beautiful,” she said. “I’d just hate to be up here in the winter.”
Trevor chuckled. “Yeah, it sure is a whole ‘nother world at that time, cold and snowy as hell.” He unlocked the solid metal door, and they entered at the base of a massive spiral stairwell. “Hope you don’t mind the exercise. It’s quite a hike.” His voice echoed off the circular brick walls.
“No, I don’t mind,” Lorella said, even though she was huffing and puffing rather heavily when they reached the metal door up top. Through the door’s square window, Lorella could make out the profile of a middle-aged man talking to a younger woman. The woman, whom Lorella assumed to be Noelle, was laughing at something the man said when she and Trevor entered the tower.
“Hey there, Trevor,” said the guy. He was rugged-looking yet friendly, dressed in jeans and a stained T-shirt with holes.
“Hey,” Noelle said with a wave of her hand. She was in full uniform along with Trevor.
“Hi guys,” said Trevor. He turned to Lorella. “This here is my little sister, Lorella. Lorella, this is Jeremy and Noelle.”
Jeremy shook her hand and welcomed her to Oregon. Then Noelle took her hand and said, “It’s very nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard some wonderful things about you.”
Lorella studied Noelle’s face. Never before had Lorella experienced an attraction so intense and so instantaneous. Noelle was hot! She hoped she wasn’t blushing as she took the offered hand before her and smiled shyly.
Noelle was perhaps a few inches shorter than Madison had been and slimmer. She was also more feminine, although her boyish shape and overall mannerisms hinted at her gayness. Also, unlike Madison, she wore makeup. Her hair was darker, almost black, and was styled in a similar way. Even her eyes were darker. They held Lorella captivated as she observed her beautiful smile. As slim as she was, she could see that she was very strong and in good shape.
What she couldn’t see was what was going through Noelle’s mind at that very moment, and that was to win her over any way she could, for Noelle was just as drawn to her as she was. So much so that she felt she just had to have her. Fully aware of the girl’s recent loss, she knew she had to tread carefully, be patient, and not come on too strong. That would be a hard thing to do, as good as Lorella looked.
“Trevor, do you think you’ll have some time today for me to go over the blueprint of the new tower with you?”
“Uh, sure, boss. But what new tower is this?” Trevor asked.
“Well, the county’s thinking of putting up a new watchtower, and they want my assistance on the layout and things like that.”
“Okay, no problem. I’ll give whatever input I can.” Lorella’s brother turned to face her and said, “I know you’ll probably be bored out of your mind while we do this, so I’ll make it up to you later on somehow.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. Don’t worry about it,” said Lorella, though she secretly didn’t look forward to a day of sitting around with nothing to do while Trevor and his boss went over building plans.
Noelle jumped at the opportunity that suddenly presented itself. “If I may say so, she’s welcome to come with me if she’d like. She can enjoy the scenic views with me while I catch up on a little paperwork, and maybe take some walks on some trails later on. That way she won’t get too bored.”
Lorella and Trevor looked at each other, then at Noelle.
“It’s up to you, Sis,” Trevor told her.
Lorella shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?”
Noelle flashed a bright white smile. “Good, good. Let me just gather up some stuff here, then we’ll take off for my tower.”
A minute or two later, the tower’s upper door closed shut behind them with an echoey clang. The sound seemed to bounce up and down the stairwell.
Noelle gestured towards the stairs. “After you, ma’am.”
Lorella descended the stairs, and they headed for Noelle’s SUV, in which Noelle opened the passenger door for her.
“Thank you,” Lorella said politely.
Once they were seated in the vehicle, Noelle turned towards Lorella and smiled. “All set?”
Lorella nodded.
“It’s just a few minutes away,” Noelle said in an upbeat tone of voice. “It’s gorgeous up here, don’t you think?”
“I do. I just don’t think I’d ever want to live up here with the bears and mountain lions that inhabit the mountain, from what I hear.”
“You’d seldom see any, if ever at all. Besides, that’s what a gun’s for.”
Lorella smiled. As cool as Noelle looked in her crisp, clean uniform, and as skilled as she no doubt was with firearms, Lorella hoped she wouldn’t have to use her gun to keep them from being mauled by some kind of vicious beast. She pulled her gaze from Noelle even though it was almost as hard as trying to pull apart a grilled cheese sandwich.
“You’re from southern Nevada, is that right?”
“Yes, although I spent my first eight years in New York.”
“I thought I heard a slight New York accent. I’ll bet you run into rattlesnakes more often down in the desert areas than we do big cats and bears up in these parts,” Noelle said.
“You’ll definitely see them when they’re active in the more rural areas.”
“And you don’t find that scary?”
Lorella shook her head. “No, because you can run from a snake and know it’ll never chase you down, as bears and cats might.”
Noelle smiled. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“Do you live up here on the mountain?”
“Mmm-hmm. At the base of it. It’s beautiful, just beautiful. There’s nothing like being one with nature, although the winters can be a bit of a pain.”
“That’s one thing I’m definitely not looking forward to, but I should be back down south by then.”
Lorella sensed an immediate shift in Noelle’s mood. Before she could get the chance to wonder about it, Noelle spoke again. “Ah, but you get used to it. You really do.”
They quickly wound through a maze of dirt roads, which were tightly flanked by pines and firs, and approached a watch tower that looked similar to the one they’d just left.
“This one looks higher,” Lorella said as they exited the vehicle. It was a strain to look upwards at the top of the structure.
“It isn’t really, it’s just set on a steep slope, so it appears that way at least on this side.”
Lorella eyed the tower’s base. “It is steep, alright. You sure this thing can’t tip over?”
Noelle laughed. “I’m sure.” She opened the door and ushered Lorella up the stairs ahead of her. Lorella suppressed the urge to shriek at the spider webs she broke through as she ascended the spiral staircase. Instead, she settled for hoping that no spiders were clinging to her. The webs were bad enough with the way they stuck to her and tickled her skin.
Once at the top, she tried to hide the fact that she was so out of breath, but it was easier said than done. “Guess I gotta get into better shape,” she said, huffing, noting that Noelle wasn’t the least bit out of breath.
“You’ll get there,” Noelle said, unlocking the upper door and holding it open for her. She smiled with a mixture of amusement and approval as Lorella passed her.
Lorella expected the tower room to be somewhat dark when they entered it, but due to all the spacious windows, it was anything but that. Slowly, Lorella approached one of the large windows and gazed out in awe. “This is incredible!”
“It is, isn’t it?”
“Definitely.” Lorella couldn’t tear her eyes from the panoramic view before her. Vast expanses of mountains and valleys formed waves and waves of green. “You can see for miles up here.”
“Oh, yeah,” Noelle agreed. “It’s a great way to watch for fires, short of flying over the area.”
“It’s almost dizzying.”
“Well, here then,” Noelle said, dragging a chair over to Lorella. “Have a seat.”
Lorella chuckled. “Not that dizzying, though I do prefer to sit.”
Noelle smiled at her and took her own seat in front of the tower’s small desk. Her ebony eyes shone with peace and contentment as well as life and energy. Her features then took on a look of hesitancy for a moment before she said, “I don’t mean to bring up subjects you may prefer to avoid, but I heard about what brought you up here to Oregon. I’m so sorry. I mean, it must’ve been a rather horrid ordeal you went through.”
A tinge of sadness pinched Lorella’s heart. She looked downward a second, then said, “It’s okay, I don’t mind talking about it.” She took a deep breath. “Yes, it was a nightmare. It happened so fast, yet it all seemed like slow motion at the same time.”
Noelle studied Lorella with curiosity. Lorella told her about the probation and how long she’d been with Madison.
“She was your probation officer?” Noelle asked, eyes wide with surprise. “Wow, I didn’t know that part of it.”
Lorella next filled her in on why she was put on probation.
“Oh, my God,” Noelle said with a laugh as she shook her head and covered her face in mock embarrassment. “I can’t imagine getting on probation for something my little niece did.”
Lorella laughed, too. “It’s not something one exactly plans on. Do you have any sisters or brothers?”
“Nope. The only family I’ve got is my dad. He lives higher up on the mountain.”
“I take it you’ve lived here all your life?”
Noelle nodded. “Sure have. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, although I do like to travel from time to time to places like Vegas, Southern Cal, and Florida. Been to Hawaii once, too.”
“If I could only take one more trip in my lifetime, it would have to be a cruise to Hawaii or Mexico.”
“Yeah?” Noelle asked with a dreamy smile.
Lorella nodded.
“So, how old are you?” Noelle asked
“Twenty-three. How about you?”
“I’m twenty-nine.”
“Madison was thirty-two.” This just seemed to suddenly slip out of Lorella.
“So, it was a car accident?”
Lorella nodded again. “It was terrifying. I thought that damn jeep would never stop rolling.”
Noelle looked surprised once again. “Wait a minute, you mean you were with her?”
“Sure was. The truck hit her side. That’s the only reason I’m alive today.”
Noelle’s dreamy smile returned to her gorgeous face. Then she turned to face the contents on her desk. As she did so, she said. “Well, I’m glad you’re alive today, Miss Lorella. But you had a nice relationship with her, as short as it was?”
Lorella didn’t know what to make of Noelle’s curiosity about Madison, but she answered, nonetheless. “I did. She treated me like a queen.”
“I have a feeling you deserve to be treated like a queen.”
Lorella laughed. “Why is that? You hardly know me.”
Noelle shrugged. “Just a feeling.”
“Here I am doing all the talking about myself, but I know even less about you. Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?” Noelle asked, scribbling something down on a piece of paper.
“Are you with anyone?”
Noelle still didn’t face her, although a wide smile broke out on her face.
Was her question funny or something?
“No, I’m not. I broke it off with my cheating girlfriend about a year ago.”
“Ever been with guys?” Lorella asked. “And you can tell me if I’m asking questions that are too personal or if I’m keeping you from your work. Really, I don’t want to be nosy.”
“You’re not being nosy or keeping me from my work,” Noelle said, glancing at Lorella reassuringly. “I was married once.”
“But you found it just wasn’t your cup of tea, huh?”
“Something like that. He also wasn’t very keen on the idea of having kids.”
“Most guys aren’t, from what I hear. It makes me wonder why there are so damn many people in the world.”
“Because they’re not smart enough to take measures to keep kids from happening. A lot of guys are just dumb like that.”
So, he made you use birth control?”
Noelle shook her head. “Not quite. He couldn’t rise to the occasion.”
“Then how did you know he didn’t want kids if he couldn’t rise?”
“Because he wouldn’t do anything to help himself. I guess sparing himself the embarrassment of seeking help was more important to him than my feelings.”
“Bummer.”
“Yeah, He was strange, alright. The only time he was getting off was in wet dreams, and when I realized his dreams turned him on more than I did, I knew it was time to move on. I was tired of being the only one to put any effort into things, and it seemed that the less he was able to be turned on, the more I was turned off. I was tired of playing it straight as it was. I’ve always preferred to be with a woman, so it worked out for the better in the end. Then there were the negatives to consider that come with having kids. First, you get sick, then you get fat, then you get depressed once it’s born, and so I had to ask myself if I really wanted to go through all that and give up my life at the same time.”
“Don’t forget the fact that children are a very expensive habit. One that makes cigarettes seem dirt cheap.”
Noelle nodded. “And noisy, too. Don’t get me wrong. I adore kids. But the more time that passes, the more I adore them when they belong to someone else.”
“I can relate to that. I think if I ever have any of my own, it’ll be when I’m older and have had time to evolve. I may even want to see about adopting an older child or becoming a foster parent. By then, maybe they won’t be so discriminative as to who they allow to do these things.”
“Ah, yes, I know what you mean. Wouldn’t it be nice if God Almighty, straight and married Christians weren’t always on top?”
“Don’t forget the Catholics,” Lorella added. “Don’t they rule the world too, and see sin in just about everything under the sun?”
They laughed.
“Oh yes,” Noelle said, “preaching against single motherhood one minute, then doing all they can in the next minute to deny a broke 15-year-old rape victim the abortion she needs. Love this world.”
They laughed again despite the truth in Noelle’s words.
Noelle rose and opened a small refrigerator, and pulled out a can of soda. “Want one?”
“Sure.” Lorella took the can from Noelle. “Thank you.”
Noelle raised her can in a mock toast. “To taking the narrow-minded religious fanatics down a peg or two.”
Laughing, Lorella raised her own can to Noelle’s. She realized she hadn’t laughed like this since Madison’s death.
They talked about nothing important for another two hours while Noelle periodically tended to her paperwork. Eventually, she rose from her chair and stretched her arms up high over her head. “What do you say we go stretch our legs and do some sightseeing down at ground level?”
“Sounds good to me,” said Lorella. The tower may have provided a wonderful view, but it was a stuffy place just the same.
The gravelly roads were a bit dusty since the summers in the area tended to be rather dry. Lorella heard nothing other than birds chirping and the crunching of gravel underneath their footsteps. A colorful monarch flew past them and landed on a cluster of brilliant bluebells.
“Sure is peaceful, isn’t it?” asked Noelle.
“It is,” Lorella told her, “and it’ll stay that way too, so long as we don’t meet up with any lions or bears.”
With a chuckle, Noelle led Lorella down a narrow, winding road. Eventually, a small cabin became visible through the trees.
“That’s where my dad lives,” Noelle said.
“Wow, he sure has his privacy, doesn’t he?”
Noelle nodded. “So do I.”
“That must be nice. That’s one of the things I don’t like about city life. There’s not much privacy there. Especially when you live where the houses are just a few feet apart. It’s also noisy in the city, but it sure is convenient not to have to drive so far to get places.”
“It’s worth it to me, and it’s definitely quiet,” Noelle said. “If you ever want a moment’s peace, you just give me a call, okay?”
“That’s kind of you, but I live quite a ways away. Trevor’s place is nearly an hour away from here. I’m surprised he can stand the commute.”
“You gotta really not mind driving, that’s for sure. Fortunately, I don’t mind because I have to go into K-Falls for groceries and things like that, although I sometimes go the other way and head into Bonanza.”
“I see,” said Lorella, glancing at Noelle. It was becoming more and more obvious to her that Noelle liked her or was at least attracted to her. Lorella liked her as well, but a relationship was simply out of the question and probably would be for some time to come. It wasn’t in her nature to have casual sex, yet she was so attracted to Noelle, unlike with any other woman, that she wasn’t about to rule out the possibility of intimate encounters with Noelle if she would be okay with just that much. What Noelle said next made Lorella wonder if she’d been reading her mind.
“You know,” Noelle began hesitantly, “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.”
“Yeah?” Lorella asked curiously.
“Well, despite your recent loss, you’re a very beautiful girl. You seem easy to get along with as well. You must get a lot of offers from both women and men.”
“Yeah, I get them. But believe me when I tell you that most of the so-called offers are less than flattering.”
They approached a paved road. Noelle pointed to one side and said, “My cabin’s down there. It’s a quick drive, though a long walk to get to from here. Perhaps you can check it out sometime.”
“That might be nice. Perhaps sometime when you have to come into the city for groceries.”
“Okay, though I don’t mind making a special trip. I’ll give you my number before you go home today. I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to rush you into socializing if you still don’t feel up to it.”
“Socializing?” Lorella said with a laugh. “You’re so good-looking that I don’t know if I could just socialize with you.”
Noelle laughed with delight as Lorella gasped with surprise, shocked to hear her own words.
“I-I’m sorry,” Lorella stammered. “I’m not usually that forward.”
“It’s quite all right, I assure you. Come on, let’s double back to the tower.” Noelle put a guiding hand on Lorella’s shoulder. The shoulder tingled pleasantly with her touch long after she withdrew her hand from it.
They were close to the tower when they suddenly heard a rustling sound close by. Lorella tensed and tried to see the source of the movement through the dense underbrush. “What was that?” she asked, voice slightly trembling.
“Oh, just a deer, no doubt.”
The two of them surveyed the area from which the sound came. Lorella noted that Noelle didn’t seem concerned.
“Relax, you’re with me. I’ll take care of you.” Noelle smiled reassuringly.
Just then, a spotted doe emerged from a dense thicket of trees, darted across the road, and then disappeared behind another stand of trees.
“See? No lions, tigers or bears,” said Noelle as Lorella breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ll get used to country living.”
“Will I?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Noelle said confidently.
“But wouldn’t that be awfully hard to do if I’m in the city?”
Noelle shrugged. “Maybe you’ll want to hang out with me at times.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Lorella said. Then she smiled. She hadn’t felt this good since losing Madison.
Noelle beamed back a smile of her own and put an arm across Lorella’s shoulders as the tower came into view.
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