The Treasure of the Hairy Cadre (An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy Book 8) Read online

  The Treasure of the Hairy Cadre

  An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy

  Book 8

  Susan C. Daffron

  Published by Magic Fur Press

  An imprint of Logical Expressions, Inc.

  PO Box 383, Sandpoint, Idaho 83852, USA

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business organizations, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 by Susan C. Daffron

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher.

  ISBN:

  978-1-61038-039-3 (paperback)

  978-1-61038-040-9 (EPUB)

  Digital Edition 1.0 – January 4, 2016

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Copyright Page

  Table of Contents

  Synopsis

  Chapter 1 - It’s Late

  Chapter 2 - Stormy Weather

  Chapter 3 - Fools Rush In

  Chapter 4 - I’m Walkin’

  Chapter 5 - Someday

  Chapter 6 - Travelin’ Man

  Chapter 7 - Fire Breathin’ Dragon

  Chapter 8 - Garden Party

  Chapter 9 - Hello Mary Lou

  Chapter 10 - Poor Little Fool

  Chapter 11 - It’s Up to You

  Chapter 12 - Lonesome Party

  Chapter 13 - Lonesome Town

  Chapter 14 - Epilogue

  Thanks for Reading

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Books by Susan C. Daffron

  The Treasure of the Hairy Cadre

  An Alpine Grove Romantic Comedy

  Book 8

  by Susan C. Daffron

  Synopsis

  For elementary school teacher Sara Winston, being a camp counselor is the ideal summer job, if only she can pass the canoe test. As a former all-star athlete Sara knows she needs to practice, so she heads out on a solo excursion to hone her paddling skills. A sudden lightning storm drives her to shore, and while waiting out the deluge, she encounters a bedraggled man who is definitely not rainwater fresh.

  Zack Flanagan looks like a soggy, sweaty pirate, so when he reveals stories of hidden treasure, Sara is convinced he’s a harmless nut case. But when someone steals Sara’s canoe leaving them stranded in a remote uninhabited area miles from anywhere, she considers the possibility that Zack might not be so crazy after all. Someone else might be after the treasure—and them.

  The Treasure of the Hairy Cadre is a romantic comedy novel of approximately 87,000 words.

  Chapter 1

  It’s Late

  “No, not that way!” Sara Winston plunged into the lake with a spectacular splash. She sputtered to a stand in the waist-deep water and slapped the surface with her palm. “What were you doing, Bob?”

  “Me? What were you doing? You’re not supposed to lean over the side like that. It’s a canoe. They tip over.”

  “I know that!” Sara sloshed her way to the shore, trying to bluff her way through the humiliation of failing to stay dry yet again. This was ridiculous. No one else had these problems.

  Her instructor Bob followed her toward the beach, dragging the canoe after him and working to right the craft as he walked it to shore. “I have never seen anyone tip over a canoe as many times as you have. I think you should win the Summer of 1996 Camp Capsize Prize or something.”

  Sara used both hands to squeeze the water out of her long ebony ponytail. “I don’t have much experience with boats. It’s not like I can’t swim, but I don’t like the feeling of tipping from side to side. Then I wonder what’s going on with the other person, I move too fast, and lose my balance.”

  Bob pulled the canoe onto the shore and dropped it with a thump. “That’s obvious. You soaked me again. We need to resolve this, Sara. When the kids arrive, we can’t have a counselor who falls into the lake every time she gets into a canoe.”

  “I know. You’re right. I just need more practice.” She pointed at the canoe. “Could I take it out by myself? Maybe that would help.”

  Bob looked dubious, but then nodded. “Make sure you stay close to shore. I’m going to get a towel and then I can sit and watch you from the dock.”

  “I’m not going to drown in three feet of water.”

  “You’ve learned enough about water safety this week to know that’s not true. No arguments. I’m watching you.” He stalked off toward the boat house. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

  Sara looked down at the goose bumps rising on her legs below her utilitarian navy-blue tank bathing suit. Even in August, if you fell into the lake enough times, you did get cold. Bob was right though. By the time the kids arrived at camp, she had to look like she knew what she was doing. It was odd to discover that she was so terrible at boating, given her many years of excelling at virtually every sport she’d ever tried. But land-based activities generally didn’t involve things that tipped over underneath you.

  Bob returned and told Sara to get into the canoe so he could push her off. After a wobbly start, Sara slowly paddled around the dock and grinned up at Bob, who was sitting cross-legged with the towel wrapped around his shoulders. She waved the paddle at him. “Look! Five whole minutes without dunking myself.”

  “Maybe you’re just not a team player.”

  “That’s not true! I’m a great team player. I played basketball in college and I even got a volleyball scholarship so I could go in the first place.”

  “Are you afraid of the water? Is that the problem?”

  “Not really.” Okay, maybe she was a tiny bit afraid if it was deep. But not shallow water where she could stand up.

  After watching her paddle for a while with an increasingly bored expression, Bob stood up on the dock. “It looks like you’ve finally got the hang of it. I’ve gotta go talk to Ted about the Maypole cabin. Put on that life jacket and stay close to shore, okay? I’ll be right back.”

  Sara shook the paddle in assent. “I feel so much better now. All I need is some more practice time.” Now that no one else was in the canoe, she was actually enjoying herself. When she moved, the canoe moved. Without the variable of another human being, floating without tipping over was much easier.

  After paddling around for a while, Sara returned to the dock. Bob greeted her and pulled the canoe to shore. She got out and handed him the paddle. “That was great! It’s so much easier without you in the boat. I know we don’t have training tomorrow, but could I come by and take the canoe? I’d like to spend more time practicing and I was thinking I could paddle around the point, have a picnic, and paddle back.”

  Bob rubbed his hand over his close-cropped light hair. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “It’s the only way I’ll learn. I have to do things like this on my own to develop muscle memory. When I was on the basketball team in high school, I was useless until I practiced on my own. For two weeks, I spent every evening shooting hoops in my driveway for hours. After that, I was a starting player. The coach couldn’t believe it, but it’s how I learn.”

  “All right. You obviously know what you’re doing now, so I suppose it’s okay. You’re an adult and an incredibly strong swimmer. Heck, you beat my time on the swimming test. But you’d better wear a life jacket the whole time. To
morrow, I’ll be here all day working on finishing up the painting on that Maypole cabin anyway. After you get back from your private paddle, maybe we could try a short two-person excursion again. Then I can help you put everything away.”

  “My normal dog walker is busy, but I’ll call the boarding kennel and see if they can take my dog for the day. I’ll give you a call if I can’t make the arrangements work.” Sara smiled. “Thank you so much for being patient with me and coming over to tutor me like this after I failed so terribly during class. I’m not used to being such a klutz.”

  Bob patted her shoulder. “You’ll be a great counselor. We’re thrilled to have you here. It’s not often we get someone like you who has both teaching and nursing experience.”

  “It’s going to be such fun. I can’t wait until the kids get here.”

  “Yup, that’s when the real action starts. See you tomorrow.”

  Sara gathered up her things and went to her car. The woman at the new boarding kennel in town seemed nice enough. She’d said she had five dogs, so what was one more cute Australian shepherd one way or another? Holly was such a great dog. She wouldn’t be any trouble.

  Sara glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Holly’s eager blue eyes looking straight toward the road ahead. Everyone always commented on the dog’s light sky-blue eyes, but it wasn’t unusual for an Australian shepherd to have eyes that color. The trait was undoubtedly a lingering leftover from some Aussie ancestor and whatever other breed or breeds that made up Holly.

  The pretty dog was looking unusually official sitting smartly in the back seat. From the front, Holly was mostly white with brown spots that went around her eyes and ears. Her body was a mixture of brown and white areas and unlike many Aussies, she had a long feathery tail that she waved behind her like a flag.

  After Sara had completed her master’s degree and began teaching in Gleasonville, her hours finally made it possible for her to get a dog. She’d gone to the regional animal shelter and was captivated by Holly’s cheerful smile. Even though the dog was skinny and dirty, Sara couldn’t resist the earnest expression on Holly’s face and she adopted the five-month-old pup. Surviving Holly’s adolescence had tried Sara’s patience. Holly’s chewing phase led to the destruction of part of a kitchen chair, the fringe of an area rug, and a pair of Sara’s fuzzy slippers. The dog also devoured countless chew toys.

  Sara had learned through somewhat painful experience that like most herding dogs, Holly needed something to do. When Holly was tired, she was the perfect dog. When she wasn’t tired, she found less-than-desirable activities to occupy herself. Fortunately, Holly loved to retrieve and had an unending capacity to fetch a tennis ball or Frisbee. The dog never got bored or fatigued, even after Sara was utterly sick of the activity. Holly would continue to exert herself to the point that she’d be panting so hard she could barely keep the toy in her mouth.

  Sara headed north from Alpine Grove and out toward what the kennel owner, Kat Stevens, referred to as “the sticks.” The scent of warm pine needles wafted through the car’s open windows. The warm summer weather would be perfect for the canoe trip later and camp the following week. It would be great if the weather held, although according to the news a storm front might be moving in.

  The weather goddess on TV had been so vague, it was obvious that the meteorologists had no inkling what would happen. The forecast was more or less that it might rain or it might be sunny. Way to go out on a limb and cover all your bases.

  The thought of dealing with restless campers stuck indoors because of bad weather was daunting. At school, kids were supposed to be inside, so they accepted their fate. But kids at camp, who had been promised a week of fun on the lake, might take exception to rainstorms and indoor craft activities. It wasn’t worth worrying about though, since she couldn’t do anything about it. If the weather turned, all the counselors would simply have to get creative and find ways to keep the kids happy and entertained.

  Sara turned at a driveway that wound deep into the woods, meandering through huge cedar trees that created dappled shade along the gravel road. Kat had told Sara to drive past the turn to the new kennel buildings and come all the way up to the house. After what seemed like forever, the driveway finally opened up into a clearing with a log house. The front door opened and a short woman walked down the steps, her long brown braid swaying behind her. She waved to indicate that Sara should park next to an old green pickup truck.

  Holly was standing on the back seat of the car, wagging her tail. Sara parked and looked over her shoulder at the dog. “I think you get to go to camp too. Look at this place and all those gorgeous trees! You’re going to love it here.”

  Sara instructed Holly to behave for a second and got out of the car. She took a deep breath, letting the pine-scented air fill her lungs.

  Kat walked up to the car. “Hi, you must be Sara.”

  Sara smiled politely. What a diminutive woman. She didn’t sound so tiny on the phone. “Yes, it’s so nice to finally meet you in person. I appreciate you taking Holly for the day.”

  “It’s no big deal, since she’s already booked for the Tessa Hut while you’re off at camp. This will be a little preview for her.”

  “What’s the Tessa Hut?”

  Kat pointed at the outbuilding. “I refer to it as the Tessa Hut because my golden retriever Tessa was staying there when I moved here.”

  “I see.” The outbuilding had a definite list to one side, but at least it didn’t look like it would fall down. From what Kat said, it sounded like the official kennel buildings were almost complete, but Kat had suggested that while Sara was off being a counselor, Holly could stay in the makeshift kennel near the house instead. The Tessa Hut was located away from the construction and would be quieter. Sara agreed that Holly would probably appreciate less hammering.

  “I know it’s an ugly hut, but quite a few dogs have stayed there.” Kat gestured toward the clearing where the new buildings were located. “Soon we’ll be able to board more dogs, but not yet.”

  Sara glanced up at the gigantic cedars that surrounded the house. “How long have you lived here?”

  “Almost a year now. I inherited the property from my great aunt.”

  “I moved to Alpine Grove a year ago too. I used to live in Gleasonville, south of here, but I got a teaching job at the elementary school here. It’s been my dream to move up to Alpine Grove for a long time, and I was thrilled when it finally worked out.”

  Kat smiled at Holly’s expectant face at the car window. “She’s so pretty. I love her eyes.”

  Sara grinned. “Aren’t they beautiful? Everyone says that. Holly is also incredibly smart. She knows how to sit, stand, shake her right and left paws, and roll over on command.”

  “That’s impressive.”

  Sara opened the car door and the dog leaped daintily out of the back seat. She turned back to Kat. “Just so you know, she likes to eat her food only a few kibbles at a time. So don’t be surprised when she takes a bite, then walks somewhere else to eat it.”

  “Okay. Anything else I should know?”

  “Well, like I said on the phone, Holly likes her exercise. I go jogging with her in the morning, and when school is in session, a dog walker comes by once a day. Then after work, we always play Frisbee. That’s part of the reason I adopted her. I wanted a jogging buddy. We had a great run this morning. It was absolutely beautiful outside—sunny and the perfect temperature.”

  “I’m not much of a jogger, but we have trails cut through the forest, so all the dogs go for a big afternoon walk with me, in addition to shorter outings in the morning and evening.”

  “I brought Holly’s Frisbee too. And some tennis balls.”

  “That sounds great.” Kat gestured toward a fenced area that had large leaves bursting through the welded wire. “I don’t suppose you’d like some summer squash, would you? Some zucchini?”

  “No, I’m going over to the camp right after I leave here. Maybe later.”

  “
Okay, let me know. I have extra squash. Lots and lots of extra. I’m not much of a gardener and I didn’t think they’d grow, so I planted a lot. And then they all grew. Now we have a disturbing squash situation.” As Kat took the leash from Sara, the diamond in the ring on her hand glinted in the sunlight.

  Sara pointed at Kat’s ring. “That’s absolutely beautiful. I love it.”

  “Thanks.” Kat held out her hand so Sara could examine it. “It’s actually an engagement ring, although it also has rubies, which might be unconventional, I guess.”

  “Congratulations! When are you getting married?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “But you have to start planning the wedding!”

  Kat shrugged, “I suppose. Mostly, we’ve been focusing on finishing the kennels.”

  “What’s your fiancé’s name?”

  “Joel Ross.”

  “So you’ll be Kat Ross? That’s so pretty.”

  “No, I’ll still be Kat Stevens. I’m not changing my name to Ross, Yusuf, or anything else. Although, I suppose if I did, I’d be rid of a lifetime of folk music jokes. The byline on the articles I write is Katherine Stevens, which helps reduce the number of cracks I get about moonshadows.”

  “You have to change your name! That’s what women do when they get married.” Sara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Wasn’t changing your name some type of law? “It’s tradition. Everyone knows you have to change your name. It’s what you do.”

  “Actually, if you don’t do anything to change your name after you get married, it stays the same.”

  “I can’t imagine not wanting to take my husband’s name.” Sara turned her palms toward the sky. “Doesn’t your fiancé care? And what about the kids?”

  “We don’t have kids.”

  “But when you do! If your name isn’t the same as theirs, it will make them feel bad. I mean, you are having kids, right?”

  Kat glanced toward the house. “I think we’ll try to make it through the wedding first.”

  Sara shook her head in disbelief. What a bizarre attitude. Didn’t everyone want a family? “Okay, well, I’ll be back to pick up Holly tonight. This will be great for her. When she stays here while I’m at camp, she’ll already be familiar with the routine.”