Christine Feehan

Shabina Foster sighed as she shut down the zoom meeting with her therapist and closed the lid of her laptop.  For one brief moment she rested her head on the top of the lid.  It was always more of the same.  She knew exactly what Talia Warren, her therapist, was going to say to her, the same thing she said all the time.  She had PTSD.  She should expect to have setbacks.  To have bad days. To have nightmares.  Work through them.  Use the tools she’d been given over the years to cope.
           
Shabina turned her head to look at the three Doberman pinchers crowding around her.  Malik, Sharif and Morza were her constant companions and always knew when she was distressed.  “Great advice.  Like I haven’t tried all those so-called tools.  Am I paranoid?  Most likely the answer is yes.  Sometimes I think I really am going crazy.”
           
Malik pushed up tight against her leg.  Automatically she scratched the fur between his ears.  She didn’t know what she’d do without the dogs for comfort—or protection.  They were trained guard dogs.  She worked with them every day to keep them sharp.  She needed to know she could stop them if they attacked or if there were a threat, she could send them to attack. 
           
She glanced out the window at the gathering darkness.  A shiver went down her spine in spite of her determination to be positive.  The ominous feeling she had was nothing but lack of sleep and paranoia.  It wasn’t real.  No one was out there watching her.  If someone was in her gardens, the dogs would have alerted. 
           
Squaring her shoulders, she forced a cheery voice.  “Tonight’s our night for entertaining, boys.  If we’re going to have everything ready for our guests, I’d better stop feeling sorry for myself and get moving.  I suppose you boys want your dinner.  Who knew you liked to eat?”  She was in the habit of talking aloud to them and was convinced they understood everything she said.  Affectionately she patted each of them. 
           
Shabina was an avid birdwatcher.  Not only that, but she documented and recorded their migrations.  She noted rare birds and located nesting sites.  She was acknowledged as one of the leading experts in the state.  The data she sent in was documented and kept for the records.  She had special permission to take her dogs on the trails with her when dogs weren’t allowed to go just anywhere in Yosemite.  She hiked alone in the early morning hours on little known trails to find the birds, and the dogs were her protection unit.  They knew better than to chase anything off the trail.
           
The dogs were tuned to her every mood and realized she was still distressed as she got up to get them their food.  Two of the large Dobermans followed her closely.  Morza padded over to the bank of windows in the great room and peered out and then began to pace around the room, stopping every few feet to look outside.  She stood watching him, hand to her throat as he patrolled. 
It was impossible to see into the house, yet they had an excellent view of the surrounding gardens.  Cameras were placed in strategic places throughout the garden area.  She should have felt safe.  There was a high wall surrounding the house and immediate gardens, but for the last few days, she’d had this terrible darkness invading her mind.  She found herself looking over her shoulder everywhere she went.  She looked at everyone with suspicion, not a good thing when she owned a café.  Sometimes, she could barely breathe.  She tried to convince herself it was paranoia, that there was no one out there, but she didn’t believe it.

“I’m actually quite happy it’s our turn to have girls’ night here.”  She forced herself to sound cheerful.  Sometimes she thought she might be going insane.  She’d been afraid to go to sleep for the last couple of nights.  Her therapist told her she had to sleep, and she had lied and said that wasn’t a problem yet.  It was a good thing her friends were coming over.  She could check in with them.  Find out if they thought she was being totally paranoid. 

Once every six weeks Shabina’s five best friends did their best to get together.  As a rule, she loved spending time with them and always looked forward to the one night they worked at setting busy schedules aside so they could come together.
           
Shabina had a very large four-bedroom home that she’d done her best to make warm and welcoming for her friends.  She had an indoor pool that was very popular with them and her kitchen was spectacular.  She loved her kitchen.  She’d already done all the baking and set food in warmers.  She made dog treats because her friends were always welcome to bring their dogs with them and she believed in giving them good healthy treats as well.  The house often smelled of the various bakery goods she whipped up.  She liked to try new recipes at home before she used them in her café. 
           
Shabina owned the Sunrise Café.  It was her pride and joy.  She had worked hard to get the café off the ground, designing every aspect of it from the building to the dishes to the daily menus.  She served breakfast and lunch only.  The specials changed depending on her mood.  It had always been her dream to open her own little café.  She hadn’t wanted a big restaurant.  She wanted a small boutique diner where she created the menu and could interact with her customers.  In the beginning, her business had mostly been a deli, with takeout sandwiches and a few special orders, but it quickly grew and now was a full restaurant with seating outside on the patio and inside the large newly renovated building.
           
Her parents had paid for her education, but she had worked hard to earn the money for her business.  She did have a silent partner.  It had been impossible to swing the amount of money she needed on her own and she didn’t want to take any more from her parents.  Their loan would have come with conditions she didn’t want to meet. Thankfully, her silent partner remained very silent and gave her no input whatsoever.  Just startup money.
           
It was Stella Harrison, the glue that held all the women together, who had truly been the miracle worker to make the Sunrise Café such a success.  “I have to remember she’s Stella Harrison-Rossi now, boys,” Shabina murmured aloud.  “She’s married to Sam.  I keep forgetting that little detail.  It seems like Sam’s always been around and nothing has changed, so it’s hard to remember they actually got married.”
           
Shabina, like most of the other business owners in the town of Knightly, attributed her success to Stella’s brilliant business plan.  Stella had turned two failing resorts into an extremely successful multi-million-dollar business.  She did it by including the smaller faltering businesses of Knightly. 
           
Knightly was a small town made famous for the boulders climbers came from all over the world to ascend. Stella had gone to many of the smaller places in town, such as the Brewery, a small pub owned by Bruce Atkins, a great bear of man who brewed fantastic beer.  She talked him into giving tours of his brewery to the high-end clientele at her resort.  They marketed his beer as being extremely rare and difficult to get.  Consequently, he was able to secure lucrative contracts with private clubs in Los Angeles, making his beer even more sought after. 
           
Stella had approached Alex Donovan, owner of the local Grill, a floundering restaurant at the time, and talked him into including music at night and changing his entire menu.  Shabina had helped with the menu, and Alex had added recipes from his mother’s side of the family.  Raine had created brochures, and overnight the Grill had become a local hotspot and success with the tourists and resort people.
           
Most importantly, Stella had made the Sunrise Café a huge destination for anyone coming to visit in Knightly.  She’d practically campaigned to put the café on the map.  Shabina was grateful for her friendship as well as the fact that Stella so generously aided her to make the café such a success from the very start.
           
The dogs ate their food with relish.  She gave them hearty meals, making certain what they ate was nutritious.  Shabina showed love with food.  Each of her friends had their own dog—or in Vienna Mortenson’s case, a Persian cat very aptly named Princess. The cat ruled Vienna’s household.  Vienna was head of search and rescue, a brilliant surgical nurse, gorgeous and practical, but she was a complete push over for her cat.  Despite the ominous feeling she couldn’t shake, just the thought of Vienna and her cat made Shabina smile.
           
Vienna had been certain her cat would become friends with the dogs.  None of the dogs were opposed to the friendship.  They didn’t chase cats.  They didn’t look at them with great disdain, but Princess not only snubbed dogs, she attacked viciously if they came anywhere near her, using teeth and claws in a feral manner.  The dogs could have torn her to pieces, but instead they ran away and refused to go anywhere near the cat.
           
Sharif lifted his head and gave a short bark.  The alarm went off and then the green light on her watch signaled the gate code had been put in.  Shabina’s heart accelerated.  She forced herself to breathe normally.  She was expecting company and only her friends knew the gate code.  Her friends and Rainier—her savior and the bane of her life.
           
She looked up at the security screen and recognized Harlow Frye and her beagle, Misha. Harlow was the daughter of a senator.  She worked as a nurse at the hospital, but her true calling was art. Her landscape photos were gaining fame and many hung in galleries all over the world.  She’d made quite a name for herself.  She also did pottery, but it wasn’t her first love, although Shabina thought her work was amazing.  Harlow had grown up in political circles and was graceful, knowing exactly how to respond to any situation.  She was one of the strongest climbers but did prefer trad climbing to bouldering. 
           
She threw her arms around Shabina the moment the door was opened.  “I feel as if I haven’t seen you in ages.”
           
“You work too much,” Shabina pointed out.
           
“Thank you for sending food three days in a row,” Harlow said, reaching down to remove the leash from Misha.  The beagle instantly rushed over to say hello to the giant Doberman pinchers. “When I’m working so many hours like that, I forget to eat.”
           
“Zahra called me from the hospital and told me both you and Vienna were called in three days in a row with trauma patients.  She said you slept there one night and had asked Raine to take Misha for you.”
           
“I really felt bad asking her, but Misha couldn’t be in the house alone that entire time.”
           
“And you and Vienna can’t go without decent meals.  You should call me when you’re in that situation,” Shabina said.  “I don’t mind fixing food.  You know it’s my thing, and I always have leftovers from the café.  It isn’t extra trouble.”
           
“You didn’t send leftovers,” Harlow pointed out.
           
She hadn’t. But the food was for two of her best friends, and they were saving lives.  She wanted them to have fresh, nutritional meals, ones she knew they both liked.  She gave Harlow a little smile. “Maybe not. I had to send your favorites so I knew you’d eat.  Sometimes, when you’re really tired, you forget all about eating.”
           
Harlow followed her across the great room and through the large archway separating the dining room into the kitchen.  Shabina had an open floor plan, so she could talk to her guests and see them while she was cooking.  She had dog beds placed along the walls for her dogs as well as her guest’s dogs.  They were frequent visitors and each pet had its own bed.
          
 “Sharif seems a little on edge tonight,” Harlow observed. She turned to watch as the big Doberman paced along the window, staring out.  He paused every few feet to listen.  “Does he want out?”
           
Every muscle in Shabina’s body tensed.  Two of the dogs were supposed to patrol outside the house while one stayed inside with her.  There was no way she was allowing her dogs outside her house without her.  She needed them close to her.  If she went out, she was armed at all times and she’d protect the dogs.  She could never say that to anyone because somehow, she knew it would get back to Rainier Ashcroft.  He seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere.  He seemed to think he was responsible for her security.
           
Rainier.  She just couldn’t allow herself to think about him.  He was her biggest weakness.  The moment she let him into her mind, her entire being believed she needed him.  That she couldn’t survive without him.  That she didn’t even want to.  Not when she was in crisis like she was.  She was on a downward spiral, and she had to learn to cope on her own.
           
“No, he needs to stay in tonight.  They have a routine and they don’t like to deviate, but I think it’s good for them to occasionally do different things.”  Another lie to a friend.  She detested lying to any of the women who were so good to her.  They’d let her into their lives and supported her dream of owning the café.  They’d helped to make it a success. 
           
Harlow carried a tray with two food warmers on it to the long sideboard in the dining room.  It would be easy access for the women from most of the rooms.  Shabina had already put out the silverware, napkins, plates and glasses.
           
“I love coming to your house, Shabina.  It always smells so welcoming.”
           
That was the nicest thing Harlow could have said to her.  She needed to hear that her home was everything she wanted it to be for her friends. Before she could reply, the alarm went off again.  This time it was Vienna Mortenson accompanied by Zahra Metcalf.  With Vienna being so tall and blonde and Zahra being extremely short with her large dark eyes and dark hair, they were striking together.  Zahra carried a little bundle of fluff in her arms.
           
She had loved her half mix, rough-coated. twenty-pound Pyrenean shepherd, a joyful, energetic dog she’d had for years. When she lost him, she refused to even entertain the idea of another dog.  She wanted the same mix, which would be impossible to find.  Somehow, just recently, the local vet, Dr. Amelia Sanderson, through her numerous connections had found a little Pyrenean shepherd in a rescue shelter who had just given birth.  The girls had hastily gotten together and with Dr. Sanderson’s help managed to secure a little female for Zahra as a surprise.  Zahra and the puppy were inseparable.
           
Originally from Azerbaijan, she had come to the United States with the help of Harlow, whom she had met in college.  Now a U.S. citizen, she worked as the local hospital administrator.  She was very gifted in securing grants and organizing fundraisers.  Between the money Vienna often donated from her gambling wins and what Zahra managed to raise, their trauma and surgical units were considered the best in the vicinity.  They were able to attract good doctors and nurses with the pay they could offer.
           
Zahra was a man magnet.  No matter the age, men flocked to her.  She was flirty and fun, but she didn’t date.  For a long while everyone thought she would eventually end up with Bruce Akins, owner of the Brewery, but he never actually got up the courage to ask her out so the relationship never got off the ground.  Shabina thought it was probably a good thing.  Privately, she thought Bruce would never have been able to handle Zahra.  He wouldn’t understand her.
           
Zahra was all smiles as she entered, greeting the dogs and showing them her puppy, letting them take their time sniffing her thoroughly.  Misha came rushing up to be introduced as well.  Shabina found herself laughing with Vienna and Harlow because Zahra didn’t seem to notice there were humans in the room.  She was too busy explaining to the dogs who her new baby was and how they were all going to be such great friends.
           
Already, Shabina was feeling so much better.  Just having her friends around her with their different personalities and their caring made her world seem brighter.  She handed Vienna and Harlow the other two trays of food warmers and she took baskets of freshly baked bread wrapped in warm linen to the sideboard.
           
“It’s a good thing you have a swimming pool,” Vienna said.  “This much food is crazy, but you know we’re going to eat it all.  Especially that one,” she nodded toward Zahra, “and Raine.  The two of them can put away food and never gain an ounce.”
           
“That one?” Zahra, sitting tailor fashion in the middle of the floor, surrounded by dogs, looked over shoulder with one eyebrow raised, proving she was listening.  She managed to look adorable as only Zahra could look.  “I do have a name.”
           
“You do?” Vienna shot back.  “I can think of several but you’ve objected to every single one. Are you going to help?”
           
“I’m introducing Misty to her friends right now,” Zahra said.  “And the names you come up with for me are ghastly.  I don’t flirt, and I don’t complain, and I don’t eat too much chocolate. Every name you choose for me has something to do with one of those subjects.”  She gave a haughty sniff and turned her attention back to her puppy.
           
Shabina, Vienna and Harlow burst into laughter.  It was the first genuine laughter Shabina had experienced in days. 

“Zahra Metcalf, lightning is going to come right through the roof and strike you dead for that whopper you just told,” Harlow predicted.  “I would venture to say that at this very minute you have chocolate candy in your backpack.  You’ll tell us everything in there is needed for Misty, but we all know dogs can’t have chocolate.  And you’ve got it.”
Zahra gave them the haughty eyebrow. She’d perfected that particular look.  “The chocolate is for emergencies.”

Another round of laughter went up and Shabina could see that even Zahra smiled, although she pretended to be annoyed.
“Of course, it is,” Shabina soothed.  “I haven’t met Misty yet.  She doesn’t look in the least bit timid.”

Zahra flashed her grin, the one that could melt men at fifty feet.  “She’s so brave.  She’s had all her vaccinations, so she should be safe on the ground.  I do take her running, but I’ll admit I’m still a little afraid of putting her down where other dogs I don’t know have been.”

Shabina couldn’t imagine losing one of her Dobermans especially to parvo.  Her dogs were her constant companions.  Her heart went out to Zahra.  “I don’t blame you.  I’d be the same way.  I did make treats for all the dogs.  And I have a brand-new bed for Misty.  You don’t have to use it today, but when you’re ready, you can start teaching her that it’s her special spot if she gets tired of the other dogs.  When she’s there, the other dogs know to leave her alone.”

The alarm sounded again announcing the arrival of Stella Harrison-Rossi.  Raine O’Mallory was with her, leaning heavily on a cane.  She was still recovering from several surgeries on her leg.  She’d been shot, the bone shattered, and she’d been fortunate that a top orthopedic team had been able to save the leg.  Raine never failed to surprise Shabina with the way she was so quiet, usually the least talkative person in the room when she was scary intelligent.

She appeared to be an independent contractor, working mainly for the U.S. government, she claimed as an analyst, but helicopters came for her at all hours and took her and her dog, Daisy away.  She’d be gone for days.  When she was injured, she was guarded day and night by the military as if she were a national treasure.  To say the least, Raine was a mystery woman.
Bailey, Stella’s Airedale and Daisy, Raine’s mischievous Jack Russell terrier ran eagerly to Shabina to greet her.

Stella laughed.  “They know who gives them all the treats.  Blatant kissing up right there.”  She stepped back to ensure Raine made it safely into Shabina’s house. 

Shabina could see it wasn’t easy for Raine to walk, even with her cane.  Her progression was slow.  There was no expression on her face, but without a doubt each step caused pain.  Raine had always been an adventurer.  A bit of a thriller seeker.  She’d hiked the entire John Muir Trail alone, nearly three hundred miles of wilderness.  She’d summitted Mt. Whitney several times and had been up Half Dome numerous times.  She’d hiked the Alps, been in a dormant volcano in Iceland, gone to the ice caves in Romania and hiked all over that country.  She’d hiked the back country of Thailand and gone down the Amazon River as well as traveled to many other countries.  She parasailed, bouldered and loved anything involving problem solving which made her good on aerial silks and rope.  It was difficult to see her struggling to walk.

Shabina crouched down to pet and scratch both dogs, greeting them enthusiastically.  She loved them both.  Once they had their fill of her attention, they raced to meet the new puppy.  Shabina carefully washed her hands as Stella put Raine’s backpack on the end table in the great room.  Raine never went anywhere without her backpack.  It was waterproof and contained her laptop.

“I made us late, Shabina,” Raine said.  “I’m so sorry.  The General,” she rolled her eyes.  “You have to remember him, he insisted I find information for him.”

“What?” Vienna whirled around, pressing her back to the sideboard.  “You’re on sick leave.  You aren’t supposed to be doing any work at all.”

“Well, he believes I shouldn’t be working, but that rule doesn’t apply to him.  I told him there were others he could use, but he was insistent it had to be me.  He also pointed out there was nothing wrong with my brain since I was too stubborn to use pain killers and all I had to do was sit on my ass and figure it out.”

“He said what?” Zahra was outraged.

“Yep. Actually, he said skinny ass.”  Raine sounded amused.

No one with the exception of Raine knew if the General was really a general.  Raine always called him that, but when anyone inquired, she made a joke of it and insisted he simply liked to be called that.  Shabina believed he was a general.  For some reason, Raine seemed to think most things he said to her were humorous.  Even his insults.

“If Rush knew,” Stella said, “he’d take your cell and if that didn’t work, he’d take away your laptop again.  Doctor’s orders take precedent over a boss who doesn’t respect your leave.”

Raine made her way to one of Shabina’s very comfortable chairs in the great room. She lowered her body slowly into it, stretching her leg out in front of her.  It wasn’t difficult to see that the journey had been painful.  There were little beads of sweat on Raine’s forehead, but she appeared triumphant.

“I would go crazy if I sat around doing nothing.  And technically, I don’t have a boss.  I’m a private contractor and I prefer it that way.  The General can puff up as much as he wants but he knows he can only push me so far.  In the end, I’m going to get my way.”

“Don’t let him say you have a skinny ass,” Zahra said with a little sniff of disdain.  “That’s so insulting.  He has no right to make personal comments.  There should be someone you can make complaints to.”  She stood up, puppy still in her arms and went to the little crate Vienna had placed in the corner of the room.  “While I eat, I’ll put Misty in her crate until I train her to stay on her bed like the other dogs.  I don’t want her to bother everyone.”

“It isn’t like he’s older and we can make allowances for a different generation,” Harlow added.  “He’s being a jerk.”

Shabina indicated the food.  “I’ll fix your plate, Raine.  I made your favorites.”  She gave the command to her three Doberman pinchers to go to their dog beds.
The other women followed suit.

“He was goading me.  He doesn’t think my ass is skinny,” Raine explained with a little sigh.  “He asks me out all the time.”

Zahra lifted her eyebrow.  “That’s his way of flirting?”

Raine laughed.  “Yep.  He thinks he’s very clever.”

Zahra made a face.  Vienna and Harlow exchanged a long, confused look.  Stella and Shabina laughed. 

“He’s a geek, isn’t he?” Stella asked.

“Totally,” Raine said.

“Just how many men do you have asking you out?” Harlow asked.  She began lifting the lids from the food warmers.  “Shabina, you’ve outdone yourself.”

“It all looks delicious,” Stella agreed.  “You’ll have to roll me into the swimming pool.”

“There should be plenty left over to take home to Sam,” Shabina said as she got into line to fix Raine her food.

“Don’t think you can stay silent over there, Raine,” Harlow persisted.  “We saw you in that hospital room with all those male visitors.  What the heck, girl?  You’re keeping secrets.  And they aren’t national ones.  Those are girlfriend secrets.”

Raine flushed a soft shade of pink.  “Seriously?  There’s such a thing as girlfriend secrets?”

“Yes, and you have to confess to your besties,” Stella added.  “You’re so used to keeping your high clearance bullshit secrets that we don’t want anything to do with anyway, that you just don’t talk about the important things.”  She settled on the low cushions close to Raine’s chair rather than taking a seat.

Harlow followed her.  Shabina handed Raine a tray with her plate and placed a fresh glass of water with fruit in it on the end table beside her, grateful Raine was in the hot seat and not her.  She would have no idea what to say if her friends asked her about men.  She didn’t date.  She didn’t look at men as a rule.  When someone asked her out, she considered the invitation carefully because she was always trying to be normal, but in the end, she always found herself giving a reason as gently as possible as to why she couldn’t go.

They settled comfortably in her large great room to eat, rather than the dining room.  They were used to eating there.  Vienna lifted Raine’s bad leg onto an ottoman to prop it up to add to her comfort.  The laughter and camaraderie were exactly what Shabina needed.  The dark, ominous feeling inside didn’t go away completely, but it lifted so she felt she could breathe again.  She could think much clearer.

“In all honesty,” Raine replied after thinking the question of men over, “I don’t have time to entertain the idea of dating.  I hurt too much.  Dr. Briac Brannan, you remember him from when he came to Vegas and helped us out with Rainier’s wound?  He came to see me several times when I was in the hospital.  He’d wanted to go hiking in Yosemite with me as his guide and I’d agreed to that, but…”. She shrugged and nodded at her leg.  “He said he was still coming.  He took the vacation time and wants to see me.  He’ll be coming up this week.  I told him to stay in one of your cabins, Stella.  Sunrise Lake is the halfway point between Yosemite and Knightly.  He’ll have easy access to both places.”

Harlow groaned. “That doesn’t say a thing about the way you feel about him, Raine.”

“I love talking to him.  He’s intelligent and doesn’t make me cringe when he opens his mouth.  He doesn’t pretend to know everything and spout off about how superior he is.”  She sighed. “Physically?  I’m not all that attracted.  I wish I were, and I’d hoped if we went hiking and I saw him in that setting, I’d feel something, but so far, nothing.”

“Anyone else?  What about that Lucio Vitale?” Zahra asked.  “Sam’s father’s bodyguard. He seemed very interested in you.”

Raine shook her head.  “Not a chance.  I knew him a long time ago.  He was a self-centered jerk then, using everyone he could to make his way up the ladder.  I would never trust him.  He’s doing his best to act like a lamb, but he isn’t.”

“Sometimes there’s great chemistry with enemies,” Vienna said.

“Nope, no chemistry with him.”  Raine took a drink of the fruit-infused water.  “Shabina, if you get any better at cooking, I’m moving in with you.”

Shabina sent her another smile.  “That’s so lovely of you to say.”  Cooking was one of her favorite things to do.  Knowing others enjoyed what she made for them, gave her huge satisfaction.
“What about Rush?” Vienna asked.  “Do you have chemistry with him?”

Raine scowled at her.  “Rush is a doctor.  He likes to be very bossy.  That isn’t the same thing as someone who is trying to date me, which he isn’t.  He isn’t like your Zale, Vienna. I thought the two of you were getting married immediately. What happened to those plans?”

Shabina thought it very clever the way Raine managed to turn the tables on Vienna.  All eyes had instantly turned to Vienna.

“That’s right,” Stella said.  “Zale put that ring on your finger and insisted the two of you were getting married without waiting for anything.”

Vienna lifted her chin.  “I know.  And I agreed.  I did.”  She flashed a quick grin at Raine.  “We have amazing chemistry.  But he’s still under contract with my dear old estranged father, Elliot Blom, head of the Special Activities Center, who has no intention of claiming me.  I think he hopes Zale will forget all about me if he keeps him busy enough.”

“I don’t even have words to describe your father,” Stella said. “I’m so grateful I met Sam after he was out of that business.”

“But you do intend to marry Zale?” Harlow asked.  She gathered dishes and took them to the kitchen while Stella carried empty bread baskets and butter dishes in.

Vienna rubbed her temples as if she might have the beginnings of a headache.  “I’m such a coward when it comes to trusting men.  All that brainwashing my birth mother did on me, but when Zale is with me, I don’t have any doubts.”

She helped put the food away, leaving only the trays of desserts.  They usually ate their dessert after swimming. 

Raine opted not to swim.  She’d done her physical therapy in a pool and she admitted it was difficult to get in and out of a swimsuit.  She was tired enough that she just wanted to relax.  She’d stay with the dogs and give them their treats while the others swam.  Shabina stayed with her, finishing up the work in the kitchen and making take home packages for each household with the leftovers while her friends swam.  Just the sound of their laughter was comforting.  The murmur of Raine’s voice as she talked to the dogs kept the uneasiness at bay.  For the first time in three days, she felt so much lighter.  It was good to have friends.

When the others had showered, changed and were back in the great room, Shabina indicated the desserts and drinks.  Zahra immediately removed Misty from her crate, took her out to do her business with the other dogs and then everyone settled with their favorite dessert.

Stella dipped a chocolate-covered strawberry into the whipped cream on her plate.  “Do you remember that terrible tragedy last year?  There was a little family found dead up in the Sierras close to one of the trails where your birds’ nest, Shabina, parents and a toddler?  The woman had two sisters.  They were triplets—the two of them and the woman who died.  The two sisters stayed in one of my cabins during the investigation.  The husband had gone off trail and they got into the section where that fire had been.  The trees were burned and there was no canopy.  Then we got hit with so much rain and the ground turned into a marsh.  After that, the temperatures soared.”

Vienna nodded.  “That was so horrible.  It’s always bad when a child is involved.”

“It was extremely hot,” Harlow added.  “They weren’t carrying adequate water.  They were avid hikers but weren’t prepared at all for the hot weather.”
           
“No one was prepared for the weather,” Vienna said.  “So many patients came to the hospital with heat stroke.  It was a bad time.”
           
Shabina remembered that as head of search and rescue Vienna had been called when the family hadn’t been heard from and their car had been found seemingly abandoned.  She’d organized search parties and the bodies of the three were found four days later in a very unlikely area.  Shabina had been heartsick for the family of those dead and just as heartsick for the ones finding and caring for the bodies.  Everyone was distraught over the deaths.
           
Shabina knew that area of the forest very well.  The trail was faint, nearly obscure.  It had been marked for rehabilitation.  Wildlife and weather had damaged signs.  She could see how anyone unfamiliar with the trails would get hopelessly turned around.  Once they were off the trail and into the section with the damaged trees, it would be even more difficult to know which way to go.  Without adequate shade, it would be burning hot.
           
Shabina sighed.  “The two women came into my café often, and I’d sit and talk with them.  I felt very bad for them.”
           
Stella nodded.  “They mentioned you several times, Shabina, and how kind you were to them.”  She smiled.  “And they remembered how amazing the food was.  They’ve come back to have a memorial ceremony.  I think you’ll be seeing quite a bit of them.  They wanted to spend an extended vacation here.  They’ve booked one of my nicest cabins for a month, and they’ve been here nearly a week, exploring all around Sunrise.”
           
“That surprises me,” Harlow said.  “What with losing their sister here, I would have thought it would be difficult to come back.”
           
“They want to learn about all the things she loved.  One of the things they want to do is go on Shabina’s bird watching tour.  I’ve got you completely booked for Tuesday.  There are students from a university that are very excited to go on that tour.  Will you be driving up Monday night after work?”
           
Shabina managed not to bite down on her lip. Raine never missed details and she was already assessing Shabina closely.  “Yes, but I’m going to camp.  It’s still an hour’s drive from Sunrise Resort, so if I’m camping in Yosemite, I can get a little more sleep and also run the dogs before the shuttle brings my clients.”
           
The dogs were always her best excuse for anything.  They all had companion dogs and saw to their needs.  They understood the dogs would want to run.
           
Zahra snuggled the ball of fluff in her lap. “This one wants to run all the time.”  She gave an exaggerated sigh.  “You know how much I detest running.”
           
Shabina found herself laughing with the others.  Zahra might sound like she was complaining, but she loved that bundle of fluff. 
           
“Raine, I may as well take Daisy with me when I take the little monster out.  I can swing by and pick her up.”
          
  Raine’s Jack Russell was very active and loved to run along the canal three times a day.  Raine’s shattered leg was slowly healing, preventing her from going for the long runs she would normally take with her dog.  She walked, but it was still very painful for her, and Daisy tended to stay close to her rather than run like she needed to.
           
Raine’s face lit up.  “Zahra, you really wouldn’t mind?  I try to take her for walks, but Daisy won’t leave me when we go out.  You know how she is; she needs tons of exercise.”
           
Zahra waved her hand.  “I have to take this naughty one out anyway.  And it will be good for them to become friends.”