Making New Memories Read online

  MAKING

  NEW MEMORIES

  KAREN WARD

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright © 2011 Glenda Hays

  Writing as Karen Ward

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be used, transmitted, or reproduced in any manner, electronic or otherwise without prior written permission from the copyright holder except in cases where permitted by law.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual places, events, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Cover images from COVERS BY RAMONA

  Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 1

  I am shaking uncontrollably from the cold so I pull the sleeping bag closer around my shoulders. I didn't survive the last three years practically alone in the wilderness of Montana to freeze to death now. Ever since leaving Los Angeles after the scandal that ruined my father and caused him to commit suicide I have been hiding out in the wilderness to escape the Paparazzi. I haven't been camping out all this time. I had a cozy cabin in the mountains just outside of Kalispell, Montana with all of the basic comforts of home. I occasionally would go into Kalispell for supplies, but I was recognized the last time I was in town and now I am once again trying to escape the vultures that call themselves the media.

  Three years ago when I was desperately trying to outrun the vultures my car broke down in the middle of nowhere and I was rescued by a mountain man that calls himself Bear. It is an appropriate name because he is as big and as hairy as a bear but he is one of the nicest, gentlest people I have ever met.

  Bear is at least six foot five with a full bushy beard and hair nearly down to his waist that he wears pulled back in a pony tail tied with a leather thong. He furnished me with the cabin and helped me get settled. He taught me how to fish and to live off of the land identifying edible berries and plants and trapping wild animals for food. I have become quite proficient at shooting, skinning, and cooking rabbits and squirrels. Bear repaired my car for me and he comes by every few months to make sure I am all right.

  On my last trip into Kalispell I dressed as I usually did as a young boy with my hair stuffed up under a baseball cap, no makeup and baggy boy's clothes to disguise my figure, but I ran right into one of the reporters from LA and he recognized me immediately. I barely escaped from town but two days later he drove up to the cabin and I had to leave out the back door with just the clothes on my back and this sleeping bag that had been stored by the door and ready for just such an occurrence. I left my car and all of my belongings at the cabin and now I am trying to survive in the woods in just jeans, a lightweight sweater, tennis shoes, and the sleeping bag.

  My cell phone battery died the same day I left the cabin but I did manage to contact my old friend, Barry Farrady, who promised to send someone for me. He assured me that they would find me, not to worry. Well, that is easy for him to say, he is not the one freezing, with no food, sleeping on the ground in the woods with only a sleeping bag and more snow on the way.

  ******

  As soon as he disconnects the call from his old friend Skye Reynolds, Barry Farrady heads across the ranch yard in the fading evening light, out to the barn in search of his friend and the head of Drake Security, Dylan Drake. Dylan, known to his close friends as Scoot and the other three former Marines that compose Drake Security reside in special quarters over the barn on the Rock Springs Ranch owned by Barry Farrady, former Academy Award winning movie star. Barry built the offices for Drake Security and the living quarters for his buddies soon after he purchased the ranch two years ago. He served in the Marine Corp with the four for eight years and they formed a very close bond. Drake Security is made up of Scoot, Dylan Drake, the leader, Goose, the medic, Stump, the muscle, and Pinky, the sniper. Barry was a sniper along with Pinky when they all served together in the Marines.

  "Scoot, where are you?" yells Barry.

  "In the shower, be right there," answers Dylan. When he walks out of his bedroom drying his hair he says, "Hey Barry, what's up?" Dylan immediately notices that Barry seems anxious with tension visible around his eyes and mouth.

  "I have a very important mission for you. You'll have to go on this one alone, its search and rescue in the wilderness of Montana," explains Barry, his heart pounding with trepidation.

  "Sure, tell me the details," requests Dylan. He sits down at the computer.

  "An old friend of mine from LA has been living in a small cabin in the wilderness of Montana near Kalispell for the last three years trying to escape the Paparazzi. She left LA after her father committed suicide and the press wouldn't give her any peace. Anyway, they found her so she abandoned her cabin and is camping in the woods and we need to get her out of the area as quietly as possible so they can't follow her. I can give you a map to the cabin, but after that you will be on your own. I know she hasn't gone too far and with your tracking skills you should be able to locate her without too much trouble. The tricky part is going to be finding her and removing her from the area without being seen."

  He hesitates briefly then continues, "Scoot, she had a really bad experience as a teenager and she is extremely terrified of men. Be gentle and patient but do what is necessary to get her out of the area and back here to the ranch."

  The whole time Barry is talking Scoot is tapping away on the keys of the computer and says, "Well, this doesn't look good. An early snowstorm is forecast for the area tomorrow. I'll get my gear together. Would you mind helping get the helicopter ready? Ask Goose to fly me up, he can drop me in the search area and then wait for us in Kalispell. We'll leave at first light." Scoot and Goose leave at dawn the next morning for Montana.

  As Goose is piloting the helicopter toward their destination, Dylan is reading through the papers Barry had given him and studying the map of the area. The woman he is going to rescue is named Skye Reynolds, twenty-eight years old, tall, slender, with long blonde hair. Looking at her picture Dylan is mesmerized. The woman is stunning and has the bluest eyes he has ever seen. He wonders if they were touched up in the picture or if they really are that blue.

  He remembers Barry's name being associated with hers in the tabloids a few years back. If he's not mistaken, they were always portrayed as a couple and he wonders what their relationship was then and what it is now that Barry is married. He remembers hearing about some kind of scandal surrounding her father who committed suicide and then she had disappeared. As they approach the search area, the snow starts falling.

  ******

  I am so cold and so sleepy I can barely hold my eyes open. My teeth are chattering and I can't stop the violent shaking. I can't afford to start a fire for warmth because I am still too close to the cabin and the vultures are sure to see the smoke. I've got to stay awake
so I stand up and move around and around the small clearing trying to get the blood flowing in my limbs. My tennis shoes and thin socks are doing little to keep my feet dry or warm. I can't feel my feet anymore so I stumble frequently.

  The snow started some time ago and is coming down steadily now. Hopefully someone will find me soon. I keep walking round and round and then I stumble. This time, I can't get back up. I am just too tired so I close my eyes and slip into unconsciousness.

  ******

  Goose drops Dylan about a mile from the search area to avoid being seen by anyone at the cabin. Dylan lowers himself down from the helicopter on a cable secured by a wench to the frame. Moving through the edge of the woods staying close to the road Dylan sees the cabin in a clearing about one hundred yards ahead. No lights are glowing from the windows and no smoke is coming out of the chimney. From here it looks abandoned except for the cars. He sees a red BMW that Barry said belongs to Skye and another non-descript dark sedan that is probably a rental car. Evidently it is running because he can see smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. These reporters certainly are determined to still be sitting outside of the cabin waiting for someone to show themselves in this snowstorm.

  Moving quietly through the woods to the back of the cabin he picks the lock on the door and takes a look around inside. Grabbing some warm clothes out of the closet in the bedroom he stuffs them into his backpack. He also finds a loaded 45 pistol in the bedside table and he sticks it and the holster in his backpack with the clothes. Seeing snow boots, gloves, and a parka by the back door he grabs them too. She evidently left in a hurry. Moving back outside, he starts looking for any sign that will show him which direction she fled.

  The falling snow has covered any signs of footprints that might have been in the soft earth so he has to look for other things, broken branches or tall grass that has been flattened. Finally spotting a patch of tall grass lying almost flat in the snow he heads down what looks like a narrow path. He sure hopes he is headed in the right direction. Following what he thinks are signs he slowly makes his way deep into the woods. The snow is falling steadily now and it is getting deeper making it harder to see the signs of her flight. Just as he is getting worried he may have missed something he enters a small clearing and stumbles across what he first thinks is a log. When the snow is disturbed he sees that it is a sleeping bag with someone inside not moving. Oh God, is he too late? He kneels beside the bag and brushes the snow off the top. He pulls the zipper down enough for him to see inside.

  He uncovers a blonde head so he removes his glove and feels for a pulse in her neck. He is relieved when he finds a weak but steady beat. Quickly digging in his backpack he removes several instant heat packs and breaks them to activate the chemical reaction that produces heat. Stuffing them inside the sleeping bag to help warm her, he then zips the bag back up and picks her up placing her across his shoulder. He consults his map and the GPS device on his cell phone then follows his pre-determined escape route deeper into the woods.

  After walking about five miles in the late afternoon twilight he finds a shallow overhang in a rock formation that will provide some protection from the howling wind and blowing snow. He places the sleeping bag containing Skye as close to the rock face as he can then prepares a fire pit and lights a fire to warm them. Once the fire is blazing he moves to the sleeping bag and unzips it to see if he can rouse Skye. Looking at her beautiful pale face he feels a stirring in his loins. Cursing himself, he thinks it must be time to pay a visit to one of his regular companions.

  Uncovering her head he checks again for a pulse. Relieved to find the steady beat, he retrieves the smelling salts from his First Aid kit and waves it under her nose.

  Peeeeuuuuu...What is that awful smell? I move my head to try to get away from the smell and slowly open my eyes.

  The first thing Dylan notices is the color of her eyes. They are just as blue as the Montana sky on a clear day. The same color as they looked in the picture. Smiling warmly, he says, "Hello sleepyhead."

  Extremely frightened, I back away from Dylan as far as I can, and stammer, "W..W..Who are you? Where am I? PLEASE don't hurt me! Oh no! Put out that fire, they will see it!"

  "Easy, Skye, it's all right. I'm not going to hurt you. Barry sent me. We are about five miles from the cabin now. I don't think the reporter is going to see the fire. We need it so I can get something warm down you. The cold had just about claimed you by the time I got here. You can call me Scoot."

  Again shaking uncontrollably, this time from fear I ask, "We're five miles from the cabin? You carried me that far while I was out?" I sit up inside the sleeping bag and look around with frightened eyes.

  "Yes, I carried you that far. Now if you feel like it, I really need to check your hands and feet for frost bite. I also brought you some warm dry things from the cabin," responds Scoot.

  "You went in the cabin? What if they saw you? What if they're following us now?" I ask looking around frantically, my heart pounding with fear.

  "The reporters didn't follow us, I promise. Now let me see your hands," he says patiently.

  Hesitantly, I move my hands out of the sleeping bag for his examination. When Dylan gently holds my hands examining them for frost bite, I feel warmth flowing from where he touches me all the way up my arms and throughout my body.

  Dylan notices her hands are rough and chapped with calluses on the palm, not what he would have expected for someone raised in the world of movie stars. Not finding any signs of frostbite he gives her a pair of warm gloves and he then asks to see her feet.

  I unzip the sleeping bag and see the instant hot packs and ask, "What are these? Oh, they're warm! No wonder I feel so warm now. Thank you."

  When I pull my feet out and remove my wet sneakers and socks he thoroughly dries my feet with a towel he pulls out of his backpack. He rubs them vigorously to stimulate blood flow being careful not to cause any damage. He then examines them closely applying first aid cream to several areas.

  "We'll need to keep an eye on these. I don't think they are too bad, but we need to make sure. Here are some warm dry socks and your snow boots. Put on these long johns first underneath your clothes. I'll take a little walk so you can have some privacy," he says as he stands and walks away.

  After dressing in the warm clothes and boots I call, "Okay, I'm dressed now. You said Barry sent you?" I am very thankful for the warm clothes. It was very thoughtful of him to bring them to me.

  "Yeah, Farrie sent me. He is very worried about you," answers Dylan.

  "Farrie? I've never heard anybody call him that before. Are you friends?"

  "We were in the same unit in the Marines for eight years. Farrie is his code name. My business, Drake Security, is based on his ranch in Wyoming and we all live on the property. How long have you known Barry?"

  "Barry and I met right after he came to LA. My father directed his first movie and we have been friends ever since. If you live on his ranch, you must have met his wife, what's she like? I was very surprised when he told me he had gotten married."

  "Enough questions for right now. Here eat this, it'll warm you from the inside out," says Dylan feeling uncomfortable discussing Barry's personal life with this woman he once dated. He hands her a cup of warm soup.

  I am enjoying the warm soup when Dylan suddenly jumps up, spinning around pulling a pistol from his belt and says, "Come out with your hands up!"

  When I look up, I see my friend Bear emerging from the woods. "Bear! What are you doing here?"

  Dylan says, "You know him?" referring to the mountain man.

  I answer, "Yes, Bear saved me when I was stranded three years ago. It is his cabin where I have been living. Bear come and sit down."

  Bear looks Dylan up and down suspiciously and asks, "Skye, are you all right? He hasn't hurt you has he?"

  Looking at the man Dylan thinks Bear is an appropriate name. He is as big and as hairy as a bear. He knows only one other person with that much body hair, his friend Stump. He puts the pi
stol back in its holster and returns to his seat by the fire offering the visitor some of the warm soup.

  "I'm fine Bear. My friend Barry sent Scoot to rescue me. A reporter recognized me when I was in town and he has been staking out the cabin. I had to leave and have been camping out here in the woods for the past two days. I was nearly frozen when Scoot found me."

  "I got rid of that reporter fellow, he won't be back. You can come back to the cabin now." Bear tells me.

  "No, Bear. I can't go back. They know where I am now and they won't leave me alone. I will have to find somewhere else to live."

  "Are you sure Skye? I'll protect you if you want to stay," says Bear.

  "I know you would, but I can't take the chance Bear. Please try to understand. I really appreciate all you have done for me and I'll never forget you." I hug the big man.

  Dylan speaks up, "Bear, my name is Scoot. Thank you for helping Skye. Would you mind packing her things into her car and parking it at the shopping mall in Kalispell? I'll send someone to pick it up and drive it to Wyoming. I am taking Skye to Barry's ranch until we can determine a safe place for her to live. She'll be safe at the ranch."

  "Okay then, I'll pack up your stuff and have it at the mall by the weekend. Will you write to me Skye, so I'll know you're all right? You can send letters to General Delivery, Kalispell and I'll pick them up at the post office." He turns and looks Scoot in the eye and says, "You, Scoot, take good care of my girl here or I'll hunt you down like the animal you are and kill you, understand?"

  "I understand. I'll take good care of her, I promise," replies Scoot not doubting for a minute the big man means what he says.

  Bear rises from the ground, hugs me and disappears into the woods. He knows that Scoot is a former Marine. He can tell by the way he carries himself and the way he drew the pistol at his approach. Skye will be safe with him as long as he keeps his hands to himself.

  Dylan says, "Interesting fellow, what do you know about him?"