“It’s good training. If I don’t expose young dogs to real working conditions and the hardships of the trail, I won’t be sure I can rely on them when the time finally comes for them to function alone. Clark will learn a lot by watching Lewis. I hope.”
“Lewis and Clark? Oh, I get it.” Graydon made a sarcastic sound deep in his throat. “Cute.”
Stacy wasn’t about to let him antagonize her. “Look, Mr. Payne. I didn’t come out here to defend my training methods or my dogs. I’m here to find a lost child. Nothing else counts. So if you want to waste time arguing, I suggest you go back to camp and pick on somebody else.”
Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair, pushing it back off his forehead. “I didn’t realize I was picking on you. I’m sorry if that’s the way it sounded. I guess I’m more worried about Missy than I thought.”
Stacy was instantly penitent. “Of course you are. It’s perfectly natural. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m sorry, too.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. “Okay. That’s decided.”
“What is?”
“That we’re both sorry excuses for sympathetic human beings. Now, tell me the truth. What are our chances of finding Missy?” He couldn’t bring himself to add, alive.
Stacy heard the unspoken question in his tone. “I think they’re very good.” She laid her hand lightly on his arm to comfort him as she spoke. “Kids tend to live in the moment rather than plan ahead, like finding water to drink or a place to keep warm at night, the way an adult might. They mostly wander aimlessly at first, then hunker down to sleep when they run out of energy, which makes them doubly hard to find unless a rescuer has a dog with a good nose and strong instincts.”
“A dog like Lewis.”
“Yes.” Stacy reached down to give the animal a pat. She owed her own life to a dog that had led a search party to her when she’d been lost and nearly frozen to death. No matter how long she lived or how hard she worked, she knew she’d never be able to repay that debt. She also knew she’d never stop trying. It was her job. The career that God had arranged for her. At times like this, it was crucial to remember that the Lord was in charge. Of everything. Which might mean…
Pensive, she looked up at Graydon. “Tell me again. Where was Clark sniffing when you thought he was acting funny?”
“Down there. By the big, dead oak. Do you think…?”
“Maybe. It’s worth a try.”
She stopped him when he started to lead the way. “Wait. Let Lewis and me go first so we don’t muddy up the scent anymore than we already have.”
Graydon nodded and pulled back. Restraining Clark, he watched Stacy make her way down the slope. There was quite a contrast between the no-nonsense persona she presented to the world and the empathetic part of her character, wasn’t there? She’d tried to keep her sensitive nature hidden but he’d sensed it from the moment he’d seen her again. The truth dwelt in her eyes, betrayed a tender-hearted spirit. Stacy Lucas cared. Deeply. And he admired her for it.
Coming to his senses, Graydon berated himself for letting his attention wander. The only thing he should be concentrating on at a time like this was finding Missy…before it was too late. His stomach knotted. No way was he going to let anything happen to that darling little girl. She must be so scared, so alone.
Graydon knew what it was like to be totally alone, even in a crowd. He’d had a whole lifetime to adjust to the feelings of emotional isolation he’d battled ever since he was a boy.
Clark was so eager to join Lewis that he couldn’t stand still. He whined and lunged against the restraint of the leash, then began to run in circles around the man who was holding him back.
Looking down the hill, Graydon saw Lewis and Stacy in the distance. The dog had taken off again, pulling his leash taut and making Stacy run to keep up. He must have struck the trail!
Gathering the braided nylon lead in his hand, Graydon kept Clark on a short tether so he could extricate himself from the tangled loops the dog had made around the calves of his legs.
“Okay, okay. I get the idea,” he grumbled. “Just a minute, stupid. You’re the one who got us all fouled up like this, not me.”
As he bent to step out of the last confining coil of nylon, Clark lunged. The leash tightened. Graydon hit the ground with a thud, feet in the air!
The enthusiastic dog immediately jumped atop his chest, licking his face with delight.
“Stop that! Down!” Spitting dry, crumbled leaves and muttering under his breath, Graydon pushed the friendly pup away and scrambled to his feet. Thank goodness Stacy Lucas hadn’t been close enough to see him knocked down!
Anxious, he peered down the hill. She and her dog were still in sight!
“Okay, you dunderhead,” he told Clark. “Let’s get going before we lose your mommy.”
The dog wagged his plume of a tail and looked up at the man as if he understood every word.
Stacy glanced over her shoulder to make sure her so-called partner reached the bottom of the steep hill safely. Clark was casting left and right, sniffing the air, just the way a rescue dog was supposed to. Would wonders never cease! Maybe she’d been right to keep training him after all.
Shouting, “Over here,” and waving her arm wildly so Graydon could see where she was going, she plunged into a thick stand of oak and cedar, following Lewis. The dog immediately began whining and scratching at a pile of dried leaves and twigs beneath the largest tree.
“Good boy, Lewis! Good boy!” He began to dig more frantically. Brown refuse flew. Stacy got a glimpse of bright pink. The jacket! It had to be.
“Oh, please Lord, let her be here,” she prayed softly. “And let her be all right.”
Approaching, she tightened up the leash and ordered Lewis to sit. “Melissa? Is that you?”
There was no answer.
Stacy crouched down, reached out her hand, and brushed off the exposed arm of the jacket. “Melissa? It’s okay, honey. I’ve come to take you back.”
The child bolted out from under the leaves and clambered away with a shriek. Startled, Stacy rocked back on her heels and nearly fell over backward.
She was alive! Stacy’s breath left her in a whoosh of pure relief. She sank to her knees, her arms around Lewis, her prayers of thanks so heartfelt they were wordless. Tears blurred her vision.
“It’s okay, Melissa,” she said, fighting to speak calmly. “We won’t hurt you. The dog is real friendly. He helped me find you. Isn’t that nice?”
The tremulous reply came as a sobbed, “No!”
That surprised Stacy. She’d had disoriented adults try to refuse a rescue but she’d never seen a child do it. They were usually so glad to be found they were no trouble at all.
Melissa faced
