Chapter three. Jake stood on her porch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sipped hot coffee

Jake stood on her porch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she sipped hot coffee. Dawn had brought her outside and even though it was cold, she couldn't resist the sunrise. She leaned on her cane, head cocked slightly as she watched the first pink rays cross the mountain tops. Before long, the colors changed, the dark green of the pine and spruce trees nearly glowing as the light touched them. She stood still, her eyes fixed as the orange globe rose over the Collegiate Peaks, casting light and warmth over the mountains.

Cheyenne nudged her and whined softly. She gently brushed the dog's head.

" Hungry? "

A quiet whimper followed.

" Okay. Let's do breakfast. Then we've got to finish unpacking." She looked at the frosted windows of the Land Cruiser, knowing that she'd only managed to bring in the bare minimum yesterday. She'd been too tired to finish. But she felt much better this morning. In fact, she'd only had to take one pain pill. Hopefully, in a few days, a week, she could wean herself off them completely.

After a hot bowl of oatmeal and a scrambled egg, she showered and slipped on a thick pair of sweats. For wearing jeans, they had given her a padded bandage to put over her wound but with sweats, she didn't bother with the bandage. She stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It still startled her. She brought her hand up and rubbed across her head, the very short hair popping back into place. After a week of lying in the hospital with no one to wash her hair, she'd gotten pissed off and had a nurse call up a hairstylist. The dark hair that normally reached below her shoulders was gone in five minutes, replaced by a close crop that needed no brushing. She stared at herself, thinking that she actually liked it better this way. Definitely no fuss. But she'd always worn her hair long, going all the way back to college. Well, it was past time for a change. She rubbed her head one more time, then grabbed the cane, walking slowly through the cabin, Cheyenne right at her heels.

She knew the dog couldn't understand why they weren't out hiking. Normally, the first morning, they would have been out before dawn, hiking to the rock pile that overlooked the canyon behind Cumberland Pass. Across the canyon were the Collegiate Peaks. If she hiked high enough on Cumberland Pass, she could see all the way to Mt. Harvard. Actually, she could see six of the peaks at once. It was a favorite spot, but she knew she wouldn't be climbing up there on this trip. If fact, it would probably be awhile before she climbed it. But she would do some hiking. Her doctor told her that the best way to strengthen her leg was by walking.

" Come on, girl. Unload first, then a short hike."

Cheyenne cocked her head, her intelligent eyes staring directly into Jake's. It was at moments like this that Jake would swear the dog understood perfectly what she'd just said.

She made three trips from the Land Cruiser to the cabin, carrying as much in one hand each time as she could. With the other, she still used the cane for support. Most of her supplies consisted of food items and a fifty-pound bag of dog food. Having the young man at the grocery store load it for her was fine, but now, she was on her own. The dog food would have to stay in the truck. She'd have to get it little by little as she needed it. Again, she hated the helplessness that she felt at not being able to function as normal. But... at least she was alive. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get the image of the little boy from her mind. It had been haunting her. She'd had her standard sessions with the police shrink, and she'd lied her way through them. Yes, it was tragic that the little boy had died but no, she didn't feel like it was her fault.

" Yeah, right, " she murmured. " Then whose fault was it? "

But she would deal with it herself, not on the couch of some shrink. Yes, goddamn it, she felt like it was her fault. She was the fucking cop, she was supposed to protect him. The fact that she took two bullets didn't matter. The little boy was still dead.

She took a deep breath, refusing to think about it. Right now, she wanted to get out in the forest and forget. She filled up a water bottle and clipped it to her waist pack, then checked her cell phone, surprised that she had service. Normally, she would turn the damn thing off while she was up here, but not now. In case... well, in case she fell or something, she could at least use it to call the local sheriff. She and Chad Beckett used to be poker buddies when she still worked in Gunnison. Wouldn't he get a kick out of her calling for a rescue?

Cheyenne was dancing at her feet, knowing the waist pack meant a hike. Jake nearly laughed, something she'd not come close to doing in the last month. " Let's go. Lead the way." That was all it took. Cheyenne was out the door in a flash, her bushy tail held high as she shot into the forest, following the trail that they always took.

Jake took her time, using the cane and trying to put as much weight as she could stand on her leg. It would be throbbing like hell by the time they got back, but that was okay. She needed this, even if it was only a short hike, she needed it. She'd been treated like an invalid for the past three weeks. She didn't care how much it hurt, she was going on a hike.