January/February Picture Prompt Contest

Contest Winner: Guarded Hearts

By Julie Briggs

word count: 4985

Gunter Eberhardt lifted the goggles from his eyes and squinted at the towering Rockies that loomed over the gorge where he stopped to admire the stillness of the Colorado wilderness. At times like this, when he could ski where no tourists could distract him from the natural beauty of the winter, he felt homesick for his beloved Austrian Alps.

When he had decided to leave the racing circuit and pursue a career in the ski patrol, he had known he would have to leave his own country to achieve his dreams. Now ten years later, he was the lead Nordic patroller in Colorado. The satisfaction of achieving his goals in spite of the prejudice against his Olympic medals was gratifying.

Gunter’s breath left a white cloud of vapor as he took in deep draughts of the crisp, clean air. He was mapping out his path to return to the lodge and his mid-morning meetings when he heard a sound that every patroller dreaded. The low rumble of thunder seemed to come from everywhere as it echoed throughout the gorge. An icy feeling of dismay crawled down his spine as he acknowledged what he was hearing.

Avalanche.

His musing forgotten, Gunter reached inside his suit and turned on his radio. The static was interrupted by panicked voices as the rumbling stopped and everyone on the general channel began calling over each other. Grimacing in disgust, Gunter switched to the emergency channel and caught the first reports from the patrols that were out on the slopes. He listened to the location of the starting zone and the tract, giving instructions to the teams to begin the search grids as he looked to his right to witness the dust cloud as it drifted over the ridge of the mountain. They had three to four minutes to find the survivors. After that they would suffocate under the heavy blanket of snow.

*************

Rita Daniels had been enjoying a cup of coffee curled in front of her fireplace when the warning tones from her emergency scanner startled her. She jumped up from the couch to turn up the volume and hear what had happened. Usually it was an unfortunate guest who had broken an arm or leg trying to ski a slope beyond their ability. Those calls she monitored since they never used her services.

Today was different. She froze for a second when the word avalanche was repeated twice and calls for personal were announced. Rita knew this wasn’t a simulated disaster. The serious tones of the radio announcer jolted her and Rita set down her cup of coffee and headed for the closet. Pulling out her suit and duffel bag she kept packed for these recoveries, Rita called out for her dog lying next to the fireplace.

“Twinkie! Come on boy. Time to work.”

The German shepherd followed Rita through the kitchen where she stopped to remove his favorite treat and reward for when he worked. Opening the pantry, Rita removed a box of Hostess Twinkies and stowed them in the duffel. The dog followed her to the garage and waited patiently while she opened the hatch to her Explorer. He jumped into the carrier when she signaled with her hand for him to kennel up, then laid down to watch his owner efficiently stow the gear they would need when they reached the disaster area.

Rita donned her suit and loaded her skiing equipment before she grabbed her keys. She was in the driver’s seat and backing out of the garage within two minutes of the warning tones. This wasn’t the first time she and her Shepherd had been used to find victims in a disaster but it would be the first time they would work an avalanche.

Twinkie was a member of the NASR and was one of their top air scenting canines. Twinkie could find victims using only his sense of smell and hearing. He was on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Rita had crawled through mud to help Twinkie find flood victims and even slipped between slabs of teetering concrete after earthquakes to rescue survivors. This would be different but Rita knew Twinkie could find anyone, anywhere.

She reached into the compartment between the front seats to pull out the emergency placard and jammed it in the space on her dash where it met the windshield. She tuned her radio in the car to the same channel as the house and kept tabs on the rescue efforts as she made her way up the mountain to the ski lodge and the rendezvous point for her team.

She reached the lodge within an hour, dodging the many news vans and curiosity seekers who had come to gawk at the disaster site. It wasn’t necessary for her to hurry. She knew they wouldn’t be searching for survivors. By this time they would be doing body recoveries.

Finding a place to park, Rita climbed out of her Explorer and moved to the rear to get her equipment out and ready. She had seen one of the members of her team as she pulled through the parking lot and had been given a terse nod as she passed. He would have notified the team leader of her arrival and she wasted no time strapping on her transceiver and portable radio. She soon had her skis out and her poles leaning against the side of the car. Rita pulled out Twinkie’s vest from the duffle and opened his door. He stood obediently ignoring the mass of people all rushing about while his bright red and yellow vest with the word Rescue was strapped on his body. Rita clipped the lead into Twinkie’s collar and they were ready to begin.

Radioing her team leader, Rita received instructions where to join the recovery efforts and soon saw the group of men gathered close to the beginners slope. One figure jumped out at her and she faltered for a second. Gunter Eberhardt’s distinctive fair hair and height was instantly recognizable amongst the crowd as he gestured giving his instructions for the next phases of the rescue efforts. She hadn’t seen him in almost six months and wished she didn’t have to now.

Ever since she had refused his requests for a date and begun to go out with his best friend Derek, he had avoided her when he could. When he couldn’t, he was curt with her as if she had offended him with her refusal to go out with him. He was way out of her league anyway. Too rich; too handsome; too famous to appeal to her. At least she had tried to convince herself he wasn’t appealing. Secretly she acknowledged that she found him very attractive but not very charming. She probably wouldn’t have been able to resist him had he been charming.

She knew the second he became aware of her presence. His tall rangy frame stiffened slightly and he scowled at her. Something very like pain with a hint of sadness flickered across his face for a second but before Rita could decipher his expression, his harsh voice with its guttural accent reached her.

“What the hell are you doing here? I told them not to call you.”

********

Gunter cursed savagely under his breath when he caught sight of Rita Daniels. He had specifically told the dispatcher not to call her for the recovery efforts. The poor souls left on the slopes could wait to be discovered. They were beyond saving now and it really didn’t matter if it took a little longer to find the bodies. He hadn’t wanted her here. Not now, not when he would have to face her with the news that Derek was missing.

The look on her face when she heard his admission that he had interfered caused him to pause in mid rant. It was too late to send her back down the mountain and the rest of the team was looking at him with sympathy and their own grief plain on their faces. They had all liked Derek and as lead Nordic patroller it was his responsibility to inform her of his best friend’s fate.

Gunter stepped up to Rita and took her arm to lead her away from the group that was trying to get ready to start the recovery phase of the rescue efforts. She resisted until he growled at her.

“Stop tugging Rita. I will not let go until we talk.” Gunter took the lead from her hand and gave Twinkie to another team member to hold.

Rita sniffed in response and gave up. She allowed Gunter to lead her off to find a more secluded spot. It would certainly be nice to be able to tell him off. She was an expert handler of her dog and a professional. When he finally found a quiet corner inside the lodge she turned on him furiously.

“How dare you! You may be the area leader but I will not have you questioning my dog or our abilities to do our duty.” Rita was livid and was ready to tear pieces of his hide from his body when he startled her again by taking her in his arms and holding her close. She froze in surprise for a few seconds then began to struggle only to stop when his voice reached her, wobbly but gentle.

“Rita…Rita, please be still.” Gunter swallowed hard and Rita could see his throat working before he continued. “I would never question you or your dogs abilities. I asked the dispatcher not to call you for a different reason.”

Gunter pulled away from her but held her shoulders, as he looked her in the eyes. She was suddenly afraid. The expression on his face was terrible to see, the pain in his eyes reaching her as nothing could. She held her breath as she waited for him to tell her what had happened.

“Derek…” swallowing again he cleared his throat and continued as dread numbed Rita’s body. “Derek was on duty checking the top runs when the avalanche happened. He has not checked in and he has not been found.”

Rita watched the ticking muscle in Gunter’s jaw as she absorbed the implications of his words. If Derek had not been caught in the path of the slide, he would have checked in. If he had been caught and buried beneath the roaring tons of snow and hadn’t been found in the 4 minute window, then it would be her duty to find his remains and bring him home. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to pull away from Gunter’s restraining hands. She only wanted to get out of the lodge and find her friend. But Gunter pulled her back into his arms and held her tight, offering comfort as much for her as for him.

Gunter held Rita against his chest and tucked her head under his chin as he fought the urge to weep like a baby. Derek had been his friend long before the medals and fame, when they both were eager young men just beginning the downhill racing circuit and competing for the fun of it. Derek had never won any titles or been jealous of Gunter’s exploding fame and fortune, taking as much pleasure in his best friends triumphs as Gunter had. It was because of Derek that Gunter had come to the United States and gotten the job with the Ski Patrol.

Rita was swamped with memories of Derek as Gunter held her and patted her back. She had met both men about the same time when she first moved to the area. She loved to ski, loved all winter sports, and during one of her many trips into the mountains to enjoy the many recreational opportunities she had learned of the ski patrol. Intrigued by the description in a flyer at one of the lodges, she went to one of the recruiting meetings and met both men. She had found them both very attractive. But she had never been as aware of Derek as she was Gunter. It was funny that she had ended up dating Derek regularly. He had not pursued her until she had turned Gunter down and then even though he took her out at least once or twice a week, he treated her like a sister. Now it seemed that he was gone. She was deeply saddened but not devastated.

Rita pulled away from Gunter’s arms and stepped back clearing her throat as she choked on her tears. “Let’s go Gunter. We need to get back to the team.” Rita smiled sadly into Gunter’s red-rimmed eyes. “We’ll find him and bring him home.”

********

Rita checked the position of the sun again as Twinkie worked the next section of their grid. The teams had found three bodies using their transceivers before they had arrived at the toe. The skiers had fortunately turned theirs to emit a signal before they had been swamped with tons of sliding snow. When she had first arrived, Rita had witnessed the tip of debris that they called the toe where the furthest extent of the slide ended. Right behind the toe lay the deposition zone where the path had rapidly decelerated and most of the debris was deposited. She could still see hats, mittens and loose skis amongst the rocks, mud and trees that had been uprooted by the massive slide in her mind’s eye as she worked with her dog to find any bodies still buried.

Twinkie’s job was further up the slide towards the crown where the fracture line marked the beginning of the avalanche. Gunter had come once or twice to check up on her and Twinkie’s progress. He had shared the information that they had discovered the fault. It had not been a natural avalanche. They had found several marks up a steep slope where some snow-mobiliers had been high marking or what was more commonly called hammer heading. They would find a slope which could not be climbed to the top and ride at top speed up the slope and when the sled bogged down, they would initiate a turn to mark the highest spot they could reach. Sometimes they could cause an avalanche if rider became stuck and got off their machine to pull it around.

The light would soon be waning and Rita knew they didn’t have much time left to search for victims. Twinkie had worked hard all day without much break time and she was going to have to call him off the grid. It wouldn’t do the recovery efforts much good if her dog was exhausted. Rita refused to acknowledge her own weariness as she called to the German Shepherd and began the safe route back down the trail marked by the patrollers to follow.

It was dark when Rita and Twinkie made it back to the lodge. The parking lot was fully lit by the myriad lights from the many emergency vehicles and disaster agencies large search lights that were set up around the perimeter of the slopes to help keep the rescue and recovery efforts ongoing throughout the night. Rita reached her Explorer and was dismayed to see she had been blocked in by a number of other cars and SUVs. She unlocked the tailgate and raised the back end when Gunter spoke behind her.

“Where are you going Rita?”

Rita sighed tiredly and gestured around them, “Nowhere right now. I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to.” She pulled her duffle bag closer to her as Twinkie whined, hearing the telltale crinkle of the wrappers on his favorite treats. “But Twinkie needs to rest for a while before we go back up and I am not going to leave until we find Derek.”

Gunter grimaced at the name of Rita’s dog. A noble breed like him deserved a more dignified name. “You should rest Rita both you and your dog.”

“Your dog. Why do you call him “Your dog”? You never call Twinkie by his name.” Rita asked curious about Gunter’s tone when he mentioned Twinkie. She was not willing to talk about resting; she didn’t think she could sleep until they found Derek.

“What ever possessed you to call your dog such an awful name? It’s not a proper name for such a beautiful animal.” Gunter kept talking, afraid she was going to leave him here alone with the memories of his best friend.

He needed her close for some reason. Perhaps it was because they both had cared for Derek, perhaps it was because he had wanted her since the moment he had met her. He had asked her out and been turned down, he would have continued to ask her until she had agreed but Derek had won her and Gunter was not the type to poach and had backed off. Whatever the reason, he knew he had to keep her close. He didn’t think he could stand it if he had to face the rest of the evening alone. The problem with her car was the perfect excuse to keep her at the lodge.

A small smile came and went across Rita’s lips and she remembered the stash of snack cakes in the duffle. She reached in and pulled out one package causing the dog to wiggle furiously. She was aware of Gunter’s tired face sporting an astonished expression as the dog woofed down both cream filled cakes.

“That’s why. Gunter, Twinkie is his call name not his registered name. I assure you it is as dignified as you could want.”

Gunter’s smile faded as he heard a number of shouts and calls from the surrounding emergency teams still working. He could see the lines of strain and weariness on Rita’s face and knew she needed some peace and quiet before they had to resume their search early the next day.

“You need to get something to eat yourself, Rita, and some rest. Come on, I will take you to the lodge and we can have some supper and find you a room.” And when her eyes dropped to her dog, “I am sure they will make an exception for Twinkie”

Gunter took her arm and led her through the maze of equipment, people and vehicles that jammed every available space around the lodge. They were soon inside the warm lobby and headed for the conference rooms set aside for the rescue workers. They found the one where the volunteers had set up huge coffee urns and sandwich platters and ate listlessly before heading back to the lobby to check Rita in.

****************

Rita flung back the covers and crawled from the warm bed. She couldn’t sleep and had tossed and turned for a couple of hours. She heard Twinkie snuffle in his sleep at the foot of the bed and she was grateful that at least the dog was getting some rest. The cabin was silent at this hour and Rita decided to get a warm drink. Perhaps it would help her fall asleep, but if it didn’t it would give her something to do.

Finger combing her long dark hair, Rita debated getting dressed again but decided the t-shirt that Gunter had loaned her was sufficient cover since it fell past her knees. They couldn’t get a room at the lodge’s main hotel for her; the entire building was crammed with people sharing every available space including the many sofas and chairs dotting the lobby. Gunter had solved the problem by taking her by the arm and dragging her out to his condominium to spend the night. Luckily, he had been given a two bedroom when he had checked in and she had bathed and fallen into the extra bed to lie tired but sleepless.

Rita opened the bedroom door soundlessly and could see the main room through the flickering light from the fireplace. The small kitchen was just beyond the round dining table at the other end of the suite and she started around the furniture, crossing in front of the fireplace when Gunter’s voice startled her.

“You can’t sleep either?”

The words were slightly slurred and his tone was vague almost as if he were only asking because he felt it polite and he wasn’t truly interested. But Rita could see the ravages of grief on his handsome face along with the glass of liquor that was dangling from his fingertips. She hadn’t heard him and thought he had gone to bed hours ago.

“Gunter? Are you all right?” Rita asked hesitantly, unsure at his unusual mood.

Gunter grimaced at the sight of his best friend’s girl. She was so beautiful standing there silhouetted by the banked fire; her long dark hair mussed from her bed and her figure outlined for his eyes to devour. And she had no clue to his feelings, feelings he had held in check for the last year while she dated Derek. Now he was sure that he was going to lose her along with his best friend. At least when Derek and she were dating he could find out all about her from him whenever they happened to talk.

Gunter slowly stood and took the few steps between them until he was towering over her. He reached over her shoulder to put the glass of liquor on the mantle, drawing his fingers down her upturned face to gently trace her features with his hand after he released the crystal.

“Gunter?” Rita asked again, this time in a whisper that was shaky with surprise and desire at his unexpected closeness.

“No Rita, I am not all right. My best friend is gone and I sit here grieving for his loss and lusting after his woman. What kind of man does that make me?” His voice was not only husky with his desire but also anguished and Rita was not immune to either emotion. She grieved for the loss of Derek too but she was also affected by his nearness. She reached around Gunter’s waist and pulled her body the last few inches separating them until they touched from chest to knees, holding him tightly in her arms.

Rita tilted her head back to look Gunter in his eyes and allowed him to see for the first time the answering attraction she had hidden from everyone. “You are just a man Gunter. A man who loved his friend very much, but just a normal man.”

With a deep groan Gunter gave in to the feelings that had been burning him all evening since she had bathed and gone to bed in his domain. He cupped her face with both hands and covered her mouth with his. Her immediate welcome had him deepening the kiss sooner than he had planned and his tongue surged past her open lips to find hers waiting for his.

A year of denied desire exploded between them and Gunter soon felt her hands roaming under his loose shirt to knead the tight muscles of his back as his hands lifted her and carried her to the floor. When he felt the thick sheepskin rug, he thanked the designer who had thought to place it there in front of the stone fireplace. He should take his time but he was pulling his t-shirt over her head before he could stop and think and the sight of her pert breasts crowned with rosy nipples crumbled his last coherent thoughts.

Gunter’s mouth on her breasts had Rita gasping for breath as she felt his lips tugging at her hard nipples. She had known it would be like this if she had given in to his invitations the year before. She had been sacred of this, knowing he would swamp her senses and take over her body and her life. But now faced with the sudden loss of someone they both held dear, she knew life was too short to fear living it to it’s fullest.

She whispered his name as he removed the last barrier keeping him from her body and arched into the hand that slipped between her thighs to caress her so gently, so lovingly, so thoroughly. Rita was moaning and tugging at Gunter’s body impatiently a few moments later and she helped him to shove his trousers off of his hips as he settled between her legs. She cried out when his body slid into hers and Gunter captured it with his mouth as he moved in an instinctive rhythm that brought them both quickly to shattering peaks of pleasure.

As soon as he caught his breath, Gunter levered his body from Rita’s and discarded the rest of his clothing. He could see her eyes between her lowered lashes and met them head on. He had to know if she was regretting their lovemaking. The shining gaze that met his just as boldly reassured him and he gathered her up again in his arms and headed to his bedroom. This time he would take his time and love her thoroughly, completely. She was his now.

**************

It was late the next afternoon when Rita heard the shouts further down the slide site. They had found a few more bodies by scenting during the day but never the one that she had hoped and dreaded to find. The shouts were unusual at this point. Normally they would just announce a find over the radio and quietly go about the retrieval of the body. She turned to stare down the hill and noticed the increased activity around some debris but turned back to the next portion on her grid.

Within minutes she was interrupted by the arrival of two men and another dog. She smiled at the distinctive suit of Gunter’s and gave a polite nod to the other rescue handler. She knew she was scheduled to be relieved but she didn’t want to stop just yet.

Gunter’s expression stopped her refusal to give up for the day. It was a mixture of excitement and dread. She knew he had news and her heart began to pound as she could feel an unreasonable surge of excitement.

“Gunter? What is it?” She looked back down the hill at the swarming activity around the debris and noted the toboggan that was used to haul injured victims.

“We have found Derek Rita.” Gunter saw her excitement when she recognized the team with the transportation equipment. His own joy at the news was tempered by the fear of losing her. “He is alive! He’s still alive.”

Rita shrieked with joy and jumped up to grab Gunter around his neck and almost strangle him with her fierce hug. “Alive! Alive! Let’s go.” She turned her skis and headed downhill until she reached the site of all the activity.

She stood well back but where she would see what was happening. She saw the pile of wood that was sticking up out of the snow and recognized what it was. Derek had been close to a small shelter of some kind and had obviously managed to take cover in it when the wall of snow hit him. Somewhere under the debris her friend had managed to survive the avalanche and being buried beneath the snow.

They watched as Derek’s team worked quickly but carefully until they exposed their friend. Gunter could see that when the slide had hit the hut, the wood had fallen against a huge boulder and formed a pocket sheltering Derek.. It was a miracle that they had found him since he had obviously not been using his transceiver. The team immobilized his neck and braced one of Derek’s legs but he could be seen moving his arms and talking to his co-team members as he was lifted from the hole and placed on the toboggan.

Rita rushed forward and fell to her knees at the side of the sled and grabbed Derek’s hand. She was laughing and crying at the same time as she scolded Derek for getting buried in the first place and secondly for not using his transceiver so he could be found quicker.

Derek grimaced in pain but gave her a rueful look out of the side of his eyes. “Make up your mind Rita. Either I am in trouble for getting caught in a slide or for losing my transceiver! Where is Gunter? I know he is here.”

When Gunter shuffled closer to the sled, he tried to blank his expression and keep his friend from guessing the events of the previous night. He was not going to give up Rita now that they had come together. But he would not cause his friend any more pain than was necessary either. They could reveal their changed circumstances later when Derek was mended.

He needn’t have worried. One look at his face when Gunter leaned over his prone body had Derek smiling in spite of the pain in his broken leg and the extreme weariness that pulled at his body. Finally! Those two had worked it out. He reached up and grabbed Gunter’s hand and pulled him closer.

“It’s about time! I swear I was getting tired of babysitting this woman until you both came to your senses. If I had known all it would take was getting swamped with snow I would have done this last year.” Derek took both of their hands and placed them together beneath his. “Now I can get on with my own love life instead of trying to save yours.” He grinned at this two friend’s astonished faces.

Rita raised startled eyes to Gunter’s equally surprised face. He soon was grinning at Derek and then her. He caught her gaze and gave her a heated look, the memories of the night echoing in his eyes as he silently promised her a lifetime of love and ecstasy.

The Beginning