In a Flash by Kris Rugg

Author:Kris Rugg [Rugg, Kris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0CKVCSDVC
Goodreads: 199691011
Publisher: Knapsack Romance Press
Published: 2023-10-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

The scent of cinnamon and sugar filled her senses as Kes entered the ranger station. The cooler was working overtime, trying to keep the station’s interior at a reasonable eighty-five degrees. Trudy, on the other hand, was standing in front of the open oven door, red-faced and sweaty. As she withdrew a bread pan, the delicious aroma increased tenfold. Kes’s stomach rumbled, and hunger hit suddenly. In the rush of the morning, she’d forgotten to eat. She hoped to all that was holy that Trudy had made her famous cinnamon rolls.

Trudy turned and saw Kes’s hunger-stricken face. She knew if she didn’t let Kes get at the baked goods, she might have a drooling hangry monster on her hands. Trudy laughed, “Yes, you can have some. Go grab a cup of coffee, let me grab the frosting, and I’ll serve you one.” Kes sat down and grinned at Trudy like a goofy child. Trudy laughed and shook her head again. Carefully, Trudy pulled the largest, gooiest bun from the batch and smothered it in frosting. She had spent the last hour covered in flour, dirtying every dish in the cabinet.

The rangers were scheduled to work a ten-hour split shift; half of their hours in the morning and half of their hours in the afternoon and evening, with a break during the worst heat of the day. But it was rare they were ever able to follow that schedule. Between medical calls that had them hiking to all corners of the inner canyon, rafting trips needing information, mule trains needing unloading, trail work, condor monitoring, visitor questions, and other various tasks and issues that arose during the day, they worked from well before dawn until late into the night, without stopping. So, in a lull between calls, Trudy jumped on the opportunity to make some comfort food. It was the best way Trudy knew to communicate her love, and right now Kes needed to feel loved.

As protective and guarded as Kes was sometimes, Trudy knew her friend well and was justifiably concerned. After Sara’s death, Kes hid herself away, didn’t answer Trudy’s texts, and didn’t let anyone in. Undeterred, twice a week Trudy dropped off food on Kes’s doorstep. She needed to know Kes was eating and taking care of herself. Kes never said a word about the quiet arrival of casseroles, lasagnas, and baked goods that kept her from fading away to nothing. It had been a long three months, but Trudy was excited to see light coming back to Kes’s eyes. So when Kes came into the ranger station, smiling like a schoolgirl with a crush, Trudy was overjoyed. It warmed her heart to see some life back in Kes’s step, some real emotion shining through, the hardened exterior partially removed. It had been too long since Trudy had seen Kes’s smile reach her eyes or heard her laugh. She wanted to see joy in Kes again, and she knew Sara would want that too.

Seeing Kes completely shut

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