Grizzly Flying Home by Sloane Meyers Read Free Book Online Page A

waiting for a sign, but maybe he should give up on waiting for the universe to tell him what to do and just make a decision. He’d had a good run here in California. He knew the smokejumpers were lifelong friends, and they would always leave the door open for him to come back. But no matter how far away from Alaska he roamed, the beautiful, frozen frontier always called his heart back home.
    As if on cue, Chance’s cell phone rang. And when he looked down he saw Sawyer’s name on the caller I.D. Chance glanced at the time, surprised. It was only six-thirty in the morning here in Red Valley, which meant it was five-thirty in Alaska.
    “You’re up early,” Chance said as he answered his phone, not even bothering with the formality of saying hello. “Is everything all right?”
    “Hey, buddy!” Sawyer’s voice came on the line. “I’m fine. Just have a busy week ahead and wanted to try to catch you before things got too crazy. I didn’t wake you up, did I? I thought it was later in California.”
    Chance laughed. “It’s only an hour later. It’s not even seven a.m. here. But I was up already. Couldn’t sleep?”
    “Oh yeah? Pining away for a girl?” Sawyer asked, then laughed at his own joke.
    Chance winced. If only Sawyer knew how close he was to the actual truth. “Very funny,” Chance said, managing to sound somewhat normal. “Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of this early morning call?”
    “I’m calling to tell you to come home,” Sawyer said, his voice growing serious.
    Chance winced again. Was Sawyer somehow reading his mind now? “You always tell me that,” Chance said, keeping his voice light. “Why are you calling at the crack of dawn to tell me now?”
    “I’m calling early because I literally have no other free moment to call,” Sawyer said. “We’re busy here, Chance. Clan business is keeping me busy from sunup to sundown, often later. We’re expanding a lot of things in Frost Peak. We’re building a new school, and a new library. We’ve got a new community center going up. The clan elders are trying to get new clan rules adopted that are more up to date with modern times.”
    “Sounds like a lot,” Chance said. He felt a sudden pang of homesickness. Life in Frost Peak was moving on without him. His desire to go back grew stronger with each word Sawyer spoke.
    “It is a lot,” Sawyer said. “Anderson and I can’t keep up alone. We need you. Come back and help us out. You’ve been playing around in California long enough.”
    Chance laughed. “I’m not sure I would consider flying our friends here into wildfires to be playing.”
    “Whatever. At least you’re not freezing your ass off in the winter.”
    Chance smiled. He could picture Sawyer sitting there and rolling his eyes at him with an exasperated look on his face. “Well, today is your lucky day, because I was actually just sitting here thinking that it was time to head home.”
    There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Chance almost chuckled. He had a feeling that Sawyer had been ready to fight with him until he agreed to come back. But Chance had already made up his mind.
    “Really?” Sawyer finally asked. “You’re serious? You’re coming back? When?”
    “I’m serious,” Chance said. I’m not sure when, exactly. But it should be within the next month or two. Fire season is finally slowing down here, so I’m going to talk to Ian and let him know I won’t be back next year.”
    There was another long pause, and then a big whoop of joy came over the phone line. Chance grinned, and had to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment thanks to Sawyer’s loud volume.
    “Dude! You just made my week. My month, even. Maybe my year! I’ve tried to give you your space, but I’ve missed you so damn much,” Sawyer said, his words tumbling out in a rapid, excited sequence.
    “I’ve missed you, too,” Chance said. “Things have been fun here, but you’re right. I’ve been in California