The good news was that we were finally out at Lake Echo.Hopefully, I could stick my feet in the water to cool off for a bit in between taping the videos.
Lake Echo was a large reservoir on the outskirts of Las Vegas. The shoreline of the lake stretched for more than five hundred miles and was filled with beaches, coves,and steep cliffs, with beautiful desert mountains as the backdrop. Granted, these mountains were mostly bare rock with some Joshua trees, yucca, cacti, and vast amounts of sagebrush. Because this was situated in the middle of the desert, it was a popular place for people to go boating, hiking, camping, and even swimming.
The water levels at the lake were really low because we’d had a bad water year so far. By that I meant we’d had very few storms to help fill our reservoirs up, so when the winter passed without many storms, we ended up with a very low lake.In the desert, we relied on all the rain and snow that came through in the winter to replenish our lakes and reservoirs. We also relied on neighboring states to have a good winter too, because when all their snow melted, it flowed down through the Colorado River and helped fill up the lake.
Still, low levels or not, I was thrilled to get in the water and cool off, even if it was only for a few minutes.
Christine was setting up our camera since she would be our photographer for this task, and we were just waiting for a park ranger and a member from the U.S. Coast Guard to join us.
While we waited, I dipped my toes in the water to cool off a bit. The water in the shallow area was already getting warm thanks to the ongoing heat wave, but it was still cooler than the air temperature, so it felt very nice on my feet. I looked up to take in the beauty around me. The muted red, orange, and brown colors of the AnvilMountains in the background provided a beautiful backdrop.
Alas, I only got to enjoy the refreshing feeling for a few moments before two new vehicles pulled into the parking lot, indicating our guests had likely arrived.
A few moments later, two men started walking up to the pier where we were set up to record. Slipping back into my socks and shoes, I made my way over to Ben and Christine, who were making introductions.
The newcomers had their backs to me as I walked up. Christine handed them wireless microphones to put on and asked them to say their full names and titles into the camera so we could credit them properly.
“Lieutenant Patrick Michaels with the U.S. Coast Guard,” the man on the left said.
Then the other man spoke and rocked my world.
“Chief Ranger Hector Madeira, U.S. Park Service,” he said in a gruff voice.
Hector?The same Hector Madeira that saved my sister’s life? The same one I flirted shamelessly with at her wedding, only for him to stare at me silently and then walk away? I’d only met the man twice, but he was not a man you forgot. Could it be the same person? I thought he was a cop…
“Hector?” I said, wondering if this was another man with the same name.
At my questioning voice, he turned around to face me. I swore I saw recognition dawn in his eyes just like minewhen I noticed his gorgeously chiseled face staring back at me.
He looked similar to the first time I had met him. Short beard, gorgeous black hair, and deep-brown eyes, and yet somehow hotter, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what made him hotter. Maybe I was just delirious from the heat.
But seriously…What were the odds he would be here today?
He just stared at me, and I realized that maybe he didn’t actually recognize me back.
“Iris,” I said like a total dork. “You met me at?—”
“I know who you are,” he said, seemingly angry about it, if his irritable tone was anything to go by.
Well, okay, then. Clearly, he was not happy to see me. Wait…The park ranger who was supposed to join us today was a woman. Her name was Josie Jones, and she had helped with these videos several times in the past few years.
“Where’s Josie?” I asked, since she was who I had been told would be coming today.
“Ranger Jones broke her foot,” he answered gruffly, as if I was supposed to have known that fact.
I didn’t know what it was about this man, but the few times I had been around him he seemed so displeased to have me talk to him or even stand nearby.
Attempting to save myself any further embarrassment, I turned to the other man to introduce myself just as Christine and Ben introduced themselves as well.
“Hi, I’m Iris O’Hara,” I said, holding my hand out to him. “I’m the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Las Vegas Weather Service office. Thank you so much for coming.”
This man had a totally different demeanor and even seemed excited to meet me. “Lieutenant Patrick Michaels, but please call me Patrick,” he responded with a smile on his face.
It was a good-looking face, too. He was very fit—something I was sure his job required. He was also tall like Hector, but with blond hair and light-blue eyes, and had a sharp jawline and dimples that I was sure women fawned over. But not this woman. Nope, I preferred my men to look more like Grumpy McThunderbolt, who was standing to my side glaring at me with the hatred of a hundred blazing suns.
Hector may be a curmudgeon, but he was a sexy one. He was muscular, with broad shoulders and a stocky build. He was also taller than I was, though that wasn’t saying much since most people were taller than me. But still, he had to be well over six feet.
I was five foot three and a half, but I rounded up—as any normal person would do—and told people I was five foot four. Usually I wore glasses, but knowing I was going to be in front of the camera today, I’d opted for wearing my contacts. I’d also worn my long, curly hair in a nice braid to keep it from sticking to my sweaty face in the heat.
