The stairs creaked and Camille jumped as Nikki’s face came toward her. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah.” Camille smiled brightly, but Nikki narrowed her eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Sure, just excited for some bugs. By the way, if any come home with us, you’re in charge of getting rid of them.” She raced down the stairs.
Nikki raced after her. “I didn’t agree to that.”
Downstairs, Ty was picking Evie up and flipping her upside down. Camille’s first impulse was to cringe, but Evie’s giggles quickly pushed her anxiety aside. Kids Evie’s age were supposed to do things like that. Tumbling and climbing trees—all things that made parents nervous but which kids somehow managed to survive.
Ty smiled at her. She returned it, but inside her stomach started to spin. Evie looked so much like Wesley it was almost like having him in the room. Ty set Evie gently down and moved in to kiss Camille. She turned her head and took a step back, then felt guilty for it.
A flicker of doubt blinked in Ty’s eyes, and then it was gone. He shifted tactics, giving her a half hug instead of the kiss he’d intended. Nikki gave her an odd look and mouthed something to her behind Ty’s back. What’s wrong with you?
Good question. Camille wished she had a good answer.
“All right, let’s go see some bugs.” Camille tried to make her voice cheery, but it was hard to get excited about things she normally squished and threw down the toilet.
Ty looked at Nikki. “Dillon asked me to tell you his lesson today got bumped to nine instead of eight, so he was hoping you could make lunch an hour later.”
“Thanks, I’ll text him.” Nikki whipped her phone out and started typing.
Camille’s throat felt dry. She’d forgotten about Dillon’s flying lesson. It would be great for the ranch if business picked back up, but more lessons meant more flying, and more flying made it impossible to ignore the fact that Ty was a pilot.
Nikki grabbed her as they were going out the door and whispered in her ear. “Tell Ty about the offer. Don’t forget.” As if she could forget.
Outside Bug Fest, the parking lot was crammed with cars. Ty hadn’t lied when he’d said this thing was popular. They found a spot in the back and walked to the nature center. There were trees and flowers and trails everywhere, kind of a mini arboretum.
Off to the left Ty pointed out a stream, and just past it, if you squinted real hard, you could make out Sky High Ranch. A little farther beyond it and a lot more squinting, and you could almost see Sweet Dreams.
“I didn’t even know this place was here.” Camille took Evie’s hand. Ty took hers. She almost pulled away, but stopped herself. She liked the way his hand felt around hers and had no reason to feel guilty about it.
Glass tanks with bugs from all over the world lined every path and walkway. They started outside the center and wrapped their way inside and out the back. Evie stared at a tarantula who was busy crawling up its owner’s arm. Camille had seen a movie about killer spiders once and was fairly certain the tarantula’s goal was to eat the man’s head.
When he offered to let Evie hold it, Camille almost had a heart attack. But Evie immediately held her hand out for it. The man set the tarantula in Evie’s palm and it began to crawl. Camille squealed and covered her eyes. When she dared a peek, Ty was snapping a picture.
“Don’t worry, you don’t have to look. You can see the pictures later.”
She nodded and closed her eyes again until Ty tugged on her arm. They were moving down the line. Evie had just spotted something called the Goliath beetle. It was the size of a small apple and just as shiny. She waited in line for her chance to pet it.
Ty came over. “You okay? You look a little green.”
“Maybe I just need some water.” She reached into her bag and brought out a bottle.
“Do you have another one? I didn’t think to bring any.” His stomach rumbled, and he blushed. “Guess I’m hungry too. I sort of rushed breakfast this morning.”
She pulled out a bottle of water and some snacks. “I’ve got blueberry muffins.”
“Like the ones you made for the gift basket?” He was staring at them.
“I froze a bunch and defrosted them last night.” He didn’t immediately reach for one, and by the look on his face he wasn’t sure he wanted to. “You liked them, didn’t you?”
He stood frozen a moment, then broke into a grin. “Sure I did. Thanks.” He took the muffin and started chowing down.
If she was gonna tell him about the offer on the house, now was the time. His mouth was full, so he couldn’t argue with her. And they were surrounded by people. She was pretty sure Ty wasn’t the sort of guy who liked to make scenes.
So, how to start? “Nikki got some news the other day.”
Ty finished the last bite of muffin. The tiniest crumbs were stuck to the corners of his mouth. She brushed them away and felt his breath on her fingertips. It made her toes tingle, and when she looked in his eyes, the world stopped.
He swallowed his muffin. “What about Nikki?”
“Huh?”
“You said Nikki got some news?”
“Oh, yeah.” Her mind had completely blanked in the time it took to look in his eyes. “She...um...she loves Phoebe Saylor and is dying for her autograph. So, we’ve got to keep an eye on Nikki next Saturday and make sure she doesn’t corner Phoebe during the wedding.”
It wasn’t a lie. Nikki really did love Phoebe Saylor, and Camille wouldn’t put it past her sister to follow Phoebe down the wedding aisle till she got her autograph. As for the offer on the house? She still had tomorrow. Maybe she’d let today slide.
Over by Beetle Row, Evie smiled and waved as she moved from the Goliath beetle to some jeweled beetles that would have been pretty if they weren’t still bugs.
In the distance the steady hum of a plane began to sound. Camille looked up and recognized one of Ty’s planes coming across the sky. Dillon’s lesson must have started. Evie looked up from the bugs and waved as if Dillon could see her all the way from up in the clouds.
The plane dipped down, zigzagged a little, then did a slow turn. It was kind of fun, their own private airshow. Except that thick black smoke started trailing out behind the plane, a lot like Buffy when she was in serious trouble. And the steady hum of the engine turned into an erratic chug.
“What’s wrong?” Camille asked.
Ty frowned. “I don’t know.”
The weird noise it was making got worse. It was louder now, more like a deadly cough. The plane turned back toward the ranch, moving away from them. She had to squint to make it out, and then the black smoke turned to orange flames and squinting was no longer necessary. The plane nosedived toward the ground, and for half a second everything stopped, then chaos broke out.
* * *
Don’t panic. Stay calm. Keep focused. Ty repeated the mantra over and over again in his head as he raced back to the ranch. He tried Dillon’s cell and got no answer. He tried the house phone and got nothing there too. If anything had happened to Dillon, Ty would never forgive himself. Just find him fast.
Camille was in the passenger seat. Ty kept looking at her, expecting her to freak out. But she looked calm. Too calm. It was one of her brave fronts. She was better at putting them up than he’d realized.
Evie was the only one crying, and she was doing it silently. Somehow that made it worse. Just when he was getting used to her newfound fits of giggles, she gave him this. What did he do with it? How did he help her?
“Dillon’s a good pilot. A great pilot. I’m sure he’s okay.” Ty didn’t know whether he was trying to convince them or himself. The black smoke rising up in the air left a lot of room for doubt.
When he pulled up to the ranch, Daisy ran toward him. “Josh and Maricela took the Silverado. He was pretty close when he went down.”
That was good. The faster they got to him, the better. “Who else was with him?”
“No one.”
“What about his lesson?”
“They canceled last minute. Dillon took the plane out anyway. Said he wanted to test it out after the last repair.”
Camille had one arm around Evie, trying to comfort her. Daisy was waiting for orders. Four years in the army was a hard habit to break. She wanted something to do, and Ty was the one in charge here.
“Daisy, stay with Evie and Camille. Call the fire department and get some trucks down here. I’ll go after Josh and Maricela.”
He had the engine running and his foot on the gas when the Silverado’s squeal caught his ear. He looked up and saw the red truck speeding toward them. Maricela was driving. Josh was in the passenger seat. The back was empty.
They couldn’t find him.
Ice pricked his veins and turned his body cold. They needed a plan. That was always step one. Everyone could spread out. Ty would take his truck; Josh and Maricela could go back out in the Silverado. There were other trucks and plenty of horses. He’d get everyone together and—
Josh’s prosthetic hand was hanging out the door waving Ty over. There wasn’t time to talk. The situation required action. But mindless action was as bad as doing nothing at all. There was an order to these things. Talk, plan, act. He ran to Josh.
Camille watched him, her face showing every crinkle of concern. “Did you find the plane?” Ty asked. It was important to know whether Dillon had gotten up and walked away or if he might still be trapped inside.
“We found it.” Josh turned his head toward the back seat, and Dillon’s head popped up. He’d been lying down; Ty had just missed him.
Every muscle and nerve in Ty’s body relaxed. Until Ty took a closer look. Black ash was smeared across Dillon’s face. His clothes were stained and his head was bleeding, but it was his leg that worried Ty the most. It was twisted at an odd angle.
“He was trying to walk home when we found him,” Josh said.
Dill grinned, but his face was pale under the ash. “I figured if I couldn’t walk, I could always hop.”
If Dillon could make jokes, that meant it couldn’t be too bad. Unless there were internal injuries. Jon’s battered face flashed in front of him, replacing Dillon’s for a second. Panic tried to surf in on a tidal wave, but Ty pushed it back. It was getting easier to stop, especially knowing Camille and Evie were watching.
“Okay, Maricela, you’re already in the driver’s seat. Get him to the hospital. Josh, stay with her. I’ll follow in my truck.”
Maricela took off, and Ty hurried back to Camille. “Is he okay?”
“I think his leg’s broken. I’m heading to the hospital.”
Camille was already moving for the truck. “We’ll go with you.”
He shot a look to Evie, whose tears had slowed but were still coming. “You sure about that?”
“Evie will feel better if she knows he’s okay. Me too.”
There wasn’t time to argue with her, and the truth was being near them helped. If he could, he’d always keep them within an arm’s reach. They jumped in the truck and got to the hospital a few minutes after Maricela, who must’ve been an amateur race car driver at the speeds she’d been going. Dillon was already with the doctors.
This was the worst part. Time to wait. Ty had never been great at waiting. New plan—keep his head clear and everyone calm. Vending machines were a good place to start. He fed a few dollars into the machine and stocked up on chips and candy. Evie helped pass them out to a growing crowd in the waiting room.
Everyone from Sky High was at the hospital now. Nikki showed up looking pale. She’d seen the plane go down and called over to the ranch. Daisy had filled her in. She and Camille conversed quietly together in the corner.
Emmitt was in the opposite corner sitting with his knees curled to his chest. Evie went over and put one arm around his neck before taking the seat next to him. Nikki left Camille and went to talk to Maricela. Ty took her place at Camille’s side.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “You?”
He shrugged, reaching for her hand. She let him take it, but she didn’t squeeze back. Her fingers just lay there dead against his own. He let her go, and she curled her hand into a fist before shifting uncomfortably on her feet.
Ty knew she was upset. The dimples were down for the count, and he doubted he’d be seeing them anytime soon.
“Dillon’s gonna be fine,” he said, wanting it to be true. Maybe if he said it enough times, it would be.
Camille was staring at her feet. “I wish I was as brave as you.”
Ty tried squeezing her hand again. “You are.” This time she pulled her hand away.
“No, Ty. I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ll ever be.”
But Camille wasn’t giving herself enough credit. She was stronger than she realized. How did he make her see that?
Daisy tapped him on the shoulder. “I think Emmitt’s losing it.”
He looked at the corner of the room where Emmitt was leaning over in his seat, his head buried in his hands. He looked ready to start climbing the walls. Camille nodded in Emmitt’s direction. “Go on, he needs you.”
Ty let out a breath. “I’ll be right back.” He hurried over to Emmitt’s side, replacing Evie’s now-vacant chair.
Emmitt could barely look at him. “It’s my fault.” His voice was a croak.
“What’s your fault?”
“Dillon. It’s my fault he went down. I checked Cessna 1 this morning. Whatever went wrong...I missed it.”
There was no way he was gonna let Emmitt carry this on his shoulders. “And I checked the Cessnas myself two days ago. And what about the repair guy who was just out here? Everything looked good then too. This is no one’s fault. Sometimes things just go wrong.” But Emmitt kept his eyes on the ground.
The doctor came out. A couple dozen people crowded in around him. Ty held his breath, waiting for the prognosis. “Dillon’s going to be fine. No internal injuries.”
A joint sigh filled the waiting room. Several people clapped the doctor on the back. It was the best possible scenario under the worst possible circumstances. Dill’s leg was broken in two places, but they were clean breaks. His face and body were bruised, his ego was probably shattered, but all of it would heal.
Ty turned to get Emmitt’s reaction, but he was gone. When he turned back around, Camille was standing there. “Nikki’s gonna hang around. Think you can give her a ride home? She drove Buffy down here, and I’m gonna drive her back. I want to get Evie home.”
“Sure.” He hesitated. “Are we okay?”
She pressed her lips together. “Why don’t you stop by tomorrow after breakfast? We can talk then.”
Talk? The universal breakup code. Maybe he was overreacting, misreading her stress for something that it wasn’t. “Aren’t you coming by Sky High tomorrow? I thought we were gonna finish up in the house.”
The foot shuffle started, and she spun her ring around her finger at least a dozen times. “Maybe later in the day. I think tomorrow we’ll sleep in. Come by around nine, unless you’re here.”
“Sure. Want me to call you later?”
“No, thanks. Nikki can fill me in. I think Evie and I need some rest. It was kind of a long day.”
It wasn’t even noon yet, but he knew what she meant. He started forward, wanting to give her a hug. She didn’t pull away, but hesitation flickered across her face. It made him pull back. “If you need anything, let me know.”
She smiled, but it was bittersweet. “Same here.”
When she walked out the door, it reminded Ty too much of Mia walking out the door. He almost ran after her, desperate to fix this before Camille left for good. But the doctor was letting people in to see Dillon, and Ty wa
s up first. Everything else would have to wait.
Chapter Thirteen
Breakfast was too quiet without Dillon there. Josh tried to fill in the gaps, making jokes and telling funny Dillon stories, but it wasn’t the same. After a few minutes Josh’s jokes fizzled out and things got quiet again.
Too much quiet equaled too much time to think. Ty had spent the night trying to convince himself he’d misread Camille’s signals. Things yesterday had gotten out of control. She was upset. It would make sense if he’d confused her shock waves for breakup blips.
And even if he hadn’t, so what? Things could easily have changed overnight. If they hadn’t, he would find a way to make them change. Camille wasn’t Mia. And there was no way he was letting her out of his life now that she was in it.
He headed to Sweet Dreams as sprinkles started falling. The rain was supposed to last all day and carry through the week, until Saturday, when God had decided to break tradition and do Ty a solid. The rain would give way to blue skies and sunshine. Just in time for Phoebe’s wedding to go off without a hitch.
Ty rang the bell to Sweet Dreams, trusting that everything would be all right once the door opened and Camille invited him inside. But when it opened, Camille stepped out and clicked the door shut behind her.
“Hi.” He looked for anything that might tell him what she was thinking, but the signs were as vacant as her eyes. The only thing he saw was a manila folder in her hand.
“Let’s walk.” Camille started for a path that looped around her property. No hello. No good morning. Just her head down and her eyes on the ground, like this was a chore she couldn’t get out of. “How’s Dillon?”
Finally some sign the Camille he cared so much for was still in there. That this was maybe, just maybe, all in his head.
“Doing okay. The doctor said he could come home Wednesday. They just want to make sure nothing unexpected springs up.”
“Nikki will be happy to hear that. She was ready to pack a bag and spend the night at the hospital.”
The sprinkles turned to a light mist that felt good on his face. “If I tell Dill that, it’ll only make his ego worse. He already thinks he’s likable, now he’ll know it.”
Finding Her Courage Page 14