“I’ll rest it when you answer my question. Is it you or God?”
Man, he was stubborn. A lot like Camille, actually. “Both.” He pulled a Camille and arched one eyebrow, daring Dillon to say something about it, but his arch didn’t have the same effect. Dill kept going.
“You can’t just give up on God. I know my crash shook you up, but it was God who got me through it. He’s the reason I’m alive right now.”
This was already too drawn out. Ty wanted it over and done with. “I’m not upset because of the crash. I mean I am, but...”
“It’s Camille.” There was no getting anything past Dillon. “Nikki said you guys haven’t talked in two days.”
Three, but who was counting?
“If you want Camille to stay, then go fight for her. Tell her you love her.”
“I already did.”
The bottom half of Dillon’s jaw dropped open. “You did?” Ty nodded. “And?”
“And she said she can never love a pilot. Not after what happened to her first husband.” That ought to end this discussion.
Now it was time for Dillon’s know-it-all younger-brother look, perfected when Dillon was a mere six years old. “So, don’t be a pilot then.”
Ty’s brain melted a little bit. “What?”
“If it’s that important to her, and you love her, then what choice do you have?” He hobbled a little closer. “Didn’t the idea of giving it up even occur to you?”
No. It hadn’t. And for good reason. The thought of never flying again scared him. No, scare was way too small a word. It terrified him. And he was talking a towering inferno kind of terror. “Flying’s all I know.”
Dillon wasn’t gonna let him off that easy though. “It’s not all you know. It’s one part of you. There are a lot of other parts too. Camille’s one of them now. Maybe it’s time to focus on that.”
Ty’s head was hurting. “But the ranch won’t make it if we stop flying.”
Dill shifted on his crutches. “I didn’t say we should stop flying. I said you should.”
But how would that work? “Even if I did, she won’t stay. She’s going back to Chicago.”
“So? Go with her.”
But Dillon was asking the impossible. His voice was hoarse when he spoke again. “I can’t. What if something happened and I wasn’t here?”
Dill sighed. “Whatever you’re scared of, is it scarier than losing Camille?”
The question was simple, but it hit him in a big way. Every dark cloud hanging over Ty’s head vanished, and every doubt he had vanished with it.
Nothing was scarier than losing Camille.
* * *
Ty tucked the sales papers Camille had given him into the manila envelope and went to find her. She wasn’t in the house. He finally spotted her by the stables against a gray backdrop of clouds. The air was misty but warm, and she was pulling up folding chairs as fast as she could.
She’d set them up earlier today to make sure they wouldn’t topple over during the ceremony, but with the rain coming, she had to get them put away or they might blow away. She must not have heard him coming, because she jumped when she saw him. A big jump too. She backflipped over one of the chairs and landed on her face.
Ty hurried to help her up. She took his hand, then immediately shook it off. “I’m fine.”
“Sorry if I scared you.”
“You didn’t.” She turned away from him and went back to her chairs.
“You haven’t seen Emmitt, have you?” Stop stalling.
She kept her back to him. “No. Is he still missing?”
“Yeah, I’m starting to worry.”
“Should we go look for him?”
“Dillon’s getting some of the guys together.”
“That’s good.”
It was great she was talking to him, but her short clipped tones didn’t exactly ease his anxiety. She turned toward him, and the wind whipped her hair across her face. He stepped closer and pushed it out of her eyes, tilting her chin back so she was looking at him. For one moment it felt like better times, then she stepped back and nearly collided with the chairs once more.
“Ty, you need to leave. Please. I can’t go through this with you again.” She started toward the house.
He started after her. “Camille, wait.” But she only walked faster. “Wait.” Another minute and she’d be sprinting. “I won’t fly anymore.”
Camille stopped. Slowly she turned to face him. “What?”
It was now or never. “I’ll stop flying. I’ll give it up. As of right now.”
A silent film played out in front of him. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out. Her expressions were overdrawn, her eyes about to pop. “But...but you love flying.”
“I love you more.” He didn’t even have to think about it.
Her eyes started spinning out of control. “What about the ranch? Won’t you lose it?”
“No. Dillon will keep the lessons going. Emmitt and Maricela can help him. They both have training.”
“So you’ll be here, you just won’t fly?”
“No, I won’t be here at all.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth started moving again before her voice came out. “You...you don’t mean Chicago.”
He nodded. “You asked me once if I’d come visit you there. What if it wasn’t just a visit?” Her face paled. “I don’t mean move in with you. I’ll get my own place. We can take things as slow as you want, but at least we’ll be in the same state.”
Ty wasn’t entirely sure what he’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t the greenish look on Camille’s face right now. “Ty...” He took her hand, but she pulled it back. “Ty, no. I can’t let you do that.”
He didn’t get it. “You’re not making me do anything. I want to do this. I love you, and I need you.” Even more than he’d thought he needed Mia. His love for Camille surpassed everything else. Everyone else.
But her face moved from green to stark white. She shook her head. And he finally understood. This was one thing he couldn’t fix.
“It’s not planes you’re really scared of, is it? It’s me.” She took another step away from him, and his body felt numb. Why hadn’t he seen this before? It could’ve saved him a lot of heartache. “Planes are just an excuse. It’s love that really scares you. And nothing’s gonna change that, is it?”
She didn’t contradict him. She just started twisting her wedding ring around. Ty stared at it, and after a moment she looked down and saw what she was doing. She hadn’t even been aware of it.
Now it was Ty who took a step back. “I love you, but you know what? I deserve someone who can love me back. And if that’s not you...then maybe you’re right. Maybe this can’t work.” He handed her the manila envelope.
“What’s this?”
“The paperwork. I signed it. Go ahead, sell the house. Keep whatever you get for it too. I don’t want any of it.”
“George wanted you to have—”
“It doesn’t matter. George was a great man, but he’s not here anymore. And I won’t have my life ruled by the past. George wouldn’t want that for me either.”
Every muscle in Ty’s body wanted him to stay where he was, but he forced himself to turn around.
“Ty, wait.” He paused, one last flicker of hope. “I’m sorry.”
The last flicker went out. “Me too.”
* * *
Camille found Evie and Nikki feeding the goats. No one else was around. Camille pulled Nikki aside. “I’m going into town. Can you stay with Evie?”
“Sure. Everything okay?”
Was it? “Ty signed the papers.” She held up the envelope.
Nikki paused, a handful of oats in her palm. “I thought he wouldn’t sign until after the wedding.”
She didn’t want to get into
the details of what had just happened. “He changed his mind. I’m gonna fax them to Ben before he changes it again. We’ll be back in Chicago by next week. Just like I planned.”
Evie was staring at her now. She ran up to Camille and wrapped her arms around her waist, shaking her head from side to side. Camille kneeled down and gave Evie a hug. “Sweetie, Chicago’s our home. You’ve probably missed it and don’t even realize it.”
But Evie didn’t seem to share that opinion. Her eyes darted to the manila envelope in Camille’s hand, and she tried to grab it. Camille pulled it out of reach and stood up, staring down at her daughter. Overhead, distant thunder cracked, the perfect backdrop for Evie’s tears.
Nikki rested one hand on Evie’s shoulder. “I’ll get Evie home before the rain starts. You go on.” Both of them stood together; neither of them looked happy. But Camille didn’t have a choice.
She called Ben on the way into town and could almost hear the smile in his voice when she told him the papers were signed. The signal lasted a full two minutes before cutting out, just long enough for him to congratulate her.
There was a fax machine in the copy center where she’d printed all of Phoebe’s pictures. A friendly clerk greeted her. “What a day, huh? I heard they spotted a tornado in the next county.” Tornado? She’d better get this done fast.
She double-checked the paperwork to make sure Ty hadn’t missed anything, then realized she hadn’t actually signed it herself. She grabbed a pen off one of the tables, but when she went to sign, her hand started shaking.
What’s the matter? This was what you wanted.
Of course it was. Is. She drew in a deep breath and pressed the tip of the pen to the signature line, but when she willed her hand to move, it just sat there. All she could think about was Evie’s smile, and the way Ty had said he’d loved her. Her heart had gone kerplop in those few minutes.
A crash of thunder overhead punctuated her frown, and the sprinkles that had been threatening to turn to rain finally kept their word. She looked out the window and saw Emmitt walk past the splotch-covered glass. He was holding a brown paper bag.
Oh, no. She shoved the papers back into the envelope and hurried after him, careful not to move too fast or get too close. He hadn’t seen her, and the last thing she wanted to do was send him running.
Her phone was at the bottom of her purse. She dug it out and saw a missed call from Nikki. She dismissed it and dialed Ty without even thinking twice. He answered on the first ring.
“Ty? Don’t hang up.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“I found Emmitt. He just crossed the street from Banana Blitz.”
His voice was strained. “Stay with him. Don’t let him see you. I was already headed into town. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Emmitt turned, and Camille ducked behind a parked car. She peeked through the rain-splattered windows and saw him head toward a liquor store. Her breath froze mid-inhale, but he walked right past it.
Relief washed over her until he turned a corner and fell out of sight. She sprinted to the end of the block and spotted him pulling out an umbrella, waiting to cross the street. Camille wished she’d thought to bring hers.
She hung back and watched him cross over to the park. The bench was empty. He sat down and dug into the paper bag.
No, Emmitt. You don’t have to do this.
Her phone buzzed, but she ignored the incoming text from Nikki and watched Emmitt. Maybe she should stop him. She could take away his bottle just as easily as Ty.
One foot started moving in his direction, but it stopped when he pulled out a loaf of bread. He tore off tiny pieces and tossed them to an eager flock of birds who crowded in around him. When Ty pulled up, Emmitt was still feeding the birds.
Camille hesitated, not sure what to do, then crossed the street and joined them. She was already wet, she might as well get soaked. Ty was trying to get Emmitt in the truck. “Do you know how worried we’ve been? Why’d you take off like that?”
Emmitt continued feeding the birds. “You don’t need me.”
Ty sat down next to him. “That’s not true. You’re important to everyone on the ranch.”
“Dillon almost died because of me.”
Ty stopped him with an emphatic shake of his head. “The crash wasn’t your fault.”
“How do you know?”
Camille put one hand on Ty’s shoulder. “Ty and I saw Dillon’s plane before it went down. Black smoke was coming out of it.”
“That’s right. Dillon said the exhaust system was leaking gas and caught the engine on fire. That’s a defect with the exhaust system. If anything, the repair guy missed something when he worked on the fuselage, and that’s not your fault. It might not even be the repair guy’s fault. Sometimes things just happen.”
Emmitt looked up. “Is that true? That’s really what happened?”
“Ask Dillon yourself. He’s home right now.”
Emmitt looked down at the bread in his hands. “I’m such a fool.”
“Well, if you’re a fool here, you can be a fool at home too. Let’s go.”
Emmitt started laughing. One of Ty’s lopsided grins emerged, and Emmitt started for the truck.
Ty pulled Camille aside. “Thanks for your help.”
She felt her cheeks color. Why was it so hard to say goodbye? Maybe because part of her didn’t really want to. Ty’s eyes fell on the wet manila envelope she was still holding. “Did you send the papers to your lawyer? Already?”
She hesitated. “You signed them. I thought we were done with this.”
He moved away from her. “I guess we are.”
Emmitt was already in the truck, watching them.
Her heart was beating too fast. “I’m sorry if I hurt you, Ty. I want you to be happy.”
He shook his head. “It’s not about my happiness. It’s about being true to yourself and facing your fears with God’s help.”
For one second the impulse to kiss him was almost too much. Everything Ty did and said made her love him all the more. Which was precisely why she had to leave this place.
Wait. Did you just say love?
She told her inner voice to hush up. Now wasn’t the time.
Emmitt interrupted them, “Are you coming, or should I head back without you?”
“I’m coming,” Ty said and headed for the truck.
Camille’s phone buzzed again, and this time she looked down at Nikki’s text. Evie’s gone! Get home now.
The clerk’s tornado warning flashed back to her. Ty’s engine roared to life. Camille ran toward it before he could take off. “Ty, wait!” His door opened, and he stepped out of the truck. She grabbed both his arms. “Nikki just texted me. Evie’s missing.”
Inside the truck Emmitt must have heard her, because he sat straight up and looked at her through the window.
“Get in the truck,” Ty said.
“But Buffy.”
“You can get her later. I can get us there faster.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Emmitt scooted to the back as she hopped in the front. Ty put the truck in gear and took off almost as fast as the lightning that flashed in front of them.
Chapter Fifteen
It felt like they were crawling at a fast twenty as Ty moved them down the dirt path back to Sky High. Ty shut off the radio. Camille was just barely holding it together without tornado warnings every five minutes.
Emmitt was doing a good job of keeping her calm, talking about anything and everything that popped into his head. Ty was focused on getting them back fast and safe and only heard bits and pieces of the conversation.
“...and then I dropped my ice cream down Avery’s shirt... Co-Coe could eat her weight in bacon... Evie’s gonna be all right...”
Camille was doing a lot of nodding. Every time thunder crac
ked, she jumped in her seat. When the ranch finally came into view, Camille swung the door open while the truck was still rolling.
For one second his heart did a high jump waiting to see if she’d fall and be crushed. She was fine, but Ty was gonna have to talk to her about jumping out of moving vehicles. For someone who was scared of everything, she sure knew how to push the boundaries of danger.
The rain was really coming down now, but at least they still had some light. It peeked out behind the gray clouds and lit up the land just enough to see people spread out, dressed in raincoats and calling Evie’s name.
Nikki was talking to Dillon and Maricela under the porch cover. Her eyes were red. She turned to Camille and her face crumpled. “I’m so sorry. I took her home and thought she was in her room, but when I went to check on her, she was gone. I thought maybe she came here, but...”
Camille hugged her sister tight. “It’s not your fault. We’ll find her.” But when she turned back around, Ty saw the look in her eyes. That brave front had been for Nikki’s benefit. Camille was terrified.
Okay. Time to move.
He already knew the plan. He’d spent the drive back putting it together, starting with Dillon. If he didn’t give his brother something to do, Dill would figure out something to do on his own and end up hurting his leg all over again. Step one: get his little brother out of the way. Step two: make sure they weren’t missing the obvious.
“Dillon, you and Maricela take the Silverado. Go back to Sweet Dreams with Nikki. Look everywhere. She might still be there.”
Nikki shook her head. “I checked all over.”
The last thing Ty wanted to do was be rude when Nikki was already upset, but he had to be sure. “In every closet? Behind every tree? In the crawl space?”
“There’s a crawl space?” Nikki’s eyes drew together. “You’re right. We need to check again. I’ve got my phone.”
She hopped in the truck with Dillon, and Maricela sped off.
Daisy was the next closest to him, and she was standing by awaiting orders. “Did anyone take the horses?” Ty asked.
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