She cocked her head to one side. Harrison dated, but as far as Annie knew he’d never gotten serious with anyone. “It does. Does she have a name?”
He grinned. “Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday . . .”
Annie laughed and tossed another napkin at him. “You’re bad.”
He winked. “That’s what they say they love about me.”
Rolling her eyes, Annie chuckled again. Claire had also been right when she’d said Annie would survive this. Not just survive . . . I’m determined to thrive again. She smiled at her brother and resolved to focus on the wonderful people she had in her life rather than the one she didn’t.
Chapter Fourteen
‡
Tired after a sleepless night, Kade forced himself to smile through breakfast at the lodge. He’d gone over what Annie had said again and again but wasn’t any closer to understanding what she wanted from him. She needed space because being with him was too hard? Why?
Because they’d had sex?
Because she thought that was all he wanted from her?
She said being with him was hurting her. Well, being without her was slowly killing him.
Around noon, he took Dale and Sophie to his parents’ house. Pamela looked nervous when they first arrived, but Sophie spoke to her with such respect and warmth that she relaxed. In much the same way that Dave and Dale had bonded the day before, Sophie and Pamela swapped parenting stories and looked like they respected each other.
Kade was impressed with how comfortable Sophie and Dale seemed in his parents’ modest home. They had dressed casually, and if he didn’t know how different their lifestyle was, he would have thought the Barringtons could fit into Bright’s community perfectly. Sophie loved gardens. Dale loved going out on the water. Kade hadn’t known what to expect, but he’d been hopeful after seeing Dave and Dale together.
During a pause in the conversation, Sophie leaned over and spontaneously embraced Pamela. “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It’s just that you’re everything I’d hoped you would be.”
Stunned, Pamela didn’t immediately respond. Her eyes misted. She gave Sophie a brief hug in return. “Thank you. I was nervous about having you here today. Scared, really.”
“Oh, my gosh, there’s no need to be,” Sophie assured her. “You didn’t kidnap Kade. You saved him.”
“And you gave him as good of a life as we could have. How could we feel anything but love and gratitude toward you?” Dale asked in a thin voice.
Dave put an arm around Pamela’s shoulders and rested his chin against her hair. “You did what you had to do, Pam, but you did it out of concern for an innocent. Even I understand that now.”
Watching the exchange shifted something inside Kade. He sat forward, elbows on his knees and said, “If it’s okay with everyone here, from this day on, I’d like to say I have two dads and two mums. We’ll keep it simple and let everyone speculate as they want about the how or why. All that matters is that I think we can make this work.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room, but there was a round of agreement.
Probably to ease the tension of the moment, Dave asked, “So did you hear from that guy Clay who took Dylan and Connor to Wabonga?”
Kade answered, “I didn’t, but Lexi texted me that he contacted her last night. She said he was excited to go into the office today.” Still reeling from the emotion of his parents meeting, Clay’s plans for the day hadn’t been a priority. He probably couldn’t do more damage than Kade’s drunk, angry office manager had. “I’ll call him later.”
Dale rubbed his chin. “I can’t picture Clay leading an adventure tour.”
Kade hadn’t bothered to try. “When I gave him directions to my office, I told him all I needed was someone to make a few phone calls. All the information is there. If he wanted to do something wild he could interview one potential hire who has been waiting for me to return. I bet he’s bored enough to be back at the lodge by tonight.”
“I hear those Sutton boys are a little wild,” Dave cautioned. “I have time to go out there to make sure everything is fine.”
Although he was fully retired, his father still knew the ins and outs of the business as well as Kade did. Blindfolded, he could do more than Clay and all his cash likely could. “If you have the time and the desire to, that would take a huge weight off me.”
Dave clapped a hand on Kade’s back. “Are you kidding? I’d love to take the reins back even if it’s only for a few days.”
Pamela frowned at him. “Don’t do anything too strenuous. You know what the doctor said.”
Dave stood. “Yes, he said I’m not dead yet.”
Kade rose to his feet. Maybe this was a bad idea. “Dad, all Mum is saying—”
“I have a great idea.” Sophie clapped her hands together. “Why don’t we make an overnight trip of it? All of us. Dale could do with the fresh air, and I’d love to see Kade’s office and operation.”
Pamela’s smile returned. “Now there’s a good idea. By car it’s about—”
“We’d fly, Mum. So much easier. I’ll look for cheap flights—” He stopped as a realization hit him. “Dale, how hard would it be to get a private plane to take us?”
Dale took out his phone, sent a quick text, then re-pocketed it. “Done.”
Kade laughed in surprise. “But we haven’t even decided what time we’re leaving.”
“They’ll wait,” Dale said as if explaining something everyone knew.
“Where?” Kade asked.
Dale looked to Sophie for guidance. She appeared as lost as he did but supplied slowly, “Anywhere we ask them to?”
It struck Kade then that they genuinely did not understand his confusion. They didn’t choose their vacations by when hotels and flights were discounted. They didn’t wait for people. People waited for them. He didn’t know what he felt about entering into that world. What was life like when you removed struggle from it? From the first day he’d met them, he’d sensed he was fundamentally happier than his rich siblings. Who will I be if I become one of them? Do I even want to be that person?
“Mum? Dad? You okay with taking a private plane?” he asked. They both nodded. The Thompsons might be hardworking and grounded, but they weren’t fools. Cramped economy airline seat or luxury private plane? No-brainer. “Okay, then. When would you like to leave?”
Just then Kade’s phone rang. Connor. Good, I can tell him they won’t need to hold down the fort long. “G’day, mate. How are you all surviving out there?”
Connor answered in a rush. “Dude, don’t be mad, but we lost Clay.”
“What do you mean you lost him?” Kade demanded. “In town? Or are you on your way back? Didn’t you fly out there together? Don’t tell me he decided to drive back alone.” The roads through the mountain could be treacherous and Australian high country could be as deadly as it was beautiful.
All four of his parents gathered around. He put Connor on speakerphone.
Connor’s next words were likely meant for Dylan. “He’s already pissed. I told you we should find Clay before we tell anyone what happened.”
“If we knew where he was we wouldn’t have to call anyone, would we?” Dylan said sarcastically in the background. There was a scuffling sound like Dylan took the phone. “Listen, it’s no one’s fault. We decided to take a tour up to the Wabonga Plateau.”
“You did what?” Kade roared. “I never okay’d that.”
“Chill the fuck out, dude. We were all at your office, bored out of our minds, and a tour showed up but no guide.”
“Did you call Todd or any of the names I left? That’s what you went there to do.”
Connor scoffed, “You have to learn to be more grateful to people who are trying to help you out. None of us went there to be your secretary. And we gave that group a kick-ass tour, so they want to do it again next year. We took a few trucks up the pass. Some of them were hot so I took them skinny-dipping in a waterfall I found.”
Holy shit. �
�Do you know how dangerous that is?”
Dylan interjected, “I took the other half to some cliff and made up the coolest story about how the original settlers of Australia used to throw people off as a sacrifice to the gods. They were all Canadian. I figured they either wouldn’t know if it was true or they’d be too nice to call me out on it. I got them real close to the edge and scared the piss out of them. They loved it. Both groups booked for another tour next year. We rocked it.”
He didn’t want to ask, but he had to. “And Clay?”
Connor groaned. “We’re not exactly sure. I thought he was with Dylan. Dylan thought he was with me. I remember him saying he needed to find a toilet. I tried to tell him there wasn’t one on a mountain. That might be when we left him. We tried to call him, but none of our phones worked. You really should get a tower up there.”
“And nothing from him since?”
“We noticed he wasn’t with us when we regrouped at noon,” Dylan answered.
“Did you check his hotel room?”
“Of course we—” Dylan stopped, then said, “Connor, go check his room.”
A few minutes later, Connor announced in the background, “He’s not there. I had the maid let me in. Nothing. All his stuff looks just like it did this morning.” He chuckled. “Oh, and the maid gave me her phone number. She’s cute too.”
“I need you to tell me exactly where you took those groups.” As they did, Kade’s stomach twisted painfully. Not only were the roads dangerous in that area, Clay knew nothing about surviving in the bush. Kade looked around at the four adults with him. He’d never been one who liked pranks, but he would have welcomed a glimmer of humor in any of the eyes watching him closely. No, they all looked as concerned as he felt. “Did Clay take anything?”
“I don’t know. A backpack maybe? We didn’t want to touch your stuff,” Dylan said.
That’s what they thought I would have minded? “I’m on my way,” Kade said tersely. “Don’t leave the hotel. I need you near a phone for when I call.”
“Okay, you’re the boss,” Dylan said.
In a more subdued tone, Connor asked, “He’s going to be okay, right? All joking aside, we feel really bad.”
“He has a much better chance of being okay if we find him while it’s daylight. Stay where you are.” Kade hung up.
He looked at Dale. “I’m going to need that plane right now.”
Dale took out his phone and sent another text. “It’s on its way here. Where can it land?”
Kade gave him the name of a small private airfield just outside of town. He turned to Dave and Pamela. “Mum, can you call Victoria police? Tell them we have someone lost up there. Call back Connor and Dylan. See if they can remember what Clay was wearing. We want to get feet on the ground and eyes in the air ASAP.”
Pamela grabbed a pen and paper and started writing down phone numbers from Kade’s phone.
Sophie touched his arm gently. “I’ll call the lodge. Everyone will want to help with the search.”
In the pause that followed, Dave said, “Kade, call Annie. She’s emergency trained. If your friend really is in danger, she has the manpower and the equipment to search the area thoroughly.”
Kade accepted his phone back from his mother. Annie had asked him for space, but he hoped she’d take her call. Her fleet was probably booked for the day, but he could compensate her for whatever she might lose. Technically, as a Barrington, if he threw enough money at any helicopter company, they’d probably clear their schedule to help, but there was only one person he wanted at his side.
He dialed her number. “Annie.”
She must have heard the urgency in his voice, because in a rush she asked, “What’s wrong?”
He quickly brought her up to speed about what Viviana’s brothers had told him and the search party he was organizing. Then he waited. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d said she couldn’t do it. She’d already done so much for him.
However, without hesitation she said, “I can have three helicopters at the lodge within the hour. Two more shortly after that. One has to come up from Melbourne, but it might be worth having another set of eyes especially since we’re racing against sunset. If I leave now, I can pick you up in fifteen minutes at the field behind the Bartleys’.”
“How long should it take to get to Wabonga?” Going with her made more sense than taking a plane if it could get him there sooner.
“An hour or so. Depends on the flight path we can take.”
“I’ll be in the field.” He hung up and let out a harsh breath. “I don’t need the private plane, I’ve got Annie.”
Dave nodded in approval. “That sounds about right. We’ll take the plane and meet you there.”
Kade ran a hand through his hair. “I should have gone back. What the fuck was I thinking?”
“You were taking care of everyone but yourself.” Dale put an arm around his wife. “Clay is a grown man. This isn’t your fault, Kade.”
Fresh from making a phone call, Sophie said, “And you’re not alone. If there is one thing Barringtons do well, it’s come together in time of crisis. They’ll be ready to leave as soon as the choppers arrive. Annie’s sending one for us as well. Clay is as good as found.”
Pamela walked over and hugged her son. “Kade, you know that mountain. You can do this.”
He hugged her back then glanced down at his watch and said, “I’ll keep checking my phone. If I don’t pick up, call the office. I’ll have someone at the phone relaying messages by radio. Dad, take over that job as soon as you get there. I need to go meet Annie.”
He walked out of the house, confident that the delegated aspects of the search would be efficiently executed, and waited for the woman he knew would drop everything to help his family. Moments from the past flashed in his mind. He understood now why none of his relationships had progressed beyond dating. Subconsciously he’d planned to return to Annie. It has always been her—always.
A thought came to him that shook him to the core. For her, had it always been him? When he’d left all those years ago, had he hurt her without knowing? Did she have feelings for him she’d never expressed?
Regret tore through him. He’d always tried to do right by people. No, he wasn’t perfect, but he had striven to be the good man his father had raised him to be.
Had he failed the only woman he’d ever loved? The thought sickened him.
Funny how chaos could clear a man’s head. Stripping his life to the bone had forced him to take stock of not only where he was, but where he wanted to go—and who he wanted to go there with. Thompson, Barrington, or somewhere between, he couldn’t imagine a version of him that didn’t include Annie.
At the sound of her helicopter approaching, Kade squared his shoulders. Now that he knew what he wanted, he felt empowered. Step one: find Clay. Step two: sweep Annie off her feet. Step three: everything else would work out as long as he had Annie at his side.
Annie brought her helicopter down at a safe distance from Kade. She didn’t make a move to get out or even remove her headset. When it came to search and rescues, every moment mattered. Kade ducked below the blades and climbed into the seat beside her. He clicked on a seat belt, put a headset on, and gave her a thumbs-up. She was back in the air a moment later.
Had Kade called her for coffee, she would have told him again that she needed time to sort herself out. She’d even asked herself if attending Grant and Viviana’s wedding was wise. Sure the Barringtons said they wanted her there, but when weighed against how painful it would be to spend more time with Kade, not going made more sense.
She’d considered not picking up when he’d called, but she’d instantly been glad she had. As soon as she’d heard his voice she’d known something was wrong. Everything else had ceased to be a concern in that moment. Broken heart? It could wait. Awkward conversations? They’d return. The safety and welfare of people came first. Personal shit could always be resolved when a crisis was over. That was the way s
he’d been raised and the only way she wanted to live. Neighbors in Bright might bicker over fences or feud now and then, but when something threatened one of them—they pulled together and overcame it. Life in a mountain town could be harsh and isolating, but people watched out for each other because they had to. That bond was one of the reasons Annie had chosen to not move her base to Melbourne. Yes, she could have found more clients there, but Bright was her home, and even if it made it hard to get over him, Kade would always be part of that.
Over the radio, one of Annie’s pilots said, “Approaching the lodge at Lavender Farm now. ETA five minutes. All birds are in the air and on schedule. Contact with family has been made. One or two members will be the eyes for each bird.”
Annie glanced at Kade. He looked like he wanted to jump in with a command, but she raised a hand in his direction with a signal for him to hold it. To her pilot she said, “Victoria police have a bird already in the air as well as a medevac fueled up and ready to go. That’s the first wave of reconnaissance. Our search areas will be determined by them. Radio me coordinates when you’re close.”
“Will do,” the pilot said.
Kade took out his phone and read over some texts. “Volunteer bushwalkers are being organized and prepped for extended stays. Several four-wheelers and motorcycles have already begun sweeping the roads. I’ve emergency trained with many of these people for years. Never used them for one of my own, but they’re good trackers. My guides are headed into the area also. They might have lost focus when I left, but they take this kind of shit seriously. I’m confident we’ll find Clay.”
Annie nodded. Kade sounded calm, but she knew him well enough to know that, like her, he could put his emotions on hold to deal with a crisis. Only later would he admit how he actually felt. “Everyone in my fleet is search and rescue trained, and they don’t fly without their rescue or med kits. No matter who finds him first, Kade, he’ll be in good hands.”
There wasn’t time for chatter. Annie fielded questions from her team as well as communicated information back to the volunteers at a base in the foothills of the mountain. Kade also appeared to be in constant communication with a number of people via his phone.
Forever Now (The Barrington Billionaires Book 6) Page 15