Flying Home

by Mary Anne Wilson

  “I heard this storm was stalled in Colorado before it got here.”

  Merry took that in. “Well, it’s here now.”

  “In full force,” Lark said, then looked past Merry as the door across the room from the breakfast area opened. A gust of cold, damp air flooded in and Merry saw Gage taking off his baseball cap to slap it against his thigh to get the clinging snow off of it. He stomped his boots on the floor, then looked up and spotted the two women.

  Lark was up right when the kettle started to whistle shrilly. “Get in here,” she said to her son as she headed toward the stove. “Sit. I’ll get you something hot to drink.”

  Gage walked in stocking feet into the kitchen, slipped off his snow blotched leather jacket and dropped it over the back of the nearest wooden chair. He kept going to the breakfast area and made a beeline for Merry. “So, you’re awake?” he said as he pulled out a chair across from her and sat down. “Last time I looked, you were snoring peacefully.”

  “Me?” she questioned. “Wrong person. I don’t snore.”

  “That’s what they all say,” he murmured with a smile that exposed his dimple. The man only had to do that for her to forget how to think straight. “Where did you get to, and why are you running around with your ribs hurt?”

  “I’m fine. The ribs barely hurt now, and I had business in town.”

  That sobered her. “Oh,” was all she said as Lark returned with two steaming cups of tea on a tray with cream and sugar.

  “Thanks,” Merry said, then realized there was no cup for the older woman. “You aren’t going to join us?”

  “No, I need to figure out where my husband got to. He left earlier this morning to see some friends, but he’s not there yet.” She glanced at a huge clock on a wall by the windows. “He’s probably just talking to folks, maybe stopped to get coffee or something.” She was talking almost to herself, mulling over ideas of why he wasn’t where he should have been. “Just running late.”

  Gage wrapped his hands around his mug, but didn’t lift it to drink. “Dad’s never been good with schedules, not since he retired.”

  “You’re right, but with this weather...” Lark looked concerned. “His cell phone is going straight to voice mail, and that hardly ever happens. The last time that happened was....” She looked stricken.

  Gage held up his hand. “No, Mom, don’t go there. Please, I’ll call John and see if he knows anything.”

  He got out his cell phone, connected with the chief of police, and explained what he needed. Then, listening intently for several moments, he thanked him and ended the call. “The chief just got back from a massive pileup west of town, and, you won’t believe this, but he saw Dad stuck in the backup from it.”

  Lark pressed both hands to her heart. She crossed over, and kissed Gage on the cheek. “I’m sorry to overreact,” she said, glancing at Merry. “But he had a heart attack a few months ago, and...”

  “I know, I heard about it, but he’s okay, and maybe he doesn’t even know his phone is dead or not turned on,” Merry suggested.

  “Exactly,” Lark said.

  “I’ll go to the office to call a few people. You two enjoy your tea.” Her eyes moved to Gage. “Let me know when you’re ready to leave with Merry, okay?” She left them, heading farther into the house.

  “Your parents have been together a long time, haven’t they?” Merry asked.

  “Yes, and she’s had a lot to worry about with Dad in the past,” he said. “Hopefully that’s all over.”

  Merry didn’t ask for any clarification. She knew a family matter when she heard about it. After Gage finally took a sip of his tea, she asked, “What’s happening at the gate and in town?”

  He gave her an easy smile. “This storm, that at any other time could have been bad for us, has turned out to be a blessing. There’s no one at the gate, not with snow coming down like it is, and in town, it’s full of skiers making their way to the slopes.” He took a breath. “I heard that the inn is fully booked and most other places to wait out the storm. I haven’t spotted any broadcast vans in a while.” He drank more tea and the smile came back. “I think my fifteen minutes are over and you’re free to leave.”

  Words she’d wanted to hear so much, any yet.... Free to leave. “That...that’s terrific,” she said, and was surprised to realize she was forcing a smile and enthusiasm for how the situation had been altered by the snowfall. “Did you know about this storm?”

  He looked blank for a minute. “That it was coming, you mean?”

  “I mean, when we were in the plane, did you know anything about it?”

  He looked away from her as he fingered the handle on his heavy mug. “No, but I worried about another one hitting us up there. Who wouldn’t have been?” Then he looked up at her, his dark eyes narrowed, and he changed the subject. “I went by the center earlier.”

  He said that so casually, but it really took her aback. “Why?”

  “To see those kids you’ve been talking about so much.” With an exhale of air, he added, “You have your hands full with them, don’t you?”

  She chuckled. “Oh, yes, but believe me, they’re worth it...and they’ve improved so much in the past six months.”

  “Wow, I don’t want to think about what those six months entailed.” Gage rested his elbows on the table, the mug cupped between his palms. “I spoke to a lady there by the name of Merlot. I think that was her name.”

  She smiled with amusement. “You probably talked to Marsala.”

  He laughed. “I knew it was a type of wine. Yes, Marsala.”

  “And what did she have to say?”

  “A lot. But I did get to tell the kids that you’re just fine, that you got delayed because of the weather, and that you’d either call them or be back sometime today. Hedging my bets there.”

  She never dreamed he’d do that for her. “They’re not all upset?”

  “Didn’t seem to be, although I think I met Erin, the little girl you spoke about. Bright red curly hair?”

  “That’s Erin,” she said fondly. “She’s okay?”

  “I don’t know. She just stared at me and stayed right beside a kid named Joseph, who really did seem upset that he—”

  Merry filled in the rest of the sentence. “Didn’t have a huge red van to go driving around in to look for me, right?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Search and Rescue has always been his dream, and the focal point of everything he does. He’s truly into rescuing anything he comes upon. I’ve never figured out the origin of that obsession in his life, but it’s very real to him.”

  “He’s pretty adamant about it—getting a red van, I mean?”

  “Yes, he is,” she conceded. “He’s one of the kids that really needs so much, but has so little.”

  Gage drank more tea, and she followed suit. Then he set his mug down on the table with a soft thud. “Sometimes I forget about the poverty in Wolf Lake. It’s something no one really talks about, or that they really see, unless they’re doing work like you’re doing.”

  “That’s par for the course,” she said, holding her cup just inches from her lips and watching Gage over the rim. “Out of sight, out of mind, and...” She glanced around the spacious kitchen. “You haven’t had to deal with any of that.”

  He exhaled. “No, I guess not.”

  “And you aren’t around here much anymore, so it would be easy to never see any of it.”

  He narrowed his eyes on her again, almost as if he didn’t like what he saw at that moment. “Maybe I’m just blind,” he muttered.

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “No, you didn’t,” he said and stood. “So, do you want to get out of here now?”

  She realized there had been a bond of closeness between them while they talked, and now
it was gone, as if it had never even existed. “Yes, I’d like to,” she said. “Give me five minutes and I’ll collect my things.”

  He didn’t move as she left the room, and she hurried upstairs to get her jacket and luggage, and put on her boots. When she came back down, arriving at the bottom of the staircase, she met Gage and his mother coming out of a side room. They both looked up at her, then she hurried quickly over to them. “I’m ready.”

  Gage took her bags from her. “Me, too,” he murmured and headed toward the back of the house.

  Lark stopped Merry from following by laying a hand on her arm. “Take care of yourself, and come back and see us soon?”

  “Thank you,” Merry said, knowing she probably wouldn’t, but it was nice to be asked. “For everything.”

  “I think I owe you a thank-you for Gage’s present to me when he got back—the snow globe?”

  She’d totally forgotten about that.

  “He told me you said you thought it was just what I wanted.”

  Merry reddened a bit. “I thought you’d like it.”

  “I love it,” Lark said, gave her a hug, then stepped back. “I was thinking about those kids of yours... I know young’uns around here love horses, but most can’t afford to keep them anymore. Do they like to ride?”

  “Absolutely. Despite some of their limitations, they ride when they can.”

  “Well, we have some very nice horses that would be good for children to ride, and they need exercise. I was thinking, when the snow lets up and it clears a bit, bring them on out for a day to ride, or hike, or just play.”

  “That’s so nice of you. They’d love it.”

  “Good,” Lark said, patting Merry’s shoulder. “Call me as soon as you think you can arrange it.”

  “I will,” she said and hurried off in the direction Gage had gone.

  * * *

  GAGE WAS AT the back door when Merry came around the corner into the kitchen. “Over here,” he called to her, and she went to where he stood. “Got everything?”

  “I think so,” she said.

  He didn’t move. There was something he wanted to say, but wasn’t sure what would happen if he did. He blurted, “Just because I’m not here a lot, that doesn’t mean that I’m cavalier about what happens in Wolf Lake.”

  She seemed taken aback. “I’m sorry, I never meant to—”

  He turned away and stepped aside as he got the door open, then let her step out before he did.

  She started to go past him, then hesitated, and whirled around to face him. “Listen to me,” she said in a tight voice. “I never meant that, at least not the way you think. Surely it’s the case that since you’re not around, Wolf Lake has to be lower on your list of priorities.”

  He had to admit she had a valid point, but that didn’t stop him from feeling off balance. “Well, I guess that’s irrelevant because I won’t be here much, and you’ll be busy with your kids.”

  He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but it wasn’t to see the tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. Before he could say he was sorry, she ducked her head and rushed away from him. “Merry?” he said, trying to catch up to her in the falling snow. “Hey, just a minute.”

  “The truck? We’re taking that?” she asked, pointing to the black pickup they used at the ranch.

  “Yes, but—”

  She pulled the door open and got in, slamming it behind her. Rushing around to his side, he opened the back door, tossed in her things, then climbed in behind the wheel. “Hey, I thought we were friends,” he said, starting the truck to get the heater going.

  She gazed out the window, ignoring his words, or not hearing them. He didn’t miss the way she clasped her hands firmly in her lap.

  “Did you hear me?”

  That’s when she turned, her eyes clear now. “I heard you.”

  He drove slowly toward the gates. “Can’t we be friends after everything we went through together?”

  “Sure,” she said without any conviction in her voice. “Why not?”

  “Forget it,” he muttered, and pressed the release for the gates as they got close to them.

  As the barrier opened for them to pass through, Gage stole another glance at Merry. She was sitting upright, staring straight ahead. He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he knew that right then he was looking at a stranger.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THEY DROVE TO town through the steady snowfall in total silence, neither one breaking the tension between them. When they hit the main street, Gage finally chanced a glance at Merry. She hadn’t moved, but her teeth were nibbling on her bottom lip. He didn’t want this at all, not certain exactly what he did want, but he knew he didn’t want her to ever look at him with that coldness again.

  “So, straight to the center?” he asked mildly.

  “No, home, my home,” she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  “The house on Rock Line?” he clarified, remembering her telling him about renting Willie G.’s place.

  “Yes, please.”

  He drove past Wolf Lake Inn. It was one of the oldest adobe structures in the area. The original part of the building had housed the first hotel in town. Now, Mallory kept up its history as much as she could.

  “So, you really want to try and buy the house you’re renting?”

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “I wish you good luck in getting Willie to let go of anything he owns in this town.”

  “You think I don’t belong here, so he won’t sell to me, is that it?”

  Where had that come from? “I never said that.”

  She kept staring ahead.

  He knew where her house was, on the street with the elementary school, and veered off the main road onto the side street. That’s when he realized that the main street must have been cleared earlier, because the side street was deeper in snow. His truck took the challenge, but he knew any car wouldn’t, unless it had four wheel drive. He saw the old Victorian ahead and on the right, snow drifting up to the wraparound porch. The driveway that led to the garage was a slight indentation amongst all the powdery whiteness.

  “Your car’s in the garage?” he asked.

  “Oh, shoot,” she said, slumping back in the seat.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s parked in the long term lot at the Santa Fe airport. I don’t know why I didn’t think about that at all.”

  He came to a stop, and let the truck idle as he turned to her. “You had way too much going on.”

  She put her head back against the headrest on the seat and closed her eyes. The action exposed the sweep of her throat, and he knew that his stupid idea of being friends wasn’t what he wanted at all. He wanted more, and most importantly, he didn’t want to lose contact with her. “Go on inside and change, do what you need to, and then I’ll run you over to the center when you’re ready.”

  She sat up and turned to him. “Oh, no, I can’t ask you to do that. I’ll call and see if someone over there can come and get me.”

  “No. I’m here, and I don’t mind waiting, I don’t have anywhere to be just yet.”

  She stared at the house and then at him. “All right. Thanks,” she said and grabbed the handle to open the door.

  She got out quickly and trudged up her front steps that were thick with snow. After fumbling in her jacket pocket for the keys, she finally unlocked the door, and then, without a look back at the idling truck, disappeared into the old Victorian.

  He scanned the layout of the garage and house. Nice place. He’d noticed this old blue Victorian before, but never really looked at it. It did need work. The construction mind of his saw the warped gutters, the wood that was starting to separate on the siding, and single paned windows that leaked any heat as fast as an old furnace could
produce it.

  Yet, despite all that, Merry wanted this old, run-down house, and he wondered once again if Willie G. could be encouraged to sell it to her. After all, the old coot had no real interest in it, and he had known what he was doing when he’d rented it to her and moved into another house that was in closer proximity to the restaurant he owned and ran near Santa Fe.

  The front door swung back and Merry reemerged. She was wearing the same clothes, but her hair had been neatly tugged back from her face, and she now wore heavy boots that went partway up her calves. She hurried sure footedly down the steps, around the front of the truck, and the door opened to let in a gust of wind and snow. She quickly climbed in, shut the door on the weather and glanced at Gage.

  “Thanks so much for offering to take me to the center. I’m carless for now, I guess.”

  He backed slowly out onto the road, headed toward the main street and stopped at the corner to let the heavy skiing traffic crawl past at a snail’s pace. He sat back, his hands resting on the bottom of the steering wheel. “Skiing here just before Valentine’s Day is crazy.”

  “I guess so,” she said softly.

  He glanced at her, and saw color in her cheeks along with the touch of a smile at her lips. “Are you going to share?”

  She blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You look as if you just heard you won the lottery.”

  She chuckled softly. “No lottery, but I’m going to see the kids. That’s winning on every level.”

  He saw the gleam in her eyes, the smile growing a bit. She looked happy, and on some level he was jealous that he seldom felt that way anymore. Not that he was depressed, or a negative person, but the highs in his life just didn’t draw that much pleasure for him, at least not lately.

  “I guess it is,” he said. The traffic parted and he pulled onto the road, heading toward the hospital and the family center adjacent to it. “Mind if I ask a question?”

  “Sure.”