Out of the Wild: A Wilderness Survival Thriller
Page 27
“Haven’t you ever wanted to follow in your old man’s footsteps?”
“I did once,” she said, gesturing to her arm.
“Point taken.”
“No, I prefer having my feet firmly on the ground, thank you.”
“I won’t argue with that.” He breathed in deeply.
“So, have you given up the pursuit of Drake’s gold?”
“Who?”
“Very funny, Dad.”
He smiled, wrapping his arm around her. “By the way, did you hear the news?”
“About what?”
“The U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the Arctic offshore drilling project. It’s a huge victory for polar bears. Though I imagine Callaway is turning in his grave.”
“Dad.”
He threw up a hand. “Just saying. At least I know one person who is doing a happy dance up there,” he said, lifting his eyes with a smile.
Her lip curled up. “So what is the update on the business?”
“We’re good. Not great but not in the hole. I had a new accountant look over the books and the business as a whole. It appears the downward spiral that Frank spoke about was because he was skimming off the top to pay for a nasty gambling habit. I guess that’s what comes from not paying careful attention to your business and trusting the wrong friends.”
She shook her head. “It’s a pity. You knew him for years. Jacqueline must be beside herself. She was good to me, and so was he for a while. I just think he lost his way, we all do at times, just some more than others.”
“And some don’t find their way back,” he added.
She stopped walking. “We did, right?”
“Yeah, yes we did.” He smiled and squeezed her shoulder a little too tight and she groaned.
“This is going to take some getting used to,” she said, lifting the sling.
“Tell me about it,” he said. “I feel like a golf club.”
He looked toward the plane that had come in and stopped outside the hangar. “Oh, that reminds me. I want to introduce you to someone.”
“Who?”
“You’ll see. Hey Jay!” He lifted a hand and bellowed, gesturing to a tall, strapping guy with tousled black hair, speaking with Gareth by the wing. The guy was wearing a form-fitting red winter jacket and brown khakis with dark black boots. He jogged over, shrugging into a backpack.
“Mr. Shaw.”
“Jay, how many times, call me Henry.”
“You got it,” he said, his gaze bouncing to Kara.
“Kara, Jay Davidson. Jay, this is my daughter.”
“Oh, finally,” he said with a glint in his eye. He extended a hand and delivered a winning smile that would have made any woman look twice. Kara shook it, it was strong, confident. As they greeted one another, she saw something glint in the sun around his neck. Kara squinted and released her grip, pointing. “Is that a…?”
“What?” He dipped his chin. “Oh. This?” He reached in and lifted it to give her a better look. It was a silver chain but the cutout was a black wolf pendant. “You know, I usually don’t buy things like this on a whim but... I came across it at an antique store downtown, and just felt I had to have it.”
She smiled. “It suits you.”
“Thanks.”
“So do you like wolves?”
Her father gave them both a bemused smile.
Jay ran a hand around the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah, sure, I mean who doesn’t, but… I wouldn’t want to get too close, right?”
“Right, but hey, it could be quite an experience,” she said, thinking back to that moment in the hills. The black wolf, its burning amber eyes peering at her.
Her father cleared his throat on purpose and both of them snapped out of the moment. “So…”
Jay thumbed over his shoulder. “Right, I should get back to work. Just to let you know, Henry, things are looking up with Gareth, he only curses at me twice a day.”
“That’s an improvement,” her father said with a chuckle.
He turned toward her.
“Well, Kara, it’s been nice meeting you. I look forward to seeing you again.”
“Yeah. You too.”
He gave Henry a nod and walked away but hadn’t gone more than ten feet when he turned. “Oh, uh, are we still on for dinner tonight, Henry?”
“Tonight?” Kara asked, looking at her father then Jay.
“Yeah,” her father replied, a smirk forming.
“See you at your place at eight then.” He waved and strode away.
Kara got this cheeky grin on her face, her eyebrow shot up. “Irene told you I was coming, didn’t she?”
He laughed as he nodded. “Yeah, last night.”
Kara rolled her eyes, thinking about her bartender friend. She was going to have a word with her. Always looking to set her up with someone.
“So where's your luggage?” he asked.
“At the house.”
She stuck her tongue in her cheek and looped her arm around her father’s.
“So you moved into the spare room?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’s just for a while until I get my place.”
“Okay,” he replied. “Let’s see how this goes. You want to start by getting some lunch? I know a good Italian.”
“Sounds delicious.”
As a cool breeze made their cheeks go red, and they walked arm in arm over to his truck, her father piped up. “Good, because I wanted to get your input on some research I’ve been doing about the Lost City of Gold.”
“Dad!”
He chuckled. “I’m joking.” He sniffed hard as he made his way around the passenger side and tossed the keys to her, then pointed. “But, seriously.”
She glared.
He laughed.
Kara listened as he rambled on, excited, like a young man full of adventure, though now, instead of it being about hidden treasure, it was about them, Christmas, and what her mother might have wanted. As she climbed into the truck and gazed off toward the snowcapped mountain range, she couldn’t help but feel gratitude for life, sadness for those lost, and a profound respect for the backcountry and their journey out of the wild.
A Plea
Thank you for reading Out of the Wild: A Wilderness Survival Thriller. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also lets me know what you liked. It also motivates me to write more books. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
Thank you — Jack Hunt
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About the Author
Jack Hunt is the International Bestselling Author of over forty novels. Jack lives on the East coast of North America. If you haven’t joined Jack Hunt’s Private Facebook Group you can request to join by clicking here now. This gives readers a way to chat with Jack, see cover reveals, enter contests and receive giveaways, and stay updated on upcoming releases. There is also his main facebook page below if you want to browse.
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