Kiss Me, Chloe

by George, Linda

  Not far now. Through the pass to Loveland, up to Cheyenne, then home. He pulled onto the highway.

  Chapter 19

  Chloe had stopped pacing hours ago. Fran and Byrdie had gone to bed, pleading with her to do the same, but Chloe couldn’t sleep while Kyle might be in danger. The sun disappeared behind the mountains. The blonde forecaster had warned again about rising creeks and streams, and reiterated the warning to avoid Loveland Pass if possible.

  The phones still weren’t working at eleven o’clock. Torrents of rain fell in sheets. Chloe sat on the couch, elbows on knees, staring at the television, hoping for a report, for any news of the storm slackening. Texas might be in for some severe weather if the tropical storm in the Gulf intensified into a hurricane. No end in sight for the rain in Colorado and Wyoming, although they’d had some clearing in Utah.

  Kyle, where are you? Fear ached in her chest.

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  Shifting down three gears, Kyle berated himself again for not watching the weather report long enough to find out what was about to happen in this treacherous pass. The rain had moved east out of the high country about the time he’d left the truck stop. He usually avoided the pass, but it was the straightest path from Estes Park to Cheyenne, and his top priority on this trip had been to get the run made, sell the rig, and get back to Ouray in the shortest time possible.

  Crawling along at twenty-five miles an hour, thanks to rain so heavy that motorists were blind and crippled, he couldn’t see ten feet ahead. He didn’t dare go any faster, for fear of coming around a sharp curve and running into a slower vehicle.

  Patting the large stuffed bear, strapped into the passenger’s seat, Kyle eased some tension. “Well, Ted, looks like we’re in for a gully-washer. After this, you’ll be as glad as I am to give up trucking and settle down by the fire at Byrdie’s.”

  Kyle glanced at the bear, thinking, ridiculously, if Ted could answer he’d probably say, “Take it easy, Stanton. You’ve been through worse. Tighten your seat belt. And quit talking to me. I’m nothing but a stuffed bear.”

  Kyle smiled and took a deep breath. “Worse than this. Right.”

  Paralleling the road, the Big Thompson roared to rival the Uncompahgre, rising fast enough to tighten Kyle’s gut. Before long, it would be level with the road, spilling over. At that point, all traffic would stop, with no way to tell the difference between river and road.

  Kyle had tried to stay in touch with nearby truckers and cars with his old CB radio, but the static was too much to contend with. Occasionally, he’d catch a word or two, but nothing intelligible. Why hadn’t he gotten more information before heading into this mess?

  The radio crackled along with the lightning, getting stronger as the storm moved across the canyon. Kyle perked up when the radio’s static was momentarily interrupted with a frantic voice. Catching only a word here and there, hair on the back of Kyle’s neck stood up in fright when he heard, “Flash flood!”

  Frantically searching for a place to pull off, he accelerated to thirty, but was forced to slow again when a huge bolt of lightning illuminated the road in front of him, revealing bumper to bumper traffic ahead—drivers opting to wait out the storm instead of trying to push through it.

  “No! We have to get out of this canyon!” he screamed, even though no one could hear the warning. Kyle remembered a flash food in Loveland Pass, about the same time as the national bicentennial celebrations. Flood waters had rushed through the canyon with such speed and power that cars, RVs, and even 18-wheelers were swept away. With the canyon walls so steep, there had been no place to hide.

  Kyle took a deep breath, his mind a war as he cast about for a way to escape.

  Another flash of lightning brought the most terrifying sight yet. The river had breached the road. Ahead, he could see nothing but water. The radio crackled again, followed by the same voice as before. “—higher ground!” Kyle strained to hear more. “—flood!—”

  Traffic stopped completely, drivers having no way to tell where the road lay in front of them. Kyle ground the truck to a stop.

  Trying to catch a glimpse of the canyon walls, he tried to tune the radio to better reception, but it proved useless. Static was almost constant now, with the storm raging overhead. To leave the safety of the truck would be suicide. But, if a flash flood like the one in ‘76 came crashing through the pass, even the truck might not provide enough safety to survive it.

  The roar of the storm changed. Kyle lowered his window an inch, flinching when rain poured into the cab. He closed it again, having found out what he needed to know. The roar, different in tone and pitch, reminded him of a trip he’d made to Boulder Dam. It was the sound of water rushing through a tight space.

  When the water hit the truck, Kyle felt the seat belt tighten around him. The rig slid sideways, bounced, then slid again, ever closer to where he imagined the bank of the river to be. Slamming into the car in front of him produced a domino-effect. Vehicles on the road crashed into each other, ricocheting in the rampaging flood waters like matchbox cars tossed into a toy box.

  Kyle watched in horror as car after car sank out of sight, pushed off the road into the river. Lightning, almost continuous now, illuminated the eerie scene like a strobe light, jerky, almost psychedelic. The roof of a red Camaro sank, its passengers struggling to push open the doors to escape the deadly waters.

  He couldn’t see what happened to them because the truck angled sharply toward the river then tipped until the front wheels slipped completely off the road. Water seeped into the cab around the windows and poured onto his feet under the dashboard. In less than a minute, icy water reached his ankles. He reached for his cell phone and bumped it into the floorboard, where it sank into the rising water.

  Kyle’s heart pounded with fear when the truck rolled into the Big Thompson River.

  Chapter 20

  Chloe woke with a start at dawn the next morning, searching for what had awakened her. Outside, the sun shone weakly through dissipating clouds.

  Fran emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later, with two steaming mugs of coffee and handed one of them to Chloe. Byrdie, who’d joined Chloe’s vigil around three that morning, showed no signs of fixing anything for breakfast. Cindy had shown up at nine, after hearing in town that Kyle was overdue checking in.

  “He’ll be coming through that door before you know it, Chloe,” Cindy assured her. But Chloe saw the fear in her eyes.

  Byrdie turned the volume up on the television, which had been tuned to the Weather Channel all night.

  “A flash flood occurred overnight in Loveland Canyon in Colorado, rivaling the flood in 1976 that pushed houses, vehicles, and people ahead of it after torrential rains caused the river to overflow, flooding the highway. Reports are still coming in about this event which some people are calling ‘Mother Nature going berserk.’”

  “Berserk is right,” Byrdie mumbled. Film crews at the scene recorded cars and RVs washed off the road into the river, people huddled together, trying to stay warm, rescuers swarming everywhere with blankets and stretchers, searching for injured people. A house, splintered off its foundation by the blast of water moving through the canyon, cowered next to the canyon wall, broken and empty, windows staring, mirroring the expressions of children standing on the side of the road with their parents, drained by exhaustion and fright.

  When the camera panned across a black 18-wheeler, smashed against the canyon wall, Chloe couldn’t bear to watch any longer. She bolted from the room and upstairs, frantically praying that Kyle was all right.

  Picking up the phone again, hearing the dial tone that had been restored by dawn, she tried dialing Kyle’s cell phone again, but got no answer.

  There was a light tapping at the door. Fran came into the room.

  “Chloe, Greg is on the phone. When you didn’t call, he tried to call you back, but by then the lines were down. He told Ellen to keep trying and to let him know when she reached you. I told Ellen you were all right, and that
you didn’t want to talk to him, but he’s demanding to speak to you himself.”

  Chloe released a sigh that gave her no relief from the constriction in her chest, the intense fear that had gripped her all through the night. She followed Fran downstairs to the telephone. “Yes?”

  “Thank God, Chloe. When I couldn’t get through, I thought—”

  “I’m fine.”

  “What I hear in your voice isn’t fine at all. You sound terrible. Haven’t you been sleeping?” His voice hardened. “It’s that truck driver, isn’t it? What has he done to you? If he hurt you, I’ll—”

  “He was in Loveland Pass last night!” she screamed at him. “We don’t know—“She couldn’t bear to say more. “Get on with your life, Greg. I don’t love you. I haven’t loved you for a long time. I just didn’t have the courage to tell you until now. I love Kyle. Can you understand? I love Kyle!”

  He remained silent for a moment. “I hope he’s all right, Chloe. I mean that. If he makes you happy, I hope he comes home safe and sound.” He released a long breath. “I’m sorry for everything. Be happy.”

  She hung up, then went back upstairs and lay on the bed, staring at the stars on the ceiling.

  At noon, Byrdie and Fran tried to persuade her to eat something, but she only picked at the food. She settled on the couch. Staring into the fireplace, she fell asleep.

  When she opened her eyes again, she groggily tried to focus on the mantle clock. Three-twenty. She’d had a nightmare. Bits and pieces from the past month—Kyle laughing at the Fourth of July celebration, whirling her around, then Greg grabbing her, tearing her away, angry, accusing—with the overpowering roar of the river in the background, punctuated by thunder and lightning. She heard the phone ring. Byrdie answered after the first ring. Then she whooped and came to the living room door.

  “He’s all right! He’s been cooped up in the ER with a minor head wound that made him dizzy as a goose! But he’s all right! He’s on his way home.”

  Chloe stood in time to receive Byrdie’s hug and they whooped and cried together. Fran and Cindy hugged and did some whooping of their own. He was coming home!

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  Three hours later, Chloe heard a horn honk twice outside. She ran from the kitchen onto the front porch. A blue pickup she didn’t recognize pulled up to the curb. Within a few seconds, Kyle emerged, holding a huge Teddy bear with a bandage around its head.

  “Did you miss me?” he shouted, grinning wide enough to challenge the sunshine bathing the mountains.

  “Kyle!” She ran toward him with the others right behind.

  He met her halfway down the sidewalk, picked her up, swung her around, then pressed his mouth to hers, kissing, laughing, rubbing her back, holding her so tightly she could hardly breathe. They couldn’t hold each other close enough, long enough.

  Fran and Byrdie were there, too, laughing, hugging Kyle and Chloe and each other. At last, they were able to walk back to the house, but Chloe refused to take her arms from around him and the still damp bear, tucked under his arm.

  Inside, he told them the incredible story.

  “The truck got washed off the road. I jostled around until I hit my head and passed out. I was in that cab for hours, chest-deep in icy water, waiting for someone to come along. My seatbelt had me pinned, which probably saved me from drowning. My phone was underwater, so I couldn’t call. When they finally got me out, I was frozen to the bone and dizzy. I didn’t even know where I was for a while. The paramedics warmed me up in no time and took me to the ER in Estes Park, where they wouldn’t let me leave until they were convinced my head injury wasn’t bad. The minute they turned me loose, I found a phone and called you, then I caught a ride to a rental place and rented that truck. There’s not much left of my rig, but it was insured.” He pulled Chloe closer and kissed her again, gazing at her face with pure love in his eyes. “It’s great to be home again.”

  “Well,” Byrdie said, “you told me before you left it would be your last run. I guess the good Lord wanted to make sure you didn’t change your mind.”

  “No danger of that. This is home, and there’s no place on earth I’d rather be.” He kissed Chloe again, unable to get enough of the sweet taste of her. He regretted the redness of her eyes, evidence of too little sleep and too many tears, waiting for him to come home, but he loved what it meant about the way she felt about him.

  After dabbing at her eyes, Byrdie cleared her throat noisily. “This seems like a good time to tell you. Hank and I are giving the Nest and the Shutter Bug to the two of you. I’ve asked Fran if she’ll stay as chief cook and bottle washer, until you get settled. She’s as handy in the kitchen as anyone I’ve ever seen, except for you, Chloe. The Nest will be in good hands, and you can hang your photographs all over the place, and sell them at the Shutterbug.”

  Kyle frowned. “But where Kyle you and Hank be?”

  “We’re getting married—and buying a motor home with all the money Hank’s been stashing away for the past twenty years. We’ll let you know where we are when we get there!”

  Congratulations from everyone brought happy tears to Byrdie, and smiles from Fran, who confessed she’d been looking for an excuse to stay in Ouray, and hugs from Cindy, who said she had to get home so she’d be there when Darrin arrived. She hugged her way around the room. Her eyes gleamed with joy when she hugged Kyle.

  Chloe had hardly spoken since Kyle had arrived. Her throat still felt tight, and her chest ached with feelings that she needed to express to Kyle as soon as they were alone. Knowing he was safe and sound, and having him back home in her arms where he belonged, was all that mattered to her now. Seeing the love in his eyes, she knew he understood—and felt the same way.

  “And now,” Byrdie said with a sly grin, “I think you and I, Fran, have some kitchen stuff to do while Chloe and Kyle do some catching up—and, if I’m not mistaken, some planning of their own.”

  Fran hugged Chloe, then Kyle. “I guess you know, I’m going to have to invite Joe here for that dinner. Think he’ll fly that far, just to see me?”

  “Without a doubt.” Chloe gripped Fran’s hand for a moment. “Thanks for helping me through this. I couldn’t have made it without you.”

  “We make a good team.” Fran hurried after Byrdie to the kitchen.

  The thrill of seeing Kyle after fearing he was gone forever took the last of Chloe’s strength. She sagged against Kyle’s chest.

  “Alone at last,” she whispered. Kyle led her out to the porch swing, where they rocked and snuggled. He trailed his fingers along her cheek, tipping her mouth up to meet his.

  “My biggest fear was not seeing you again.” He kissed her eyelids and her cheeks.

  “My fear was never having the chance to tell you how much I love you.”

  Kyle’s throat tightened and tears gathered, a sweet pain piercing his chest. “Are you sure?”

  “No doubts. And it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do. As long as we’re together, it makes no difference. Forgive me for all those silly requirements I inflicted on you, and for my petty fears. Nothing matters except that we have each other.”

  “I have only one request.”

  “Anything.”

  “Kiss me, Chloe. And don’t ever stop.”

  About the Author

  Linda George has been a professional writer for more than thirty years. She and her husband, Charles, have written sixty-eight nonfiction books for children and teens since 1996, published by Capstone Press, Children’s Press, Lucent Books, KidHaven Books, Blackbirch Press, and ReferencePoint Press.

  Linda’s book for writers is Fill-in-the-Blank Plotting, published by Crickhollow Books, which covers the writing process from inception to synopsis.

  Kiss Me, Chloe is the first book in the new Kiss Me Series of sweet contemporary romances. Two of her five previously published novels, Silver Lady, a sensuous historical romance set in Colorado during the silver boom days, and Ask a Shadow to Dance, a sensuous time travel romance
set in Memphis, Tennessee, will be released in e-book form later in 2013.

  You can follow Linda’s blog and find additional information about their books on her website: www.LindaGeorge.net.