“Good evening, ma’am. I was told to deliver dinner to you,” he said. “Would you like me to place it on the table?”
“Yes, please. And, thank you. Sorry, I don’t have any money to tip you.” I was embarrassed to say so.
“I was informed of your situation, ma’am,” he said sympathetically. “Please, don’t fret over it. Enjoy.” He closed the door behind him.
I ate my dinner while surging the web, looking for any missing persons reports that matched myself. I had no luck, which didn’t exactly do wonders for my mood. Either I had no one in my life to miss me, or the people I did have didn’t care that I was gone. How depressing.
Sophie
Voicemail again!
I dialed Lindsay’s room number for what seemed like the hundredth time. It rang and rang like it had all day. I’d tried her cellphone as well, but it went to voicemail every time I called. Two days had passed since I’d talked to her. She’d been heading out to find her bird and had promised she would call me back that evening.
Lindsay was extremely forgetful when she was entrenched in one of her projects, but she would never purposely not call me for two days, especially when I’d been leaving messages telling her I was worried about her. And I was incredibly worried about her. Lindsay was my best friend. I just knew something was wrong. I decided to call the front desk of the motel she was staying at and ask if they had seen her.
The desk attendant answered, quickly stating the name of the motel.
“Hello. I’ve been trying to get in touch with one of your guests, Lindsay Gemmer. I haven’t been able to reach her for a couple of days. I was just wondering if you’ve seen her?”
“No, I haven’t. Last I saw her was a couple days ago when she asked me where to find some local hunters,” she informed me.
“A couple of days?” I repeated, irritated that this didn’t seem to concern the woman in the least. I attempted a calmer tone. “This is her roommate in New York. She was supposed to call me but hasn’t, and her phone keeps going to voicemail.”
“Well, she is due to check out tomorrow morning. If we don’t hear from her, we’ll go into the room to clean it,” she stated, obviously bored. “For now, I can take a message, and if I see her, I’ll give it to her for you.”
“How helpful,” I said sarcastically.
“Anytime.”
Rolling my eyes, I gave her my contact information.
“You know, if you’re really worried, you could call the local authorities. They can help you more than we can.”
I felt a little stupid for not thinking of that and mentally apologized to this woman for doing her job. My fear for Lindsay was making me bitchy. “I just might do that. Thanks for the suggestion.”
“I hope you hear from her soon. Good luck,” she said and hung up.
Yeah, thanks, I thought, staring at the phone. I looked up the number to the local Silverthorne police department. Once on the phone, they told me I could make a missing person’s report. I gave them her description and all the information I knew, like where she was staying and what she’d been doing the last time I’d heard from her. They told me they would look into it and get back with me. They didn’t sound overly concerned.
I wasn’t satisfied with the response. I knew in my heart something was wrong. I knew Lindsay too well. She would never just disappear like this. Never.
After thinking about it, I called my boss and asked if I could use some of my vacation days. It was an emergency. She agreed reluctantly, and I honestly didn’t care if she didn’t like it. I grabbed my laptop and booked a flight to the closest airport to Silverthorne, Colorado, which turned out to be Eagle County Regional Airport. My flight didn’t leave until the next morning, so I called the motel Lindsay was staying at and booked a room for a couple of days.
I packed my bags and went to bed early. I wanted to be at JFK early. I tried to get some sleep, but I couldn’t, knowing Lindsay could possibly be in danger. I tossed and turned all night until I fell into a restless sleep only a couple hours before my alarm blared. Groggy, I got up and threw on some clothes. I ran outside and hailed down a cab.
“JFK please,” I told the driver, who pulled into traffic, which we were stuck in for about an hour.
I sighed with relief when the cab finally pulled up to the airport’s big double doors. I paid the driver and grabbed my bag. More quickly than I expected, I was through security and seated on the plane.
I felt a sense of urgency that pressed on my mind and heart. My friend was in danger and I had to get to her.
* * *
I reached Eagle County Regional Airport early in the afternoon and rented a sedan from the airport’s small rental agency. I hadn’t thought about reserving a car in advance because I was so used to living in the city where public transport was the prime way to get around.
Driving out of the airport toward Silverthorne, I noticed the mountain ranges all around me. I wasn’t too sure about this car they’d given me, but they’d had nothing else in my price range. It took me about an hour to reach the motel in Silverthorne, where I checked in without incident and decided since it was still early, I’d go and see if I could find any clues about Lindsay’s whereabouts.
I asked the front desk attendant what she had talked to Lindsay about the day she’d left to go and photograph the bird. She repeated to me that Lindsay had asked about where she might find some local hunters to speak with. That was all they had discussed.
“I told her to check across the street at the diner. Lots of hunters and townspeople hang out there in the mornings for breakfast and coffee. I did notice she spent about an hour inside, before coming back and getting into her SUV, so she talked to someone over there,” the desk girl informed me.
I thanked her and headed to the cafe. It was mid-afternoon, so I doubted the hunters Lindsay had spoken with would be there. I decided to go anyway, just in case. Inside, I asked the hostess if she remembered a girl from the other morning and showed her a picture of Lindsay on my cell phone. She didn’t work mornings but referred me to another, older lady.
“I do remember a girl with that description. Tall, about 5’8”, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. Skinny. Pretty girl,” she described her.
“Yes! That sounds like her!” I showed her a picture on my phone.
“Yep, that’s her all right.”
“Do you remember who she talked with? She’s missing, and I’m trying to find her,” I explained. “She’s a photographer and was here to photograph some birds in the mountains.”
“She talked with a group of hunters. Big Jim and his clan. They come in every morning for breakfast and coffee. Early. About seven. It’s the weekend, though,” she informed me. “They might be going hunting. So, all I can say is stop in the morning and see if one of them is here. I’ll be here, so I’ll introduce you. Sorry, I can’t be more help right now.”
“Do you have a phone number or an address for Big Jim? I’d really appreciate being able to speak with him today,” I pleaded with her.
“I’m sorry, honey, but I don’t. I know he lives up in Blue Haven somewhere, but I don’t know exactly where or if he even has a phone. I’ve never seen him with one.”
“Okay. Do you know his last name?”
“He goes by Big Jim and always has.” She turned away, tired of the questions, and pretended to be busy.
“Thanks,” I called out to her and turned to leave.
Blue Haven? I googled how far away it was. About twenty-five minutes. No point sitting around for the rest of the day worrying, so I walked to the rented car. About a half of an hour later, I arrived in the small town of Blue Haven, Colorado.
Where did I start? I knew nothing about this guy except that his name was Big Jim. The local diner seemed like the best idea, but they were busy with dinner.
“Do you want a table?” a waitress asked me.
“No, I’m looking for someone named Big Jim?” I asked, hopefully.
She eyed me up
and down. Obviously, I wasn’t from around here. I looked down at my outfit, a designer blouse and black dress pants. Louis Vuitton purse and dress shoes. I should have changed my clothes to fit in better. Lesson learned.
“Nobody by that name here, honey.”
“But do you know him? It’s an emergency.”
“Are you family?”
“Not his. I’m looking for a missing person,” I informed her.
“Are you a reporter? We don’t talk to reporters from out of town.” She turned her back to me.
I sighed. I was getting nowhere like this. As I was walking out the door, a man bumped into me. By now, I was officially annoyed. “Watch it,” I snapped.
“Excuse you?” he asked, grinning. His grin annoyed the shit out of me.
“You weren’t watching where you were going,” I informed him.
“I can say the same about you.”
I wanted to be mean to this guy. To give him some NYC attitude. I was dressed for it. I gave him my best, snooty scowl, and turned to walk away. His grin widened, which irritated me, but I didn’t let it show.
“Hey,” he called out.
“No thanks,” I called back.
“You dropped this,” he said, holding out a small piece of paper where I’d written some notes. He glanced down at it and asked, “You looking for Big Jim? I know him.”
“You do?” I asked excitedly.
“Yeah.”
“Do you know where I can find him? Please, it’s an emergency. My roommate’s missing, and I’m here to find her.”
“Maybe,” he said, eyeing me. “You know you aren’t too nice. A bit of a snob.” His face was expressionless, but his eyes were shining with mirth.
“I’m sorry. That lady in there was rude to me, and it pissed me off. Then, you ran into me,” I said apologetically. I smiled. He smiled back.
“I’m Alec. Alec Randel.” He reached out his hand to shake mine.
“Sophie Matlock. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“So, can you give me his phone number? I just have a few questions for him. I believe he was the last person Lindsay talked to before she went missing. She asked him where she could find some kind of bird she wanted to photograph.”
Alec raised his eyebrow at me but didn’t speak, so I continued.
“Lindsay Gemmer is a famous photographer. Look her up if you don’t believe me,” I offered. “You can find her wildlife photos in Nat Geo, among others.”
“Hmm, well, that makes more sense now.” I lifted my eyebrows in question. “Why an fancy, dressed up girl like yourself would be in Blue Haven. Your friend probably got lost. Not being from around here and all and wandering around the mountains.”
“Look, Lindsay’s an experienced outdoorswoman. She’s traveled to and lived in remote places. It’s not like her not to be careful or to get lost. She’s missing, and I’m worried sick.”
“Okay, I can help. But no phone calls. Big Jim doesn’t have a phone. I can take you to his place.”
“Yes, please!” I said a little too enthusiastically.
“Okay, my truck is parked over here, come on.”
“I can drive,” I offered nervously. He was a stranger; I wasn’t riding in his vehicle up into the wilderness. Visions of serial killers danced in my head.
“Where’s your truck?”
“I have a rental car, right there,” I pointed to it.
He scoffed. “I won’t fit into that!” He howled with laughter.
I sighed, glancing around, wondering who I could tell where I was going with this man. I knew none of these people. “Fine, let’s go.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t kidnap you,” he informed me.
“Great,” I answered, letting my sarcasm leak out of my mouth.
I looked at him as he opened the passenger door for me to his truck. He was tall. I was 5’10”, so he had to be well over six feet. Not only tall, the man was big in a muscular way. His eyes were like glowing shamrocks. His red hair and bushy beard looked like flames. I had no other way to describe it.
He was a fine-looking man.
Cole
I’d put Lindsay in a room at the resort the night before and never went back to check on her. I woke up feeling guilty as hell for that. I was having seriously conflicted feelings about her. For one, I found her extremely attractive. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Those emerald green eyes haunted my dreams. Under normal conditions, I might allow myself to take her to my bed for a night or two of fun.
On the other hand, though, it was most definitely not a normal situation. She didn’t even know who she was. Was she married? Did she have kids? A family somewhere that was desperately trying to find her? A part of me felt very protective of her, and that in itself was disconcerting. I didn’t normally allow myself to get close enough to a woman to feel that way about her.
I’d been single all of my adult life, and I intended on staying that way
Sure, marriage had worked out well for Brad. But he was a family guy. Pure and simple. Always had been. He fell in love with his high school sweetheart, Samantha, when he was like sixteen. After Sam passed away from cancer, God bless her soul, he found love again and was now happily married again with three kids.
Me? No way. Women were nothing but trouble for me. The couple of relationships I’d allowed myself to be pulled into were nothing but detrimental. Pure drama.
My high school sweetheart had turned out to be anything but. I’d been blinded by her beauty and the attention she showed me when we were together. It had felt good to have her on my arm. Unfortunately, another guy had felt the exact same way. I found out she’d been cheating on me for nearly our entire year-long relationship.
I’d vowed it would never happen again. But it had. When I was in my early twenties, I met a girl from Nebraska. She was visiting our resort on a vacation with her family. I fell for her fast and hard. I don’t know what it was about her. Her smile. Her laugh. Her name was Crystal, and we were crazy about one another.
The thing was, Crystal was a bit younger than me at nineteen, and her dad hadn’t approved of us spending time together. We’d snuck around the resort for two weeks while her family was here. It was late summer, and we went on long hikes and got lost in each other.
When she left to go back home to Nebraska, I thought my world was going to fall apart. I had trouble functioning. I couldn’t concentrate on my work, and my family had wondered if I was sick.
Crystal and I stayed in touch, but the distance, even though it was only about a five-hour drive, was too much for our relationship to endure at that time. With her fresh out of high school that spring prior, she was headed to college in the fall, attending Chadron State College in Nebraska, which put her another hour out. I went to visit her once at school for the weekend and felt extremely out of place with all the college prep boys staring at me. I was older and had never been the “school-boy” type.
I mean, there I was, this big mountain-man-type visiting a nineteen-year-old college freshman who looked a lot younger than she actually was. Me, I’d always looked my age or a bit older, with my long scruffy beard and burly build. Even though I was only twenty-three, I looked like a pervy old dude.
We’d tried to make it work, or at least I had tried. When Crystal met guys her own age that were having the same experiences she was and who weren’t a six-hour trip to see, she’d slowly pulled away.
I didn’t blame her. She was young and intelligent, had her entire life in front of her, and I didn’t fit in it. She tried to tell me, but I didn’t want to hear it.
It took me a while to move on from that mess. I vowed never again to allow myself to give my heart to someone else who was just going to break it. And so far, I hadn’t.
I’d enjoyed women from time to time. I had a good time and made sure they did the same. But after night, or on the rare occasion, two, I was out. Done. No room for anything serious. I made sure they knew it going in, too.
&
nbsp; Which was why I decided to put the new girl in a room at the resort. I had considered letting her stay at my cabin. Of course, it was homier there. But the more time I spent with her, even if it was just for that one day, I felt more and more comfortable with her. I didn’t like it. Not one bit.
And she was hot. Super-hot. Her hair was long and silky, and her curves were downright dangerous. Who knew what she was doing in Blue Haven, Colorado? But there was no way a girl who looked like her was single.
If I let myself get involved with her, I would put myself at too much risk of falling for her, and that would be a bad idea on so many levels. But I did feel bad for just ditching her in the room. I should have a least called. But what did I say to her now? I wasn’t going to apologize. That was just plain stupid. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I gave her a place to stay. If it weren’t for me, she’d be stuck in the hospital, racking up a huge medical bill.
I should, at the very least, keep my promise of taking her to the sheriff’s office. Sheriff Andrews would be able to fingerprint her and run the prints through the national database. Then, she could find out who she was and call her family to come and get her. Mystery solved. Case closed. And I could get back to my happily uncomplicated life.
After a few more minutes of thought on the subject, I called Brad down at the resort. His office line just rang, so I dialed his cell phone.
“Hey, Cole,” he answered right away.
“Morning. I just wanted to know if anything was going on this morning. Do you need me for anything?”
“Not that I know of. Why, what’s up?”
“I was thinking of taking the girl I found in the woods down to Sheriff Andrews to have her fingerprinted. Maybe he can help her find her family.”
“That sounds like a good idea. I was going to suggest it when I saw you. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind her being here. I just know that if I were her, I’d want to know who I was.”
“I agree. I’d be going crazy if I couldn’t remember anything.”
Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection Page 25