Unexpectedly Hers (Sterling Canyon #3)

by Jamie Beck

  Being unable to share this part of her life with anyone had sapped something from the experience. Of course, Emma had always shunned the spotlight. And now, if readers hated her story, at least her failure would be private.

  Emma saved the updated spreadsheet, filed the receipts, and left her mom’s office to head to the kitchen. The dinner she’d planned required a little extra work up front, so she had to start early. When she passed by the front desk, she saw Andy running down the stairs, pale and wide-eyed.

  “Em?” Andy’s gaze darted around the lobby and toward Ryder’s room. She hadn’t seen him so shaken since the earliest days following his arrest. “Where’s Ryder?”

  “At the clinic with Avery. Why?”

  “I just got off the phone with a buddy on ski patrol. Search and rescue’s been called over to Fork Creek Pass.”

  Emma frowned, slow to make the connection Andy sought.

  “It’s Wyatt. He got caught in an avalanche.”

  Her stomach wrenched before one hand covered her mouth and the other grasped the check-in counter for balance. People always underestimated Mother Nature’s force, somehow believing they could “swim” their way through the fast-moving snow. Perspiration broke above her brow as she considered Wyatt somewhere out there, alone, afraid, desperate.

  Once she collected her thoughts, a slew of questions erupted. “How long ago? Is he buried deep? Did they pinpoint his location?”

  “The initial notification just came in.”

  Emma gripped Andy’s arm without thinking. “How long can he survive under the snow?”

  “Depends on other injuries and how he landed, how deep he is. Lots of factors, but generally 10 to 15 minutes. I bet the film crew is already on it, so maybe he’s getting pulled out as we speak.”

  Memories from the morning rushed forward to torment her. She and Ryder had sabotaged Wyatt’s confidence and concentration. What if that disagreement was the last conversation they ever shared? How would Ryder go on if he lost his brother? How much guilt would he carry into the future after refusing to accompany him today?

  “Can’t you find out more? Call your friend! I want to be able to give Ryder good news when he returns. Please, Andy.” Her tone earned her one of Andy’s cocked brows.

  “He said he’d text when he had news. I’m not going to pester him with calls. We need to be patient.”

  Patient? Her head throbbed to the point of exploding. Andy’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Em, I didn’t mean to shake you up this bad. I just thought you should know. Let’s just pray we don’t have to call his mother with bad news.”

  “Don’t say it!” She batted his hand off her shoulder. “Don’t even think it, Andy. No one is dying today.”

  Turning on her heel, she beelined to the kitchen, needing a distraction. Needing to work and keep busy.

  Once inside, she bent at the waist and grabbed her knees. Please, God. Please bring Wyatt home to his brother. No more tragedies in the Lawson family.

  Blowing out a breath, she sent up another prayer. She’d planned a protein-rich meal of grilled salmon tacos and avocado slaw. Wyatt would be back in a while, and he’d be hungry. While the dough rested, she fetched the tortilla press for her masa harina mix and kept working.

  What seemed like a century later, Andy burst through the door. “Good news, Em. Wyatt’s been rescued by Buddy. I bet that was his first-ever use of a transceiver. Wyatt’s lucky he was only a little more than two feet under the snow. It’s not easy for a single skier to find another and dig him out on his own. If Wyatt had been under five or more feet of snow, this might’ve had a different ending.” Andy must’ve seen the horror in her eyes, because he rested a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry, but cheer up. Wyatt’s at the clinic now getting checked out. Amazingly, he didn’t have any major injuries.”

  “Thank God.” Emma practically fell against the counter. “I’m so relieved. So, so relieved. Ryder couldn’t have handled worse news.”

  Apparently sensing her post-adrenaline weakening, Andy gave her a hug and kiss on the head. “Em. Always stuck in here taking on everyone’s worries. Giving all your energy to others. I wish you’d invest in your own happiness now and then. How about you let me get you out of this kitchen for some fun?”

  Emma frowned, her face still pressed to his chest. He meant well, she knew that. Still, is that how he—how everyone—saw her? A polite, pathetic spinster of yore—lonely and timid and hiding from the world? For the second time in as many days, she also wondered whether Andy was skirting the line between friendship and something more.

  She didn’t want to cross it, so she eased out of the comforting embrace. “Despite your opinion, I like being of service to others. And my heart can handle caring for a variety of people in a variety of ways. As for getting out of the kitchen, I go out with all my friends, you included, when I have free time.”

  “I didn’t mean to offend you. You know I think you’re great. I just see Avery and Kelsey planning weddings, and hate to think that you might be . . .”

  Clearly, he didn’t know how to finish the sentence, so Emma just snickered. “I’m glad for Avery and Kelsey. Hopefully, one day I’ll fall in love. If I don’t get so lucky, at least I’ll have all this other love in my life.”

  Truthfully, a little part of her still worried about Kelsey. Things seemed rosy between her and Trip now, despite their earlier setbacks, but Trip reminded Emma of her dad. Charming, handsome, flirtatious. Hopefully Trip wouldn’t miss the affection of other women the way her father had.

  Andy cocked his head when he heard a car door slam. He raced to the window. “It’s just Avery and Ryder.”

  “I’ll break the news to Ryder so he’s prepared when Wyatt returns.” Emma bustled out of the kitchen with Andy on her heels, hoping her smile didn’t look as brittle as her bones felt under her skin.

  “Hey, Em!” Avery smiled, blue eyes bright and sparkling as she held the front door for Ryder. “This guy deserves extra dessert tonight. He worked hard.”

  “I’m glad you had a productive day. Avery, could you hang here for a bit? Your expertise may come in handy. Andy can fill you in, but I need to talk to Ryder alone for a minute.”

  Avery’s quizzical gaze turned from Emma to Andy, who waved her over to the front desk.

  “Ryder, sit with me in the parlor for a second.” Emma followed him to the sofa. Once they were seated, she forced herself to look him eye-to-sunglasses. “Everything is okay, but Wyatt had an accident today.”

  Ryder’s posture straightened, but his face gave nothing away.

  “I don’t have all the details, but there was an avalanche. According to the report Andy got from a friend on ski patrol, he made it out without major injury. I expect him soon, but I think he’s going to need extra support tonight.”

  Ryder stared out the window. She imagined his blue eyes turning as gray as the dull sky outside. When he finally spoke, his voice was just that flat. “I knew this could happen.”

  “I know. I think, though, that he probably doesn’t need an ‘I told you so’ now.” Emma laid a hand on Ryder’s knee. “I don’t have any siblings, so I envy the kind of bond you guys must share. Think hard about damaging your relationship over a disagreement. Maybe being right isn’t as important as getting behind him and his goals. Had things gone worse today, I doubt you’d have wanted this morning’s conversation to have been your last memory.”

  “I should’ve been there.” Ryder turned his face toward her, but his eyes remained obscured by the dark lenses. She’d read that some TBI patients needed to mute sights and sounds because the stimulation was too taxing. Yet even though she understood why he might wear them, she disliked the veil they created between his emotions and the world.

  “There’s nothing you could’ve done to prevent this.” Emma swallowed a sigh, because she’d said that to convince herself as well. “Can I bring you some tea or coffee, or maybe more juice?”

  Silently, he shook his head.

&n
bsp; She couldn’t leave him there alone with his bleak thoughts. He needed another focus. Keeping busy and moving forward usually worked for her. “Ryder, I’m guessing Wyatt may need to take a day or two off from training to recover. If you have a free day tomorrow, would you like to join me at the Canyon Care Center? I go there every Monday to visit the senior citizens. Usually I bring goodies and organize an activity. It’d be nice to have some help, if you feel up to it. No pressure.”

  Ryder glanced at her now, alert and thoughtful. “If Wyatt’s really okay.”

  “Stay positive.” She smiled. “I’ll probably bake something tonight. You’re welcome to help me in the kitchen, if you’d like.”

  Before Ryder could respond, they heard the van pull into the parking lot. Ryder stood and crossed to the window, his hand on the windowpane.

  Emma patted his shoulder. “I’ll ask Avery to give Wyatt a secondary checkup, too, just to be safe. Excuse me while I go speak with her.”

  By the time Emma got to Avery, Andy had already filled her in.

  “I can’t believe this happened on day one of his training,” Avery whispered. “He probably didn’t know what to look for. How foolish of him to go back there without a guide.”

  “You’re right.” Emma turned thoughtful. Avery’s fiancé and his partner operated a backcountry expedition company. They’d be the perfect guys to shadow Wyatt’s training. “I know Grey’s still a bit out of commission for a few more weeks because of his knee, but maybe Trip could get involved?”

  “I suppose, although Grey will be jealous.” Avery winced. Emma knew Grey wanted to push his recovery, but Avery had kept him on a tight leash.

  At that moment, Wyatt and the crew came inside. Andy went to grab some of the equipment, while Wyatt limped over to the parlor, where he and Ryder engaged in a long, silent embrace.

  Emma repressed the urge to rush over and join them. Not only would it be wildly inappropriate, but also likely unwelcome. She’d wait to comfort Wyatt until everyone had calmed down and settled in for the afternoon. For now, she’d make sure that, physically, he really was okay.

  When the brothers eased out of their hug, Emma tugged at Avery’s elbow. “Come on.”

  As they drew nearer, she overheard Wyatt mutter to Ryder, “Don’t say it, brother.” He then slung off his coat, removed his boots, and hoisted his foot up onto the coffee table. He looked ragged, shaken. His beautiful hair lay flattened against his head. His distant gaze lacked signs of life.

  “Wyatt,” Emma interrupted. “This is Avery, the town’s best orthopedic therapist. She worked with Ryder today. I think you should let her take a quick look at you and maybe give you a little advice about next steps or whatever.”

  “I’m fine. Just one sore knee. Nothing but my ego got broken.” Wyatt looked like he might argue further, but then he relented. “Fine. Come have a look.”

  Avery spent the next fifteen minutes with Wyatt while the crew and Mari discussed the harrowing episode and then, of course, how to maximize the impact of the footage. Emma rolled her eyes, sickened by the idea of Mari looking to profit, in any way, from Wyatt’s near-death experience.

  Needing an escape from the crowd, she went to the kitchen and made an ice pack for Wyatt’s knee. She also brewed a pot of herbal tea and made up a vegetable tray. She put everything on a pushcart and rolled it into the parlor.

  To her surprise, only Avery remained downstairs.

  “Where’d everyone go?” Emma asked.

  “To their rooms to rest and recover. Andy helped Wyatt up the steps.” Avery glanced toward Ryder’s room. “Ryder’s really shaken. We worked hard today on his leg strength, but from what I know about TBI, it’s that inability to regulate emotions that’s going to be his biggest lifelong challenge.”

  “I suspected as much. Maybe I can help a little this month.”

  “Listen, I’ve got to run, but are you okay? You look upset, too.” Avery squeezed Emma’s shoulder.

  “I’m fine now that everyone is safe. Do me a favor and get in touch with Trip. I’d call him, but I have more immediate things to deal with, first and foremost convincing Wyatt that he needs help to keep this from happening again.”

  “Done. I’ll have Trip call you.” Avery sighed. “Always something, right? Tell my brother I said ’bye. See you later.”

  Emma paced the lobby, waiting for Andy to return. She wanted to speak with Wyatt alone. As soon as Andy appeared, she asked, “How’s he doing?”

  “Brushing it off.” Andy’s envious smile spread. “He’s one tough dude.”

  Tough dude? No. Emma suspected Wyatt’s ego demanded he pretend to be okay in front of Andy.

  “I’m going to take some things up to his room. Hang here in case Mari or someone surfaces and needs anything, okay?”

  “You got it, boss.” Andy pulled out his phone and replied to the text that had just pinged. Emma set a cup of tea, a small plate of vegetables, and the ice pack on a small tray and ascended the stairs.

  Her head ached from the heaviness in the inn. No one wanted to see Wyatt hurt or fail, least of all him, she suspected. Taking a moment outside his room to pull it together, she told herself the accident wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t caused it merely because she’d supported Ryder’s boycott. Of course, although Emma had grown quite good at lying to the world about aspects of her private life, she’d never been good at lying to herself.

  No matter. She must convince Wyatt to hire Trip, even if he barked at her.

  She knocked on Wyatt’s door. “May I come in?”

  “Yeah.”

  Déjà vu caused Emma to catch her breath when she saw Wyatt stretched out on his bed. Then again, the last time they’d been alone near a hotel bed together had been quite different. Her heart pounded at the memory of him wearing only a towel around his waist. Of him dangling a robe sash in one hand with a question in his eyes. “Do you trust me?” he’d asked. Emma had been so carried away with the thrill of her adventure, she would’ve said yes even if she hadn’t trusted him. As it turned out, it had been a good decision. Very good.

  Clearing that thought from her mind like an unwelcome cobweb, she set the tray on the nightstand.

  “I brought this ice pack for your knee.” She handed it to him. “I thought maybe you’d be hungry or cold, so I prepared herbal tea and some snacks. But if there’s something else you’d prefer, please let me know.”

  He sighed, clearly putting effort into carrying on a normal conversation. “Did you know herbal tea isn’t really tea at all? Comes from a blend of all kinds of plants except for tea leaves.”

  “I didn’t realize that.” She smiled at his attempt to act normal after just having survived an avalanche. Although she had things to say, she stood, waiting for him to take the lead.

  “Thanks for this.” He tossed the ice pack on his knee, barely looking at her. “But I’m not hungry. Just tired.”

  Her gaze caught sight of his hand balling into a fist. A proud athlete like Wyatt probably hated any setback, let alone a major one like he’d been dealt today. Given what she knew about him sexually, and what little she’d seen of him this past twenty-four hours, this man preferred to control his environment. Ryder’s rebellion and the avalanche had thrown him against the rocks, hard. Not so hard that he’d broken, but hard enough to rattle him.

  “Oh. Then I’ll take this out of your way.” Before she lifted the tray, she finally looked him in the eye, needing to apologize for her role in his shitty day. “Wyatt, I’m so sorry about your day, but mostly I’m sorry if anything I did or said this morning contributed in any way to what happened. I never meant to plant doubts or break your concentration. I only wanted to help settle your brother.”

  “I know.” He grimaced. “Relax, Emma. You and Ryder didn’t cause the avalanche. That’s on me.”

  The sound of defeat tugged at her chest. Thanks to Ryder’s mutiny, he had no one he could confide in. She knew a little something about that kind of loneliness. It took all of her
strength not to wrap her arms around him in comfort. “It must’ve been terrifying.”

  He nodded with a grimace. At first she doubted he’d speak, but then he gazed at her and poured out a bit of his soul. “I won’t lie. I could barely think until it stopped, and then panic nearly did me in. Scariest fuckin’ thing that’s ever happened to me. Worse than seeing Ryder after his crash. Even when I heard Buddy calling through the snow, I didn’t think he’d dig me out in time. Every second it got harder and harder to breathe. When I finally saw some light coming through the snow, I cried.”

  Emma’s heart tightened seeing the panic arrest his features, as if he were still buried in the snow. “Does it give you pause?”

  “What do you think?” He then seemed to regret revealing his vulnerability and yanked himself back behind a less penetrable shield. “But it won’t stop me. I’m not a coward. I’ve set a goal, and I’ve never quit anything in my life—except the time-out I took after Ryder’s accident.”

  She heard a little bluster in his tone, but she wouldn’t push it. He needed to rest. He needed comfort. He needed someone to supply optimism.

  “May I sit?” She nodded toward the edge of the bed.

  When he agreed, she sat facing him. The proximity and heat of his body made her skin tingle. For all appearances, though, she didn’t inspire any similar reaction in him. Of course not. He preferred girls like Alexa.

  Alexa had given Wyatt one kind of bliss, but Emma could offer something he probably valued and needed more tonight: hope.

  “I have two friends who operate a backcountry expedition company. They’re certified in everything—know how to read the conditions and evaluate avalanche danger.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “They aren’t coaches, but they’d help minimize the risks. Would you consider hiring one—Trip Lexington—to work with you this month? I think it’d be best for your safety and for your brother’s peace of mind.”

  “Guess I proved I can’t handle it on my own, didn’t I?” Wyatt picked at the quilt, studying its patchwork pattern as if it mattered. “Now Mari’s armed with that footage, which I’m sure will make its way onto YouTube by tomorrow, at the latest, to “drum up interest” in the film. Give people something to talk about. Make people doubt that I can pull this off.”