Where was his dad?
He dropped the ice chest and ran. The exhausted animal had reached the gate and stood there, sides heaving and nostrils flaring. Shoving open the gate, Gage gathered the reins and gave the horse a quick once-over, but there were no clues as to his father’s whereabouts.
His mother came rushing toward him. She’d evidently gone back into the house because in her hand she held a walkie-talkie. As she approached, he could hear her frantic attempts to raise his father.
“Joseph, are you there? Can you hear me? Come in.”
Her only reply was empty air.
Stopping in her tracks, she gazed at Gage, clearly on the verge of tears.
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll find him.” He took the walkie-talkie from her and pressed the reins into her hands. “You unsaddle Comanche while I bring the ATV around. Call over to the Double S Ranch when you’re done. See if one of their guys can drive the road to Neglian Creek crossing. I’ll take the west trail and meet up with him there. One of us will find Dad.”
“What if you don’t?”
“Then we call the sheriff.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t wait.”
Gage glanced at the sun dipping low toward the distant mountains. Not much daylight remained. “Put a call into the volunteer fire department, too.” He bent and kissed her cheek. “Dad’s going to be mad as hell at us for having half the county out looking for him.”
His mom’s breath hitched. “I’ll take my chances.”
Ten minutes later Gage crested the rise a half mile from their house. While the ATV idled, he had a look around. The trail to Neglian Creek was more than a path but less than a road, too narrow for a full-sized vehicle. Some spots were wide open, others thick with clusters of trees and brush.
His dad could be anywhere. Walking along the shaded creek bank. Resting on a fallen log. Lying hurt somewhere, unconscious from a fall.
Guilt ate a gigantic hole in Gage’s middle. His dad really was in no shape to run the ranch alone. But then, maybe he didn’t have to. With Gage’s promotion coming through, him leaving with Aubrey had been reduced from a distinct possibility to a mere option.
It wasn’t until he revved the engine that he remembered his date with her. Pulling the walkie-talkie from his pocket, he depressed the button on the side and raised his mother almost immediately.
“Do me a favor, Mom. Call Aubrey and postpone our date.”
“All right.” She updated him on her conversation with the Double S Ranch then signed off so she could call the sheriff.
Gage hit the gas and flew down the slope, dust and pebbles shooting out from behind the ATV. If they didn’t find his dad soon, chances were they’d have to call off the search until morning.
A lot could happen to a person alone in the hills and on foot during the hours between nightfall and sunrise. Gage slowed to take a sharp turn and tried not to dwell on the many grave possibilities.
*
Aubrey clicked the “submit order” icon on her laptop computer screen. A second later, a confirmation page appeared. She reviewed the list of items carefully. Satisfied everything was there, she clicked on the “proceed to payment” icon.
“Here you are.” Grandma Rose teetered into the kitchen, a cane in each hand. She’d been doing well with her rehabilitation but still suffered periodic bouts of unsteadiness. “What are you up to?”
“I just finished placing your first grocery order.” Aubrey sat at the table, her laptop hooked up to the kitchen phone. “It’ll arrive in three days.”
“I don’t like the idea of buying my groceries with a computer,” Grandma Rose complained. She eyed the laptop as if it were an alien contraption. “I enjoy picking out my food.”
“I know. And you’ll be able to do your own shopping when Mrs. Payne or someone else takes you into Pineville with them on their errands. This is for times they can’t. If you run out of something before the regular order is scheduled, call me and I can take care of it from any computer no matter where I am.”
Grandma Rose’s grumble had a resigned tone to it. She pulled out the chair next to Aubrey and sat down, struggling slightly with her canes. Aubrey resisted the urge to jump up and help. Her grandmother had to learn to do things by herself if she was going to live independently.
“I’ve also ordered you a Guardian Angel. It’s supposed to arrive tomorrow by overnight mail.”
“What’s a Guardian Angel?”
“It’s a small device you wear around your neck. If you fall or need help for any reason, you push a button. It automatically transmits a signal to Mrs. Payne, the emergency dispatcher in Pineville and the Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire Department.”
“Sounds like a lot of fuss to me.”
“I really hope you’ll wear it. If not for yourself, for Mom. She worries about you being alone.”
More importantly, should anything happen, Gage or one of his crew would arrive at the house in a matter of minutes. Aubrey took considerable comfort knowing he’d be there for her grandmother in the weeks and months to come.
Unlike her.
Aubrey put thoughts of leaving from her mind, something she’d been doing with increasing frequency of late. Gage was due to arrive any minute, and they were going on an evening picnic. She didn’t know where, he’d made all the arrangements and refused to impart any specifics when she’d asked.
She really wanted the date to go well. They had so little time left together. True to his promise, he’d not once asked her to stay, but she felt pretty confident the thought had occurred to him. It had certainly occurred to her. Often. How could it not? She cared for Gage and their recent time together had been wonderful. It didn’t take much effort for her to picture herself living on the Raintree ranch with him again—though not in the motor home—and volunteering at the clinic.
Would that be enough to keep her happy? More than anything, Aubrey missed her job. Part of her dreaded returning, afraid she hadn’t conquered her crisis in confidence. The larger part of her, however, couldn’t wait to walk into the hospital and experience that familiar rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Dispensing antibiotics and taking blood pressure readings at the clinic, while enjoyable, couldn’t compare to a busy E.R.
“Shouldn’t Gage be here by now?” Grandma Rose squinted at the clock on the wall.
“He’s running a little late, I guess.” Aubrey unplugged the phone line from her computer. Selfishly, she hoped he hadn’t been called to a fire. “You’ll be all right while I’m gone?”
Grandma Rose dismissed Aubrey’s concerns with a snort.
“Call me on my cell phone if you need anything.” When her grandmother didn’t answer, Aubrey touched her arm. “You okay?”
Grandma Rose sniffled and rubbed her nose. “Silly, I suppose. It’s just that I’ve gotten kind of used to your bossiness. Going to miss it. Going to miss you, too.”
“I’ll be back. First long weekend I have off work.”
“How does Gage feel about you leaving?”
Aubrey tensed. She wasn’t ready to discuss her and Gage’s future relationship or potential lack of it. A classic case of avoidance, without question. Recognizing a behavior pattern, however, didn’t change it.
Fortunately, a ringing in another part of the house relieved her of answering the question. She went over to the counter and plugged in the phone she’d unplugged for her computer.
“Hello.”
“Aubrey? Is that you?”
“Susan?”
“Yes. Thank goodness I reached you. The line’s been busy for ages.”
“What’s wrong?” Aubrey frowned. Her former mother-in-law sounded upset.
“Gage asked me to call. He’s going to have to postpone your date.”
Her shoulders slumped. She’d been afraid of this. “A fire?”
“No. Joseph’s missing. Gage went looking for him.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Aubrey instantly straightened and glanced at her gr
andmother, who was watching her with concerned interest. “What happened?”
“We don’t know for sure,” Susan said. “He was feeling good today and rode over to the Double S Ranch to talk with the owner about sharing some water rights. Then an hour ago, his horse came home without him. I’ve called the sheriff. They sent a couple men out but don’t think there’s much they can do until morning. Gage and the foreman from the Double S are driving the trails to Neglian Creek crossing looking for Joseph.”
Aubrey’s heart went out to Susan. “Would you like me to come over and stay with you?”
Susan’s voice cracked with emotion. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Of course not.”
“I’ve been trying to reach Hannah. She’s out with some friends tonight and not picking up her cell phone.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Aubrey quickly filled her grandmother in on the situation with Joseph and then left for the Raintree Ranch. When no one answered her knock on the front door, she went inside.
She found Susan in the kitchen, sitting on the floor with her back against the refrigerator, a walkie-talkie in her hand, and sobbing as if her world were falling apart.
Chapter 12
“Mom! Come in, Mom!” Gage tossed the walkie-talkie on the seat of the borrowed Jeep and stomped on the gas. “She’s crying and won’t answer.” He shot his passenger an exasperated scowl before turning his attention back to the road.
“Your mother always did have an emotional streak a mile wide.”
“Goddamn it, Dad. She loves you.”
Joseph swore far more colorfully than his son when they hit a pothole, and he came six inches off the seat. “Take it easy, will you? I’m not made of stone.”
Gage slowed, but only because his mother would never forgive him if he didn’t deliver his father in one piece.
“Hello. Gage, are you there?” A scratchy version of Aubrey’s voice floated up from the seat beside him.
He grabbed the walkie-talkie and put it to his mouth. “Aubrey? Is that you?”
“Yes. I’m here with your mother.”
Gage’s anger and frustration instantly lessened. Aubrey was there. Waiting for him. “Glad to hear it.”
“How’s your father?”
“A bit bruised, but ornery as ever. We should be home in a few minutes.”
“See you then. Oh, wait! We can meet you at the clinic if your dad needs medical attention.”
Joseph leaned sideways and spoke into the walkie-talkie. “The only thing I need is a hot shower and a couple of aspirin.” He then glowered at Gage. “No way is your ex-wife examining me. You understand?”
“She’s a nurse, Dad.”
“I don’t care if she was the only medical help for five hundred miles and I was bleeding to death. She’d not examining me.”
Gage shook his head, amazed yet again at the depths of his father’s stubborn and utterly useless pride. “Why didn’t you call in? Could have saved Mom a whole lot of grief and the rest of us a whole lot of bother.”
“I figured on making it back to the Double S.”
“Five miles on your ankle? I don’t think so.”
“I could’ve done it.”
“And been laid up for weeks afterward. Have you no consideration whatsoever for the rest of us?”
“That’s enough out of you,” Joseph snapped.
Gage shut up only because arguing with his father was an exercise in futility.
Joseph had been anything but a fountain of knowledge since being picked up. Nonetheless, Gage had been able to piece together most of what happened thanks to the Double S foreman.
His father, upon reaching Neglian Creek crossing, decided a short break was in order and dismounted. Comanche evidently spooked at who knew what and bolted, leaving Joseph stranded. Given Comanche’s placid disposition and proven dependability, Gage suspected there was more to the story. If so, his father wasn’t telling.
With the Double S Ranch being half as far as the Raintree Ranch, Joseph opted to head back the way he’d come. The Double S foreman found him on the road and contacted Gage. They met up at a halfway point between the neighboring ranches. The foreman generously offered Gage the use of his Jeep and took the ATV, agreeing to swap vehicles sometime tomorrow.
No big deal.
And yet it had been a big deal, all because his father had refused to report in.
Why?
Gage pulled to a stop in front of the main gate and shoved the Jeep into Park. “Your ankle gave out, didn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” Joseph made no effort to get out and open the gate.
“Your ankle gave out while you were mounting Comanche and you fell. Or maybe you got bucked off and landed face-first in the creek.”
Several seconds passed. Finally, Joseph leaned his head back and stared at the darkening sky.
“I wouldn’t mind so much if it had been my face.” He grimaced and gingerly rubbed his backside. “Get me home, will you, and out of this dad-gum torture contraption.”
Gage was tempted to laugh at the ironic justice fate had seen fit to dispense. The flash of genuine pain in his father’s expression stopped him.
“What if I weren’t here to bail you out? What would you have done then?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he was asking himself the questions and not just his father.
“If you quit firefighting, it wouldn’t be a problem,” Joseph grumbled.
“I meant not here in Blue Ridge.”
“Gone?” His father’s brow knitted in confusion. “Since when?” Understanding apparently dawned on him as he let out a grunt. “It’s Aubrey. You’re thinking of going with her to Tucson.”
“Before we get into another argument, let me clarify something. I’m only considering going with her.”
“You can’t leave the ranch,” Joseph said firmly.
“The hell I can’t.” Gage hit the steering wheel with his fist. “I’m thirty years old, Dad. I’ll do whatever I damn well please.” His voice rose. “Leave Blue Ridge or stay. Be a firefighter or not.”
His father stared at him, not with anger or hostility but amusement.
“What?” Gage barked.
Joseph leaned his head back and chuckled.
“Glad one of us finds the situation funny,” Gage said.
“It’s just for a minute there, you sounded a lot like me.”
Gage frowned. He’d thought the same thing the other day and hadn’t liked it.
“I remember telling my father off,” Joseph said, his tone reflective. “He didn’t much cotton to my choices, either.”
“You always wanted to go into ranching.”
“True.”
“So what choice could you have possibly made he didn’t like?”
“I married your mother.”
Gage’s jaw went momentarily slack.
“She wasn’t from Blue Ridge,” Joseph went on. “And she wasn’t from a ranching family. Your grandpa was dead certain she’d corrupt me. Lure me away from the ranch.”
“What are you talking about? Grandpa adored Mom.”
“Eventually. But not at first.”
“Aubrey’s not going to lure me away, Dad.”
“I don’t suppose she is. How could she? Firefighting did that a long time ago.”
“No, it didn’t.” Gage came to a stop at the intersection leading to town and stared his father straight in the face. “It’s probably the only thing that’s kept me in Blue Ridge these past years.”
Joseph returned Gage’s stare. “I think I’m only just now starting to realize that.”
*
“Let’s go.” Gage extended his hand to Aubrey and pulled her to her feet.
“Where?”
“On our picnic.”
“You sure?”
They’d been sitting on the family room couch, watching a sitcom neither of them found funny, and waiting for Gage’s mother to finish tending to his father
. Aubrey had assumed their date was cancelled, so Gage’s sudden announcement caught her off guard.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Dad insists he’s fine, Mom doesn’t need us and Hannah’s on her way home. No reason we can’t stick to the original plan.”
Considering the tense mood both Gage and his dad were in, vacating the house for a couple of hours seemed like a good idea.
“Okay. Let’s go.” Aubrey grabbed her purse and shut off the TV while Gage went to inform his parents of their plans.
It soon became apparent where Gage was taking her. Bouncing down the dirt road in his truck, Aubrey had to grin. His choice of a picnic location was perfect and, she supposed, fitting. Ten minutes later they parked and climbed out.
The zigzagging beam of Gage’s flashlight guided them through the darkness and along the slippery, winding trail. Low-hanging tree limbs blocked their path and required periodic swatting, as did a hungry mosquito or two. The potent smell of damp earth invaded Aubrey’s nostrils, triggering a wave of nostalgia. The gurgle of rushing creek water combined with the chirp and buzz of nocturnal animal life inspired still more memories.
Their secret spot.
Why, she wondered, had Gage brought her here? To remember? Or did he hope to create new memories, ones to see them through the coming separation?
“Wait a sec.” Gage bent down, swept aside a curtain of dangling willow tree branches and disappeared inside the secluded shelter. Placing the ice chest on a semi-level patch of ground, he stuck a hand out to her. “Pass me the sleeping bag and pillows.”
She did, then parted the branches and joined him.
Their secret spot had lost none of its magic. Seeing moonlight shimmering off the water’s glassy surface through a veil of leafy willow tree branches elicited a wistful sigh from Aubrey.
“Nice, huh?” Gage asked.
“Very nice.”
The temperature inside the shelter was several degrees cooler than outside and felt good on her bare arms as they arranged their small camp to their liking.
Sitting beside her on the sleeping bag, Gage opened the ice chest and rummaged around inside. He removed two long-stemmed wineglasses and a bottle of Chardonnay, pouring them each a generous portion. Before taking a sip, Gage lifted his glass to Aubrey’s cheek and rubbed the rim along her jawline.
Just Kate: His Only Wife (Bestselling Author Collection) Page 30