“Let’s go.”
“Aren’t you going to fix your makeup?”
“Nope. They’re getting au natural today. No mask.”
Annie’s fingers played over the cuff on her Merino wool cardigan. It was one of her favorites. The cozy hooded sweater fell to mid-thigh and had been a gift Finn had brought back all the way from Ireland. It was perfect for traveling, and the pewter gray matched the dreary weather today. She stared out the window, watching the last of the maintenance crew ready the large jet. A smile worked her lips and she felt the weight lifting from her heart and shoulders. Just five hours and she’d be with CJ for three days.
She’d canceled her flight to Grand Rapids while squatting in the bathroom stall this morning. Her condo wasn’t going to give her the feeling of home she needed. A few swipes of her finger and the new plan had fallen into place. All that had been left was letting CJ know. With Cami hoovering, the call had had to wait until after the signing. She had already dialed his number when she’d remembered that he was taking a group out snowmobiling for the lodge. It didn’t matter. Just hearing his soft, confident voice tell her to leave a message had made her heart sing.
It was strange. Now that she was on her way to see him, so much of the doubt and angst drained away. No matter what road blocks her head tried to throw up, her heart knew CJ was the one for her. She smiled at that sappy title. Up until sixteen days ago, she hadn’t believed there was one for her. Her fingers tightened on the armrest as the plane started to taxi. Sixteen days. She shook her head. Just over two weeks and they were already discussing living together and a happily ever after. Any sane person would be terrified. Scratch that. A sane person probably wouldn’t even consider making a commitment after a couple of weeks. She giggled. The man sitting in the next seat shot her a concerned look. Maybe sanity was overrated.
Leaning back, she closed her eyes. Would CJ share the open side of the loft with her, or would one of the two bedrooms on the main floor become her office and writer’s den? It was a silly thought, but something to distract her mind from takeoff. Right now, the whole left side of the loft was meagerly furnished with just a pool table, a couple of padded stools, and CJ’s messy desk. She pursed her lips, wondering what he’d think of her beloved purple furniture in his game room. He’d already approved the purple pillows and Keurig downstairs. She grinned. It might be pushing it. But if she arranged her desk, shelves, and stuff in the back corner, it left plenty of space for a comfy lounging area without infringing on the pool table’s shooting space. Oh, maybe even a small bar area with a fridge for her ice tea and CJ’s beer so they didn’t have to run downstairs. Would it be completely diva-like to have a second Keurig?
Something touched her arm and Annie jumped, eyes flying open. Her seat partner held up his hands.
“You can take off your seat belt and release the death grip,” he said with a charming smile.
Annie blushed, glancing at the seatbelt sign. “Thank you.”
That had been a smooth take off. Flexing her stiff fingers, she awkwardly released the buckle and settled more comfortably in her seat. The long cardigan was like a security blanket.
“First time flying?”
“No. Just not a big fan,” Annie admitted.
He nodded. “Where are you headed?”
“Wyoming. What about you?”
“Santa Fe, to see my son. Neither one of them is tropical this time of year, but I think I’m getting the better end of the stick.”
She smiled at the weak jest. “I’m looking forward to a roaring fire, homemade cocoa, and a hot-blooded boyfriend who likes to cuddle.”
“Valentine’s getaway, huh?” he asked with a knowing smile.
Annie opened her mouth to deny it and then closed it again. She did the math. She was going to be in Wyoming on Valentine’s Day. More importantly, she had a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day. She couldn’t contain the delighted grin.
“I’m going to take that as a yes.”
“It wasn’t planned that way,” she said, a little flustered. “But I can’t think of anything better.”
“Good for you. If I can give you some free advice, time together is so much more precious than any number of roses or heart-shaped candies.”
The simple sincerity behind her neighbor’s words made the writer in her wonder what his story was. It sounded like a sad one, so she bit back the urge to ask.
“Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
Tugging the thick wool sweater around her, Annie mulled over possible last minute gift ideas for CJ. How had she missed the holiday? Maybe because it wasn’t one she generally paid any attention to. Single people didn’t celebrate the day of love and chocolate. She smiled. As far as she was concerned every day should be about chocolate, but this year she had a reason to buy a romantic, over-priced card. She could snag one of those in the airport between flights. As to a gift, she might just have to get creative in front of that gorgeous fireplace.
Lascivious whispers and hushed laughter prevented Annie from pretending she was someplace else. At the moment she desperately wanted to be about anyplace else. Wind buffeted the small plane making her stomach clench. The Cessna made the thirty passenger jet she’d made this trip on last time seem huge. She was sure this was the plane people pictured when they said puddle jumper. It seemed the tiny Wyoming airport wasn’t much of a destination this weekend. Five empty seats and the amorous couple in the back were her only company.
A check of her messages between flights had revealed a text from CJ promising to pick her up. She couldn’t wait to see him. Closing her eyes, she remembered the feel of his arms around her. She could feel the solid comfort of his barrel chest under her cheek and the weight of his chin resting on top of her head. A squeal shattered the moment. The lovebirds laughed, blanket rustling. The grate of a zipper made Annie dig for her earbuds. Not even in the name of research.
Reclining her seat, Annie let music wrap around her tattered nerves. As little as she’d been sleeping, a catnap would do her good. She couldn’t wait to see CJ, to be home in his arms. A country song she’d heard in CJ’s Jeep and searched out afterward came up on her playlist. The lyrics could’ve been written for her man, talking about hunting, fishing and loving. She’d made the song CJ’s ringtone. Music was a topic they hadn’t discussed. She smiled into the collar of her cardigan wrap and added it to the list. She wanted to spend the rest of her life learning about her man.
Head slamming against the window, Annie woke startled and disoriented. Heart hammering erratically, she jerked her earbuds out. The plane bucked violently. A short scream behind her wasn’t one of passion this time. Hands shaking, she fumbled with her seat belt and clicked it back into place. The plane lurched, the nose lifting. The whine of the engines changed and Annie’s eyes flew back to the window. The snow and pine covered slopes looked too close for her comfort.
A shudder ran through the plane, seeming to ripple in the air around them. The upward momentum shifted and suddenly they were dropping. Annie’s stomach remained lodged in her throat. The far wing dipped, throwing her toward the aisle. Nails digging into the armrests, she started to pray. Her shoulder struck the wall as they wobbled, straightening before rolling dangerously to her side.
“Buckle your seatbelts and brace for a rough landing,” the pilot said tersely over the PA.
Way ahead of you, Annie thought. That confirmed it. They were going down. At least he had said landing. Landing sounded so much better than crash. She tucked her head down like the pictures showed. Weren’t they going too fast? How did you slow a plane? Her phone dug into her hip. She wished she could talk to CJ one more time. Had she told him she loved him when she texted him back? She wasn’t sure. She caught her breath as they sloped hard to the opposite side again. The woman behind her screamed. Annie’s knee bounced with barely restrained terror. She would never miss an opportunity again if just given the chance. Nothing else mattered. Book rankings, money, location, they were trivial. Sh
e just wanted to be with him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw tree tops fly past her window and braced for impact. The belly of the plane slammed down. Even bent over and braced, the impact snapped Annie forward. The seatbelt cinched, stealing her air. Metal screeched. The wing disappeared in a spray of sparks. They were spinning. She clamped her forearms over her ears at a deafening screech. Frigid air flooded the cabin. Snow rolled in like the tide. Something smacked her sheltering forearms, snagging and ripping at her hair. The plane slammed to a violent stop, jerking Annie out of her crouch. Her neck whipped violently with the collision and the side of her head cracked against the window frame. Blinding light exploded behind her clenched lids, and then nothing.
Propping his boot up on the opposite knee, CJ looked at the clock. Annie’s flight was late. His knee bounced. Running his forefinger through the crease of his jeans where they bunched above his boots, he brushed away a bit of stubborn sawdust. With a little help from his friend Dan, he’d been working on a Valentine’s surprise for Annie right up until the time he’d had to leave to pick her up. It wasn’t exactly traditional, but he hoped she would like it.
He glanced at the clock again and sighed. Usually, the knock was that the hands weren’t moving. These were moving. His unease grew with each passing minute. He saw his old school friend hang up the phone and turn back to the counter. Pushing to his feet, he walked over.
“Hey, Janine. Do you have a new ETA on the flight coming in from Denver?”
Janine tried to force a smile. He doubted it would’ve fooled a stranger. It certainly didn’t fool someone who had stood or sat next to her all the way through school.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head mutely, her soft brown eyes begging him not to ask any more questions. His gut twisted as she wrung her fingers.
“Tell me.”
“I-I-I can’t.”
“Janine.”
“I-I d-don’t have any details, CJ. I don’t know.”
He reached over and touched her shaking hand. Stroking his thumb over the top of her wrist, he tried to calm her.
“It’s okay. Just tell me what you do know.”
Tears pooled, threatening to fall at his tender touch. “We lost them and the tower can’t raise the pilot,” she whispered, her head shaking back and forth in desperate denial.
CJ’s heart sank to his boots. Fear, denial and shock flooded through him. Taking a deep breath, he forced his mind to the details.
“Do you know how long ago?”
His school friend shook her head.
“Where?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
“I need to know where, Janine.”
“I don’t know. I’m so sorry, CJ,” she said, voice breaking on a sob.
He refused to acknowledge her pity. It was not going to end like this. His grip tightened on her hand.
“Listen. I need your help. Anything you can get me. I need to know where she was when they lost contact,” he said, keeping his voice soft but insistent.
Janine gave a tight nod and, drawing a shaky breath, she hurried off a woman on a mission. CJ’s shoulders slumped and he let the counter hold him up. Guilt crushed him. If he’d stayed in Grand Rapids, this wouldn’t be happening. If he’d shown her he was committed to moving to Michigan, maybe…he fought to breathe. This couldn’t be happening. Annie was everything that he’d ever wanted. He couldn’t lose her now.
Feds, State Police, the Forestry Service, three Sheriff’s Departments and Search and Rescue—they were all there. CJ tried to listen to the search coordinator outline the grid and procedures, but facts, numbers, and statistics chased through his mind and drowned the words out. Studies had shown the chances of being involved in a plane crash were about one in eleven million. Of those unlucky ones, ninety-five percent of plane crash victims survived the initial crash. That was comforting. Some of the other numbers weren’t. The Bighorn National Forest stretched over a million acres. It was eighteen degrees out there and dropping. With the current temperature and wind, they would be at risk of frostbite in thirty minutes or so if they didn’t take precautions. Boone nudged his shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
Nodding, CJ headed out. Boone had already tried to talk him out of joining the search. His best friend should’ve known better. As part of the Search and Rescue team, CJ did this for perfect strangers. There was no way he was going to wait someplace warm and dry while his Annie was out there. Shifting the emergency pack on his shoulders, he wondered what she was wearing. The right clothing could make all the difference in the world. People dressed for comfort on a flight, often not considering the weather on the other end. Did she even have a coat? Fire could’ve prevented her from retrieving luggage. Why hadn’t survival techniques come up in their long discussions? He growled. That was going to change.
Shit. Had they said who the pilot was? If it was Jenson, at least the man had grown up out here and knew some of the ins and outs of their harsh climate. Hypothermia. The word flashed in his head, taunting him. Did Annie know the signs? CJ’s stomach clenched and he shook his head, chasing away the hundreds of things that could go wrong. He needed to think positive and pray she was doing the same thing.
Her armpits hurt. Annie frowned and winced. She had a splitting headache and it was cold. A fine spray skittered across her face. Her frown increased. Dragging up her blanket, she rolled away from the irritation. She would close the window when she got up. Her face met a burning cold and she jerked back, crying out at the pain the jolt sent shooting through her skull. Forcing heavy eyes open, she stared at the tree trunk inches from her nose. She blinked, trying to clear her sight and mind. Where in the hell was she?
Searching her memory, she tugged at the blanket around her. Sitting up with effort, she shook melting snow off her hands before tucking them under her arms. As far as she could see, towering pines formed shadows against the pale snow. In a different time, it could’ve been beautiful. Panic crept through her shocked system. She was alone. The frantic slam of her heart made her chest ache all the more. Why couldn’t she remember? Had she been roofied? Where was Crystal? She wouldn’t have gone out alone. Whose blanket was this? Why was she so confused?
A noise startled her and she twisted around. Memories came slamming back. They’d crashed. The mangled remains of the plane threw sinister shadows in the moonlight. Someone stepped out of the wreckage. It was the pilot. He was dragging his leg, using the side of the plane to steady himself.
“You’re awake. How’s your head?”
Annie pulled a shaking hand from the warmth of her armpit and prodded the side of her head. Her fingers came away sticky.
“It hurts.”
“It looks like you took a pretty good shot, but the bleeding has slowed. Any nausea or blurred vision? Does anything else hurt?”
It took a couple of tries to run through a self-diagnosis. Her brain was sluggish.
“Uh ...” she pressed a palm against her forehead. “My vision is slightly blurred. M-my head is pounding. My chest and my armpits hurt for some reason.”
“Sorry. I hooked you under the arms trying to pull you out of the wreckage. If these things go up in flames, they go fast.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her gaze darting back to the twisted fuselage. How in the hell could she complain about that?
One wing had sheared off and the whole tail was gone. Annie swallowed hard looking at the gaping maw.
“The other couple?” she choked out, unable to even form a complete thought. They’d been in the back.
The pilot shook his head, looking away. Annie lifted a hand to her mouth in horror. Her eyes sprang back open as a snapshot of her amorous young travel companions flashed behind her lids. A sob bubbled against her hand. They’d been so full of life.
“You need to get your coat on.”
She stared at the pilot, the words somehow not connecting in her pounding head.
“You’re
going to freeze. I tossed all the luggage over here. Put on whatever is warmest. I’m sorry to say they’re not going to mind,” he said, face twisting in a pained grimace as he turned away again.
His leg gave out as he took a step and he stumbled, catching himself on a tree. Annie turned away as the man slid to one knee and vomited. Her stomach pitched at the miserable gagging. Keeping her gaze turned, she pulled herself up. It was her turn to grab onto a tree trunk. Shivers wracked her body. How had she not been aware of those until now? She tentatively touched the side of her head. It seemed she had more to worry about than the bleeding.
Pushing off the tree, she staggered to the pile of luggage. Her hooded down coat was there. Shrugging it on over her heavy cardigan, she hastily retrieved scarf, gloves, and hat from the pockets. Her teeth were chattering. She stared at the other luggage, picturing the romantic getaway the couple had planned. Swiping away tears, she hopped up and down trying to generate some heat. It was a bad idea. The movement made her head scream and her already suspect stomach roll.
Not hearing anything else from the pilot, she shook out another blanket and picked her way over to where he still knelt in the snow. She draped the blanket over his shoulders.
“How bad is your leg?”
His shoulders slumped under the weight of the cover and her hand.
“I’m not going to be able to hike out of here,” he said grimly.
“Let me take a look.”
He turned slowly and settled with his back against the tree. The navy of his pant leg was black with blood. He’d tried to wrap his tie around it. Peeling it back gingerly, Annie caught her breath. The wounds were deep and jagged. Muscles and tendons had been severed. How in the hell had he pulled them all out? She looked back toward the luggage.
“Is there a first-aid kit?”
“I’ll-I’ll get it,” he said, trying to push up the tree on one leg.
Why not Wyoming? (Wyoming Wilds Series Book 1) Page 27