Texas Heir

by Linda Warren

  “Cari…”

  “I’ll be okay, Reed. Just rest. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

  “I can’t seem to do much else at the moment,” he replied in a low voice.

  She walked away on the uneven terrain in her stocking feet. Several deep indentations had been hollowed out in the mountain from the elements. They could possibly use one as a cave until a search party arrived.

  Lastly, she moved toward the charred wreckage. Pieces still smoldered. She didn’t know what she was hoping to find. Something. Anything. She peered over the side of the mountain. A wing from the plane, a wheel, objects she couldn’t identify and several personal items had been thrown free.

  A backpack caught her eye. If there was clothing inside she could use it to bandage Reed’s wound. The backpack was on a steep incline going down to nowhere. Could she reach it?

  Ever since she fell out of a tree as a kid, she’d had a fear of heights. Flying had been a challenge, but her job was important to her so she had conquered it. Now she had to find the courage to crawl down and retrieve the pack.

  Reed was still sitting with his head buried on his knees, so weak and needing medical attention. Without a second thought, she turned around and inched down the side of the mountain. Her stocking feet were a problem. Damn, she should have removed them, but she wasn’t climbing back up to do that. Luckily she was able to find footholds on clumps of dirt and rocks, which scratched the bottom of her feet. But she kept going.

  As she put pressure on one rock, it came loose and tumbled down, carrying a load of dirt with it. Cari closed her eyes, sucked in a breath and held on to a scraggly bush for dear life. Dust clogged her sinuses and she tasted it in her mouth along with her fear. She took a long ragged breath, said a prayer and found another foothold.

  Finally she reached the backpack. It was pink and black, so she knew it must have belonged to Melody. With one hand she reached for it and slipped one arm through. Then she did the same with the other arm. Tentatively, she started the trek back up.

  She climbed over the top as raindrops started to fall. Staggering to her feet, she ran to Reed.

  “We have to find shelter,” she said, plopping down beside him.

  He raised his head and his eyes were unfocused, dazed, and she wondered if he was going to pass out. “Wh-at?”

  Slipping an arm around his waist, she asked, “Can you stand?” Within minutes she had him on his feet, but he swayed. With a fierce grip she led him to the partial cave that had a slight overhang. Just as she did, the heavens opened and torrential rain splattered the terrain.

  She shrugged off the backpack and placed it on the ground. Reed slumped against her and she watched as the rain beat down on the wreckage.

  After a moment she turned her attention to Reed. He probably had a concussion, so she had to keep him awake. She shook him several times and kept talking, but he was so out of it she finally gave up. Her strength was waning, too. The sound of the rain was hypnotic and she drifted into an exhausted, restless sleep.

  MARISA KINCAID HURRIED into her father’s study followed by her husband. “Have you heard anything?”

  “No, sweetheart, we’re still waiting,” Richard replied.

  “Where’s Mother?”

  “She’s in her room. The doctor sedated her, but I’m sure she’d be happy to see you. Actually, she keeps calling for you.”

  “I’ll go right up.” She turned and then pivoted to face Richard. “Have you notified Cari’s family?”

  “No. I thought I’d wait until we heard something definite.”

  “I suppose that’s best.” His daughter’s face crumpled and Richard saw the first crack in her strong facade. Colter put his arm around her and she clung to him.

  Richard didn’t think he was ever going to get used to this cowboy being his son-in-law. Marisa had her choice of the most eligible bachelors in the country, yet she chose a rodeo cowboy. For his daughter and grandchildren, he tried his best to like the man. And he wasn’t so bad. Colter had a lot of qualities Richard admired: responsibility, honesty and loyalty. It was his blue-collar roots that got Richard.

  Daphne stepped into the room. “Has there been any news?”

  Now, there was class and breeding, a woman who had it all. How he wished Marisa had made such a good choice.

  “I’m afraid not,” Richard answered. “The weather is still a factor.”

  Marisa wiped away a tear and looked at Daphne. “You’re taking this very well.”

  “Of course. It’s not going to do me any good to fall apart.”

  “Yes. Heaven forbid,” Marisa said and walked out.

  Colter twisted his hat. “Her brother and her best friend are probably dead, so you can understand her state of mind.” He placed his hat on his head. “Or maybe not.” Saying that, he followed Marisa.

  “What did he mean?” Daphne asked.

  “Never mind. Everyone is a little emotional.” Richard walked to her. “How are you, my dear?”

  “I’m okay.” She glanced at her watch. “I have an interview at a TV station in about an hour, so I better go.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “It’s better than them hounding me. I’ll give them an interview and they’ll leave me alone.”

  “Maybe so.”

  She hugged him and quickly left. Something bothered Richard and he couldn’t explain what it was. In the face of trauma, Daphne was a real trooper. Once Reed returned, he would be happy to hear that.

  Wouldn’t he?

  CARI WOKE UP to an ache in every bone in her body. Darkness surrounded them, but a brilliant moon hung in the sky like a huge night-light. If she held out her hand, she was sure she could touch its golden rim.

  Everything felt like a nightmare and she didn’t have to wonder if she was awake because she knew she was. Every ache and bruise told her that in triplicate.

  She winced as pain shot up her back. She did a double take when she found Reed staring at her. His breath fanned her cheek and the fear inside her eased.

  “Oh.” She smiled. “You’re better.”

  “Thanks to you I’m alive.”

  A palpable silence ensued and she rushed into speech. “How’s your head?”

  He grimaced. “Pounding. But I don’t feel as weak. I’ve been watching you sleep for some time.”

  She frowned. “Did I snore?”

  “No, not that I noticed.” He glanced to the vastness of the night. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  “If I was looking at it on TV in my living room, yes, it would be spectacular. But seeing it after surviving a plane crash is just nightmarish.”

  “I know what you mean.” He shifted to stretch out his long legs. “At least the rain has stopped. Surely someone will be here in the morning to rescue us.”

  “Yeah.” Cari thought of her parents. “I wonder if our families have been notified of the crash.”

  “Probably. I hope someone is with Daphne. She’ll take this hard. And Marisa. God, she doesn’t need any more heartache.”

  “She has Colter. He’ll be right there with her.”

  “Mmm. You’re right. Colter is solid as a rock. He’ll take care of my sister.”

  She was silent for a moment with thoughts of her own.

  “What?” Reed asked.

  “I was just thinking about my parents.” She moved to get more comfortable against the dirt wall. “My folks say I have highfalutin ideas and have strayed from my roots. They get upset when I miss family functions for business. Sunday is my dad’s birthday and this time I planned not to miss it. But…” She drew a deep breath. “I guess I will.”

  “Hey.” One finger touched her cheek and it warmed her whole body. “We’ll be out of here by Sunday.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Tell me about your parents. You don’t speak about your family much.”

  Didn’t she? She thought she did.

  “My relationship with my father is strained. He was absent so much o
f my childhood and as a kid, I didn’t understand that. He was in the fields or the barn before we woke up. Work didn’t stop until there was no more daylight, and then because Hill County was dry he’d drive to the next county and drink with his farming buddies.”

  Reed didn’t say anything so she continued. “When he returned home, we were all asleep, except my mom. She’d wait up, keeping his supper warm. Then a loud argument would erupt, waking all of us. My mom was a quiet, hardworking woman, but she wasn’t afraid to voice her opinions.”

  “Well, I know where you get that from then.”

  “Mmm.” She lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on the comparison. “My mother is a strong lady. She would tell my father he needed to be home with his family instead of drinking with his friends. His kids needed to see him. If my dad had had one drink too many then there was a lot of yelling and cursing. Usually Dad stormed out and slept in the barn.” She brushed dust from her slacks.

  “Kitty, Judith and I shared a room and on those nights we’d cuddle close, all of us afraid our parents were going to divorce. But the next morning things were back to normal and Dad was at the kitchen table for breakfast with us.”

  “Sounds like a typical American family.”

  “There were so many arguments, though, and I never understood a man who was not there for his children. As I grew older I realized the enormous responsibility my father carried, especially when the crops failed and his family had to depend on the goodwill of others to get by. Sam Michaels never shared any of his pain. He kept it all inside.”

  She took a deep breath. “My mother was a marvel, loving her husband and putting up with his attitudes and behavior. As mad as she sometimes got at him, she always had his meals on the table. Now, that I really didn’t understand. As a teenager I vowed I would never have a relationship like that.”

  “No matter his faults, she loved him,” Reed said. “That’s why she had his meals ready. She knew how hard he worked and she knew his sorrow. But it didn’t keep her from getting angry.”

  “Yeah.” From his viewpoint he could see it so clearly. Her parents were partners through the good and the bad. As a child she had wanted it all to be good. No family ever was. She loved her family and it was always fun to see them. Being with her father on his birthday took on more meaning than it ever had.

  “I know you have brothers and sisters.”

  She drew her knees up. “Sammy, the oldest, works the farm with our father. He and his wife, Janice, and their two sons live in our grandparents’ old house. Judith, my oldest sister, married a neighboring farmer’s son and they live close by with their two girls. Kitty, my other sister, followed me to Dallas, and as hard as I tried I couldn’t get her to go to college. She said it wasn’t for her, so she went to beauty school, met Charlie and got married. They live in a Dallas suburb. Chase is the baby and still a bachelor. After getting his degree, he went to work for a large oil company and travels all over the world.”

  She could hardly believe she was telling Reed all this. “My father has never come out and said it, but I know he blames me for luring Kitty and Chase away from their roots.”

  “That’s probably just your imagination.”

  “Maybe.”

  Despite the tension between her and her father there was always something cathartic about going home.

  Would she ever be home again?

  As they talked, the sun rose like a blaze of fire over the mountains. They sat in wonder as dawn crept over the turbulent landscape, revealing its harshness and untamed uniqueness.

  With a groan she scrambled out of the cave. Something scurried across her foot and she screamed.

  “What is it?” Reed followed her out, his face a mask of pain.

  “Some critter or something.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t want to know what it was. I just want out of this godforsaken place. Why isn’t there someone here to rescue us? It’s been hours.”

  He slipped his arms around her. “Don’t fall apart on me.”

  “I’m afraid, Reed.” She rested her head on his chest. “I’m so afraid and I don’t have any shoes.”

  He glanced at her feet. “What happened to your shoes?”

  “I kicked off my heels when I jumped out of the plane. I figured I’d break my neck if I didn’t and I had enough problems.”

  “Cari. Cari.” He stroked her hair. “We’ve been through a horrendous ordeal and it’s normal to be afraid. But we’re alive. Soon we’ll be back with our loved ones and you’ll have a storeful of shoes at your disposal. We just have to be patient.”

  Loved ones. Daphne.

  She didn’t feel the pain of that. It had taken a plane crash to get her thoughts straight. She and Reed Preston were worlds apart and she wasn’t living in a dream world anymore. This dose of reality was more than she needed. The trip had started out with a broken heart. Now she just wanted to survive, go home and find happiness in her own world.

  THEY BOTH STARED at the charred spot where the plane had crashed. The rain and wind had pushed the fuselage down the side of the mountain like garbage.

  “This is going to make the plane harder to find,” Reed said, trying not to lose his confidence. “It’s amazing how a big thing like that can just disappear.”

  “They must have ways to locate crashed aircraft.”

  “I sincerely hope so.” Reed rubbed his hands together. “If we just had water and a good breakfast, the wait might be more bearable. I’m so thirsty.”

  “Oh. Oh.” Cari ran back to the cave and came out with the backpack. “I found this on the side of the mountain after the crash.”

  “Did you climb down to get it?”

  “Yes, and since I’m afraid of heights, it was no small feat.”

  “I never knew that.” She hid her feelings well. She’d always given the impression of being fearless.

  “Oh, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  He felt he knew all the things that were important, like her dedication, her loyalty and her bravery.

  She knelt and unzipped the backpack. “Oh, my, shoes.” Excited as a child, she held up the white-and-pink sneakers. “Just what I wanted and it’s not even Christmas.”

  He watched the gleam in her eyes as she shoved a foot into a shoe. Her face fell. “It’s too big. Damn. What size are these?”

  Cari suddenly became still and silent.

  “What is it?”

  “They’re Melody’s and…”

  “Cari, you did everything you could.”

  “I know. It’s just sad.”

  Simultaneously they took a moment to remember Melody and Fletcher.

  Cari then found socks in the bag and slipped them on. “Much better,” she said, walking around in the shoes. Her slacks, suit jacket, blouse and hair were stained with blood and dirt. Reed thought she’d never looked lovelier.

  He picked up the pack. Two bottles of water and high-protein cereal bars were a welcome sight. “Breakfast,” he said, easing to the ground.

  They decided to save one bottle for later. He handed her a bar and she broke it in half and handed him a piece. They sat in comfortable silence eating what they had. The water tasted heavenly.

  She licked her lips. “Well, Junior, now what do we do?”

  He smiled. She hadn’t called him that in a long time. “We wait.”

  By the end of the day they were still waiting, staring at the expanse of sky, fighting not to drink the rest of the water. There was nothing but a clear blue that went on forever. No planes. No helicopters. No rescue team. It was almost as if they’d been forgotten.

  And he and Cari were the only two people in the universe.

  Cari used a cotton T-shirt from the bag to change his bandage. She said the wound was already healing. All he knew was the pounding in his head wasn’t so severe.

  He noticed her red hands. “Did you burn your hands?”

  She flexed her fingers. “I guess it happened when the plane exploded. They just burn a lit
tle.”

  She’d hurt herself trying to save the others and she hadn’t said a word. In that moment he realized what an incredible person she was and he wanted to do something to help her. He did the only thing he could. He took her hands and kissed the reddened parts.

  A fleeting smile touched her lips. “Ah, much better.” The smile quickly faded. “They’re not going to find us, are they?” Her voice seemed to come from a long way off.

  “Doesn’t look like it. The plane must have been way off course. No telling where they’re searching.”

  “What do we do?”

  Reed glanced at his watch for the first time. The crystal was broken and it had stopped. At 2:39 p.m. The time of the crash. He removed it and laid it on the ground. It wasn’t much good to him now. He stood and surveyed the landscape. “We walk off this mountain. Are you ready?”

  She rose to her feet. “I have shoes. I’m ready.”

  Reed narrowed his eyes against the late-evening sun. “You wouldn’t by any chance have been a Girl Scout?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I’m trying to figure out which way to go. El Paso would be west, Mexico south, so we want to go east. Right?”

  “That sounds logical. West would be nothing but more desolate landscape. South and north would be out of the question, too far to find civilization. East is our only hope of finding a small town or ranch.”

  “The sun is sinking in the west so we want to go that direction.” He pointed east. “We have to wait until morning though. Starting at night is not a good idea and maybe by morning we’ll get lucky and they’ll find us.”

  “Back to the cave?”

  “Just in case it rains again.”

  “I hope it does,” she said. “I’d stand out here with my mouth open.”

  “I’d join you,” he told her. “For now let’s try not to think about water.”

  They walked toward the hollowed spot in the mountain. All of a sudden they heard a swooshing sound overhead.

  Cari looked up. “Ohmygod, bats!” She sank to the ground and covered her head.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t want them in my hair.”