But he couldn’t.
He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and put it on speaker. He had the day care on speed dial.
“Hello?” A rushed-sounding woman answered the phone.
“I’m calling about Kayla Thomas,” Dallas said, as he watched Jesse swing into the passenger seat next to Allie. “Is she there or has the—”
“The children just left on a bus to higher ground, sir. I’ve got to go, as well. Be safe. Mahalo.”
He felt a rush of relief. She was going to be safe.
He glanced at Allie’s pale face as she squashed into the middle seat, Jesse next to her. He needed to get them to higher ground. Now.
Dallas hopped into the cab of his truck and turned the ignition just when a low roaring sound reached them from the beach as the tide began to drift outward, far outward.
“Oh, my God,” Jesse breathed, as she looked through the window and saw a mile of exposed coral, fish flopping on wet sand.
Dallas hit the gas and maneuvered the truck deftly through small back alleys, hitting the highway ahead of another car. One car tried to pull out in front of him, running a red light, and Dallas swerved to miss him. Allie gripped the dashboard, her face as white as a sheet. Her leg rubbed against his, warm and firm.
The blood rush from the near kiss they’d almost shared still thrummed steadily in his veins, and his lap felt decidedly uncomfortable. He had nearly kissed her! It was as if his body had gone on autopilot, and he’d just been drawn in like a fly to a bug zapper. That never happened to him. Dallas was used to being in control. The way he felt about Allie was not something he could predict: one minute she was driving him up the wall with frustration, and the next her body was driving his crazy with desire. He knew he wanted her and that he shouldn’t want her, but the explosion of need that had nearly sent him straight in for a kiss couldn’t be denied.
Now, as he shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat, he tried to push those thoughts from his mind. He had more pressing problems, like getting them all to safety. What was it about that girl that just brought trouble? No sooner had he pulled her from one disaster than another struck.
While tsunamis were relatively rare on the islands, he knew that the ones that did come hit hard and had killed more people than any other natural disaster combined on Hawaii, including twice taking out much of Hilo.
A white car in front of him slowed down for no apparent reason, and Dallas hit his steering wheel. “Come on,” he muttered, glancing in the rearview and his blind spot. Seeing an opening, he glided around the slow car.
Jesse’s phone binged, announcing an incoming message. “Kai has his phone. Said he’s getting to his car. He’s headed up to higher ground.”
“Good,” Dallas said, eyes intent on the road as he tried to move as quickly as possible without causing a wreck. His fingers turned white as he clutched the steering wheel. They eased upward as they climbed the mountain. Behind them, a freight train of water was about to arrive; they could hear the distant sound of its roar. Teri and her stylists gripped the truck bed as the vehicle zoomed past other cars. Everyone kept their eyes on the ocean.
Dallas glanced in the rearview, amazed to see where once was sparkling blue now was a muddy sandbank as far as the eye could see.
“This is going to be bad,” he murmured. Then he hit a traffic jam; miles of bright red taillights blinked at him from the road. “No, no, no.” He hit the horn, but it was no use. Nobody was going anywhere.
“Is there an accident up there?” Jesse asked, eyes wide.
“There’s about to be one right here,” Dallas half growled as he surveyed the mess in front of him. He pulled the truck over to the side of the road, maneuvering down the shoulder until he got to a small driveway turnoff.
“This isn’t a road,” Jesse pointed out.
“It is now,” Dallas said as he pushed his truck into four-wheel drive and took the ranger’s trail up through the national park. They didn’t have time to wait. That water was coming, and it was coming fast. The road was uneven, and Allie flew into him after a particularly hard bump.
“Sorry,” she breathed, her voice light as she tried to rearrange herself back in her seat. He wanted to tell her how much he didn’t mind the contact.
“Can we get to the estate from here? That’s far from the ocean,” Allie said, grasping the seat bench below her knees for support.
“Not far enough,” Dallas said. “We’re just below evacuation levels.”
“Where are we going?”
“This will take us to the evacuation center at Kealakehe High School,” Jesse said. “That’s where Kai and I told each other we’d meet last time we had a warning.”
“Okay,” Dallas said, turning the car from the private driveway and down a small street that led to a cul-de-sac. In minutes, he’d maneuvered his way back up through the neighborhood roads, and to the three-story white concrete high school, where palm trees swayed near the school sign and lush green grass surrounded the building. The parking lot was already filling up with cars as Dallas turned in. He parked and helped out Teri and her stylists from the bed of the truck.
Jesse and Allie walked to the main building of the high school, where teachers were already showing individuals into the gym. Inside, Allie saw the bleachers thick with people. The buzz of conversation among families and friends was loud in the enclosed space.
Dallas glanced to the corner, where dozens of small children sat cross-legged listening to a book being read by a teacher. He looked for Kayla’s familiar blond curls and found them. She sat snugly between two other kids in the second row, her face angelic as always, green eyes intent on the teacher with the book.
Thank God, he thought as he felt relief pour over him. He wanted to run over and hug her, but as soon as he took a step in her direction, he saw Jennifer rushing to her. Jennifer swept the girl into her arms and hugged her hard, tears of relief in her eyes. He couldn’t go over now. Not with Jennifer there.
Kayla would be safe with her mother, but somehow, that knowledge didn’t do anything to soothe the ache in his heart.
But he didn’t have time to dwell on it as friends found them in the crowd.
“Thank God, you’re okay!” This was Minnie, who collided into Allie and gave her a huge hug. “I thought your car was in the shop today?” Minnie asked Teri as she threw her arms around Teri, too.
“Dallas drove us,” Teri explained. “He saved us.”
“You’d do the same for me,” Dallas said, knowing she wasn’t his biggest fan. He didn’t blame her for believing the rumors Jennifer spread. Still, he had to laugh to see Teri shift uncomfortably on her feet.
“Told you that you were wrong about him,” Minnie whispered fiercely in Teri’s ear as she gave her friend a hard elbow in the side. “That’ll teach you to bad-mouth my boyfriend,” she whispered when Dallas couldn’t hear. Allie had to laugh.
“We heard on the radio, the first wave just hit, and it’s knocked out half the resorts on the beach,” Minnie exclaimed, pointing to her smartphone, where she was getting a live feed from a local news radio station.
“Whoa,” Teri said. “I never thought it would happen on this side of the island.”
“Everyone is saying this is something nobody predicted,” Minnie said. “The first wave was insane, but it’s not over.”
“What do you mean?” Allie asked, blinking.
“The wave train. Every tsunami has one. Could be as many as six or seven or even more. Could be hours before this is all over.” Minnie pointed to her white earbud in her left ear to show the source of her information.
“The sun will be setting soon,” Dallas added. “So probably no one is going back to their homes tonight. It will be too dangerous in the dark.”
Allie glanced around the filling gym, looking at the families around her huddling together with a look of empathy on her face. “None of these kids will get to go home tonight?” she asked, as she watched a mother hold a fussy baby in h
er arms.
“You mean even if they have a home to go back to,” Teri said, looking grim. The gym looked as if it was reaching capacity, and a few more people tried to squeeze in. The volunteers at the door held up the last family—a daughter and her dad—not letting them inside.
“Dallas,” Allie said, grabbing his arm. “Are they going to turn them away?”
Dallas shook his head. “Not if I can help it,” he said. He found Jesse in the crowd. “Call me as soon as Kai gets here, okay? If there’s not room for him and Aunt Kaimana, you three come to the tree house, understood?”
Jesse nodded. Dallas made a move to go, and Jesse grabbed his arm. “Thank you, Dallas.”
He shrugged off the gratitude. “Anything for you and Kai, you know that. Call me if you need anything.”
Dallas left her with her circle of friends and took Allie by the hand. He saved one last look for Kayla, who was now sitting in her mother’s lap. “We’re going so they can let that dad and his daughter in.”
“Where?” she asked, looking bewildered.
“I have a place.”
* * *
ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, Dallas steered the truck off the main road and into a trail lined with thick green foliage.
“This looks as if we’re going into the jungle,” Allie remarked, as big, flat banana leaves hit her side-view mirror.
“That’s because we are.” Dallas flipped the truck into four-wheel drive as his oversize tires bounced across the unpaved, one-lane road. Leaves and branches smacked the side of his truck. He knew vehicles didn’t go down this path that often, which was why he’d picked it. Dallas glanced at Allie, who wore her flowered sundress over her yellow bikini top. He noticed her bare knee poking out of the skirt’s hem and remembered the smooth feel of her skin when he’d carried her to safety. He still couldn’t believe he’d nearly kissed her. He’d never felt as panicked as he had when he’d seen her struggling in that surf.
He’d first seen her just as she was wading into the water. He’d only happened to be there, kayaking his usual route. He’d watched her firm, toned legs stride into the surf from a distance, and he’d been so busy admiring her assets, it hadn’t registered that she was headed to Break-Neck Point. Damned if that girl hadn’t gone straight for the most treacherous part of the cove, as if she had some kind of homing device for danger.
He’d felt a sharp stab of fear. He knew that beach was every bit as dangerous as the signs said, if not more.
Dallas had sprung into action just in time. Allie had been taking longer and longer to come up for air. He knew it would only be a matter of time before she’d become another statistic.
Even remembering the sight of her flailing there in the water made him sick to his stomach. He glanced over at her, alive and well in his truck, and felt thankful. He was surprised by how strongly he wanted to take care of her and, tsunami or no tsunami, he planned to keep her safe.
He steered the truck into the jungle, large branches flapping against the windshield as he went. Just when it looked as though what little was left of a road would give out, he turned and parked under a huge koa tree. He hopped out of the cab and breathed in the fresh, humid air. Here, surrounded by rain forest, far away from the sight of the ocean, it was easy to forget they were still on an island.
Allie blinked as she glanced around the cleared spot. “Are we camping?” she asked him, confused.
“Sort of,” he said, helping her out of her side. He pointed up to the small, two-story cabin, built about ten feet above the ground, on a wooden deck anchored in the branches of the trees.
“Welcome to the tree house.” He grinned and grabbed a bag from the back of his pickup. She stood, holding the door frame of the vehicle, glancing up, speechless.
“Need help?” Dallas offered his arm, but Allie shook her head.
“I can make it,” she said, walking over to the narrow staircase gingerly on her bandaged leg. Independent and stubborn, Dallas thought.
“There’s a composting toilet down here and solar panels on the roof for electricity. And, of course, a working shower outside.”
Allie scoffed. “Another outside shower.”
“In the back, down the back staircase, you’ll find a small heated pond, fed by the local stream. Underground lava tunnels keep it balmy, like a hot tub. But the best part of the tree house is that we’re safe from flooding. Nothing will touch us here.”
In the cabin, Allie glanced around the tiny kitchen of just bare essentials: a stove top and a refrigerator and sink. A small table with tool stools made up the dining room, and a ladder led up to a loft, where the foot of a queen-size bed was visible.
“Love nest, huh?” Allie asked, pointing upward.
Dallas just quirked up one eyebrow but said nothing. He hadn’t had a woman here since Jennifer. Just thinking of his ex made his stomach roil. He didn’t need reminding of her betrayal.
“No—a weekend getaway. And a place I rent to tourists. In fact, a honeymooning couple stayed here just last week. They left two days ago. If we’re lucky, they left some things behind.”
Dallas poked his head in the minifridge. “Bingo! There’s some water, cola...”
“Have anything stronger?” Allie asked, slumping down on a stool.
“Tequila?” He held up a half-full bottle of Don Julio Blanco.
“Tequila,” Allie agreed, nodding furiously. Her fingers shook a little before she balled her hand into a stubborn fist. She’d been through a lot. Dallas felt the sudden urge to pull her into her arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. Or kiss her until she started shaking in a whole new way.
No, I promised Kai I’d stay away from her, Dallas thought. And he didn’t make promises lightly. He squashed the temptation to break his promise and poured them both a small shot of tequila.
“The couple who rented this place didn’t leave us any limes. Just salt.”
“Salt it is,” she assured him, and sprinkled some on her hand. She licked the salt off, and took the glass and downed it in one swig. Dallas, impressed, followed suit.
“That’s better,” she said, putting her empty cup on the wooden table.
Out in the distance, they heard the tsunami alarm sound again. They both paused to listen.
“The water can’t reach us up here,” Dallas assured her.
“What about the estate?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Hopefully, it’ll be out of reach. It just depends on how the water hits and where.”
“Oh,” Allie said, and Dallas couldn’t figure out if she was relieved or glad to hear the estate had a chance to miss the waves.
“What about the town? I mean...”
“We won’t know until tomorrow.” Dallas stared at the bottom of his empty cup, rolling around the last drop of tequila left there. “But everyone at the high school should be fine.”
“And Kai?”
“They said he was on his way, so hopefully, he made it.” Dallas glanced at his phone. He only got one bar up here, so he hoped Jesse could call if she needed to. “There were a lot of kids near the coast, and I hope they all made it,” Dallas said, his thoughts flying to Kayla again. He was glad she was safe with Jennifer, but somehow seeing them together had just reminded him of all he’d lost.
Dallas poured himself another glass of tequila. Allie instantly offered up her glass, as well. “I think we’ve also got some snacks. Look! They left a whole bag of chips and some salsa. Guess they didn’t eat much while they were here.”
Allie dug into the chips and took another swig of tequila. She chuckled, amused, and he could almost see her relaxing a little, the warmth of the tequila taking effect. He started to like this new Allie, her hair drying wavy and wild from the surf, her newly tanned shoulders emerging from her pink sunburn. “How did you find this place?” Allie gestured with her cup of tequila.
“I built it, actually,” he said. It had taken him nearly a year to construct the tree house, and he’d shaped and hon
ed every piece by hand. “It’s made of one hundred percent koa wood.” He tapped his foot against the smooth and richly colored wooden floorboards.
“You built this? Seriously?” Allie glanced around the small but sturdy house in awe. “I’m impressed.”
“You should be,” Dallas deadpanned, which made Allie laugh again. “At first, I was going to live here, but the commute was too far to the plantation. So when I was done, I just started renting it to visitors, and you’d be surprised how many come.”
Another distant siren blast reached them.
Allie sobered. “Do you think it’s bad down there?”
“One way to find out.” Dallas dug around in a cabinet near the sink and found a radio. He clicked it on and turned it to an AM station. They were met with hefty static, until he found one weak station bleeding through the interference.
“Once again, if you’re just joining us, an earthquake struck just off the coast of Kona, registering as a 5.1 on the Richter scale, nearly unprecedented for that area. The first tsunami came ashore just minutes ago, wiping out many of the tourist spots and hotels along the coast, which are now underwater. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people are still unaccounted for at this time. Residents had less than fifteen minutes to get to higher ground before the first wave struck, and many did not make it...”
Allie grew pale. “If we hadn’t left when we did...”
“No use in getting yourself turned around with what-ifs. We made it. And so did Teri and Jesse and the others.”
“But if you hadn’t been there... I would’ve...” Allie drifted off. Her brown eyes, big and luminous, studied him. “You saved me. Twice.”
“Anybody would’ve done it.”
“No, they wouldn’t. Thank you, Dallas.” Allie put her hand over his on the table. He felt electric sparks from where she touched him, sparks that pinged all the way up his spinal cord and straight to his brain.
“I’m lucky you were even there.” A small line appeared in Allie’s forehead as she thought this through. “And after I turned away the coffee roaster, after I accused you of...”
Her Hawaiian Homecoming (Mills & Boon Superromance) Page 12