A flash of hope ran through those green eyes of his, and he smiled. “Tonight it is.”
We walked out hand in hand, and he waved at the kids as we took off down the driveway. They might be two minutes late. Okay, three.
I parked the car as kids from the second grade filed onto the buses. “Okay, let’s find Mrs. Rivera,” I told the kids as we crossed into the crowd.
“I see her!” Maisie said, pointing ahead.
“I’m so sorry we were running late,” I told her.
She smiled, the corners of her brown eyes crinkling. “That’s okay, you made it just in time. Colt, Maisie, why don’t you head into the bus with your class?”
“Bye, Mom!” Maisie said, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek.
“You coming, Colt?” Emma asked from the bus window above us.
“Yep!” he answered. That crush was still going strong, but she really was the sweetest little girl. Colt hugged my waist, and I kissed the top of his head.
“Have fun, and grab me a red leaf if you see one. The gold ones are everywhere, but the red ones are rare around here.”
“You got it!” He waved and ran off, taking Maisie’s hand as they climbed onto the bus.
I headed back to Solitude and got to work.
We had two weddings this month, and all the cabins were booked. The three we’d had built over the summer were nearly finished, if they could just get those hardwood floors stained.
The hours passed in a flurry of bookwork and guest relations until I realized it was almost lunchtime.
“Hey, was that Beckett’s truck I saw coming from your way this morning?” Hailey asked, popping her head into my office.
“Maybe,” I said without looking up.
“It’s about damn time.”
“It’s none of your business,” I told her, putting down my pen and looking up. I hadn’t even told Beckett how I felt, and he deserved to hear it first.
“It should be. That man loves you, and yeah, I know he messed up pretty badly, but he’s also darn near perfect. You know that, right? Because I’m out there in the dating pool, and if I had someone like Beckett that devoted to me and my kids, I’d be locking that down.”
“I get the point.”
“Okay, because he’s gorgeous. I’ve seen the abs while he was jogging, and if your washer breaks, you have a great alternative.”
“He has two washer-dryer sets at his house. I’ll be fine,” I joked.
“And he built you a house! I mean, is it the sex? Is it bad?” She leaned against my doorframe.
“I don’t think Beckett knows the definition of bad sex.” Which he’d proved again last night. Over and over. Even when we were frenzied and fast, our chemistry was enough to push me over the edge. The man sent me into a lust-crazed tizzy by simply existing.
“Seriously. Lock it down.”
“Ella,” Ada said from the doorway.
“Not you, too.” I rolled my eyes as she walked in, Larry on her heels. “Look, yes, Beckett spent the night last night. And yeah, he’s…Beckett—”
“Ella!” Ada yelled.
“Whoa. What’s up?”
Larry yanked off his ball cap and ran his hand over his thick, silver hair. “I was listening to the scanner out in the barn.”
“Okay?” The stricken looks on their faces finally registered. “Guys, what is it?”
“Search and rescue call. They called in Telluride, not just the county.” The two exchanged a look that dropped my stomach.
“Beckett? Is he okay?” He had to be okay. I loved him. I hadn’t decided what to do about him, but I knew I couldn’t live without him.
Larry nodded. “Beckett was called in. Ella, the call was from the Wasatch trail.”
My stomach hit the floor.
“The kids.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Beckett
Rotors spun above me in a familiar rhythm as the ground fell away. Havoc sat next to me, her ears back. She could handle helicopter rides, but she still wasn’t a fan. I snapped my helmet and turned on the radio.
“Okay, we’re in. What’s the emergency?” We’d been outside, running a few drills, when the call came in. I heard Wasatch trail, and that was it, and I wasn’t familiar enough with every hiking trail in the county to remember which one that was.
I’d grabbed my gear, thrown in Havoc’s rappelling harness, and taken off at a dead run while they ran the helo up for launch.
“They’ve got a kid off the grid,” Jenkins, the resident medic said through the comms.
“Lost?” A chill ran down my spine. Where were the kids today? Ella had signed that permission slip, and I hadn’t asked.
“Yep. That’s all we know. Report came in about ten minutes ago, said kid went missing.”
I nodded and looked out the open doors as we passed over Bridal Veil Falls and headed up the pass. Absentmindedly, I stroked Havoc’s head as we crept up the mountain.
“I think we can put down right there,” the pilot said, and I looked over to see where he was indicating.
The small clearing intersected with the trail, which looked wide and well-traveled.
“Once we’re on the ground, you two do your thing,” Chief Nelson ordered from the bench next to Jenkins. “County is involved, but they know you’re coming, since their dog can’t ever find shit.”
“Got it.”
A kid. My blood started pumping furiously through my veins, just like it did before every mission I’d ever taken part in. This was that same adrenaline but a hell of a lot more scary.
“How much time went by before the kid was reported missing?”
“They don’t know. Witness is in shock. If the kid slipped off the trail, it’s pretty densely wooded after the cliff.”
Holy shit.
“The kid could have fallen off a cliff?” I scanned the terrain, but we were too close to landing to get the full picture.
“Sounds like it. Wouldn’t surprise me if this turns into a recovery effort.”
My jaw locked. Not on my watch. I wasn’t losing a kid to a freaking hike in Colorado.
“We’ll wait here. Let us know what you need,” the pilot called out as we unhooked and ditched our helmets.
I gave him the thumbs-up when he looked over his shoulder, then took hold of Havoc’s leash, giving her the hand signal that it was time to go. She stayed at my side as I jumped the few feet to the ground and headed toward the team from County.
“The site is about a quarter mile up this trail,” their chief said from the center of the circle. “Teachers and some of the students are still there, so be sensitive.”
Teachers. Students.
I didn’t wait for the rest of the brief, just broke into a dead run up the trail, Havoc perfectly paced with me. It was rocky and even on the path, but the drop-off to the south was anything but friendly. That was rough and rugged, but not too dramatic. Until the face became sheer. This was the cliff.
Shit, there was no way a kid was living through that kind of fall.
I increased my pace, nearly sprinting up the rest of the trail, passing a few uniforms from the sheriff’s department until I rounded the corner.
Then I stopped so fast I skidded a little on the rocks.
Mrs. Rivera stood, shaking her head as she talked to a uniform. She was trembling, tears streaming down her face.
“Mrs. Rivera?” I called out, making myself move forward.
“Mr. Gentry, oh God.” She covered her mouth.
“Where are my kids?” I tried to keep my voice level, but it came out as a strangled bellow.
She glanced over her shoulder, and I bypassed her, looking for the small group of students who sat against the mountain, their lunch bags still out, all startlingly quiet. My eyes raked over the fifty or so of them until—
“Beckett!” Maisie cried, her little body emerging from the crowd. She ran full throttle at me, and I caught her, hugging her tight. She sobbed into my neck, her frame shaking with each cry.
One down. I gulped a breath and let myself feel her heart beat as my hand steadied her back. She was okay. She was here.
“It’s okay, Maisie-girl. I’ve got you,” I said as I looked past her, still scanning the group.
Where the hell was Colt?