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