Chapter 29
Kori
I watch Kane’s face as Rory’s words register. A ranch outside Calgary? I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t that.
“A ranch?” Kane repeats, his voice hollow with disbelief. “They are hanging out on a ranch in Alberta?”
I squeeze his hand, feeling the tension vibrating through him. “At least we know where they are now,” I offer gently.
Marie nods, her weathered face creasing into a sympathetic smile. “Tomas always loved horses. Said they were the only creatures who never asked questions or expected explanations.”
Kane runs his free hand through his hair, that familiar gesture of frustration I’ve come to recognize. “So, what now? We all fly to Calgary and show up at this ranch like it’s some kind of family reunion?”
“That seems to be what dad wants,” Declan says, studying the letter again. “The date he’s given is next Friday. That gives us just over a week to get there.”
I feel a strange hollowness open in my chest—a week. In a week, Kane will be reunited with his sister and father in Canada. And where will I be? The question hangs in my mind, unexpected and unwelcome.
“I need some air,” Kane mutters, releasing my hand and heading for the door.
I watch Kane disappear through the door, his broad shoulders tight with tension. Part of me wants to follow him, but I sense he needs a moment alone to process. Finding out your long-lost sister and father are casually hanging out on a ranch in Alberta would throw anyone off balance.
“Is he always like this?” Marie asks, looking concerned.
“Only when his entire life gets turned upside down,” I reply, trying to keep my voice light. “Which seems to happen a lot lately.”
Declan folds the letter carefully, tucking it into his jacket pocket. His eyes meet mine, and I’m surprised by the understanding I see there.
“You should go check on him,” he says quietly.
I nod, grateful for the permission, though I didn’t need it. As I step outside, the cool mountain air fills my lungs. Kane stands at the edge of the small clearing, his back to the cabin, staring out at the endless green hills.
“Hey,” I say, approaching slowly. “You okay?”
He doesn’t turn around. “A fucking ranch in Alberta. All this drama, all these clues and treasure hunts, and they’re just... living their best lives with some horses.”
I stand beside him, not touching, just being present. “It is pretty anticlimactic.”
He snorts, a harsh sound that’s not quite a laugh. “Understatement of the century.” He kicks at a stone, sending it skittering across the ground. “What the hell am I even doing here, Kori? Chasing after a father who never wanted me? A sister who probably doesn’t give a shit?”
“You don’t know that,” I say gently. “Maybe they’ve been waiting for you all along.”
“Then why the games?” he demands, finally turning to look at me. His eyes are stormy with emotion. “Why not just pick up a fucking phone?”
I don’t have a good answer for that. “I don’t know. But we’re here now. We have the information. What do you want to do with it?”
Kane runs a hand over his face, his stubble rasping against his palm. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” He looks out at the mountains again. “Part of me wants to say fuck it all, walk away, go back to my life in Toronto.”
“And the other part?” I prompt when he falls silent.
“The other part wants answers. Needs them.” He glances at me, vulnerability flashing across his face before he shutters it away. “What would you do?”
I consider this carefully, knowing my answer matters. “I’d go,” I say finally. “Even if just to say all the things I’ve been holding inside. Even if it were only to close that chapter properly.”
He nods slowly, digesting this. “And what about you? Would you come with me?”
The question catches me off guard, though maybe it shouldn’t have. We’ve been in this together from the beginning—from that first meeting on the plane to this moment in the mountains.
“To Alberta?” I ask, buying time as my thoughts race.
“Yeah.” His voice is gruff, but there’s something beneath it—uncertainty, maybe even fear. “I know you have your own life to get back to, your own shit to deal with. But...”
“But?” I encourage him when he trails off.
“But I don’t want to do this without you,” he admits, the words coming out in a rush. “You’re the only thing that’s made any sense in this whole mess.”
My heart thuds painfully against my ribs. What he’s asking—it’s not just about a trip to Alberta. It’s about something more, something neither of us has been ready to name.
“My life in Toronto isn’t exactly calling me back with open arms,” I say carefully. “Mark, Lana, the divorce... none of it’s going anywhere.”
“So that’s a yes?” A hint of hope creeps into his voice.
“It’s a ‘let me think about it’,” I replied honestly. “This isn’t just about a trip, Kane. It’s about what happens after. Where do we go from here? What are we doing?”
He steps closer, his hands finding my waist with a sureness that makes my breath catch. “I don’t have all the answers, Kori. But I know I want you in my life. However, that looks.”
“We barely know each other,” I remind him, though my hands have already betrayed me by settling on his chest.
“Bullshit,” he says, his voice rough with conviction. “I’ve spent more honest moments with you in the past week than I have with anyone in years. You know the real me—not the mask I wear for everyone else.”
I can’t argue with that. Despite the shortness of our acquaintance, I do know him—his strengths and vulnerabilities, his humor and his pain. And he knows me too, in ways Mark never bothered to learn.
“One day at a time?” I suggest, feeling my resolve weaken.
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth—that crooked, genuine smile that makes my heart flip. “One day at a time,” he agrees. “Starting with Alberta.”
“I didn’t say I was going yet,” I protest, but there’s no conviction in my voice.
“But you will,” he says, suddenly confident. “Because you want answers as much as I do.”
“What answers could I possibly find in Alberta?”
His gaze softens as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Maybe not answers. Maybe just possibilities.”
The word hangs between us, full of promise and uncertainty. Possibilities. A new path, uncharted and scary but potentially wonderful.
“Kane! Kori!” Declan’s voice breaks the moment. “We need to head back before we lose the light.”
Kane sighs, his forehead briefly touching mine. “To be continued,” he murmurs.
As we walk back to the cabin, his hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining naturally. I’m still not sure what I’ll decide about Alberta, about us, about any of it. But for now, this connection is enough.
The others are already packing up when we return. Marie stands in the doorway, a small package wrapped in brown paper clutched in her hands.
“Before you go,” she says, approaching Kane. “Ella wanted you to have this. If you came looking.”
Kane takes the package with trembling hands. “What is it?”
“Open it when you’re ready,” Marie says cryptically. “She’ll explain the rest when you see her.”
The drive back to the car park is quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts. The sun has begun its descent, casting long shadows across the mountain trail. By the time we reach the cars, twilight has settled over the landscape, turning everything soft and blue.
“We should get back to Wavecrest,” Declan says, taking charge as usual. “Make plans for Alberta.”
“I’ll ride with Kane this time,” I say, not ready to be separated from him just yet.
As we drive through the gathering darkness, Kane’s package sits between us on the console, unopened. He glances at it occasionally but makes no move to unwrap it.
“Not curious?” I ask.
“Terrified,” he admits with a wry smile. “What if it’s something I don’t want to see?”
“Like what? Her collection of creepy dolls? Proof she’s actually an alien?”
He laughs, the sound filling the car with warmth. “You have a weird imagination, Airplane Girl.”
“Just trying to prepare you for all possibilities,” I tease, glad to see some of the tension leave his shoulders.
“Speaking of possibilities,” he says, his tone shifting to something more serious. “About Alberta...”
“Let’s talk about it when we get back to Wavecrest,” I suggest. “When we’ve both had time to think.”
He nods, accepting this. “Fair enough.”
As the lights of Wavecrest come into view, I find myself wondering what I’m going to do. Stay in Ireland? Return to Toronto? Follow Kane to Alberta? Each option feels like stepping into a different life, a different future.
For now, though, I’m content to be here, in this moment, with this complicated man who’s somehow become essential to me in the span of a week. Whatever comes next, at least I’m facing it with my eyes open.