CHAPTER 49
Evander
The rumble of the helicopter grows louder. Any moment now Declan will be able to hover above us and lower the load line and evac harness.
“I’m sending you up first. I’ll go second.”
“No!” Phoebe’s chin trembles and she shakes her head.
As the Bell Long Ranger approaches, it lifts snow off the ground and whips it around. Phoebe and I are wrapped in a whirlwind. Her hair goes flying.
I peer through the snow to see Declan bring the helicopter into position directly over our ‘X’, about thirty feet above the ground.
The helicopter’s door slides open and a geared-up Special K looks down at me through his goggles. I give him the thumbs up. He lowers the line.
I have to yell over the roar of the rotors. “I will make sure you’re locked in and safe! It’s a very short trip!”
“No! I don’t want to go by myself! I won’t! I’m not going without you!”
I nod, seeing just how terrified she is. “Okay,” I yell. “We’ll make it work.”
I don’t have any concern about the weight—this machine is powerful enough to lift a ton and the line and harness are designed to haul a lot more than Phoebe and me.
I’ll improvise. Why not? It’s all I’ve been doing the last four days. I smile at Phoebe and lean down to rest my forehead against hers. I give her a gentle kiss.
“I got you, Phoebs.”
“You have me, and I have you and I’m not going without you!”
The neon purple nylon harness drops. I remove the attached helmet and help Phoebe step into the leg loops. Then I position the chest harness and pull it, leaving a bit of slack. Next, I double-check every buckle and connector and slip the helmet on her head, then snap it tight,
I stand in front of Phoebe and slip my arms through her chest straps, hold on to the line behind her, and yell for her to wrap her legs around my waist. She does.
I glance up at Special K, who’s shrugging with his arms stretched out from his sides, mouth open. It’s the universal sign for “are you fucking crazy?” I guess I am.
I give K a thumbs up and we’re off the ground.
I feel Phoebe’s heart pound. Her eyes are squeezed shut. And yes, we’re swinging and spinning a bit more than I’d like in a swirl of snow, but in about sixty seconds, we’re hauled up, pulled over the ledge, and dumped to the helicopter floor. It isn’t the most graceful dismount, but we’re in.
Special K slams the door shut behind us.
I help Phoebe out of the harness and helmet and get her buckled into her seat. Then I position her headset, take my seat, and slip on my headset.
She’s panting. Her eyes are huge. But she’s okay.
I smile at her.
She manages to smile back. That’s when I notice she has a wide charcoal smudge across one of her cheeks.
Phoebe is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Only then do I notice Special K. His face is frozen in shock and his eyes are bugging out. He’s shaking his head.
“What?”
“Any emergency medical situations?”
“No, but we both need to be checked out.”
“Roger that. Hospital, then.” He keeps staring at me.
“What is it, Kevin?”
“Nuthin’. You smell like a Moroccan hookah bar.”
At that moment, Declan is kind enough to pipe in some music to keep us entertained on our short flight. It’s the rhythm section opening from Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.”
“Hilarious,” I mutter.
I tell Declan to cut the tunes and use the heli’s satellite phone to patch into the Travis Ranch landline. Phoebe gives him the number through her mic.
To give her some privacy, K and I remove our headset for the duration of her call.
Tears glisten in her eyes as she speaks to her mom.
“I’m fine! I’m totally fine! I’m headed to the hospital just as a precaution. No, Mama, please don’t cry. Please. Tell Daddy I’m perfectly fine. I know, know. It’s crazy. Yes! I’m in the MacLaine helicopter.”
She glances at me. “It’s kind of a long story, so I’ll tell you all later. But listen, Declan’s dropping us at the hospital and… no, absolutely nothing serious. I have a minor cut and Evander… uh, yes… that Evander.”
She wags an eyebrow at me.
“He has a burn on his forearm. Yes, yes. So you’ll need to get the boys to plow a spot for the helicopter to land and Declan will pick you up and get you to the hospital.
I don’t know. Hold on… oh… thank you, Declan!
Two hours then. You and two to three more people.
Did you hear that, Mama? It’s all the helicopter can carry. ”
Phoebe shoots me a huge smile before she resumes her conversation. But not a second later, her smile evaporates. I watch her spine straighten and all the light leave her face. “Whaaaaat?”
Her eyes flash to me. “Oh holy shit, no.”
She doesn’t even say “pardon my French,” so it must be bad. I touch her knee. “Is your dad—?”
She shakes her head and mouths that he’s fine.
I shrug. “Then what?”
“When? Okay, okay. And he’s been staying—?” Phoebe’s eyes squint like she’s in pain.
“They are? Okay…” She groans. “But they have to plow first so Declan can land. If you think it’s safe. Yes. I know, I know. Mama, listen, I’m totally fine and I’ll see you at the hospital. I love you. Bye.”
She ends the call and stares at me, as if she’s paralyzed.
Special K lifts his chin toward the cockpit and goes to sit next to Declan.
I gesture for Phoebe to take off her headset, lean forward, and grab her hands. “What is it?”
“It’s more of a who. Rick’s with my family at the ranch.”
I lean back a bit. She’s talking about her ex. That Rick.
“I’d invited him to visit over Christmas. When we broke up, I never specifically told him not to come… anyway, my mom says he rolled in right when the blizzard started, and he’s been hanging out with my family ever since.”
“Cozy.”
She shakes her head. “Rick will be meeting us at the hospital.”
“Great.” My entire body feels like it’s about to spontaneously combust. I don’t do jealousy. Jealousy has never been part of my nature. I’ve always believed that if a woman chooses someone else over me, then good for her.
“Evander, I didn’t know.”
“It’s cool. No worries.”
K comes back and gestures for us to put on our headsets, telling us that we’ll be landing soon.
The next few minutes are awkward. Phoebe and I stare out opposite sides of the helicopter. But I don’t get time to think about why I’m so bothered by Rick’s sudden entrance. Because for the first time, I’m getting a good look at what this storm has done to the land.
“Eight feet in seventy-two hours,” K says.
I suddenly have a horrible thought. “How many head of cattle did we lose?”
“No way to know yet. Definitely some of the young ones.”
From the cockpit, Declan says, “We were all out there doing our best to either get them back to barns or create windbreaks and shelters where we could, for as long as we could.”
Shit.
“This is going to be hard on a lot of ranchers,” Phoebe says, hugging herself. “And four of my brothers have decided to take snowmobiles to the hospital in this mess. They’re crazy.”
I don’t miss the look K gives me.
So it’ll be the Travassholes and the ex-boyfriend, then.
That’s one hell of a welcome committee.