Chapter 3
NATE
Bailey is shivering again as we trudge toward the clearing at the top of the hill. There are no more sticks. No markers of any kind. We search in a methodical circle, covering as much area as possible, while I make sure that Bailey stays in sight of me at all times.
I already feel more protective of her than I ever have of anyone else.
"Jaaa-cob!" She hollers so loud, I'm afraid she's going to hurt her throat. "Cooo-dy! It's Bailey! You guys want ice cream for dinner?"
Nothing.
Real worry is starting to set in, not just in my guts but in Bailey's lovely eyes as she comes over. "How long has it been?” she asks. “You said at some point we could call in more help, right?"
"Right."
I send a couple of texts. "Looks like a rescue chopper, ATVs, and the phone tree to get the whole town searching are all on standby.
" My hand reaches out to take hers. "There are no streams or rivers nearby they could have fallen into.
Ingrid has already searched the hot springs.
No dangerous wild animals this close to town.
We saw their markers, so we know they're around here.
Do you want me to call in the big guns now, or give it ten more minutes? "
When the wind shifts we can hear some of the other men calling out. She stares into the middle distance for a moment. "I think…ten more minutes. Sounds good?"
"Sounds great." I set a timer on my phone and show her. "We're going to spiral out from this point. Stay where I can hear you. Walk carefully, the ground’s uneven. Got it?"
"Yes." Bailey squeezes my hand before releasing it. "Thank you, Nate. You're so calm."
Some people have called me cold in the past. I like her wording better. "Let's go."
We begin fanning out, my strides becoming faster. I have no problem calling in reinforcements, but it makes the town nervous, especially the tourists. So I'm hesitant about ringing the emergency bell too soon, if the boys are close.
Bailey's voice keeps calling out several hundred feet to my right. Up ahead, men's voices holler in the distance.
Then I hear a twig snap on my left.
I turn slowly. It could be a squirrel. Or a dead branch falling. Or I might see the sleeve of a blue coat peeking out from behind that huge rock there.
If I yell when I'm this close, the boys might get spooked and run into the darkening forest. So I approach slowly, whistling as if I were just out for a stroll.
"Gosh, I wonder where Bailey's little brothers went," I say just loudly enough to be heard.
"She was so excited to take Jacob and Cody for ice cream, then they disappeared.
Poor thing was so hungry for a hot fudge sundae, but now—"
"We're here!" A little face surrounded by sandy hair peeks out from around the rock. He runs toward me, followed by his twin in a slightly darker coat.
I hold out my fist for a bump. "Hey there. Are you by chance Cody and Jacob?"
"Yes!" they chirp together as they tap my hand.
"Do you want me to take you to your sister?"
"Yes please!"
I scoop each boy up under an arm and set them on my hips as if they were two sacks of potatoes, while they laugh hysterically. I head toward Bailey as fast as I can. At the top of my voice, I bellow, "I’ve got them! They’re fine. I've got them."
Bailey meets me in the middle of the clearing, almost collapsing, unshed tears sparkling in her eyes. I set the boys down so they can run to hug her.
I immediately begin texting, letting the team know the search has been called off. Just as I send the message to cancel the helicopter, my phone timer dings.
A little hand tugs at my pant leg. I look down to see one of the boys smiling up at me. "Hey, mister – did you say you had ice cream?"
"We have to hike back down the hill to get it." I reach down to zip up his coat, then do the same for his brother. "And you two have to promise to walk right in front of us and always stay where we can see you. Okay?"
"Okay!" they say together.
I point them in the right direction, then check my phone to make sure everyone received my all-clear message. Looking over, I see Bailey’s face fall as she checks her phone.
"Are your parents freaking out?" I murmur, not wanting the boys to hear.
"No. They haven't even sent me another message to ask for an update."
Bailey looks up at me in surprise when she hears the grinding noise in my throat. "It's not right that you're a better sister than they are parents."
She nods. "I know. I just don't know what to do about it." She sends a text, getting a reply nearly immediately. "Theo at the lodge says he is delighted the boys have been found. He also says my parents haven't returned from dinner yet.”
We’ve reached the entrance of the trail now. "You say your parents do this all the time?"
"Yes." She sighs. "The boys have been late for school, doctor’s appointments, you name it. They show up without the right school supplies. I have to search their backpacks for a note from the teacher and handle it. Otherwise, things get missed."
"Has anyone other than you, maybe the school, given them hell for this?"
"No." Then she looks up at me, catching my tone. "Are you saying that you could…"
"If you think it's a good idea, and that they would learn a lesson if a stranger told them off." I pause, smirking. "A public place is always best for such a thing, I find."
Bailey grips my arm. "Go for it. Please. It will be the highlight of my month."
I should be focused on the task at hand, not the way my stomach twinges every time she smiles at me or her fingers clutch me.
We drive the boys to The Timberline Tavern, and when I march them in I see a couple in a booth by the window, laughing over drinks.
Normally the crackling fireplace and faint aroma of good bourbon make the place feel like a comfortable second living room, but now I’m so filled with rage it takes considerable effort to keep my expression neutral.
I bend down to whisper to the boys. "Why don't you run and tell your mommy as loudly as you can that you were lost in the forest? It'll make everybody in the restaurant laugh."
I stand up again. Bailey puts her hand over her mouth, holding back a giggle. "Do it," she whispers, her eyes bright.
My job is to take care of the forest. Wrangle the tourists.
Keep visitors and the environment safe. It is not my place to tell off a couple of flaky deadbeat parents.
However, if these morons are going to put their children in danger and then guilt trip Bailey about it, they need somebody to put a foot up their ass.
The boys’ voices slice through all other conversation in the room, making everyone stop and stare.
"Mommy, we were lost!"
"We were in the middle of the forest all alone!"
"We got to see the sunset again, and then we got to stomp around the trees, and then we got to hide by the rocks, but we didn’t know where we were."
"They were gonna send a helicopter and everything! But then the nice man found us.”
“And he said you were going to give us ice cream so can we have it now please?"
I walk slowly toward the corner booth. Between my jacket with my name and Ranger embroidered on it, the walkie in my pocket and my stance, I’m clearly an authority figure.
"There was an entire team of people out searching for your children." My voice is always deep, but now it scrapes out in such a booming bass even the kitchen staff can hear.
"We had a helicopter, ATVs, and half the town on standby. You abandoned your boys to go have dinner. Nobody was supervising them. They were officially missing. And now here you are, what? Drinking?"
Their faces turn ashen as the entire room turns to stare at them. Hard.
Kaitlyn opens her mouth to speak, but I hold up a hand, stopping her. "And don't you dare say that your daughter was babysitting them. She was studying in another room and had no idea what was going on. You simply grabbed your purse and strolled out the door. What kind of mother are you?"
Her bottom lip wobbles. Jeremy's arm wraps around her protectively, but he can't meet my eyes. They both look shaken, and suitably mortified.
"Now." I glare at them hard. "You will make sure that the boys get dinner and the ice cream they were promised. I'm going to make sure that Bailey eats, because she's been busy parenting your children. You two are obviously incapable."
Jeremy finally meets my eyes, and I hope my glare bruises his soul. "Do better," I growl.
In a blink, my expression changes as I smile down at the kids. "Fist bump me if you promise not to go into the forest again without an adult."
Two fist bumps later I turn, taking Bailey's elbow to lead her outside. She's silent until we get around the corner away from the windows. Then she leans against a wall, trembling.
Shit. "I'm so sorry, Bailey, I didn’t mean to upset you. Was that too much? I swear, I wanted to put my fist through your stepfather's head, except the boys were right there. But people like that are just…"
"Complete losers?" She looks up at me with those wide, navy eyes, and I realize her shaking is from laughter, not tears. "Nate, that was priceless. I can't thank you enough."
I realize I'm holding her gently by the elbows, almost hugging her.
"I should be thanking you. You did everything right. You had the description and photos ready to go. You worked outward, starting with the lodge, then calling in more help. Honestly, I never run into people as methodical as you. It’s wonderful. "
She exhales a loud sigh, then holds out her hand, confused to see her fingers quivering.
"You've had a lot of adrenaline running around your system, plus you missed dinner. Let's get you a snack."
I take Bailey to The Switchback Café for a sandwich and a cup of peppermint tea. As soon as Mae hears the missing kids everyone was talking about were her brothers, she presents Bailey with a fresh cinnamon roll, its thick, warm icing dripping down the sides.
“Icing brings down your stress levels, guaranteed,” Mae says with a wink, giving Bailey’s shoulder a motherly squeeze on the way past.
After two bites, her gorgeous eyes are rolling happily. “I love it here. It’s incredible.”
“It’s a great café, isn’t it?”
She smiles. “I mean Hollow Peak. The whole town has such an amazing vibe.”
“Yeah. There were…reasons…that I had to leave Wolfe Mountain. After a huge search, I found this place. It’s just as incredible, without the pressure of my family.”
Bailey looks up to meet my eyes. I nod in a way that says I don’t want to talk about it further. She already has a knack for picking up my cues.
An hour later, we're both discussing which stupid old movies we can't resist watching over and over, and I can’t stop studying every detail of her gorgeous face.
I should not be getting feelings for this woman. Not just because she's too young, too happy and too vibrant to be with a grouchy loner like me. She's just passing through town. Plus, she has her whole life ahead of her. She doesn't need to hitch herself to a forest ranger in a small mountain town.
Yet the more we talk, connecting, touching, growing closer, the more I realize I've never felt this before.
It's not just lust, or infatuation.
Bailey fills me with wonder.
I am not going to let her go.