Hold Me

by Susan Mallery

  “Hey, Kipling.”

  He waved automatically at the woman pushing a stroller who had greeted him. Fool’s Gold was a friendly kind of place. Where neighbors knew each other and tourists were welcomed as much for their presence as the money they brought with them.

  He was used to people he’d never met knowing who he was. That came with the celebrity he had been. Only being in Fool’s Gold was different. More intense, maybe. This town wasn’t just a place. It was a living, breathing essence.

  He shook his head, wondering where all that had come from. He didn’t usually think too much about things. He was a doer, preferring to move than sit still. Which had made his recovery a particular brand of hell. But that was behind him now. Except for the scars, the limp and the dull aches that would be with him always, he was healed. And walking.

  He headed into his offices at the corner of Eighth Street and Frank Lane, right by one of the fire stations and the police station. No one was going to break in, he thought with a grin. Or party too hard in this neighborhood.

  As he unlocked the front door and stepped inside, he reminded himself that years ago he would have chafed at being so close to any kind of authority. That he’d believed that with the ability to fly down a mountain came the right to party as hard as he wanted, and damn the consequences. As long as he beat the clock by even a thousandth of a second, he was a god. At least until the next race.

  But time had a way of maturing people. He’d been dragged kicking and screaming into adulthood, and here he was, running the town’s search and rescue program. Who would have guessed?

  And while his younger self would have mocked authority, even as a kid he’d respected the mountains and those who saved those unfortunate or stupid enough to get themselves lost. He’d been caught in an avalanche once. The local ski patrol had saved his ass.

  He’d always been lucky, he thought. Until last summer when he’d had his crash. He’d known one day his luck would run out, and he accepted that it had. Now he was onto another chapter in his life. He had a problem, and he’d fixed it. That was what he liked to do. And in this job, there was going to be plenty of fixing. Or finding.

  He walked to his desk and turned on his computer. The office was new enough that he could still smell the fresh paint, and the plants that had been delivered as a sort of welcome were still alive. Kipling considered himself more of a people person than a plant person. Eventually, there would be staff, and he could rope one of them into watering and feeding the plants.

  He turned his chair so he could study the huge map that dominated the main wall. It showed the fifty or so square miles around Fool’s Gold. There were vineyards to the west, and the road to Sacramento went south. So his main area of concern was east and north. The rugged mountains of the Sierra Nevada rose up quickly. There were a thousand ways to get lost out there, and he was confident tourists and locals alike would find every one of them.

  He rose and walked closer to the map. The terrain grew rough within just a few miles of town. There were dozens of popular hiking trails and camping spots. Just last year, there’d been a flash flood through a campground. The rushing waters had endangered a group of girls and their leaders. He wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again. That if someone got lost, he or she would be found quickly and safely.

  With the new software program, searching would be easy. He knew there would be a learning curve, but in the end, the effort would be worth it.

  As soon as Mayor Marsha had told him about the new program, he’d started reading up on it. The results were impressive, and he was looking forward to learning the ins and outs of the system.

  And maybe of Destiny Mills, as well, he thought with a grin. She was beautiful. Tall, curvy. A redhead—his personal weakness. There was something about the combination of red hair and pale skin that got his attention. And if she had freckles, all the better. A man could go looking for freckles and not resurface for days.

  She was his type in other ways. Single, according to scuttlebutt, and in town for a limited amount of time. He was a man who enjoyed serial monogamy. Having a predetermined expiration date on a relationship was his idea of perfection. If the lady was interested, he was more than willing. At least in the short-term.

  Every now and then he wondered if he should want more. That forever thing other people seemed to seek. He’d seen love. He even believed in it. But he’d never felt it. Not the romantic kind. Lust, sure. Liking, absolutely. He loved his sister and his country. He would do anything for a friend. But fall crazy, let’s-get-married in love? That hadn’t happened.

  At this point, he figured it wasn’t going to. And he could live with that.

  * * *

  MAYOR MARSHA WAS in her late sixties, with white hair swept up in a loose bun and piercing blue eyes. Her suit was tailored, her pearls luminous, and she had a kind smile that made Destiny feel immediately at home.

  “Welcome to Fool’s Gold,” the mayor said, her voice warm. “It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

  “Likewise.”

  Destiny shook hands the way Grandma Nell had taught her—firmly, while looking the other person in the eye. You’re a human being, not a fish. You should act like it. Because Grandma Nell had advice for every situation. Not all of it was appropriate, or even helpful, but it was nearly always memorable.

  “I’m happy to be here,” Destiny told the mayor. “We’re going to have a good summer getting STORMS in place.”

  “Your boss, David, said I would enjoy working with you, and I can see he was right. I like your attitude,” the mayor told her. The other woman looked past her and nodded. “Here comes the rest of our meeting.”

  Destiny turned and saw Kipling strolling into the mayor’s office. There was no other way to describe the easy way he moved. A neat trick, she thought, taking in the slight limp that no doubt came from the horrific crash he’d survived the previous year. What must he have been like back before the accident?

  If she were someone else, looking for something different, Kipling would be a temptation, she thought. But he wasn’t or she wasn’t. Regardless, he was wrong for her, and she knew better than to start down the wrong path. She’d seen way too many emotional disasters in her life to take the chance. Sometimes you take on the bear and sometimes the bear takes you on. If it’s the latter, then you’d better run like hell.

  Destiny held in a chuckle. Yup, Grandma Nell had always had a practical streak in her. She would take one look at Kipling, push Destiny aside and ask for a little privacy. Then she would have her way with him and toss him aside. Because the relationship drama she’d grown up with hadn’t started with her parents, although they’d been the worst offenders. No, bad marriages and broken hearts went back generations on both sides.

  Kipling hugged the mayor, then kissed her cheek before nodding at Destiny.

  “Good to see you again,” he said.

  “You, too.”

  Mayor Marsha led them to a seating area in the corner of her office. Once they’d claimed their places, she began the meeting.

  “Destiny, the town is thrilled to have you here, helping us launch our HERO program.”

  Destiny nodded even as she glanced at Kipling. She saw him wince, and couldn’t resist pretending she didn’t know what the mayor was talking about.

  “HERO program?”

  “Help Emergency Rescue Operations,” Mayor Marsha told her. “What we’re calling Fool’s Gold’s search and rescue organization. We held a contest, people submitted names. The city council narrowed it down to ten, and then we voted. HERO won.”

  “It’s still a stupid name,” Kipling grumbled.

  Destiny held in a grin. “You don’t like being a hero?”

  “Let’s just say I take a lot of crap about the name.”

  “Challenges build character,” she murmured, thinking he’d probably liked G-Force a whole lot better.

  “Yet another place I’m not lacking.”

  He winked as he spoke, which mad
e her want to laugh. But this was supposed to be a professional setting, so instead she turned her attention back to Mayor Marsha.

  “STORMS will work well for what you have in mind.”

  “I’m counting on it,” the mayor told her. “We were very lucky to get the money we needed. Between our federal and state grants and a very sizable anonymous local donation, we’re fully funded for the next five years. Including your part in this.”

  Impressive, Destiny thought. STORMS didn’t come cheap. With the software itself, the equipment required, the expense of mapping and training a team, the price was over a million dollars. And that didn’t include the cost of running a search and rescue operation.

  “We’ve had excellent success with our software,” she said. “Your terrain is perfectly suited for what we do best.”

  “Excellent. You and Kipling have a plan?”

  Kipling sat as relaxed as he had before. “We’re getting one together. Destiny has to map the area and feed the information into her software. Then we’ll do some beta testing on the program. We’ll make the August first deadline.”

  “Good.” Mayor Marsha nodded at Kipling, then turned back to Destiny. “Do you agree that we’ll meet our deadline?”

  “We’re on schedule to have the program up and running by mid-July. The extra two weeks are a buffer I’m hoping we don’t need.”

  Destiny didn’t like unexpected problems. Part of her job was anticipating issues before they happened. She prided herself on a smooth rollout.

  “And how is Starr settling in to life in Fool’s Gold?”

  The mayor’s shift in topic caught Destiny by surprise. Worse, it took her a second to remember who Starr was and why, for the first time in over a decade, she suddenly had someone other than herself to worry about.

  “She’s, ah, doing okay. I guess. We just got into town yesterday.”

  The mayor nodded knowingly. “Yes, it must be difficult for both of you. She’s your half sister, isn’t she? You have the same father but different mothers?”

  Destiny felt her mouth start to drop open. She consciously kept her lips together as she nodded. “Yes, that’s right,” she said cautiously, not comfortable discussing her family. Because it was so much better when people didn’t know.

  She glanced at Kipling, who looked only mildly interested in their conversation. Did he know who she was? He hadn’t hinted that he did.

  “Fifteen is a difficult age.” Mayor Marsha shook her head. “That’s about when the trouble started with my own daughter. She was a headstrong girl. And that was a very long time ago. As for you and Starr, I hope you’ll consider Fool’s Gold your home as long as you’re here. If you need anything, just let me know. Oh, I have something for you.”

  She walked back to her desk where she picked up a folder. She returned to the sofa and handed it to Destiny.

  “We have a summer camp here. End Zone for Kids. It’s up in the mountains. There are a lot of interesting programs for young people. I think Starr would enjoy the drama classes, along with music, of course. You’re going to be busy, and a fifteen-year-old shouldn’t be left home alone all day.”

  “I, ah, thank you.”

  Destiny didn’t know what else to say. How had the mayor known Starr’s age? Or that she was home alone? Although maybe the latter wasn’t hard to figure out. After all, Destiny wasn’t home with her, and they’d been in town less than two days.

  Guilt followed that realization. Because Starr was by herself. At fifteen she should be fine, but that wasn’t the point.

  “There are charming festivals all summer,” the mayor continued. “I hope you’ll take advantage of them while you’re here. Fool’s Gold is a wonderful place to live.”

  Somehow Destiny found herself outside the office. She didn’t remember walking there or saying goodbye. It was the strangest sensation.

  Kipling stood next to her. He flashed her a grin. “Kind of wondering what just happened?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ll get used to it. Nice idea about the camp for your sister.”

  Destiny nodded. There was no way she was going to explain that until ten days ago, she’d never even met Starr. That between them, her parents had been married twelve or fourteen times, and there were dozens of step-whatevers and a few half siblings floating around the country. No one could keep up with it all, and Destiny had stopped trying years ago.

  She held the folder tightly. “Speaking of my sister, I should probably get home and check on her.”

  “Sure. I’ll catch you later.”

  Right. Work. She forced herself to focus. “We need to talk about the training schedule.”

  “Give me your phone.”

  She handed over her cell. He punched in some numbers, then handed it back to her.

  “Now you can get in touch with me anytime you want.”

  He waved and headed for the stairs. For a second Destiny stared after him. Kipling was a good distraction. But when he disappeared from view, she was left with the reality of a new job, a new town and a sister she barely knew.

  One problem at a time, she told herself firmly. And right now that meant dealing with her family.

  CHAPTER TWO

  DESTINY TRAVELED CONSTANTLY for work. While on assignment, she worked 24/7 until the job was done then had a few weeks off until she had to report to the next location. Except for a beautiful summer in northern Canada, she’d only been sent to clients in the US.

  She was used to not knowing the best places to eat or where to find a good doctor if she needed one. She’d learned to ask questions and shop local. She preferred corporate housing to hotels.

  On her time off, she retreated to her condo in Austin, where she caught up on whatever she’d missed while she’d been gone. Being alone was a natural state for her. One she liked. Sure, her mother visited every three or four months, and there were phone calls from friends or the few of her siblings she’d grown up with, but for the most part, Destiny took care of herself. She didn’t have to worry about someone else’s preferences.

  When people asked if she was ever lonely, she only smiled and shook her head. Grandma Nell had taught her the pleasure of solitude. How with a good book or a guitar, she was never truly by herself. Books and music were constant companions. Better than people, they never argued or demanded. And they were always familiar. Unlike the fifteen-year-old waiting at home.

  Destiny stood in front of the small house she’d rented for the summer. It was older in a charming, lived-in kind of way, with two bedrooms and baths. There was an attached garage and a fenced backyard. The house was comfortable. Huge by her normal corporate housing standards. She would never have rented it for herself, she thought as she walked up the front steps. But this summer was different. This summer she had her half sister with her.

  She opened the front door and walked inside. Starr sat curled up in a corner of the sofa, reading on her tablet. She looked up at Destiny, her green eyes similar to the ones Destiny saw in the mirror every morning, although the wariness was unfamiliar. They’d inherited their eyes and their red hair from their father. But everything else was different.

  Destiny was tall. She’d always felt she was all arms and legs. Starr was shorter and more delicate. Destiny was right-handed, Starr left. Destiny was an early riser, and Starr seemed to be a night owl. But they were sisters, and Destiny knew that trumped any differences.

  Two weeks ago, Destiny had been getting ready for her trip to Fool’s Gold when she’d received a call from her father’s lawyer. The man had been on retainer for as long as Destiny could remember and was responsible for picking up the pieces after each of Jimmy Don’s mishaps. Her father was a legend, and cleaning up after him was a full-time job.

  He’d told Destiny that one of Jimmy Don’s daughters was coming home from boarding school and had nowhere to go. Jimmy Don was out of the country, and the girl’s mother had overdosed the year before. There was no one to take Starr Mills for the summer.

&nbs
p; While keeping up with her father’s women took more time than she had to spare, Destiny remembered the torrid affair and the illegitimate child that resulted. From all she’d heard, Starr was truly alone in the world. Saying no to the implied request hadn’t been an option.

  But although she and Starr were biologically half siblings, in truth they’d never met until ten days ago when Destiny had picked up the teen at the Austin airport. So far all their conversations had been of the superficial “Hi, how are you” variety. Starr was quieter than Destiny had expected. There weren’t a lot of cell calls to friends or frantic texting sessions.

  “Hi,” she said as she closed the front door behind her. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine.” Starr put down her iPad. “I was reading.”

  “Have you been out today?”

  Starr shook her head.

  Destiny might not have a family yet, but she knew that a fifteen-year-old cooped up in a strange house for days at a time wasn’t good. It wouldn’t be good even if the house wasn’t strange. Kids needed to be going and doing. Making friends.

  Destiny let her small backpack fall to the floor, then sat on the chair kitty-corner to the sofa and held out the material Mayor Marsha had given her.

  “I had an interesting meeting this afternoon,” she said, determined not to mention the fact that the mayor had known way more than she should about Destiny’s personal life and her nonexistent relationship with her half sister.

  “It turns out there’s a summer camp in town. Or maybe up in the mountains. I haven’t read all the information yet. But it’s close, and I thought it might be fun for you.”