Their New-Found Family

by Rebecca Winters

  “I was just going to suggest it. While we make cookies, we’ll put our heads together to figure out where he might be.”

  Natalie nodded. “See you later, Mom.” She gave her and Tris a kiss before going in the house with her grandmother.

  Once back in the car Rachel said, “Maybe he went by his old house.”

  “You’re reading my mind. We’ll go there first. Another family is leasing it, but they let him in if he asks.”

  “Does he do it often?”

  “In the beginning. However I don’t believe he’s been there in the last couple of months.”

  He drove the car along the Quai des Fleurs where a lot of private villas, including his deceased brother’s, lined the lake. The drive bordered a flowered, palm-lined promenade with benches for people to take in the majesty of the lake and mountains.

  If things had worked out differently, Montreux would have become Rachel’s home. She would have been the aunt Alain turned to when his world was destroyed. Instead he’d run away from her because she and Natalie were strangers who presented a new threat to his happiness with Tris.

  She waited in the car while he went to the door of the Italianate-styled villa to make inquiries. Beyond the ornamental almond and bay trees, heavy foliage covered the grounds of the estate. It would have represented paradise to any child, particularly one as adventurous as Alain.

  “No one including the gardener has seen him,” he said after getting back inside. “They’ll keep an eye out and call me if he should show up.” He hit his fist against the steering wheel. “Where would he go? None of his friends have seen him.”

  She bit her lip. “Could he have gone to your office to talk to your assistant? I don’t remember his name.”

  Tris’s head swiveled around in stunned surprise. His dark eyes enveloped her. “You mean Guy? I would never have thought of him.”

  “I only bring him up because it’s apparent Alain regrets ever discovering the letter I wrote you. Since he asked Guy to help him get my parents’ phone number, I was thinking Alain might have turned to him.”

  Tris sucked in his breath. “I pray to God you’re right.” In the next instant he was on the phone to the man who kept the Monbrisson empire running smoothly while Tris was on vacation.

  Rachel could only follow small portions of the French conversation. As they talked she found her mind dwelling on Alain’s parents who’d once lived here. It was such a terrible tragedy to happen to a family.

  Tris eventually clicked off, bringing her back to the present. When she looked at him, he shook his head. “Nothing. But Guy will alert everyone concerned to be on the lookout for him.”

  Alain had to be somewhere, her heart cried. “When I miss my father, I go to his grave to feel closer to him. Where’s your brother buried?”

  Again it seemed she’d surprised him. “The Montreux-Clarens communal cemetery. Alain could have taken the bus there. It’s worth investigating.”

  He started up the engine and they drove away from the estate. Tris followed the signs to Vevey, a nearby town. Before they reached it, they came to the beautifully manicured resting spot dotted with markers and tombs. He pulled to a stop beneath a huge chestnut tree.

  “Their headstone is right over there. The tall white one.”

  Rachel’s eyes picked out the gleaming monument at once. Except for an old man walking with a cane, she didn’t see another soul. If Alain had already been here, there was no way to tell.

  Compelled by the need to pay her respects, Rachel got out of the car and walked toward it. She studied the epitaph.

  Bernard and Francoise—In Loving Memory

  Tris caught up to her. She glanced at him. The grief she saw written on his unforgettable face prompted her to comfort him. Without conscious thought she reached for his hand.

  He gripped hers so hard, he couldn’t possibly have known his own strength. She didn’t mind. He could crush it if he wanted to, anything to help alleviate his pain. But Rachel recognized the only way to do that was to find Alain.

  “Tris? What did Alain enjoy doing the most with his parents?”

  “Besides skiing in winter, probably hiking to a favorite spot to camp and fish.”

  “Where would that be?”

  His chest heaved. “There’s a forest about an hour’s hike from the chalet. The three of them would erect a tent by the stream and cook out.”

  “When you checked the equipment room this morning, did you notice if any camping gear was missing?”

  She heard a rush of air escape his lungs. “Alain keeps his pack and bedroll in his own closet. We’ll go back to the house and check.”

  He started for the car, seemingly unaware he was still gripping her hand. Rachel understood the fear driving him. She had to run to keep up with his long strides.

  Once he’d helped her in the car, they retraced the route to Caux in record time. As they entered the foyer of the chalet, Simone appeared. Her anxious expression dealt them another blow, making any questions about Alain’s whereabouts unnecessary.

  Tris took the stairs three at a time. Rachel trailed him to Alain’s bedroom. He opened the door of the walk-in closet.

  “His gear’s missing.”

  Encouraged by that announcement, she turned to go to her room and change into clothes more suited for hiking. But when she caught sight of a familiar, well-worn green backpack hanging from the closet door hook, she paused, unable to stop herself from reaching out to touch the tags.

  Tris had collected them from the various Swiss cantons where he’d played hockey. She had perfect recall of everything they’d talked about on the ship. Even after all these years, she still reeled from the flood of intimate memories assailing her. For a moment her eyes closed tightly in reaction.

  At first she confused the warmth invading her body with those associations. Then she heard Tris murmur something unintelligible and realized it was his hands she felt gently touching her shoulders. The lower portion of his face was buried in her hair. “Are you all right?”

  “I was just surprised to see it,” her voice trembled.

  Though he didn’t know it, they’d stood like this before with his chest against her back. Now, as then, she could feel her heart pounding furiously. Tris couldn’t help but be aware of her heightened emotions.

  “If you want to read the letter you wrote to me, it’s in my room,” he said in a gravelly tone. “After we find Alain, I’ll show it to you.”

  “I-it’s not important,” she stammered incoherently, making a valiant attempt to come to her senses. Another second and she would turn around to cover his mouth with her own.

  Last night when he’d unexpectedly kissed her, she’d almost given in to the pressure of his mouth urging her to respond with more passion. She’d wanted to. He would never know how much! But she hadn’t dared because he’d only been testing her, seeing what it was like to kiss her.

  She knew Tris. He’d wanted to try and recapture the memories because after all, they’d once been lovers even if it had been for a very short period of time.

  But if she were to kiss him now, he would know the depth of her feelings. The boy she’d given her heart and soul to had become a man, one whom she adored in brand new ways. As terrifying as it was to admit to herself, her love for Tris was more profound and intense than before.

  It took every ounce of control to hold back her desire. Feeling slightly feverish, she eased away from him.

  “If we’re going to spend time in the mountains looking for him, I’d better change shoes and grab a pullover. It’s going to rain.”

  On her way out of the room he called to her. “We may have to camp out all night so plan accordingly.”

  All night?

  A shiver raced up her spine before Rachel hurried to the bedroom to get ready. Tris came in a few minutes later with his backpack. He put her extra clothes in with his.

  “I asked Simone to fix us some food. You can carry it in Alain’s spare pack.”

&nbs
p; She bit her lip. “He might not like the fact that I’m using it.”

  “Let me worry about that.” His brusque comment revealed the depth of his concern over his nephew’s disappearance. “I called Natalie and told her we might not be back until tomorrow.”

  Their daughter had been on her mind, too. “Did she sound upset?”

  “Only in the sense that Alain was still missing. She seems perfectly content to remain with my parents.”

  “She’s always been prepared to love you and your family,” Rachel said before realizing she’d touched on the one subject that would keep Tris from forgiving her.

  To her shock he didn’t come back with some wounding retort. Thankful for his silence, she followed him down to the kitchen. He helped her on with the small pack.

  “Thank you,” she said, steeling herself not to react to the contact.

  His fingers still tested the weight of the straps on her shoulders. “Is that comfortable?” He was standing so close, she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck.

  She weaved in place. “I-it’s fine.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  They descended to the storeroom where he expertly tied the tent bag and bedroll to his pack. Once that was accomplished they left the chalet and headed for the forest.

  In a matter of minutes the tiny mountain village of Caux lay behind them. Though it was only midafternoon, the darkening clouds made it seem more like evening.

  With each step Rachel marveled over the scenery. Every so often they came to a clearing in the pines where she could feast her eyes on snow capped peaks towering over green meadows, grazing cows and chalets hugging the hillsides.

  “It’s so beautiful, Tris, but I’m beginning to think we’re not going to find Alain out here.”

  She heard him take a deep breath. “Why do you say that?”

  “I’ve been trying to put myself in his shoes. I’m afraid the memories of being in this paradise with my family would be too painful for me to want to relive.”

  “You may be right,” came the bleak reply, “but I won’t stop looking until I’ve exhausted every possibility.”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “I know what you meant, Rachel.”

  He kept going on those long powerful legs. She struggled to keep up, sensing how desperately he hoped this search wouldn’t be in vain. More than anything Rachel wanted to believe they’d find Alain before the night was out.

  But the deeper they penetrated the forest, the lower her spirits plunged. Regrets about the way she’d handled the past started to creep in worse than before.

  If she’d contacted Tris years ago, none of this would be happening now. Alain and Natalie would have grown up together as cousins. There would have been acceptance.

  Instead the news that Tris had a daughter had been thrust upon Alain without warning. The shock of learning she would be living with him and his uncle was asking too much of a boy still grief stricken over the loss of his parents.

  “What’s wrong, Rachel?” She lifted her head to discover Tris had stopped to drink from his water bottle. He stared at her through dark lashes, scrutinizing her features with disturbing intensity. “Am I hiking too fast for you?”

  “No.”

  “Liar,” he whispered, then handed her the bottle so she could quench her thirst. “Stop blaming yourself for a situation that’s no one’s fault.”

  There was little point in pretending she didn’t know what he was talking about. She gave the bottle back, meeting his gaze head on. “Does this mean you’ve forgiven me a little?”

  “How could I not?” his voice grated. “After the gift your mother gave me, many things have become clear.”

  She blinked. “My mother—what are you talking about?”

  He put the bottle back in his pack, then flicked her a glance. “The pictures of us on the ship. The ones you took, I took, and someone else took of us. Your mother kept them after you threw them out.”

  Rachel gasped in shock.

  “She asked Natalie to give them to me. What I saw helped me see what I couldn’t have understood otherwise. We were very young and reckless, Rachel.

  “When you didn’t hear from me again, you had every right to think I was a guy who’d happened on to a good thing, and made the most of it for the time we were given.

  “It’s no wonder that having ended up an unwed mother, you felt you’d been abandoned by some arrogant hockey jock who’d found an appreciative audience aboard ship.”

  That was exactly how she’d felt.

  “If I’m upset now, it’s because I wasn’t there to help you through your pregnancy. What you experienced without a husband couldn’t have been easy no matter how wonderful your parents were. If anyone’s to blame for this situation, I am.”

  “That’s absurd,” she blurted. “You had a near fatal accident.”

  He shook his head. “When I returned from New Hampshire, I had a long talk with my parents. Once their initial shock subsided, my father chastised me for my anger. He reminded me that if anyone was to blame, I was for sleeping with you before we were married. He was right. But I’m not sorry Natalie was the result.”

  Tris studied her features. “It’s time to put the blame and anger behind us. Life’s too short. I realized that when I discovered Alain missing this morning.”

  Rachel never expected to hear those words from him. Relief swept over her in waves. “We’ll find him. How much farther is it to the camping spot you told me about?”

  “Ten minutes. If we hurry, we’ll beat the rain.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  TRIS could have made it to the stream in five minutes, but because Rachel was along, it took more like fifteen. She felt raindrops and could hear thunder in the distance.

  By the time they reached the camping spot, she was totally disheartened because there was no sign of Alain. They hadn’t even seen another hiker to ask about him.

  “I was hoping he’d be here.”

  “He might be camped further upstream. After the storm passes over, we’ll go look for him.” Tris sounded more in control than she felt.

  In an economy of movement he set up the two man tent. It wasn’t any too soon. As he was driving in the last peg, the deluge began in earnest.

  He relieved her of her pack. “You first.” With Tris’s help lifting the flap, she crawled inside. He followed carrying both packs and a flashlight which he’d turned on. She took the food pack from him while he untied the sleeping bag and rolled it out. There was little room to maneuver.

  Once they could sit on top of it, she pulled out sandwiches and fruit. Simone had provided a thermos of coffee which was still hot. Rachel poured some into the cup and handed it to him.

  His food disappeared fast. So did hers. Not having eaten breakfast, she was starving.

  The coffee tasted good. For dessert she bit into a ripe plum. It was sweet and juicy. Tris put out a finger to catch the juice dripping off her chin. As he raised it to his lips, their eyes met.

  “What is it?” he asked in his low, vibrant voice.

  “Nothing.” She looked away quickly.

  “I don’t buy that. Something’s going on.”

  He wouldn’t rest until he had an answer.

  “When you did that just now, it reminded me of the first night we had to stay in the cabin because of the hurricane. While the wind was howling outside our port-hole, we sat safe inside on top of the bunk.”

  “Did we face each other like we’re doing now?”

  “Yes. Of course the ship was moving up and down and sideways. We had a struggle not to fall on the floor.”

  “So we held on to each other?” Suddenly he smiled. When Tris did that, she could hardly breathe.

  “Yes. You’d brought us all kinds of goodies to snack on. I remember eating a peach. It was so juicy, you reached out so it wouldn’t drip all over me.”

  “What else did I do?” he asked in a teasing voice before biting into an apple.

&
nbsp; Heat filled her cheeks. “I’m sure your imagination can figure it out. We had about as much room in my cabin as we have in this tent.”

  A crack of thunder resounded unexpectedly. She flinched in surprise. Tris laughed. The sound brought back more memories that made her pulse race.

  “I swear the elements are every bit as fierce as they were then.”

  “Don’t be nervous,” he murmured. “It’s a summer storm and will blow itself out soon.”

  “That’s what you told me on the ship!”

  He cleared up their mess and put the little pack next to the big one against the wall of the tent. “Obviously we survived.”

  Now they were getting on dangerous ground. It was time to change the subject.

  “I don’t like to think of Alain out in this alone.”

  “Relax, Rachel. His father taught him how to take care of himself in the outdoors. He has a pup tent and sleeping bag. I’m convinced he’s around here somewhere.”

  “You honestly believe that?”

  “Yes. He loves these mountains. Thanks to your suggestions, we’ve covered all the other areas where he might have gone.”

  “What if he’s hungry?”

  “He probably took along a stash of protein bars. With those and a stream of water nearby, he can survive for a long time.”

  She shot him a covert glance. “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but I can’t help worrying. He’s only twelve.”

  “It’s hard to believe only seven years separates him from the age I was when I first met you.”

  They were back to that again.

  “I bet every guy at our table hated my guts.”

  “If they did, I was only aware of the English girl sitting next to you. When no amount of flirting on her part could persuade you to spend time with her, I was afraid she was going to come up behind me and push me overboard.”

  “It’s evident I didn’t give her a chance.”

  Rachel was starting to feel warm all over. “No. I’m afraid we pretty well ignored everyone.”

  A chuckle escaped his throat. “I believe in concentrating on one woman at a time.”

  “Have there been many since your recovery?” she asked, not wanting to know, but unable to stand it any longer not knowing. Being with him like this again had made her curiosity insatiable.