“Hey, you two. How about some help over here?” Their stepfather, Heath MacLaren, waved as he pulled a couple of coolers out of a shed several yards way.
“We’re on it, Heath,” Eric called as the brothers took off at a jog toward the shed. “About Brooke, I do think someone should head out there to check things out.”
“We’d better talk with Mom, get her thoughts.”
“Talk to me about what?” Annie asked as she walked up and gave Cam a hug.
“Brooke.” Eric pulled the shed door open, grabbed one cooler and handed it to Cam, then pulled out one more. “What’s going on with her?”
“I wish I knew.” Annie shaded her eyes and looked toward the large, outdoor patio where most of the guests would congregate. “She called this morning, apologized for missing her flight and said she’d make it out another time.” Annie dropped her arm to her side. “It’s not like her to miss flights, or…”
“Blow off family,” Cam finished for his mother.
“We think someone should go out there, find out what’s going on. She’s slipping away and we don’t know why.” Eric and Brooke had been close growing up, and that relationship had continued, at least until Perry’s secret affair had become known. Brooke had clammed up, retreated within herself, making time for her studies but little else.
“No one has seen her since Trey and Jesse’s wedding.” Cam dropped the cooler next to the ones outside the back door and turned toward his mother.
“And she seemed distressed the entire time. At first I thought her studies had worn her down. Now, well, I think Brooke hadn’t gotten over Perry leaving her, or his betrayal of having an affair with her senior advisor—a married woman for crying out loud.” Annie found it hard to contain her loathing of Brooke’s former fiancé. “I should have taken the time to pull her aside, find out what was bothering her.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Mom. You were helping Jesse with the wedding, plus planning the reception. All of us could see something was bothering her and no one took the time to push Brooke on it.”
“I’ll talk with Heath and arrange a time to visit her.” Annie heard a car pull up and turned to wave at her brother-in-law, Jace MacLaren, and his wife, Annie’s good friend, Caroline. “Looks like the party’s starting.”
******
“Lainey?”
She recognized the New York accent. “Hello, Frank.”
“Guess the accent gave me away.”
“Does that happen often?” Lainey joked.
“All the time. Anyway, I spoke with your group in Idaho and they couldn’t say enough good things about you. You’ve had quite a number of missions in four years.”
“I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, but yes, I’ve been involved in a lot of call outs.”
“I’ve spoken to our team leader and he’s all for asking you to join us. Congratulations.”
Relief washed over her. “That’s great news. Thanks so much.”
“Be at the SAR headquarters next Wednesday at six o’clock. I’ll look forward to introducing you to your new team.”
“I’ll be there.” Lainey hung up and sat on a nearby chair. She hadn’t realized until that moment how much she’d counted on getting accepted into the local group. She wanted to celebrate, have a drink and toast herself. Unfortunately, she had no one to celebrate with her. Besides, noon on a Wednesday wasn’t the time to pour herself a congratulatory cocktail. Instead, she opted for the gym and another run.
Thirty minutes later, she’d parked her car and started off down the deserted trail. It was a windy day with dark clouds moving in from the southwest and the feel of rain in the air. Even the exertion of running didn’t stop the increasingly cold wind from chilling her skin. She pulled her lightweight jacket from around her waist and slipped in on. It had been about thirty minutes—a good time to turn around and head back.
She stopped at what sounded like crying coming from behind her and up a small hill. Lainey had heard about a mountain lion that wandered the area from a park ranger the previous week. He’d warned her to be cautious.
“Hello! Is someone up there?” She pulled off her sunglasses and scanned the area, seeing nothing. Deciding the wind had caused the noise, she started toward her car. She hadn’t taken four steps when the sound came again, more insistent and urgent this time. Not a mountain lion.
“Hey! Who’s up there?” Lainey started up the hillside, slipping on the damp ground and loose leaves a couple of times before stopping halfway to the top. “Anyone around here?”
That’s when the crying started in earnest.
Lainey twisted from side to side, trying to locate the sound. “Where are you?” she called once, then twice, before she saw it. A small cave several yards away. She dashed to the opening and peered inside. It wasn’t deep, perhaps six feet deep, three feet wide and five feet high. Thank God it wasn’t night or she’d have missed the small form huddled at the back.
“You’re okay, honey. I’m here.” Lainey continued forward at a slow pace, crouching low and whispering to the frightened child. “Are you lost?”
The little girl stared, wide-eyed, her body shaking from what Lainey believed to be both cold and fear.
“I won’t hurt you, sweetheart. Can you tell me your name?” The girl hunkered a little further back, still shaking.
Lainey moved onto her knees in front of the girl and touched her hair. “Are you hurt, honey?” She reached into a pocket and pulled out a crunched, yet still edible, granola bar, tore it open, and held it out.
“Mia.”
Lainey almost missed the soft whisper.
“Mia? Is that your name?”
She shook her head and took a bite of the bar Lainey had provided.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. I’m cold.”
Lainey carefully ran her hands over Mia’s body, finding nothing except a few scrapes and bruising.
“Did you lose your parents?”
Mia shook her head. “I ran away.”
That took Lainey by surprise.
“How old are you, Mia?”
“Five.” Lainey had guessed as much.
“Okay. Let’s get you out of here and into something warm. Then we’ll talk and you can tell me why you ran away. Sound all right?”
She guided the little girl out of the cave, down the hill, and toward her car, watching for any sign of an adult who might be looking for Mia. She saw no one.
Lainey always carried an extra blanket, socks, and dry shoes in her car. Right now, all she needed was the blanket. It wrapped around Mia twice, calming her trembling, as Lainey asked questions, coaxing her to say more about her parents.
“What’s your last name, Mia?”
“Stanton,” Mia mumbled before her eyes shot back to Lainey. “I can to go my Grandma’s. She will let me stay with her.”
“Who is your Grandma?”
“My Grandma Kearney.”
“Do you know her first name?”
Mia shook her head.
“Can you show me where she lives?”
“I don’t how to get there.” Tears began to well in Mia’s eyes and Lainey put an arm around her.
Lainey’s mind raced. “Tell you what. Would you like to meet some nice people who might know how to help you?”
“I just want to see my Grandma.”
“I know, honey. I think my friends can help. Let’s get you into a seat belt and see what we can do.”
It didn’t take Lainey long to get to SAR headquarters. Although her first thought had been the county offices or police, she eliminated those choices, knowing Mia might be placed in some form of child protection program if her parents couldn’t be found right away. She’d check with the people at SAR, most of whom had lived in the area a while. If no one knew the family, Lainey would have no choice but to take her to the county.
Lainey walked around the car and held her arms out to Mia. “Come on, kiddo, let’s go inside and get you some hot chocolate.�
��
“Well, hello, Lainey. Didn’t expect to see you until next Wednesday.” Frank Moretti stood near the wall where he’d been posting updated information on past searches. “And who do you have with you?”
“This is Mia.” She looked down at the little girl who stood ramrod straight against Lainey’s leg. “Mia, this is Mr. Moretti.”
Frank sauntered over and knelt in front of the girl. “Hello, Mia. Glad to meet you. She a relative?”
“No. I was on a run at Golden Lake and found her hiding in a cave.” She glanced down at Mia. “Come on, honey, let’s get that hot chocolate I promised you.” Lainey glanced at Frank. “You do have hot chocolate, right?”
He looked offended, then smiled. “Of course we do. What kind of a rescue center would this be without hot cocoa? Come on.”
While Mia sat drinking the warm liquid, Lainey and Frank stood in the corner, talking in low tones.
“She says she ran away from home. I believe her last name is Stanton. She used to live with her grandma but now lives with her father. She’s five and says her grandma’s last name is Kearney.”
“And you found her off the county road at the lake?”
“Yes, in a cave at the south end.”
Frank scratched his chin. “I can’t think of anyone I know with the last name of Stanton who lives out that way. Darrel Stanton and his wife live on the other side of town, but their kids are older.”
Both turned at the sound of the back door opening.
“Frank,” the man nodded.
“Jake. This is Lainey Devlin, the new volunteer.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Lainey. I’m Jake Renner, the team lead.” He glanced over at the little girl. “She yours?”
Frank jumped in before Lainey could respond. “She found little Mia hiding out by Golden Lake. Told Lainey she’s running away.”
“Mia?” Jake asked, his expression changing from curiosity to disbelief. He walked closer to the child, then sat down. “Hey, Mia. Do you remember me?”
“Uh huh. You’re Mister Jake.”
“That’s right. Do you want to tell me what’s going on? Where’s your Grandma?”
“I don’t know.”
“What happened?” Jake looked over his shoulder at Frank and Lainey, confusion showing on his face.
“My daddy took me away today.”
Jake scrubbed a hand down his face and shook his head. “Okay, honey. We’ll sort this out real soon. You all right for now?”
Mia concentrated on the last of her cocoa.
Jake pushed from the table and walked toward the others. “I know her grandma. Marge Kearney. Nice lady. She’s had custody of Mia since she was maybe one or two. Her mother died while her father was in prison. He must’ve been released. I can’t think of a reason why Marge would let Mia go. She has no use for her ex-son-in-law.”
“What now?” Lainey pulled her jacket more fully around her as a slight breeze came through the open door.
“If she’ll let me, I’ll take her by Marge’s house, and find out what’s going on.”
“What did her father do?” Frank looked around Jake to check on Mia.
“Drug bust of some type. One of many from what I understand.”
“Is it all right if I go with you?” Lainey didn’t want to leave Mia alone, even though the girl knew Jake.
“Sure. Let me drop off the stuff in my car and we’ll get going. You can follow me.”
Chapter Six
Lainey dropped her keys on the counter and headed toward the shower, exhausted and pleased. She thought about the events of the last few hours.
She and Jake had gone by Marge Kearney’s home and found two patrol cars out front. They’d strolled to the front door, each holding one of Mia’s hands, the girl’s eyes wide at the sight of several uniformed men in her Grandma’s yard.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
“Hi, Jake.” The officer looked down. “That wouldn’t be Mia, would it?”
“Sure is. What happened?”
The officer cast another glance at Mia before looking back at Jake. “Marge Kearney let Mia go to a friend’s house this morning to play. The friend’s mother called all upset because some man had come by and taken Mia from the front yard. The woman’s daughter told her the man said he was Mia’s father. All we can figure is he must have followed Mia to the friend’s house after she left her Grandma’s this morning.”
“Mia!”
“Grandma!” Mia dropped Jake and Lainey’s hands to run to the older woman who stood at the top of the porch.
Marge saw Jake approach over her granddaughter’s shoulder and stood.
“Did you find her, Jake?”
“Marge, this is Lainey Devlin, our newest volunteer. She found Mia while on a run at Golden Lake. Mia told Lainey she had run away.”
“Damn that Karl,” Marge hissed then clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Sounds like he’s out.”
“Last week. Wants custody back, but I told him there was no chance I’d let him take Mia away. I’ve been assured that I’m her legal guardian and that’s how it’s going to stay.”
They’d talked a while longer before Jake and Lainey took off.
Now all Lainey wanted to do was cleanup and relax. Maybe she’d order noodles from the take-out place down the street.
She dried her hair, dressed, then walked by the table in her living room and spotted the computer. Cameron had never returned her email. It stung a little that she’d reached out and he’d ignored her, even if it had taken Lainey weeks to send him a message.
More than anything, it irked her that his lack of response bothered her so much. She’d only met the man twice, and for short periods of time, yet she’d had little success forgetting his earnest, handsome face, or what she’d thought of as an interest in connecting.
Nevertheless, Lainey opened her email, her eyes freezing on one message. Cameron had responded. He said he’d been hung-up with family issues and how glad he’d been to get her email. He asked what she meant by changes in her life and ended with a request for her to stay in touch. Lainey drew in a breath and wondered how much she should share with him, deciding it might be best to keep some things to herself, at least for a while.
She heard her phone ring and grabbed it from inside her purse.
“Lainey?”
“Hi, Mark. You still coming on Friday?”
“Actually, I’ll be there tomorrow morning. That okay?”
“Perfect. You all right bunking down on my hide-a-bed or do you want me to get you a room someplace?”
“Your sofa’s fine. Any chance you can pick me up at the airport at eleven o’clock?”
“No problem at all. It’ll be so good to see you.”
“Be there tomorrow.” Mark clicked off, leaving Lainey to mentally check off the list of things to do tonight instead of tomorrow. She couldn’t wait to see him.
******
Cam dashed through the cabin, grabbing his jacket and hat, then looked around for his car keys. He had a jammed schedule at work, then he planned to take Megan out to dinner.
He looked around the kitchen and into the living room before checking his bedroom once more. That’s when he remembered dropping the keys next to his computer the night before. Cam started to pick them up when his eyes caught the screen, still open to his email program. He scrolled down to see a new message from Lainey.
Cam opened and read through it. She mentioned her continued involvement in SAR and that she was considering buying her own preschool. She had a CPA looking over the financials and hoped to have a final decision within a week. Again, no mention of her engagement. He closed his computer, knowing he’d respond, just not right now.
He arrived at the office to receive an added assignment to co-pilot the jet for a meeting Heath had in Denver. Ever since the former company pilot had retired a few months back, Cam had assumed the co-pilot responsibilities. Todd Franks, the man who’d been the co-pil
ot for years, had been promoted to chief pilot. Cam loved flying the jet. Between his co-piloting position, his job as head of IT, and being the only helicopter pilot for the company, Cam found his days full and rewarding.
Cam and Todd got busy preparing the jet for their flight. He’d rescheduled a couple of meetings and begged off a lunch appointment. Then, at the last minute, the people in Denver cancelled the flight. By then, the entire day had been blown.
He checked his watch as his phone rang.
“Hi, Megan. I’m on my way.”
“Come to the office instead. My meeting with the potential partner will finish up in about fifteen minutes. We’ll leave from here.”
“See you in a few minutes.” Cam slid the phone into his pocket. He’d forgotten about her big meeting today.
Cam parked in front of her office as a red SUV pulled away from the curb. He watched as it drove past his truck and noticed a man in the passenger seat and a woman with short, dark hair driving. Cam assumed the man was the potential partner Megan had spoken about. He glanced toward Megan’s office in time to see her step out, a jacket over her arm.
She dashed down the steps, got into his car, and placed a quick kiss on Cam’s cheek.
Cam pulled away and looked down at her. “The meeting went well?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll tell you everything at dinner.”
******
Mark and Lainey sat in silence on the drive to the restaurant Lainey had picked out. She’d promised to take him someplace with oversized portions and down-home food. She delivered on both.
Mark pushed away his plate, having finished his meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy. “That was great.”
“Anything else for you two?”
“Just coffee for me. Decaf.” Lainey sat back, waiting for Mark to make a decision.
“Same here,” Mark responded and sat back in his chair.
“Okay, what are your thoughts?”
Mark hadn’t mentioned a word about his meeting with Megan and Zell, the partners in the CPA firm. Lainey had sat in silence, absorbing the conversation and trying to get a feel for how Mark would fit in with the two women. She had no doubt he could work with Megan. Her thoughts on Zell weren’t so certain.
One More Day: MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary, Book Three (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary series 3) Page 5
