“Beneath the mirror?” Dan asked.
“Yeah.”
They settled the low chest in its place, then returned to the next room.
“Sounds like things are going pretty well with you and Blakely.” Dan grabbed two drawers.
Trent did, too. “You’ll get no complaints from me.” He followed Dan out one door and into the next.
“You’re good for her, you know?” His friend slid in his pair of drawers.
“Funny, I would have thought it the other way around.” Trent took his turn and started back the way they came.
“Perhaps. But you’re not afraid to step in and take control. She needs that sometimes.”
Trent grabbed the flat-screen TV. “She does have a tendency to think she’s some kind of superwoman.”
Dan took the lamp and folding luggage rack. “Oh, you noticed?”
Trent grinned over his shoulder as he exited the first room.
“So are you looking at the future?”
Moving across the cushy green carpet that Blakely had informed him was sage, he felt his stomach muscles tighten. “There’s something I should tell you, Dan.” He set the television into place and plugged it in. “Something I’ve failed to tell everyone. Including Austin and Blakely.”
Dan plugged in the large lamp on the opposite end of the dresser. “Sounds serious.”
Jamming his hands in his pockets, he looked at his friend. “I’m only in Ouray for the summer. I head back to Albuquerque September first.” He told Dan about his promise to Scott and the plans they’d made. “When this all started, I didn’t even know Austin existed. But I love my son. I want a relationship with him.”
“I’m sure you and Blakely can work something out.” Dan leaned against the doorjamb.
“But at what cost?” His gaze drifted beyond the window to two hummingbirds zipping around a feeder. “You see, Dan, I love Blakely, too.”
Dan blew out a breath. “Sounds like you’re torn between two dreams.”
“Yep. I got everything I ever wanted. Too bad they’re in two different states.”
* * *
The drive over Black Bear Pass had been as exhausting as it was invigorating. Blakely was glad she’d worn her hiking boots, giving her ankle a little extra support. With her nonstop use of the clutch, brake and gas pedal, she could have been in much worse shape.
By no means was she complaining, though. The group Trent had sent was so large she needed all seven of her tour trucks to accommodate them. Now, guests from the other six tours waited in front of the little blue building on Seventh Avenue as the remainig nine climbed out the back of her truck. Fortunately, their shuttle to Telluride had yet to arrive.
She stepped onto the curb. “Did everyone have fun?”
The resounding “yes” was music to her ears.
“Do I still get a stickuh, Miss Blakely?” The darling four-year-old girl who had been on her tour stared up at her.
How could anyone resist this adorable child? “Of course you do, sweetheart. It’s inside.” She glanced at the child’s parents. “Do you mind?”
“Are you kidding? She’s been looking forward to this since this morning,” said her father.
Blakely held out her hand and the little blondie took hold. Oh, how she missed this age. Not until recently had she allowed herself to dwell on the prospect of having more children. With Trent in the picture, though, and knowing his desire to have more kids, the thought crossed her mind a lot.
The little girl, who was dressed in pink but had a definite tomboy streak, accompanied her up the concrete steps and inside the building, followed closely by her parents.
“Hey, Lisa.” Blakely dropped her clipboard and empty water bottle on the counter. “This is my friend, Daisy.” She reached across the desk for a small basket of stickers.
“Well, hi there, Daisy. Did you have fun in the mountains?”
The child nodded emphatically as Blakely stooped to her level and fingered through the options. “Would you like a princess one? Tinkerbell?”
“What’s this?” The little girl pulled out a sticker.
“That’s a Jeep like that one out there.” She pointed out in front of the building to one of her rentals.
“I like it.” Daisy grinned, scrunching her nose in the cutest manner.
“Oh, a girl after my own heart. In that case, you can take two.”
“Look—” She held them up to her parents. “I got two Jeeps.”
“You sure do.” Her father lifted her into his arms.
“I’m so glad Trent told us about this. Makes me wish we were staying in Ouray instead of Telluride.” Daisy’s mother smiled. “I can see why he was so eager to spend a few months here.”
“A few months?”
“Yes, he and Scott—” she pointed to her husband “—are opening a new practice in September.”
“Shuttle’s here.” Her husband started toward the door with Daisy.
“New—” Confused, Blakely followed them. “Where is this new practice?”
“In Albuquerque.” He paused just outside the door. “Trent and I have been looking forward to this since medical school. Finally, our dreams are coming true.”
Blakely’s heart skidded to a stop.
“I’ll be in my office,” she announced when the family departed. She would not cry. Would not cry.
Lisa fell in line behind her. “Maybe it’s not what you think.”
Blakely whirled. “What I think is that I’ve been duped. Again.”
The door to the garage flew open just then. She turned as Trent pounded up the steps.
“How dare you.” She shoved both hands against his chest. “You were playing me all along, weren’t you? Why didn’t you tell me you were going back to Albuquerque?”
“I can’t find Austin.”
“Don’t try to—” She paused as his words registered. “What do you mean you can’t find him? He probably went on home. Or to Zach’s.”
“I already checked.” The rapid rise and fall of his chest said he’d been running.
“You...went to Zach’s?”
“Right after I checked with your grandmother.”
Panic swelled inside her, twisting her insides. “When was the last time you saw him?”
“Around noon. I told the boys they could go on a hike—”
She held up a hand. “Wait a minute. You told them they could go on a hike? Alone?”
“Just the perimeter trail. And I gave them instructions to be home by five.”
“That was more than half an hour ago.” Fear, anger and betrayal collided into one pulsating emotion. “Austin is never late.” She pushed past him, stormed through the storefront, pausing at the desk for a set of keys, and hobbled out the door. Once outside, she whirled to face Trent. “Why didn’t you go with them?”
“I was helping your grandmother put those rooms back together. The boys were bored.”
“That couldn’t have taken you more than a couple of hours. They could have waited until you were done.”
“Blakely...” He put his hands on her shoulders. A move that would have calmed her yesterday.
“Don’t Blakely me.” She shoved out of his grasp. Ignoring the pained look on his face, she jerked open the door to the Jeep.
“I’m sorry.” He raked a hand through his hair. “How’d you find out?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is that my son is missing.” She paused, her hand on the open window. “And to think I trusted you.”
She climbed inside and slammed the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To look for Austin.” She pushed the clutch, twisted the key in the ignition.
“Let me go with you.”
“No.” She glared at him. “You stay away from me. And stay away from my son.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Trent watched Blakely’s pink Jeep disappear in a cloud of dust. It seemed no matter how hard he tried to get things right, he always messed up.
Blakely’s words only aggravated the gaping wound his actions had inflicted. Maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a father.
But he would find his son.
Gravel crunched behind him.
“Trent?” Mark Taylor, Zach’s dad, ground his red Jeep to a stop. “Any luck?”
He approached the vehicle, shaking his head. He struggled to look the guy in the eye.
Mark nodded toward the passenger seat. “Hop in. We’ll take a look around.”
Trent complied, though he suspected Mark might want to drive him off a cliff for being so careless with his son.
“This isn’t so unlike our boys, you know.” Mark shifted gears. “They probably lost track of time. Don’t beat yourself up.”
According to Blakely, though, Austin was never late. “I shouldn’t have let them wander off alone.”
“It’s not like they haven’t done it before.”
He sent Mark a curious look. “They’ve hiked alone before?”
“Around town. Sure.”
“Still, they should’ve been back by now.”
“Lots of adventure around Cascade Falls.” Mark turned up Eighth Avenue. “Maybe they got distracted up there.”
They parked and exited the Jeep, scanning every tree, rock and person for any sign of their sons.
Picking their way up the path, they passed a family of four.
“Excuse me.” Trent stopped them. “By any chance have you seen two young boys? One’s dark haired with curls, the other sandy haired with a buzz cut.”
Four sets of eyes silently conferred before shaking their heads.
“Sorry,” offered the dad.
Trent knew it had been a long shot, but that didn’t stop the wave of disappointment that rolled over him.
He and Zach’s dad continued over the small wooden bridge that led to the other side of the stream.
“Let’s check up top.” Mark moved left, around a series of boulders. “I know Zach likes the view. Not to mention the spray of the falls.”
As warm as today had been, he could see that appealing to two young boys.
But their efforts proved fruitless. The rocky outcropping was empty.
Moving to the edge, they surveyed the area below. A handful of people moved in and around the falls, none of them Austin or Zach.
Returning the way they came, Mark paused at a trailhead. “If they did hike the perimeter trail, they’d have come through here. Mind if we take a look?”
“It’s worth a shot.”
They wandered into the dense forest of cedar and pine, eyes glued to the dusty trail. With dusk settling in, they were left with only shadowy light.
“Some of these tracks look small enough to be theirs.” Mark knelt, using the tiny flashlight on his keychain for a better view. “But I can’t be certain.” He stood, the beam highlighting something at the edge of the path.
“What’s that?” Trent moved forward and stooped to pick up the object.
His knife.
Hope ignited. His gaze darted around the area as he held out his hand to show Mark. “I gave this to Austin for his birthday.”
“That means they were here.” Mark cupped his hands around his mouth. “Zach? Austin?”
Trent glanced behind him, then up ahead. “Where does this trail lead?”
“Lots of places. The campground, Portland Trail, Upper Cascade—”
“Chief Ouray Mine?”
Mark’s gaze narrowed. “Yes, why?”
“The boys asked me to take them there.”
* * *
Blakely drove up and down the streets of Ouray. North to south, east to west. Past motels, shops and restaurants. The parks, the school, the hot springs. As she drove, she prayed and called everyone she could think of to ask if they’d seen Austin or Zach.
Her heart wrenched. Where could they be?
Making another slow pass of Main Street, she searched the weekend crowds. Austin was the sun of Blakely’s solar system. Losing her mom and dad had been tough. If she lost Austin...
And what about Trent? She’d lost him, too.
No, she never had him.
Blinking back tears, she pulled up to the motel. God, show me what to do.
Zach’s mother rushed out Gran’s front door, stopping when she saw the empty backseat. Blakely recognized her own angst on Shawna Taylor’s face.
She stepped out of the Jeep and slammed the door. “I guess they haven’t shown up back here?”
On the stoop, her grandmother hugged herself and shook her head.
A red Jeep whipped alongside Blakely’s and Trent bolted from the passenger side.
“I think I know where they went.” Worry lined his brow, and the distress in his voice told her he was every bit as concerned about Austin as she was.
Of course, he was. It was her he didn’t want.
“Where?”
“Chief Ouray.” He pointed toward the old mine on the town’s northeastern slope.
“Austin wouldn’t attempt a climb like that without an adult.” The vise on her heart tightened. Or would he? “What makes you think they’d go there?”
“Because that’s where they wanted me to take them. Only after I said no did they ask about hiking alone.” He reached into his pocket and held out his hand to reveal the knife he’d given Austin.
“He’s carried that everywhere since the day you gave it to him. Where did you find it?”
He explained that he and Mark had searched near the falls. “Do you think they’d attempt that by themselves?” His gaze flicked between her, Mark and Shawna.
“You know how fascinated Austin is with mines.” Blakely rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled. Daylight faded by the minute, adding to her desperation. She traced the Amphitheater. Bears and mountain lions roamed these mountains.
“Zach, too.” Shawna clutched her husband’s biceps.
Gravel spewed as another doorless Jeep ground to a stop.
Taryn vaulted out. “I just heard.” She hugged Blakely. “Any sign of them?”
She filled her friend in on Trent’s suspicions.
“Sounds like a fair assessment. We still ought to cover the Perimeter Trail, though.”
“Shawna and I can do that,” said Mark. “Start at the same point, go opposite directions and meet in the middle.”
“Smart idea,” said Taryn. “I’ll come, too.”
“Blakely and I can head toward the mine.” Trent toed some gravel that had made its way onto the sidewalk, then cut her a quick glance. “If that’s all right with you.”
What could she say? She had to find her son. Even if it meant being with the man who betrayed her.
She nodded.
“What about your ankle?” He thrust his hands in his pockets. “Think you can make it?”
“I don’t care if I have to crawl. There’s no way I’m staying behind.”
“Mom! Dad!”
Their gazes collectively jerked toward Main Street.
Zach raced down the sidewalk, tears streaking his dirty cheeks.
Blakely’s hopes soared. Her boy was safe.
But where was he?
Panic gripped her once again as Mark and Shawna scrambled to meet their son. Hugged him.
“Where’s Austin?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zach pulled free, his breathing fast and jerky. “In the mine. He needs help.”
In the mine? Trent didn’t want t
o think about the ramifications. He just knew that he had to get to his son.
Within minutes he’d shifted into action along with the others. Darkness shrouded Ouray as they filled their packs with water bottles, flashlights and whatever else they could grab on a moment’s notice.
While Taryn pulled together a rescue team, Trent followed the Taylors and Blakely up the side of the mountain. After an hour of climbing, every tree and switchback mirrored the one before. The grueling pace made his leg muscles feel like they were on fire. But frustration and regret propelled every step.
Despite the cool air, sweat spilled down the side of his face. He wiped it with his sleeve. The moon had yet to rise above the Amphitheater and, save for the LED beams of their headlamps, blackness pressed in on every side.
Images of his son, scared and alone, plagued him. What had possessed him to let those boys go off by themselves?
The night breeze rustled through the pines, and cricket chirps filled each excruciating moment. A layer of powdery earth and gravel gave beneath their feet, sending small billows of dust into the air.
Blakely trudged ahead of him. She’d given in to a slight limp on the last switchback, but he knew better than to bring attention to it. Besides, she hadn’t said a word to him since they left the house. He’d failed her once again, this time risking the life of their son.
Would she ever forgive him?
“You...okay back there?” Blakely’s voice yanked his mind to the here and now. Her breathing was ragged. Then again, they were moving at a good clip. Not to mention they’d probably climbed a thousand feet in elevation.
“I could ask you the same thing.” His words rushed out in a single breath.
An owl hooted in a nearby tree.
Blakely startled, stumbled backward, catching her bad foot on a tree root.
Trent caught her, but pain was evident in her pinched expression.
“Everything all right?” Mark, Shawna and Zach stopped and looked back.
“Keep going.” Trent settled Blakely to the ground. “We’ll catch up.” Kneeling, he untied the laces of her hiking boot.
“I’m okay. Really.” The way she winced when he removed her boot didn’t do much to prove her claim. Her foot had barely healed as it was. At this point, any trauma was a setback.
The Doctor's Family Reunion Page 17
