The cab driver turned into town, passing the inn on the right. Rachael and Cole were outside, painting the shutters a bright shade of summer sky blue.
“Is the highway closed?” Joey asked, creating the scene in his head.
“Both lanes, both directions,” his chief relayed. “From what I’m hearing from the state police, there are multiple fatals. The road will be closed for hours.”
Damn, what a mess. Probably had something to do with the wind. Gusts like this hauled over the freeway, between clearings in the trees, pushing the cars as though they slid on rails.
“I’m pulling into the station now,” Joey said as they turned into the lot. “I’ve got things here. If you need me at the crash, let me know.”
“Will do,” the captain said, and then ended the call.
As Joey pulled out his wallet to pay the cab driver, his phone went off again. He answered without looking at the screen and dug through his stash of bills.
“Decided you need me after all?” he joked.
“Joey?”
It was Lucy. Her voice was strained. Scared.
“Lucy? What’s the matter?”
“We’re at Birch,” she said, voice shaking. “The kids came out early and lit a bunch of bonfires in barrels, but the wind blew them all over. Oh my God, no!” Her voice trailed off, and something covered the speaker on the other end of the line.
“Lucy!” He clutched at the phone, listening intently, his mouth falling open as he struggled to breathe.
Muffled voices seeped through. “The entire place is going up. All the buildings are on fire. Joey, you wouldn’t believe it.” She was back. Out of breath. Voice trembling. “Joey, the forest is going up too. A bunch of kids ran toward Northlands Point, but I had to find the girls first and now we can’t go that way. It’s blocked. What do we do?”
“We…the girls,” he said, almost to himself. “How many do you have with you?”
“With me? Two.” She was panting now. Coughing into the line. “It’s just me, Skylie, and Janice.”
The world disappeared beneath him. His heart stopped.
“They came to the party together,” he heard her say through the dizziness overtaking him. “What do we do, Joey? I can’t get back to your truck. The fire’s already blocked the way. Tell me what to do.”
Thoughts chugged through his mind. “Is the fire surrounding the town?”
“Yes.” She paused, and something rustled on the other end. “No. We can go west, but I don’t know where from there. How will we get back?”
“Okay,” he said, amping up. “There’s a water tower west of town. Find it. Stay there. I’m coming for you. Tell Janice I’m coming. I’m going to put the phone down, but don’t disconnect the call. I want you on the line in case you can’t get through to me again.”
Silence.
“Lucy?” His breathing quickened. “Lucy?”
He checked his phone. The call had already ended. Did she hear what he’d said? Would she head toward the water tower? If she didn’t, he’d never find them. He wouldn’t know where they’d gone.
But he wouldn’t be able to get there anyway, he realized, as the cab pulled in front of the empty engine bay. The only highway leading to Birch was closed.
For hours, Chief Hammock had said.
Joey couldn’t wait.
There was another way he could get to Birch, and it’d be a hell of a lot faster than driving. But that meant he’d have to face his demons head-on.
He swallowed down the panic rising inside him. “Take me to the airport,” he barked at the cab driver. “Get there as fast as you can.”
As the cab driver drove through town, Joey called the chief and reported the fire. Chief Hammock said he’d report it to the national fire service and state police. Joey mentioned there might be high school students on or near Northlands Point. With so many kids up there, emergency services would send help soon. He also called Janice’s aunt Cara, telling her about the party, the fire, and his intention to bring her home. It was better she hear the truth than a rumor and not know where to find Janice.
When they pulled up to the airfield thirty minutes later, Joey paid the driver and took off at a dead sprint toward the hangar. The wind had really picked up, the night was falling fast, and the crowd was long gone.
Without thinking about the details or ramifications, Joey pushed open the door to the hangar, scanned the office for maintenance staff, and then made a quick dash around his plane. It wasn’t a proper inspection by any means, but he didn’t have time to do proper anything. Everything looked good. He yanked open the driver’s door and swung inside.
He hadn’t taken a seat in the cockpit in six years. It smelled like a combination of worn leather and engine grease. Heaven to his senses. He ghosted his hands over the gauges, slid them over the yoke, and scoped out the wings.
Adrenaline sparked through his veins as he turned the key and listened to the engine rumble to life. The prop spun slowly, caught, and then whirled to full speed. He pulled out of the hangar and when his wings cleared the sides, maneuvered around and taxied to the airstrip.
He didn’t have time to do the full check at a stop. He took off down the runway, swerving as he jerked back and forth on the yoke to check his ailerons. They were working fine—he’d be able to steer in the air. Nearing full speed, he switched the key to accessory and back again, making sure his amps didn’t drop too far.
Good to go.
Dread weighing heavy in his gut, Joey pushed full throttle and pulled back hard on the yoke. The wheels lifted, taking him into the air. He banked as soon as he was clear of the tree line, and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
He’d almost forgotten how freeing this felt. How marvelous. But those feelings were soured by the reason for the flight.
He had to find them.
They had to be okay.
Flying by sight, just above the trees, the seconds dragged by to minutes. He followed the line of the highway, soaring over the accident scene still blocking the freeway. Red and blue lights of the police cars lit up the mangled metal taking up all lanes. The chief had been right—the scene was horrific. He passed the accident and continued on as the sun set behind him, drenching him in dark.
It wasn’t until his phone rang from his back pocket that he realized his legs and arms had gone numb. His eyes burned and his mouth was dry. He loosened his grip on the yoke, forced himself to blink, and yanked the phone out of his jeans.
Lucy.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he said, after he swiped his screen to answer the call. He sped over the mountain passes, slicing through the air faster than he remembered the plane could fly. “I’m on my way. Where are you?”
“It’s bad, Joey.” She hacked on the other end of the line. The smoke must’ve been terribly thick. She’d inhaled too much. “There’s smoke everywhere. I can’t see. I don’t know if we’re going toward the tower anymore.” More coughs, from people around her. Janice? Skylie? “I don’t know if we’re going the right way.”
“It’s going to be okay.” Joey pushed the plane harder. “I’m flying in. There’s a stretch of land that was cleared to make room for the tower. I’m going to land and bring you guys back. It’s going to be okay. Trust me.” He couldn’t say the words enough. One of these times he’d speak them true. “Is Janice still with you? Can I talk to her?”
“She’s here.” Her voice was hoarse, and breaking up. “She’s—kay.”
“Can I talk to her?” He couldn’t hide the worry in his voice.
“I’m sor—” She cut out again. “—should’ve told yo—before n—I love you.”
His heart clenched. “Oh God, Lucy, I love you too. I’m coming. I’m right here with you. Don’t go. Don’t hang up. Can you hear me?”
“I—you with…”
The line cut out completely.
“Lucy? Damn it!” He frantically punched buttons on the phone. “Lucy! Don’t go.”
His body hollo
wed out. Every movement, every breath, was wasted if he didn’t have her in his life. Janice too. He couldn’t lose them.
Plumes of smoke appeared on the horizon. He’d reached the first fire. He increased altitude so he wouldn’t have to fly through the smoke in the blind. And then, once he passed through the first haze of smoke, the second appeared. From the amount of smoke clouding the sky, the entire ghost town might’ve already gone up in flames.
He banked right and flew around to come at the clearing from a good angle. The entire area was shrouded in smoke, obscuring his view.
“Please be there,” he prayed aloud, the nerves in his stomach knotting into a fist. “Please, please, be there. I’ll never take another day for granted. Not one.”
As he lined up for landing, smoke plumed around the plane, blinding him completely.
“Let me do this one thing.” He set the flaps for landing. His hands shook. “Please. Just let me do this one thing right.”
* * *
Lucy huddled beneath the rickety water tower, hugging Skylie and Janice against her. They coughed and shielded their eyes from the smoke, and when gusts of wind blasted through the clearing, they whimpered.
“He’s coming,” Lucy soothed, brushing her hands over their hair. “Joey will come for us. He’ll find us.”
She’d been fighting off the doubt since leaving Birch. Thanks to the wind carrying plumes of thick, tar-like smoke, Lucy couldn’t see the sky. How would Joey be able to see them?
“I wanna go home,” Skylie said, her blond hair flying in front of her face.
“He’ll find us.” Janice’s voice was soft. Somehow soothing. “My Uncle Joey won’t quit until he does. When my parents died, he said I’d never be alone. He said he’d always be there for me. He promised.” She paused, her voice weakening. “He’ll keep his word.”
The last words rang true for Lucy. Joey was a man of his word. And she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he wouldn’t stop until he found them, even if it meant his own life. The only other time she’d felt that kind of love was when her parents were alive. It’d been too long.
She loved him.
Why didn’t she tell him face-to-face when she had the chance? She’d been foolish to push him away, judging him on the guys from her past. He’d never demanded anything of her.
Your heart, he’d said. That was all he’d asked for.
Tears pooled on her lashes.
If she made it out of this, she’d give him her whole heart. She’d strive to find the balance he seemed to mention so frequently. She’d trust him.
The rumble of a plane vibrated the air around them. Janice and Skylie perked up, searching the sky. Lucy relaxed her hold around them as a plane broke through the smoke and leveled out over the clearing. When the wheels touched down, they bumbled along the uneven earth, but held strong. The plane came right at them. Grabbing the girls, Lucy tucked them against her and hid behind the farthest post. The plane stopped, mere feet from the tower.
“Lucy!”
Joey’s voice made her insides quiver. She ran to him. His eyes lit up when he spotted her. She leaped into his arms, her heart dancing with sweet relief as he pressed his body to hers. He caught her and held her tight.
“You’re here,” she breathed against his neck. “You came.”
Cupping her chin, he pulled back to gaze deep into her eyes. “I’ll always come for you.” He looked over her shoulder and smiled. He snatched Janice and Skylie and hauled them against him. “Don’t know what I would’ve done without you, girl. You’re my life, you know that?”
“Yeah,” Janice said, nuzzling against him. “I do.”
He buried his head in Lucy’s hair. “I was talking to you, too.”
She laughed, but her throat felt scorched, so the sound came out unnatural and forced. “Take us home.”
“Can you girls walk to the plane?” he asked, giving them a quick check for injuries.
“Yes, we’re fine.” Lucy kissed his cheek. She couldn’t help it. “Let’s go.”
Without saying a word, he led them to the plane and helped them inside. Once they were seated and belted, with Lucy in the copilot’s seat and Janice and Skylie in back, Joey turned the plane in the tiny clearing. The wings brushed the trees, and as he brought the plane around, Lucy had the fleeting thought that the runway wouldn’t be long enough for them to take off safely.
Wouldn’t it suck to make it out of a fire, only to die in a plane crash during the rescue?
She held her breath and laid her head back against the seat. Joey revved the engine, shoved the throttle forward as far as it would go, and took off across the clearing.
He reached over and covered Lucy’s hand with his.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but could you please fly the plane with two hands?” Skylie piped up from the backseat. “I’m freaking out back here.”
“Uncle Joey!” Janice hollered over the roar of the engine.
He glanced back as they barreled through clouds of dense smoke. Lucy looked back too, just in time to see Janice smile and give her uncle a thumbs-up. He grinned shyly, and although Lucy couldn’t explain it, she knew everything was going to be okay. He handled the plane so confidently. As if he hadn’t taken a six-year hiatus. He was cool and in control. And adrenaline must’ve been sparking through Lucy’s bloodstream, because watching Joey handle the plane so effortlessly, finding them in the middle of the forest and scooping them up, made her weak with desire.
She wanted this man. For a thousand todays. She could rely on him. Trusted him. Felt absolutely, completely safe with him. More than that, she felt cherished and loved. Like an angel. Joey was the puzzle piece missing from her life. She’d never felt this kind of love. Not ever.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “I’m going to get you out of here safely.”
She nodded as fear eased its way back into her body. They weren’t out of danger, yet.
“Lucy?” Joey’s voice broke.
She glanced at him.
“I love you.” He squeezed her hand. “This won’t be the last time you hear me say that.”
“I know. I love you too.” The plane bounced over mounds of dirt and grass, slamming them against the sides of the plane. “Though I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try to fight it.”
He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of her knuckles. “I know you did.”
“What are we going to do now?”
He pulled back on the yoke. “We’re going to live every day as if it were our last…and we’re going to fall deeper in love than two people have ever been.”
She sighed, blinked back tears, and held on tight as he lifted them out of the smoke and into the heavenly twilight.
Epilogue
One year later
Glancing out the window at her feet, Lucy held Joey’s hand as he landed the helicopter on the helipad near her property. He set down, propellers whipping dirt and leaves into the vineyard beside them. He killed the engine, looked over at her, and smiled. The orange-red glare of the sunset made his face glow like honeyed amber. Judging from the angle of light slanting over the grapes, there were only a few minutes of daylight left.
“That was amazing,” Joey said, swiveling to face her. “Thank you for encouraging me to do this. You’re brilliant.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, well…”
He planted his lips on hers, and her toes crinkled.
“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have had the guts to get my helicopter pilot’s license. You truly are an angel…except you lent me your wings to fly.”
Her stomach flipped, the way it always did when he looked at her this way.
“Come on,” he said, removing his headset. “I’ve got another surprise for you.”
“Another one?”
He’d been surprising her all week. First, he’d competed in the Grape Stomp Jubilee, dressed as Fox Mulder—black suit and tie, with an Area 51 badge and all—and won. Who knew he could s
tomp so fast? Next, he’d taken Lucy to the air show and competed in the race, flying his Cessna. It was glorious to see him fly. So breathtaking. He placed second overall, and Lucy had expected him to exit the plane disappointed, with a giant chip on his shoulder. To her surprise, he emerged with a stunning grin. He congratulated the winner, ran into the stands, and scooped Lucy off her feet.
Since rescuing Janice, Skylie, and Lucy from the fire at Birch, Joey acted as if a weight had lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to experience happiness like never before. He was goofier. Laughed more and frowned less.
He even had an adventurous streak she hadn’t seen coming.
The last year with Joey had been the same as the last week. He was full of surprises. He was thoughtful and tender, more than any other man she’d ever met, yet he was a man’s man. Rough when he had to be. Or rather, rough when she liked him to be.
Shuddering from the thought, she removed her headset and followed Joey out of the helicopter. He snatched a duffel bag from behind the pilot’s seat before he slipped out the door. Standing on the pad, he extended his hand to help her out.
She never ceased to be amazed by how he treated her. At first, she’d thought it was an act he couldn’t possibly keep up, but she’d been sorely mistaken. Joey wasn’t only a gentleman in his actions, but deep down in his heart.
He’d become one of the best parts of her life.
After she took his hand and exited the helicopter, he led her to the edge of the helipad facing her vineyard. Zin scrambled onto the helipad, yelping and whimpering when he jumped up on Lucy’s legs. She patted the adorable pooch and gave his back a good scratch. His owners hadn’t come forward in the year she’d kept him at the winery, and she was thankful. He’d found a home with her, with them, and she loved the little guy.
Joey pulled a flannel blanket out of his duffel bag and spread it on the ground as the sun disappeared behind them. Lucy sat cross-legged in the center while Zin curled up in the corner, huffing when Joey sat beside her.
Let Me Love You Page 15
