by Regina Duke
“Really?”
“No problem.”
“You sure these will work?” He read the label. Xanax. “Hey! This is what Megan suggested I use.”
“I’ve been trying to get you to try these since our freshman year. Now’s the time. They work. Trust me. How do you think I manage to look like such a fearless flier? If I’m driving the new car to Colorado, I won’t need them.”
Kevin nodded. “Okay. If you’re lying to me, I will never let you forget it.”
“I’m not lying. Now let’s go. I’ll drive you guys to the airport and cash in my ticket for you.”
Kevin felt like a man about to face a firing squad. “All right,” he said tightly. “Statistics say I should survive the flight.”
“And I can invent some statistics that say, if you let go of Megan, you will lose everything. You don’t have time to find another candidate. It took three weeks to find her.”
“Okay.” But Kevin did not feel okay at all.
Jeffrey shook his head and made a rude noise. He opened the pill bottle and shook out a Xanax. “Now, Kev. You have to give it time to work before we reach the airport.”
Kevin took the pill and swallowed it dry.
“You ready?” asked Jeffrey.
“Go on down,” said Kevin. “There’s something I have to do before this pill takes effect.”
Jeffrey grinned at him. “You loser. Afraid of flying, afraid of a little pill. Why do I stay friends with you?” He chucked Kevin in the shoulder, then headed down in the elevator.
Kevin pulled out his cell phone and retrieved Megan’s from his pocket. He went to the bar and tapped on her contacts list.
There were only two numbers on it, his cell phone number and one for Glenda Mully. That made him sad. No numbers for college friends. Nothing. Just his number, punched in by him at the phone store, and Megan’s mother.
He activated his own phone and tapped in a text message, carefully adding Glenda Mully’s number at the end. His finger hovered for a few seconds over the send button. “I hope this isn’t a mistake,” he muttered as he pressed Send. Then he put his phone away, tucked Megan’s back in his pocket, and took the elevator downstairs.
The doors opened at the Lobby level. Jeffrey was waiting for him.
“I told you so,” said Jeffrey. “She’s gone.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“She’s not gone,” said Kevin. “She said she’d be in the gift shop.”
“I already looked. I asked the clerk. She said no tall blond woman has been in this morning.”
Kevin frowned. “I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it. She’s around somewhere. We’ll find her.”
“Try her cell,” said Jeffrey, “if she’ll even answer it.”
Kevin’s brows rose and he pulled Megan’s phone out of his pocket. “It won’t do much good.”
“Oh, great.”
Kevin snapped his fingers. “She might think she lost it. She might be looking for it. She would retrace her steps.”
“Down to the garage.”
“I’ll go. You wait here in case she comes up while I’m taking the elevator down.” He popped back inside and pressed the button.
When the elevator doors opened, he spotted Megan at once. She was bending low, trying to look under the car.
“Megan!”
Kevin’s voice caught her attention. Slowly, she began to rise.
Kevin sped up and offered his hand. Megan took it and let Kevin help her stand upright again.
“Sorry,” she said. “Getting up and down is still hard for me. They told me in the hospital it’s all in my mind. They said the bone has healed, everything is fine. But it’s still hard for me to trust it, going up and down.”
“Not a problem.” He pulled her cell phone out of his pocket. “Looking for this?”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Megan took the phone and pressed it to her bosom. “I was so afraid I’d lost it! I looked everywhere!”
“You didn’t lose it,” said Kevin. “When we were in the elevator, you gave it to me when you told me about your mother, and without thinking, I slipped it in my pocket.”
Megan tucked it back in her purse. “Did you and Jeffrey work everything out?”
“Er, what do you mean?”
Megan eyed him skeptically. “I heard him call you an idiot. Is he still employed?”
Kevin chuckled. “Yeah, he’s still the chauffeur. In fact, let me call him. He’s in the Lobby. He thought you took off while we were upstairs.”
“What?!”
“You know. A thousand dollars in your pocket, fast money, all that nonsense. He thought you might have cut your losses and left with the cash.”
“Not very smart, is he?” Megan tugged at the hem of her top.
“What do you mean?”
“A thousand dollars won’t even make a dent in my medical bills.”
“Oh, that. Right.” He dialed Jeffrey. “I found her. She was looking for her phone by the car. Come on down. We’re ready to go.” He hung up.
“We?” asked Megan. “I thought you were going to drop me off at the airport on your way out of town.”
“Nope. I’m taking your advice. Turns out Jeffrey uses Xanax for flying. I’m going to use his pills so I can fly to Reno with you.” He was surprised at how easy that was to say.
“That’s great! I’m so glad.” Megan’s face lit up. “We could be married by this afternoon!”
“Long before I drop dead or fall into a coma.”
Megan shot him a look. “Now you’re making fun of me.”
“No, I’m not,” said Kevin innocently. A moment later, he grabbed his chest, and gasped, “Jeffrey better hurry.”
“You rat!” Megan swung her bag at him. It caught him in the ribs.
Kevin laughed.
The elevator doors opened and Jeffrey appeared.
“We’re ready to go,” said Kevin.
“Very well,” said Jeffrey, sounding once again like a respectful employee. He held the back door open for Megan. “Miss?”
Megan let Kevin give her a hand up into the back of the SUV. Then he went around the other side and got in beside her.
Jeffrey paused by Kevin’s door. Megan was fastening her seatbelt. Jeffrey tucked the pill bottle into Kevin’s hand. Kevin shoved it into his jeans pocket. They were off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Megan couldn’t help but feel excited when she and Kevin pre-boarded with the other first class passengers. She clutched his arm as a tactic to keep from giggling like a little girl. When they settled into their seats, a very friendly flight attendant offered them drinks. Megan asked for a diet soda and Kevin requested Perrier.
Megan noticed he was clutching the arm of the seat and glancing back nervously at the passengers now boarding for tourist class. She leaned close and whispered, “Take another pill.”
“Hmmm? Oh, that’s right. I was supposed to take one while we waited for boarding.”
“You didn’t have time! They sure got us on this flight in a hurry.” Megan accepted her soda and sipped at it. “I love this! We get to sit and relax and have a cold drink while the peons are boarding.” She spoke with an exaggeratedly snooty voice.
Kevin had to laugh. He swallowed his second Xanax. “I hope these don’t make me loopy.”
“Did the first one?”
“No.” He looked surprised. “No, it didn’t.”
“But you boarded the plane without panicking.”
Kevin nodded. “Amazing. I just hate the idea, though, that I have to take drugs to fly.”
“Do you take Tylenol for pain?”
“Yes, but—”
“It’s a drug,” said Megan teasingly. Then more gently, “You must have some personal experience with the abuse of certain drugs.”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “You might say that.” He glanced sideways at her. “Hope that doesn’t send you running the other way.”
“No family is perfect. I assume you’ll fill
me in as we get closer to the old homestead?”
Kevin made a face, but changed the subject. “Say, you still have your driver’s license, right?”
Megan patted her purse. “It’s about the only thing I do still have.”
“Great. You’ll need that in Reno when we get our wedding license. Do you want to be married at the courthouse or in a wedding chapel?”
Megan pondered the question. “I’ve seen those chapels in the movies, and I wasn’t really impressed. Since your mother is preparing an actual wedding for us, let’s get married at the courthouse and save the party for your family.” She lowered her voice. “That should be a bit less expensive as well.”
Kevin agreed.
Megan tucked her purse behind her legs and squirmed in the roomy comfort of the first class seat. She pressed her hands together with delight and leaned toward Kevin. “This is so much fun! You can afford to fly first class, but you were afraid to fly? Gosh, I could understand your fear if you had to fly tourist, but up here?” Her eyes were bright with excitement.
Kevin smiled and took a breath. The Perrier was refreshing. The seat was very comfortable. And the flight attendants were already supplying them with salted nuts.
“Oh, thank you,” said Megan effusively.
Kevin patted her knee and said, “My dear, you must learn how to talk to the help. A simple thank you is enough. After all, you are paying for the privilege.”
Megan paused, then caught the twinkle in his eye. She punched his arm. “You big pretender! You don’t sound nearly hoity-toity enough to be a real snob.”
Kevin turned a hand over. “I left home at eighteen, so I’m rusty. Wait until you meet my mother.”
Megan said softly, “Oh, goody.” Then she whispered, “Do you think it would be tacky to open our nuts while people are still boarding?”
Kevin chuckled. “I think you’re allowed. Besides, that’s why they board behind us. So they can’t see how the upper crust is treated.”
Megan tore open the bag of almonds and munched contentedly. When her soda ran out, a flight attendant offered her another.
“Yes, please.” She glanced down at Kevin’s hands. His fingers were relaxed now, and he was swishing the ice in his Perrier. “Do you drink anything stronger?”
“Hmm? Occasionally. But not very often. That family thing again.”
“Got it. Did you put your laptop in the overhead?”
“Yes. Why? Do you need to do more research?” His tone was mildly sarcastic.
Megan shrugged it off. “When I interrupted you for coffee this morning, it looked like something on your computer had upset you.”
Kevin looked thoughtful. “My sister. She’s having a lot of emotional problems. She sent me a disturbing photo of herself.”
“Is she at the ranch?”
“Yes.” Kevin seemed to notice the music headphones for the first time and put them on.
When he said no more, Megan dropped the subject. She would meet the troubled sister soon enough. Besides, the doors were closing, and the flight attendants were giving their safety speech. She glanced down at Kevin’s hands. They were now tapping in time to music. She allowed herself a tiny smile. No panic attack.
As the plane took off, she noticed that Kevin’s eyes were closed and his fingers were still tapping. When the flight attendants announced that people could use their electronic devices again, Kevin got up calmly and retrieved his laptop.
Megan selected a magazine from the basket offered by the flight attendant and thumbed idly through it. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept track of Kevin. When he slammed his laptop shut, she looked up.
“What is it?”
Kevin looked grim. “I have my email program set to save mail to a local file on my computer so I can access it anywhere.” He opened the laptop again. “You might as well see this one before we get to Reno.” He turned the email so she could read it.
“I know what you’re doing. Bring that trollop to Colorado and I won’t guarantee her safety.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Megan flashed with anger. “What a rude thing to say! Who is this jerk?”
Kevin looked apologetic. “My father.”
“Oh, terrific.”
“I don’t get it! This sounds like he plans to be at the ranch. How can he know what I’m doing? My mother didn’t tell him. They barely talk at all.”
Megan turned a hand over. “They have children together. Trust me, they talk. Maybe he picked up on a slip of the tongue. Or maybe one of your siblings told him.”
Kevin didn’t look convinced. “He and my sister are mortal enemies. She clams up whenever he’s around. And my kid brother, well, dad keeps telling mother that Keegan needs special education classes. A lot he knows! The kid’s a genius!”
“Then maybe he has spies.” Megan said it casually, but the effect on Kevin was startling.
He half turned in his seat and tapped a finger on the tray. “I’ve been saying that for years, and no one believes me! He always sticks his nose in. He always seems to know what I’ve decided. It drives me crazy.”
“Well, who besides your mother knows what we’re doing? Do you trust your chauffeur?”
“Yes. I’ve known him for years.” But there was a hint of doubt behind the words.
“Then who else?”
Kevin shook his head. “I can’t think. It must be the Xanax.”
Megan nodded toward the laptop screen. “Is that your father’s way of threatening me? Do you think he’ll follow through?”
Kevin turned to her. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I’m certain he’s done things in the name of business that cross the line, but he’s mostly bluster. And you’ll be in friendly territory. The ranch belongs to my mother’s family, and he’s never felt comfortable there. He doesn’t like the western way of life. Hates animals. Won’t let Keegan have a dog at the New York apartment.”
“Does he even have a soul?” asked Megan, shocked at the idea of preventing a child from having a pet.
Kevin was taken aback. “You think that’s really weird?”
Megan’s jaw dropped. “The man hates animals! That is just wrong.”
“Well, I’ll try to run interference for you if it comes to that. I didn’t expect him to be at the wedding, though.”
“If he has spies and knows we’re planning to get married, and he’s against it, I would fully expect him to show up. And as for running interference? You don’t come through an accident like mine and six months of fighting for life in the hospital without finding your backbone. Besides, I have a lot of experience with blustery, loud, and pushy fathers. I have one of those myself.” She raised a hand for the flight attendant and requested another soft drink.
Kevin sat brooding, staring at his laptop.
“Why don’t you put that away and tell me more about your family? You were ready to spend twenty hours in a car filling me in, so you’d better talk fast. It’s only two more hours to Reno.”
Kevin closed the laptop. “Okay. You already know that Karla is going through a phase.”
Megan held up a hand. “Start with your childhood. Where were you born? Who was your favorite teacher? That kind of stuff.”
Kevin leaned back in his seat and started talking.
Megan smiled and nodded at appropriate moments. Kevin barely even noticed when the plane landed.
As they strolled through the terminal toward the luggage carousels, Megan nudged him with a friendly elbow. “I think your fear of flying is solved.”
Kevin nodded and gave her a half smile. “Yeah, I think you’re right. Amazing.”
“Maybe we should book our flights to Colorado before we leave the terminal,” suggested Megan.
“I already did that in the terminal in Seattle. I rented a car, too, while you were in the ladies’ room.”
“You’re the man,” said Megan, slipping her arm around his.
She caught a glimpse of their reflection in the shop windows th
at lined the terminal and walked a little taller. There was no better looking couple in the whole place. It occurred to her that Kevin had quite a bit of muscle. His olive tee revealed the kind of physique most men had to work at.
“You must be missing your gym workouts,” she said.
Kevin shot her a puzzled glance? “Gym? Who has time for the gym?”
It was Megan’s turn to look puzzled. “You look like you live there.”
Kevin touched his chest in an unconscious gesture. “My summer job,” he said enigmatically.
Megan waited, but he said no more.
At last she gave his arm a little pinch. “Which is?”
Kevin looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Er, I enjoy the outdoors, so in the summer I work as a logger.”
“This whole marriage thing must be getting in the way.”
“It is interfering with my exercise program,” he said. “The luggage carousel is still empty. Let’s go to the rental car desk first.”
Megan rubbed her leg.
“Did you know you do that every time I mention a car?”
Megan’s cheeks burned. “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry,” said Kevin, slipping his arm around her waist. “I’ve rented a tank.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
With luggage in tow, Kevin led the way to the rental car lot.
“Wow,” said Megan. “I thought you were kidding!”
Kevin grinned at her. “Full size SUV, comes with a step to help you get in and out. Let me load the luggage.”
He went around the back and tossed their bags into the rear. Then he opened the passenger door for Megan.
“Thank you, kind sir.” She levered herself into the seat.
“I live to serve.” Kevin bowed with a flourish.
As they pulled out of the airport, Kevin said, “Let’s go take care of business first.”
“Fine by me.”
An hour later, they were licensed and wed. There was one awkward moment, as they both realized they had no wedding bands to exchange. Kevin explained to the justice of the peace that they were saving the ring exchange for the family celebration.
