When the pain finally allowed him to talk, he said, “I hope you’re done with me. I don’t think I can take any more.”
“I’m sorry, Theo, but it’s all done now,” Amanda said, getting to her feet. “I’m going to go find the satellite phone and call someone for some help.”
Theo watched her dig through first one then the other four-wheeler, then come back empty handed. “I can’t find it. Where did you pack it?”
Theo looked at her surprised, “I didn’t pack it, I thought they were already in the emergency packs.”
Amanda’s heart sank. Without a satellite phone, there was no way they could get a hold of anyone to come and rescue them. “No, you have to check them out and have them activated.”
Theo looked crestfallen. “I didn’t know. Maybe we should have waited for Seth. We’re in real trouble here,” he said, looking so beat down that Amanda couldn’t help but cross over to him, kneel down, and wrap her arms around him.
“It’s not that bad. I told Marci that I’d let her know when we got to Homestead. When she doesn’t hear from me by dinner, she’ll get worried and call Seth,” Amanda said, feeling far more confident than she felt.
Theo looked around him and cussed. “This is all my fault and if that wasn’t bad enough, I can’t even do anything to help us. I’m sorry, Amanda.”
“We’ll be fine. All we have to do is get some shelter and start a fire. We have a little food left from what Marci sent and there’s food in the emergency kit,” Amanda said, getting to her feet. “I think there were some caves back where we stopped, it’s not that far. If you could walk a little, we could spend the night there, then I wouldn’t have to build us a shelter, which I’m not sure I’m up to,” she said, rubbing her belly, realizing that her energy was quickly waning.
“I can do it,” Theo said, not sounding very sure, but struggling to sit up.
“Let me get a stick or something for you to lean on,” Amanda said, getting to her feet. “But don’t get up yet, we’re going to need some stuff and I don’t want to make the trip twice, if we fill our pockets I won’t have to.”
In the end, she ended up making a pile of supplies in the center of a tarp she found, figuring that she could pull it and help Theo at the same time. Not only did she find food and water, but there were fire-starters, space blankets, and two sleeping bags, along with a few other things that might make their night outdoors a little easier. There was a gun tucked in the very bottom of one of the storage bins, and after much deliberation, she tucked it into a backpack and threw it on the pile.
It took them almost until dark to find the little cave that would be their home for that night, but Amanda still had enough time to gather enough firewood to get them through the night. Theo, exhausted from the trip to the cave, had curled up on the bed she made them and gone to sleep, his snores testament to everything he’d been through that afternoon. Amanda took a second as she was building the fire to stop and look at him, thinking that he was one of the most handsome men she’d ever met, but that it wasn’t only his looks that attracted her.
He’d been incredibly tough that afternoon, doing everything she told him to even though she knew that at times he must have been in incredible pain. But they were safe for the night now, and with the little fire and the sleeping bags, they’d be plenty warm. After she rested, she’d put together some kind of dinner, wake Theo, and together they’d eat. Then she was going to sleep while he watched the fire, but deep in the middle of the night, she woke to the fire out and Theo snoring in her ear.
She wanted to be angry with him, but he was curled around her, and she was plenty warm. Starting the fire again in the morning would be no big deal, so she settled down to go back to sleep but quickly found that no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t sleep, her bladder so full that she knew she was going to have to get up and empty it. She tried to slip out without waking Theo but the cold air hit him and he moaned, then opened his eyes.
“I’m sorry, but I have to use the bathroom,” Amanda said, getting to her feet.
“I must have fallen asleep and let the fire go out,” Theo said, leaning up on one elbow. “I can probably get it started again if you slide some of that wood over and then I might need to make a call of my own.”
Amanda hadn’t thought about that, but she’d been in far more embarrassing situations with Theo, it wouldn’t be that bad. “Okay, I’ll be right back,” she said, knowing she couldn’t wait much longer.
They were both cold and exhausted again when they got back to the cave, but it only took a few minutes to build up the fire. Once the cave was warm again, they slept wrapped together under the sleeping bag, their conversation earlier was on both of their minds, but they were too tired to pursue it that night. The last thing Amanda remembered before she fell asleep was Theo pulling her closer, and squeezing her tightly.
Chapter 10
When they woke the next morning, the sun was shining and things didn’t look so bad. They’d both had some healing sleep and to Amanda’s great relief the baby was kicking and moving around was what had woken her. Theo had gotten some of his color back, but still had dark circles under his eyes from the constant pain that she couldn’t even begin to control with the meager drugs they had. She was perfectly content to lay in Theo’s arms watching him sleep, but he opened his eyes and smiled at her.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice scratchy. “How did you sleep?”
Amanda smiled up at him suddenly feeling a little shy. “Surprisingly good considering where we slept. How does your ankle feel?”
“Sore and throbby,” Theo said, grimacing when he moved his leg. “And before you say it, I know you’re going to want to look at it, but let’s have some breakfast first and I’ll start mine with a bunch of the pills you gave me yesterday.”
Amanda laughed and started to get up but Theo pulled her back down. “I promised you yesterday that I’d answer your question about why I’m still single,” he said, then paused. “And you promised to answer that same question.”
She didn’t think that was exactly how the conversation had gone, but it was close enough, and she was trapped. “I remember.”
He settled her more comfortably in his arms and then began to talk. “A lot of people look at me and think that I’ve got it all and in some ways they’re right, I never have to worry about money, have social standing, and a job that lots of people would die for. But that doesn’t mean that relationships come any easier for me, in fact sometimes its even harder to connect with people. People don’t always see the real me, they see Theo Taylor, billionaire, and head of one of the biggest companies in Washington, it makes them treat me differently.”
Amanda only nodded her head, not sure what he was trying to say, so he continued. “It also means that I live a very sheltered life. Sure, I go out to the clubs, fundraising dinners and balls, and all that stuff that you see in the papers. But the people who go to those things aren’t there to form lasting bonds, they’re there to climb a little higher on the social ladder, or to make business deals, or to just be seen with people like me. Honestly, it’s an exhausting way to live, and it wears me out just to think about it.”
“I never thought about it from that point of view,” Amanda said, remembering how the woman from the agency had acted when she’d introduced them, how she’d fawned over Theo.
“Do you remember the day we met?” he asked, as if he’d been reading her mind.
“I was just thinking about that,” Amanda said, smiling up at him remembering that day.
“When that woman introduced us, you didn’t even blink, weren’t impressed like everyone else always is,” Theo said, then added, “It was one of the first things that attracted me to you.”
Amanda was silent for a second, letting it sink in that he’d been attracted to her that day too, then said, “I’ve never been one to read the social pages and you’d never get me near the business section, so I had no idea who you were.”
�
��But even after you found out, it didn’t seem to matter,” Theo said, realizing for the first time that in all the time he’d know Amanda she’d never seem very impressed by his money.
“Not really, money doesn’t mean that much to me. I don’t need a bunch of stuff, I’ve never been like that, not even as a child. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in such a big family, we always had what we needed but not a whole lot more, but I knew people with far less so I was thankful for what I had,” Amanda said, shrugging her shoulders.
“And that’s what makes you so special to me,” Theo said, then kissed her. “I’ve been looking for someone like you for my entire life. Does that answer your question or do I have to tell you about all the shallow women my mother has tried to pair me up with?”
Amanda felt a flare of jealousy, and quickly decided that she didn’t want to hear about any other women in his life. “No, that’s okay,” she said, then smiled up at him shyly. “I’m feeling a little bit of jealousy, and it’s not very comfortable.”
“I’m glad your jealous, but you have nothing to worry about,” Theo said, meaning every word. Now that he’d talked to Amanda he understood that his attraction to her wasn’t only the baby, but the baby was one of the things coming between them; he had to know if Amanda still felt the same way she had before. “But it’s your turn now. Why are you still single?”
“Well, first let me point out that I’m only thirty,” Amanda said, playfully.
“Oh, yes, I’d forgotten that you’re still a baby,” Theo said. “I’m only five years older than you, Amanda.”
“Sometimes I feel so much older than I am and then at others so much younger,” Amanda said, then paused, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. “I spent the first part of my life taking care of someone, growing up as the oldest I had more responsibility put on my shoulders than most kids do. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change a thing, I love them all more than anything in the world, but by the time I graduated from high school and went off to college, I just wanted my freedom.”
“I can understand that,” Theo said, imagining what it must have been like to live in a house with nine other people.
“I wanted to have fun, explore the world, and more than anything I didn’t want to be responsible for anyone else. I dated and had fun, but avoided anything that came close to a real relationship. I was selfish and completely happy, drunk off of the freedom I’d never had to just think about myself,” Amanda said, and then paused, her mind trying to get around something important, something essential that she needed to learn.
“When I graduated from college, I promised myself two things. First, that I was never going to have kids, my freedom had become much to precious to me to ever imagine giving it up again, and second, that someday I’d have a book on the best seller list. I’ve managed to accomplish the first but not the second, and that’s why I made the choice I did to become a surrogate.”
Theo was silent for a long time, then asked, “Do you think you made the right choice?”
It was Amanda’s turn to be silent. “I’m sure I did, but not for the reasons you think,” she said, then looked into his eyes. “I think I might have been wrong about that first promise, maybe motherhood wouldn’t be that bad after all.”
“And the second?” Theo asked.
“I’d still like to make that happen, but I think maybe I’ve been going about it all wrong, I’m not sure I have to think about it some more,” Amanda answered honestly. “Theo, I’ve been living so selfishly for so long, it’s going to take some time to learn how to live differently. Does that make sense?”
“I think so,” Theo said, then opened his mouth to say more, to tell Amanda how much he loved her, but a shout and the sound of motors stopped him.
Amanda scrambled out of the cave, and started for the trail, stopping only long enough to pull the emergency horn out of the pile of supplies. “I’ll be right back with help, don’t move,” she said, blowing the horn as soon as she cleared the cave.
She got back to the trail just as Seth jumped off his four-wheeler. “Amanda, are you okay? Where’s Theo?” he asked, pulling her to him and giving her a hug.
“I’m okay, but I can’t breathe,” she said, then when he’d released her added, “Theo’s up in the cave we spent the night in. I think his ankle is broken but other than that he’s okay.”
Relief spread across Seth’s face, but before she could say more the rest of the rescue party had caught up and soon she was surrounded by a crowd. It was such a relief to know that they were going to be safe that she felt a bit dizzy and grabbed onto Seth, who immediately began to shout orders. Before she knew it, she was seated in a camp chair, and she had a hot cup of tea in her hands.
“Better?” Seth asked, sitting down next to her. He would have liked to have gone after Theo himself, but he didn’t want to leave Amanda.
Amanda took another sip of the tea, then explained, “Our four-wheeler tipped over with the earthquake, Theo’s landed on his ankle, but I was able to free him. We made our way back here and stayed in a cave I saw when we stopped here for lunch.”
“I already sent a group after him, I know those caves, that was a smart thing to do,” Seth said, unable to hide the admiration in his voice.
Amanda smiled. “I’ve picked a few things up since I’ve been here.”
They sat silently, Amanda sipping her tea and Seth watching anxiously through the trees for Theo. When he finally spotted them coming back, Theo on a stretcher, he jumped to his feet and met them, anxious to make sure that Theo was okay. He’d been feeling guilty since he discovered that they’d left the village just hours before the quake hit. If he hadn’t taken Amanda to the village they would have been safe in Homestead, where there’d been little damage done and few injuries.
Theo looked like he was in pain, but there was a smile on his face. “I never thought I’d be so glad to see you, cousin,” he said, then grimaced when one of the men jostled the stretcher.
“I feel the exact same way,” Seth said, grinning at his cousin who clearly wasn’t blaming him. “Now tell me where it hurts.”
An hour later, they were bundled into a trailer that had been specifically designed for a rescue. They’d both eaten and most importantly, after a phone call to Heather, Theo had been given a real painkiller. They were just about to leave when Seth’s phone rang. Getting off his four-wheeler, he took the call clearly annoyed. Theo was half asleep but when he heard a woman’s voice screeching over the phone, he sat up and groaned.
Seth held the phone out to him, grimaced, and walked away. Theo looked at the phone for a moment as if he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with it, but when the screeching began again, he put it up to his ear and said, “Hello, Mother.”
He listened for a few minutes then said, “Well, I wasn’t in charge of the rescue, Mother. I was the one being rescued.” Then he listened again.
With a big sigh, he said, “Look, Mother, I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner, but I’m fine. Amanda saved the day and my life I think.”
Bridget didn’t like the sound of that at all. “What do you mean?”
“She was wonderful,” he said, unable to continue as a huge wave of love washed over him. Mixed with the painkiller, it was a euphoric feeling and he couldn’t help but add, “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”
“Theo, what are you saying?” Bridget asked, becoming alarmed, but Theo didn’t answer.
“Nothing, Mother,” he said, instantly sorry he’d said it. Before he could say more, exhaustion washed over him and he was asleep.
“Theo, are you there?” Bridget asked again, suddenly worried that something had happened to her son, he’d been there one moment then gone the next.
Then a voice came over the phone. “Aunt Bridget, it’s Seth Montgomery again. Theo isn’t exactly feeling like talking right now and we’re still a long way from Homestead. His ankle looks like it might be broken but other than that he’s fine, Ama
nda took good care of him.”
“I don’t care what she did, it’s her fault that he’s there. Put him back on the phone right now,” Bridget said, bristling because she considered Seth Montgomery the cause of all their problems.
“I can’t do that, he’s sound asleep and it’s a good thing, we still have a difficult trip in front of us and frankly you’re holding us up, so I’m going to hang up now. I’ll have Theo call you when he can,” Seth said, then hung up the phone.
Bridget stared at the phone for a second, then slammed it down frustrated. It was bad enough that Seattle was nothing more than a disaster area right now, the view from the deck so shocking that she’d hung blankets over the windows. But now her son was hurt out there somewhere in the middle of nowhere with a man she detested, a man who was the cause of all this. If not for Seth Montgomery and his happy little family, Theo wouldn’t have been on some wild goose chase to have one of his own.
That thought brought her back to the reason he was out there and the woman who was aiding him in his crazy plan, a woman who Theo had become unnaturally fond of, if she’d read him right the last time he was home. It had all been so alarming from the very beginning, the surrogate, the unplanned trip to Alaska, him coming home unannounced then leaving again the same way. But what had been most alarming of all was the way he’d talked about that woman, as if she mattered to him, as if he cared about her.
She’d never heard him talk about another woman like he had Amanda and at first, she’d assumed that it was because she was giving him the child he so desperately needed, but as time had gone on, she realized that there was more to it than that. When she’d challenged him, he’d blown it off, but she knew her son, it had been written all over his face. But she’d let him talk her out of it, let him charm her right away from the subject, so she’d never said anything.
It was clear from his words that something had changed, that that woman had somehow worked her way into his heart and she was going to have to put a stop to it before it got out of hand. The last thing she needed was the scandal of her son marrying someone like that, let alone his surrogate. The baby had been bad enough, this would destroy them, it would be the scandal that never went away. But she’d have to be smart about it, wait for the right time, disrupt things in a way that no one could trace back to her.
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