by Michele Hauf
“Now, sit back and watch Mother Nature’s color show. Matt’s going to take us down over two thousand feet to the canyon floor.”
“Sit back? No way.” She leaned forward, picked up her camera, and settled onto the edge of the seat. He wanted her in his arms, but the wide expanse of window beckoned to her camera’s eye. As the helicopter dropped into the canyon, he watched the wonder on her face as the cream, gray, and white Kaibab limestone gave way to the layers of yellow and gray sandstone, and then the deep rust-colored stone of the Tonto platform layer. The red and tan Supai stone and deep brown Redwall limestone followed until they reached the areas of gray and cream granite and schist at the bottom.
“That was astounding. I had no idea the rock changed color that way. I’d seen hundreds of pictures, but they don’t do it justice. I hope I can.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s you.” He meant every word. “Since it’s just past one, the sun is still high in the canyon, but it’ll soon move west and leave us in the shadows. On our way up, the brilliant colors you saw will all appear to be shades of tan and brown. Night comes early in the canyon, even in summer. Look, we’ve landed.”
Cleo smiled and stood, her eyes full of excitement. “Let me change the battery on my camera just in case.”
While Matt set up the chairs and side tables stored in the helicopter, Sam escorted Cleo to the edge of the Colorado River. The weather warning Matt had mentioned concerned Sam who had several men working on the solar farm project near Ely. Matt had called the field office as Sam had instructed him to, and the news wasn’t good. There were a dozen men out in the desert; six of them were on their way back to town, but the other six couldn’t be reached. There were a number of dead spots in the area where cell phone reception didn’t exist. The weather service had issued a flash flood warning for the area. Those were his men—working today because he’d insisted on his crazy around the clock schedule. Sure, he paid them well, but if anything happened to them...
“You look a million miles away. Was it something I did or said?” Cleo asked.
“Not you, never you. I’m here now.” He pointed to the river. “Looks impressive, doesn’t it?”
Cleo nodded and took another photograph. “It looks so calm and inviting. It’s not as warm here as it was on the Skywalk, but I wish I’d brought my swimsuit.”
“Don’t let the air temperature fool you. The river seems calm enough, and from here you can barely see the current, but believe me, there’s a vicious undertow. It’s against park regulations to swim in the river. The water temperature’s about fifty degrees, and the river’s full of debris from mudslides and flashfloods. Tourists die in it each year because they don’t follow the rules and insist on going into the water, unaware of the dangers hidden beneath the surface. There’s a great place we can go swimming one day if you want to. Come on. I’m starving.”
He led her back beside the helicopter and opened the basket. The hotel had provided cold meats, salads, fresh rolls, water, and wine.
“This is great.” Cleo took a bite of the do-it-yourself sandwich she’d made. “Does that helicopter tour I was going to take come near here?”
“No, it lands further west. It doesn’t come this far. This area is still part of the Reserve. So, tell me more about yourself. What do you do for fun?”
“Not much. I enjoy watching sports on television, especially hockey, football, basketball, and curling. I work out at the gym twice a week, and I like to walk, cycle, that kind of thing. I’ve been skiing a couple of times, but I’m not very good at it. Spending time with Mitch provides most of the excitement in my life. What about you?”
“I enjoy sports too, but I prefer live action to television. I never miss Frozen Fury, the L.A. Kings preseason game in Vegas. I’ve seen the USA Men’s Basketball team play a few times as well. Living near Calgary, I’ll bet you must go to a few games each year. They have a great NHL team there and a Canadian football team, too.”
Cleo choked on the water she’d swallowed. “Sorry, went down the wrong hole. No, I don’t go to the games; the tickets cost more than Dad and I can afford. Lunch is delicious; you’ll have to thank your sister for me.”
Sam nodded. Matt excused himself to make a few calls to check on the storm as well as give them some time alone. When he got back, he would give the man a bonus so he could take his wife out for a night on the town.
Sam leaned back, a glass of the chardonnay he’d opened for lunch in his hand. He could stay like this for hours. He loved listening to Cleo talk and he was fascinated by the wide range of topics they discussed. She knew more about vintage cars than a lot of his friends did, and while she hadn’t traveled much, she knew enough about a lot of places, San Francisco included, to make astute comments and ask intelligent questions. They discussed everything from Mitch’s latest bestseller to the most recent environmental crisis.
What she didn’t do was talk about herself, and while he should’ve found that refreshing, he didn’t. He wanted to know everything about her, but she seemed uncomfortable with that topic. He wanted to know what made Cleo Jones happy, sad, and every emotion in between. She wasn’t obsessed with fashion or politics, and he found the change refreshing, especially after Lena who’d been obsessed with political aspirations.
Cleo sat back and smiled. “Mom believed that you should live each day as if it were your last, and you should never do anything you’d regret in case you didn’t get a chance to make things better. That’s the way I try to live my life, but Mitch says I’m too cautious. I don’t take any risks or chances. She’s wrong. I’ve stepped way out of my comfort zone this weekend, and I’m really glad I have.”
“Being with me, like this, is different for you, isn’t it?” He’d noticed the tension in her voice.
She played with her napkin, folding it as small as she could get it and then opening it again.
“Yes, it is. I rarely date, preferring to play it safe. I’m not really this adventurous. Even this outfit is miles outside my comfort zone. My life is predictable, orderly. Each decision is analyzed, weighed, and re-examined again. Everything about this weekend is as far away from my version of normal as it can get.”
“Who’s to say what’s normal? I’m glad you decided to be daring. This is one of the best times I’ve had in years.”
It only took him a second to realize that what he’d said was true. All those fancy trips and vacations he’d taken with Lena had been more of a burden than a pleasure. The month they’d spent in Italy had been filled with one argument after another. She’d resented the fact that he’d worked part of the time, and he’d been grateful for every minute he could spend apart from her.
The villa in Tuscany would be different with Cleo. He pictured her on the ornate carved bed in the master suite, naked, her alabaster skin aglow in the candlelight, and he hardened.
Damn! Thank God for cloth napkins. Cleo seemed oblivious to his discomfort.
He felt himself relax, and the painful need in his groin subsided until he was comfortable with this angel who asked for nothing but his companionship. He hoped to convince her to give him a chance to prove they could have a long-term relationship that might blossom into something more. He was convinced Cleo was as far removed from a gold digger as any woman could get, but given her comments about money, he wasn’t sure the truth about himself would set him free. It might just create another obstacle.
While they’d eaten, the sun had moved westward, plunging the canyon into shadow, and she shivered. “I see what you mean about the temperature dropping when the sun does.”
He reached for his light jacket and placed it over her shoulders. “Come on. Time to move on. It’ll be warmer where were going. There’s a latrine over on the other side of the brush. Watch where you’re walking—there are rattlesnakes and gopher snakes in this area. You don’t want to mistake one for the other. Since the sun’s gone down, most of them will have moved off.”
“You’re joking, right?” The fear in
her voice was unmistakable.
“Are you afraid of snakes?”
“Absolutely terrified of them. It’s amazing I let you near me in your Cardassian costume,” she said and giggled. “I don’t really need to go. I’ll be good until we get somewhere else.”
“I’ll walk you over. I guess I could use the facilities as well.”
He smiled at the look of gratitude she gave him. They made it to the portable washroom and back without incident. Cleo didn’t complain about the less than optimal conditions of the facility either. When they returned to the helicopter, Matt was on the radio, and the look on his face spoke of trouble.
“Sorry, Sam. We have to call off the rest of the tour. Six of our men are trapped in a small canyon. The flash flood hit the solar farm just outside of Ely, and the guys didn’t get the warning in time to get out. They need the chopper for a rescue mission. I’ll take you back to Henderson. The company’s extraction team and paramedics are waiting there. It’ll take a little over an hour to get back and almost that long again to get to Ely.”
Sam nodded, suddenly all business. Years ago, two of his employees had died in a flash flood when the rescue team had been unable to get to them in time. History was not going to repeat itself. He could see the confusion, and concern on Cleo’s face. While he regretted having to end their date this way, the men’s safety came first.
“We’ve got to get back to Vegas,” he apologized. “This is the best helicopter for a rescue mission in a storm. It’s the most stable one in the fleet. It’s also the only one in the area because of the holiday. I have to sit up front with Matt to organize stuff on the ground. I’ll make this up to you, I promise.”
Her face was filled with compassion. “Don’t worry about me, Sam. Do whatever needs to be done. Those men need help. I’ll be fine. We can finish the tour another time.”
He took her into his arms and kissed her hungrily. He pulled away, handed her a glass of wine, and left the cabin to join Matt in the cockpit.
Cleo sat quietly in her chair contemplating the landscape beneath her, assuming they were travelling as directly as possible toward Henderson. It was mid-afternoon. She wasn’t sure exactly what Sam’s responsibilities were in a situation like this. Perhaps he was like a volunteer fireman or something. Maybe that was how he’d gotten calluses on his hands. Whatever Sam’s expertise in the matter was, Matt obviously expected him to be involved in this, and she was certain Sam was up to the task.
She’d poured herself another glass of champagne and sipped it while she watched the helicopter eat up the distance to their destination. She didn’t know much about Ely, the town closest to the flash flood area, but she did know it was in a semi-arid section of the state and subject to extremes in temperature. It might have been over a hundred there this afternoon, but the temperature could easily drop below fifty by evening. Those men would be in serious trouble if they didn’t get rescued in time, and if any of them were injured, they could be in serious trouble.
She let her mind wander to the contradiction that was Sam. It was obvious that the men who knew him respected him—the way Matt and Walter deferred to him for example, or the way the security guards had jumped to do his bidding last night. No matter how hard she tried, he simply didn’t fit her idea of a male exotic dancer. It was true that image was colored by the conservative attitudes of her father and others, but something about him didn’t feel right, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. He said he designed homes and restored old houses. While he might have needed the quick money his dancing career provided when his parents had died, architects, even junior, part-time ones, were well paid. Surely he made enough at his other job that he didn’t need to moonlight? But was there ever enough money?
She sighed. Maybe he was more like Dave than she wanted to believe. Once Dave had inherited that money, acquiring more wealth had consumed him. He’d spent lavishly to impress others, but his eye had always been on the main chance. He’d become a user—using and consuming people and not caring who got hurt in the process. For example, he bought companies in trouble and didn’t even try to turn them around. Instead, he destroyed and dismantled them, not caring about the people who lost jobs in his quest for the almighty dollar. He hadn’t let anyone or anything stand in his way. She couldn’t, no wouldn’t, live that way. It had caused so many arguments, and eventually, it had ripped them apart. Their relationship had been over long before she’d found him in their bed with another woman.
Even though Sam didn’t seem to destroy others, the bottom line was the same. Money mattered to him. He took what he wanted, when he wanted it—the special treatment at the Skywalk had emphasized that. In five days, no matter his profession, Sam was leaving for Wales, and come September he would be doing whatever he chose to do, while she’d be standing in front of a classroom trying to teach the next Einstein.
What she wouldn’t give for it to be different! Imagine coming home each night to a man who made her feel the way Sam did—making love throughout the night, cuddling in the early morning hours. Her few forays into the hot, steamy world of sex had been less than wonderful, which was why she’d chosen not to repeat the experience randomly. The phone in the cabin rang, startling her.
“Hello?”
“Hey, beautiful. I hope you enjoyed the day. I wish it had gone differently, but when Mother Nature screams, we all have to listen. Matt says we should be landing in about twenty minutes or so. Since I don’t want the day to end this way—and I hope you agree—I’ve made arrangements for someone to meet you at the airport and take you back to my suite at the hotel. I’d like you to wait for me there. As soon as the men are safe, I’ll come get you and show you some of Vegas’s nightlife. Or we can go back to the convention if you prefer.”
Cleo grasped at the lifeline he offered. She’d convinced herself there wasn’t a future for them, but she still had another twenty-four hours or so, and once everyone was safe, she could indulge herself in her fantasy again.
“Okay. I would like that. Have you heard any more about those men?”
“Not much, but the water is moving swiftly and rising.” She heard the concern in his voice. Maybe he wasn’t entirely like Dave. He was genuinely concerned for those men.
“I hope you get there in time.”
“We will. Those guys are friends of mine. They’ve never let me down, and I won’t let them down either. I’ll talk to you shortly. I’ve got another call to make.”
Cleo hung up and looked to see the urban sprawl of Henderson and Vegas in the distance. She also saw the storm clouds gathering on the horizon. She’d seen flash floods in the past and had witnessed the destruction they left behind. The swift moving water claimed almost two hundred lives a year in the United States. She prayed Sam and his coworkers wouldn’t be among them.
Familiar with the helicopter’s movement now, she felt the chopper touch down, and before the rotors even stopped, Sam came through the door from the cockpit. He picked up his brown bag and hers, and opened the cabin door. As soon as they were out, six men entered the cabin and began unscrewing the chairs, replacing them with benches and stretchers.
Sam led her across the tarmac to a black limo.
“This is Roy. He’ll take you back to the hotel and escort you to my suite. I’ll call you there as soon as I know anything.”
He pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth in a long, drugging kiss. When he pulled away, she saw sadness in his eyes.
“You’re going with them, aren’t you?” Her voice trembled.
“Yes. Those guys need me, but don’t worry. We’ll all be fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve been involved in a rescue mission like this one, and while I wish I could say it’ll be my last, I know that would be a lie. Knowing you’ll be waiting for me will be all the incentive I need not to take any stupid risks.”
“Come back to me,” she whispered, her voice edged with the fear and despair she felt. What he was doing was incredibly dangerous. Those clouds denoted a v
icious thunderstorm with rain, wind, and killer lightning. How had she come to care for this man so quickly? She was sexually attracted to him, that was a given, and even though what she knew about him should make any further relationship between them impossible, she knew she wanted more.
“Always.” He kissed her and hurried back to the helicopter. She could see the others aboard, and as soon as Sam jumped in, the aircraft rose into the sky. She watched it fly off to the northwest, toward Ely and the deadly black clouds on the horizon.
11
When the helicopter was nothing but a speck in the sky, Cleo swiped at the tears dribbling down her cheek. She turned to the driver, doing her best to stop the waterworks and trying to look brave, even though she was terrified something awful might happen to Sam and those men. God, it had to be the booze.
“Roy, is it? I guess I’m ready to go.” She cast one last look into the distance.
“He’ll be okay. He’s a lot tougher than he looks. I’ve driven for Mr. Mason for a long time. He’s a good bloke. He’ll bring those men home safe and sound.”
The man’s Australian accent made her smile. It seemed out of place in the Nevada desert outside a casino venue. She imagined rich Australians came to Vegas to gamble. She wondered how one had come to be a chauffeur.
“How long have you been in the United States?”
Roy laughed. “My accent gave me away, did it? I’ve been with LJS Enterprises more than five years now.”
She frowned. Roy had said he’d driven for Mr. Mason. Obviously Sam used the limo frequently. It must be a hell of a friendship he had with his boss—the vintage car, the helicopter, and the limo. Whoever owned LJS Enterprises didn’t mind sharing his toys, and was far more broadminded about Sam’s hobby than she was. His employees apparently had a lot of respect and affection for their employer. What a contrast to her most recent principal. No one loved that old battle axe.
