by Jenna Brandt
The meal passed pleasantly, and as the guests finished eating, they made their way over to Aiden and Lindsay’s table to talk to them. Soon, their table was surrounded by a thick throng of guests.
“We’ve got a surprise for you,” Erica stated with a smile as she pointed towards the door to the room.
Joyce Falton, Lindsay’s boss at Boulder County CPS, was standing in the entry. She was a thin woman with brown hair and spectacles. She called the room to attention with her stern expression. As everyone watched the woman, who appeared to be in her mid-thirties, enter the room, a thick silence filled the air.
A thin smile cracked the hard exterior of the woman’s face as she entered. She stepped aside to show Alex standing behind her. He was wearing an adorable little suit and in his hands was a bouquet.
He rushed past Ms. Falton towards Lindsay and Aiden with a huge grin on his face. “These are for you,” Alex stated, as he thrust out the flowers to Lindsay.
Lindsay took the flowers from him. “Thank you, Alex."
“Ms. Falton picked me up and told me she was bringing me to your party. I was so glad!” Alex proclaimed.
“We’re glad you’re here too, Champ,” Aiden said. “Are you hungry?”
“They already fed us at the home,” he glanced towards the buffet table, then added, “but the food here looks way better. I think I can squeeze more in.”
Aiden chuckled. “Go have at it.”
Not needing further prodding, Alex took off for the buffet.
Lindsay turned to Joyce and gave the woman a grateful smile. “Thank you for bringing him, Joyce. It means so much to have him here. We’re glad you made it too. Have you eaten?” Lindsay inquired.
“I haven’t gotten a chance,” Joyce stated. “I picked up Alex straight after work and came here.”
“Then please stay and have dinner,” Aiden offered.
“I appreciate the hospitality, but I have plans for the evening,” Joyce stated. “Do you mind dropping Alex off when the party is over?”
“We’d be glad to,” Lindsay assured her.
After Joyce left, Erica joined them again. “I have to say, Alex is adorable. I was talking with him while I helped him get a plate of food. He told me all about his day at school in animated detail.”
“He is pretty cute, isn’t he,” Lindsay stated with pride.
“You guys make the cutest family. I think—”
Before Erica finished, Zach, busted through the door. He caused a commotion as he shouted, “There’s my boy and his soon-to-be ball-and-chain.”
A woman Aiden recognized from The Lucky Penny in a tight red dress that barely covered her body was hanging on Zach’s arm. She topped off her attention-seeking outfit with black stilettos, a ton of makeup, and hair teased to the limits. As Zach and the woman approached, the pungent smell of sweet roses mixed with alcohol filled the air.
Embarrassed his friend would bring an intoxicated badge bunny to his engagement party, Aiden frowned with disapproval. Why couldn’t Zach learn how to behave?
“Sorry, we’re late man, but Tiffany here wanted to stop by the bar first. Got to keep the lady happy, right?” Zach asked as his eyebrows wagged up and down.
Lindsay’s hand tightened on Aiden’s arm where it rested. He glanced over at his fiancée, and although she was still smiling, he could tell it was strained.
“Zachy, how long do we have to stay here?” the woman whined as she gave a dismissive glance towards them. “Don’t we have better things to be doing on a Friday night?”
Zach shrugged. “This will wrap up soon enough. We can go back to my place after.” He leaned over towards Aiden and added, “She’s impatient to get me alone, if you know what I mean.”
Aiden forced down the bile that rose in his throat. He detested how Zach acted towards women. It was bad enough he talked that way when they were at work, but Zach had no business doing it around Lindsay and Erica.
“Wow, you sure know how to pack on the charm, don’t you fella,” Erica stated sarcastically. “I’m surprised any woman at all would go out with you.” Then glancing at Tiffany, she rolled her eyes, “Although looking at who you brought, she doesn’t appear to be picky.”
Tiffany’s eyes darted towards Erica with confusion. “Did she just slam me, Zach?” Then as the jab sunk in, the other woman’s eyes narrowed into black slits as she spat out, “She did. This mousy twit has some nerve,” she declared as she moved towards Erica. “I have a good mind to—”
Aiden stepped forward between the women, wanting to avoid a confrontation. “Miss, you realize you’re in a room filled with cops. I don’t think starting a fight with someone here is the best idea.”
Tiffany’s eyes darted around the room before she backed off. She turned her attention back to Zach and whined, “Zachy, take me over to the buffet and get me some food. I’m starving.”
Zach shot Aiden an apologetic smile before he sauntered off with his date.
“Geez, Aiden, your friend is a real piece of work,” Erica stated with audible disgust.
“He’s a good guy; he’s just got a broken picker when it comes to women.”
“You can say that again.” Changing the subject, Erica said, “I need to go make sure we have the plates and forks for the cake. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Sorry about that,” Aiden apologized.
Lindsay shook her head. “It’s not your fault. You can’t control what he does. All we can do is pray for him.”
“Agreed. I wish he would just accept my offer to come to church with me.”
“Just give him time.”
Deanna Harper, the lone Clear Mountain police dispatcher, came up to Aiden and Lindsay.
“I see Zach is at it again,” the buxom redhead stated with a wry grin. “At least since he brought a date tonight, he won’t be all over me.”
Deanna was the only source of feminine charm in the Clear Mountain police substation. Most of the officers fawned all over her, including Zach. It surprised Aiden how well she handled the unwanted attention.
“Deanna, I want to introduce you to my fiancée, Lindsay Wright. Lindsay, this is Deanna Harper, the department’s dispatcher and assistant to Captain McGregor.”
“Nice to meet you, Lindsay,” Deanna greeted as she reached out her hand towards the other woman.
Taking her hand, Lindsay returned, “It's great to meet you too.”
“Deanna is busy most days keeping all of us in line,” Aiden declared.
Lindsay laughed. “I bet. We should get together for coffee to talk about it. I’m sure you’ve got some stories to tell.”
“That would be great. I could use the break from the constant onslaught of testosterone.”
Both of the women laughed while Mr. De Luca brought out a pretty white cake decorated with fondant roses. Scrolled across the center, “Congrats Lindsay & Aiden” was written. The restaurant owner set it on the center table and ushered them forward. The couple turned to their guests.
“I want to thank all of you for coming. We’re so excited to start our lives together and are grateful all of you want to share in this special time with us. We were told they will fast-track our application to foster-to-adopt. If everything goes smoothly, Alex should be able to move in with us in about three months—” Aiden looked around the room at their gathered friends. “—which means we have the same amount of time to get married.”
Everyone clapped and cheered. Aiden raised his hand, prompting everyone to silence. “Lindsay has made it clear she doesn’t need a big wedding. She’s happy just to marry me at city hall and then make a home for Alex. But together, all of us can still give her one.”
He turned to look at Lindsay. Tears of joy were in the corner of her eyes as she smiled up at him. “Thank you,” she mouthed as their friends pushed forward to offer to help.
The rest of the evening passed with Aiden and Lindsay celebrating their engagement and talking about ideas for their upcoming wedding.
&nbs
p; Three
Like most weekends, The Clear Mountain Riverwalk was swarming with people. Being the favorite hangout spot in the small town, both couples and families alike spent their evenings shopping, dining, and walking along the concrete boardwalk.
Lindsay and Aiden entered Sushi Mon and were seated after a few minutes. Both being avid sushi lovers, they enjoyed paying a flat fee to try as many types of rolls as they could eat.
“I’m glad we finished our first class for fostering,” he admitted. “The sooner we get the classes and home inspection taken care of, the sooner Alex can move in with us after the wedding.”
Lindsay nodded. “It will still take about a year due to the backlog of adoptions and lack of employees in the county. We can still bond as a family; however, while we wait for the adoption to go through. I hope Alex can be patient,” she glanced over at Aiden with a suspicious smile, “not to mention you.”
Aiden chuckled causing his face to crinkle up. Lindsay’s heart fluttered, a sucker for his dimples which appeared whenever he laughed.
“I like the sound of that, bonding as a family. I can’t wait to marry you, and for Alex to live with us.”
“Just a little less than three months and you’ll get your wish. Be careful what you ask for though, getting a wife and a child back-to-back is a lot for anyone to handle.”
“Hey, don’t forget, I was the one who proposed and brought up adopting Alex. I did pretty good at our first training class for fostering yesterday.”
Aiden’s confidence put Lindsay at ease. He appeared to be all-in with both choices. She worried sometimes he made a hasty decision.
“You’re right. You did a good job. I can’t complain.”
The rest of the meal passed with dialogue about work and church until they had both eaten their fill of sushi rolls. Aiden stood from the table and went around to help her from her chair. They walked to the exit where he wrapped his scarf around his neck with one hand as he held the door open with his other. “I have a surprise for you.”
“What do you have planned this time?” Lindsay asked with amusement as she put on her own scarf and coat.
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Aiden stated with a mischievous grin.
He took her hand and guided her down the path. As they reached the end of the boardwalk, the park came into view. Twinkling lights crossed over the giant ice skating rink in the center.
“I hope you skate. You seem the athletic type.”
“I can’t say I’m an expert, but I can hold my own,” she assured him.
Aiden paid their admittance then got them both a pair of skates. Once they finished getting ready, Aiden stepped onto the ice and extended his hand to Lindsay. She took it and allowed him to pull her onto the rink.
“I love skating,” he confessed. “I used to be on a pee-wee hockey team when I was a kid, but switched to football when I entered high school to fit in.”
“That explains so much,” she smirked. “You definitely strike me as being a former cocky jock; the exact type of guy I avoided in high school.”
“Ouch,” Aiden said with mock hurt. “I was a pretty nice guy back in high school. I was even the homecoming king.”
“Stop it,” she laughed. “You’re just digging yourself a bigger hole. I can’t believe I’m engaged to a former jock who was voted homecoming king. It would mortify my dad. He would say, ‘Lindsay, you need to marry a man who can work a ranch if you want to have a happy life. Don’t settle for a man who is all city.’”
Aiden’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Is that how you see me? A city guy?”
She shrugged. “Not as much anymore. You’ve proven yourself well enough on horseback, and during our visits to the Stockton's Ranch.”
He paused for a moment before inquiring, “You don’t bring up your dad often, but since you did, have you thought about visiting him? With our wedding coming up soon, it would be nice to include him.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t know if it’s the best idea. My dad was pretty hard to deal with after my mom’s death. I doubt that’s changed.”
“But won’t you regret not telling him at least, and giving him the chance? Won’t you always wonder?”
Was Aiden right? Would she regret not having her father walk her down the aisle, or at least giving him the choice? If she were honest, when she imagined her wedding, her dad was by her side. “You have a point. I guess I can call him and see if he would meet with us.”
“I think it’s the right decision,” he affirmed. “We can pray about it in the meantime.”
Aiden reached out and pulled Lindsay into his arms. “Have I told you how much I love you?”
She giggled. “Like every day, but I don’t tire of hearing it.”
“Good. I enjoy saying it.”
He leaned forward and placed his lips on hers, warming her skin against the cold Colorado night air with the perfect kiss.
Four
Aiden was having a difficult time putting that last kiss at the Clear Mountain Riverwalk Ice Rink out of his mind. He could not wait until he and Lindsay were married. However, right now he needed to stop daydreaming and focus on the task at hand or his current rescue could go terribly wrong.
“How many times are novice skiers going to ignore the signs and go down this hill?” Zach asked with irritation. “I mean, it states that it's meant for advanced skiers.”
“You’re right, Zach, but sometimes people think they are better at something than they are,” Aiden stated as he trudged through the fresh powder with his snowshoes.
“The Mortimers are lucky the ski lodge reported them missing when they didn’t check-out today.”
“True, and at least they were smart enough to tell someone where they were going yesterday or our search grid would be a lot larger,” Aiden pointed out.
“Yes, but the fresh snowfall makes them nearly impossible to track,” Zach countered as he pulled his beanie down over his ears and rubbed his gloved hands together. “I’m surprised Cooper and Harley can find any trace.”
Both dogs were sniffing and moving along the ridge line of the ski trail, seeking the invisible clues with their finely tuned senses.
“Lucky for the missing couple, our K-9 partners are excellent at their job,” Aiden stated. “I’m sure we will find them.”
They continued up the mountain, searching for any sign of the skiers. About fifteen minutes later, they found a small cave; both dogs barked and moved back and forth in front of the entrance.
Patting Cooper on the head, Aiden rewarded him with his chew toy. “Good job, boy. You did really well.”
Zach did the same with Harley before stating, “I’m betting the Mortimers are inside there.”
Aiden pressed the button on the side of his radio. “Dispatch, this is K-9 2. We have a possible location for the missing skiers. We’re four clicks north of Willow Ridge outside a cave. We’re heading inside to investigate. Be informed, we will lose radio contact.”
“Copy that, K-9 2,” Deanna’s voice responded over the radio, “stay safe and report back once we have a signal re-established.”
“Will do, Dispatch. Over and out.”
Aiden removed Cooper’s chew toy, letting his dog know it was time to return to the job. He then pulled out his tactical flashlight as he entered the cave with Zach beside him.
“Did I tell you how much I hate caves?” Zach inquired with audible unease in his voice. “Nothing good lives in caves: spiders, bats, mountain lions, bears.”
“Ok, Cowardly Lion,” Aiden mocked with a chuckle. “Let’s not list all the things we might—but probably won’t—encounter in this cave.”
“But if we do, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
A loud thud echoed through the cave and Zach reflexively pulled out his gun. “See, what did I tell you,” Zach warned.
“Stop it, Zach. It’s probably just the missing skiers. You spook too easy.” Thinking better of it, Aiden took out his own gun. “T
hen again, better to be safe than sorry, I suppose.”
They continued down into the cave’s depth. The further they went, the darker it got.
“Do you have any of those glow sticks in your backpack?” Zach inquired. “It’s crazy dark in here.”
“I sure do. You want to open it up and pull a few out.”
Zach did as Aiden directed, then cracked the first one, making it glow. He threw it against the cave wall, illuminating the entire area for several feet. The walls were moist and icicles hung from the ceiling. The soft sound of drops hitting the floor echoed through the cave. Occasionally, a drop would land on Aiden’s face, causing a shiver to crawl down his body.
“That’s way better,” Zach asserted. “Now we can at least make out where we are, not just what’s in front of us.”
They continued their search, throwing a new glow stick every ten yards to help light their path. When they reached a fork in the cave, there were three tunnels from which to pick.
Aiden asked Cooper, “Which way, boy? Tell us which way to go.”
Cooper sniffed all options, and after a moment, barked and stood in front of the tunnel on the left.
“I guess we have our answer,” Zach stated, heading down the identified path.
After several minutes, breathing and whimpering came from the end of the tunnel. Their flashlights revealed a couple right in front of them who looked to be in their late twenties.
“John and Melanie Mortimer?” Aiden inquired.
When they nodded their heads, the two officers put away their guns, walked over, and assessed them for injuries.
Aiden leaned over and whispered to Zach, “They both look hypothermic. I will wrap them with a foil blanket.” He took off his backpack and pulled out two packages he carried during the winter months. He opened them and placed an insulated layer around each of their shoulders.
“What are you guys doing all the way back in here?” Zach inquired.
