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  “Cari, that’s just a myth. They’re leaving their roost to feed at night. Unless you have insects in your hair, you’re safe.”

  She rose to her feet. “That’s not funny.”

  He gently touched her cheek. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe you’re afraid of bats.”

  She shuddered. “At the moment I’m afraid of everything.”

  He put his arm around her and they settled into the hollowed cave. “I’ll protect you from the bats,” he said. “I can handle that.”

  But there were so many unknowns out here and he wondered if they’d be able to survive. He had to be strong for her. The air was a bit chilly. Last night they’d been exhausted and hadn’t noticed. He slipped off his jacket and they used it as a blanket.

  She snuggled against him. “I always wondered if I had all the time in the world, what I would do.”

  “And…”

  “Mmm. Soak in a hot Jacuzzi in my luxury private bathroom, sipping wine, eating chocolate-covered strawberries and watching a movie on my big-screen TV, which is a fantasy because I don’t have any of those things.”

  “What male movie star would be in this Jacuzzi with you?”

  She grew thoughtful. “Ah. George Clooney for sure. Johnny Depp would work. Hugh Jackman also. Ethan Hawke, too.”

  “I get the picture.”

  As darkness fell there was silence for a moment and their situation intruded.

  “Reed…”

  “Go to sleep, Cari. Tomorrow’s another day.”

  “Tomorrow’s my dad’s birthday.”

  “One way or the other we’ll get out of here and you can wish your dad happy birthday in person.”

  He intended to keep that promise for the woman who’d saved his life.

  Chapter Four

  Richard paced in his study while Mr. Avery unrolled a map on his desk. Marisa and Colter stood nearby, anxiously awaiting whatever information the man could give them. Vanessa sat on the sofa, her eyes glazed from medication.

  “The Dalton Learjet is equipped with an Emergency Locator Transmitter which should have sent out a signal for rescue upon impact, but it didn’t. The ELT operates off a 9-volt battery pack and we’ve come to the conclusion that either the battery was dead or low.”

  “Damn it.” Richard ran a hand through his hair, angry and frustrated.

  Mr. Avery pointed to the map. “The plane veered severely off the flight plan and that’s our problem. The last contact we had was here.” He jabbed his finger at an area around Pecos. “West Texas is vast and we have helicopters in the air searching. So far nothing. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.”

  “But there’s still hope?” Marisa asked.

  “Mrs. Kincaid, the elements out there are harsh and—”

  “Yes, there’s hope,” Richard intervened. The man didn’t need to upset his daughter.

  “Mr. Preston, it’s been forty-eight hours. The Michaels family has been notified and the pilots’ families as well.”

  Marisa turned to Winston, standing at the door. “Send a car to the Michaels family to bring them here to wait for news.”

  “Marisa, there’s no need for that,” Richard quickly said. “I’m sure the Michaelses would rather be in their own home.”

  Marisa’s eyes darkened. “Do you have something against them coming here?”

  “No. I just think they’ll feel out of place.”

  “I see. Then I’ll just go to them.”

  “No.” Vanessa jumped to her feet. “Winston, send a car. I do not want Marisa to leave this house. The Michaelses are welcome here.”

  “Thank you, Mother. I’ll call Ruth and Sam and speak to them myself.”

  “Honey.” Colter reached for Marisa’s arm as she made to leave the room.

  She leaned into him. “I’m fine, really.”

  He pulled her into his arms and held her. Richard had to respect the way Colter loved and cared for his girl.

  Colter cupped her face. “I’ll go and get them. Since I’ve met them they’ll probably feel more comfortable with me than with a stranger.”

  “Thank you.” Marisa threw her arms around his neck.

  “Give them a call so they’ll know I’m coming.”

  As he walked out, Marisa reached for her cell and went into another room.

  Vanessa looked around. “Where’s Daphne? I thought she was here.”

  “She had to go out, but she’ll be back.”

  “That’s strange.” Vanessa held on to the sofa for support. “I’ll speak to Thelma so she can prepare rooms.” She glanced at him, her eyes clearer than they had been all day. “If you do anything to upset Marisa or the Michaelses, you’ll answer to me.”

  “I’m not thoughtless.” How he wished he could be more like Colter and able to comfort his wife, but that wasn’t in his nature. For the first time he saw that flaw.

  “Maybe just insensitive,” Vanessa remarked.

  Before he could respond, Marisa came back and Vanessa reached for her, hugging her tightly. “Darling, how many rooms do you think we’ll need?”

  Marisa brushed back her hair. “I had a hard time convincing them, but they finally agreed. Let’s see, Ruth and Sam, their son Sammy and their daughter Judith. Their other son Chase is in Midland and he’s on the way. Kitty lives in Dallas and should be here any minute.”

  “I’ll have Thelma prepare the west wing so they’ll have plenty of room.”

  “Thank you, Mother.” Marisa brushed back her hair again, a sign she was upset. “I feel better with them here. Closer to Cari.”

  Vanessa touched her face. “I know, darling. Now, let’s go make arrangements.”

  They left Richard standing there and at that moment he felt truly alone. That shocked him. He wasn’t a sentimental person.

  FOR CARI and Reed the morning came with startling reality. No search team was coming. The sky was empty and the only sound was of the dry west Texas wind.

  They ate the last cereal bar and drank the last of the water, savoring each drop. Cari stuffed the bottle into the pack, then slipped her arms through the holes and adjusted it to ride easily on her back. Reed wrapped his jacket around his waist. They began the trek down the mountain to find civilization.

  Reed took the lead and stumbled and slid several times because the terrain was so treacherous. Rocks and holes impeded their progress.

  Cari stopped and knelt to tie her sneakers tighter. Her heels burned and she was afraid the big shoes were giving her blisters. Reed seemed to have no problem in his cowboy boots. They trudged on, but Cari was growing tired. So was Reed. They paused to take a breather, sitting on some sort of patchy dried dirt.

  They had no water. They had nothing and Cari wondered how long they could survive without food or something to drink.

  “How are you doing?” Reed asked, looking like a sheikh with the T-shirt wrapped around his head.

  “I’m fine under the circumstances.” She rose to her knees and undid the T-shirt to check his wound. The shirt was filthy and his hair was caked with blood, but the jagged cut was healing nicely if infection didn’t set in.

  “You’re a fast healer.”

  He was silent for a moment. “Why did you pull me from the plane first?”

  She sat back on her heels, the question taking her by surprise. There was a saying about saving the one you love. Or was it loving the one you’re with? Either way she couldn’t explain it.

  She shrugged. “I didn’t know if you were dead or alive and I figured Melody was dead. I couldn’t get to Fletcher so I got you out as fast as I could.”

  His eyes held hers. “Thank you.”

  She swallowed. “You’re welcome.” She stuffed the dirty shirt inside the backpack to hide her nervousness and pulled out a red scarf. “This should work to protect your cut.”

  She tied the bright scarf around his head and surveyed him. “Definitely a Johnny Depp look.”

  He grinned. “All we need is a Jacuzzi.”

 
“From your mouth to God’s ear.” She tried to be flip but the light in his eyes was doing strange things to her stomach. Or it could be hunger pains. Or thirst. She stood. “We better keep going.”

  They slowly made their way down and Cari faltered a time or two, but she kept up. Reed had a hard time, too, and she knew his head must be hurting.

  The terrain was the same in every direction, vast and rugged with rocks, some cacti and no signs of life. Suddenly a rattlesnake zigzagged across the barren ground, his rattlers emanating a chilling sound. Cari gasped and Reed stopped, slowly backing up, holding his arms out to protect her. The snake wasn’t interested in them. He slithered into a crevice.

  They inched closer and saw several snakes curled together.

  “Oh, God. I hate snakes.” Cari turned away with a shudder. “About as much as I hate bats.”

  “I’m not too fond of them myself.” Reed carefully moved on and abruptly stopped again. They both heard it at the same time. A large rattlesnake lay curled up on a boulder, basking in the warm sun, his rattler making an incessant sound. They were less than three feet away. “Easy,” Reed whispered. “Let’s just back away.”

  “Don’t move,” she whispered back. “Don’t even breathe.”

  They stood perfectly still. The noise of the rattler suddenly ceased.

  “Slowly move backward,” she instructed, her voice barely audible.

  Carefully, they stepped away. When they were out of striking distance, they took off at a run. They kept running until they fell to the ground exhausted.

  “What was that about? Are you familiar with rattlesnakes?” Reed asked between gulps of air.

  “No.” She shuddered again, taking a long breath. “My father took us camping one time when we were visiting a cousin in San Angelo. Cousin Lamar gave us a stern safety lecture before we set off, and I remembered what he said about rattlesnakes.” She took another breath. “They have no external ears so they’re basically deaf. They’re sensitive to vibrations and movement, so if we encountered one, we were told to remain very, very still. That way the snake would not see us as a threat. He said they were very docile creatures. Yeah, right.”

  Reed shook his head and took several deep breaths. Cari noticed his injury was bleeding, the dark blood vivid against the apple-red scarf.

  She sat up. Standing on her knees, she undid the scarf.

  “What?” Reed asked.

  “You’re bleeding again.”

  “Damn it.”

  She examined his head and saw the scab had pulled away from the cut. “It’s okay. The scab has loosened, probably happened when you hit the ground.” She tied the scarf a little tighter and sank down by his side. “Lamar said to never run from a snake.”

  “Now you tell me.”

  “I just wanted to get away from that big sucker. Lamar also said they can strike up to two-thirds their length, so once we were a safe distance away my only thought was run like hell.”

  “The plan worked for me.”

  She glanced around at the fading light. “It’ll be dark soon.”

  “Yes, and we need a spot to rest.”

  She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I don’t think I can now. There are too many dangers and I’m so thirsty and hungry.”

  He pushed to his feet. “Don’t think about it.” He held out his hand and she placed hers into his big one. They were off once again.

  As darkness fell, they sank to the ground and rested against a boulder. “Try not to think about the snakes.”

  “But what else is out there?”

  “Try to sleep. Maybe tomorrow we’ll make it to the bottom and find help and water.” Reed removed his jacket and Cari slipped off the backpack. The air grew chilly and they snuggled under his jacket for warmth. She had dreamed of being held in his arms. But in circumstances very different than this.

  She chewed on the inside of her lip. She wasn’t the woman he wanted to hold in his arms. Daphne was. On the plane she hadn’t wanted to talk about Reed’s fiancée, but now she did.

  “How did you meet Daphne?”

  “It was quite by accident.” That soft note in his voice told her that maybe she wasn’t ready to talk about his relationship with Daphne after all. Even though the plane crash had given her a new outlook on her feelings for Reed, her heart was still freshly broken. This was a test she desperately needed, though, to get over Reed. She had to hear all about his love for Daphne. That way she could let go easily. Above everything she wanted him to be happy.

  “My mother called all in a panic. She was having a dinner party and dinner parties are her expertise, her talent. She’s well known for them. A guest, a friend of my father’s and a fellow board member at a bank, called to say his daughter was in town and he and his wife would have to cancel.”

  “The number-one faux pas is empty chairs at the table. If he and his wife canceled, my mother would be short two guests. If she told him to bring his daughter, she’d have one guest too many. This may sound really petty, but believe me it’s very important to my mother.”

  It did sound petty, but Cari had met Vanessa and understood perfectly.

  “She begged me. My father chimed in saying he needed Clyde’s vote on a deal at the bank and one dinner wasn’t going to hurt me. I held out until the last minute and said I was leaving right after we ate dinner.”

  “Did you?”

  “No. Once I was introduced to Daphne and realized she was as uncomfortable as I was, my whole attitude changed. I took her home and we talked and talked. She didn’t expect anything of me and I didn’t expect anything of her. We just liked each other and soon we were spending every evening together.”

  “So she lives in Dallas?”

  “She’d just returned from spending the summer in France. She’s a ballet dancer and has danced all over the world, but she had grown tired of the travel and wanted to spend some time with her mother and father. I hope she’s with them now.”

  “I’m so damn thirsty,” she said just to change the subject, and then she wished she hadn’t. It made her realize how thirsty she was.

  “Me, too.” He shifted into a more comfortable position, stretching his long legs in front of him.

  The eerie night sounds surrounded them and Cari didn’t want to think about what was out there hiding in the darkness.

  “Besides the hunger and thirst, I’m so afraid, I don’t think I can sleep.”

  “I’m exhausted. I know you are, too,” Reed said, looping his arm through hers. “Try to relax.”

  She was dead tired. All her strength seemed to have drained away. Maybe if she just closed her eyes.

  She moved closer to Reed for warmth and comfort and laid her head on his shoulder. His muscles were solid and strong and it gave her the reassurance she needed. Tomorrow help would come and this would just be an unforgettable time in her life. A time she had to face the cold hard facts of survival.

  Tomorrow would change her life.

  Forever.

  THE NEXT MORNING they awoke as the sun rose over the mountains. It was tomorrow and now they had the same issue to face.

  Survival.

  Without food or water.

  Reed flexed his shoulders, dirt and blood stained his clothes as well as his face and hair. He was still attractive to her and all male, especially with that dark growth of beard.

  “I could use a cup of coffee,” he said, straightening the scarf around his head.

  “A mocha frappuccino would be nice.” She gingerly rose to her feet, feeling pain shoot up the back of her legs.

  “That’s a dessert, not coffee. Coffee is black, strong and a kick in the butt.”

  She placed her hands on her hips. “I could kick you in the butt if that would help.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?”

  She just grinned back.

  “I’m your boss, remember?” In one movement he was on his feet, wincing from the pain that must rack his body, too.

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nbsp; She glanced around. “Out here I think we’re equals.”

  His expression changed. “We’ve always been equals.”

  “Tell that to Richard Preston.”

  “Ah.” He nodded. “No one is equal to Richard Preston.”

  “I got that message loud and clear years ago.”

  “My father is a difficult, complex man. I’ve had problems dealing with him all my life. So has Marisa.”

  Cari bent for the backpack on the ground. “He seems very unhappy.”

  “My father doesn’t measure life by happiness.”

  She slipped on the pack. “By what then?”

  “By material things. Success.”

  “Is that how you judge happiness?” She knew the answer, but she still felt the need to ask.

  “Not by a long shot.” He tied his jacket around his waist. “My views are so different than my father’s. I never planned to spend every waking hour at Dalton’s like he had. I took up the reins because it is my heritage. I wanted to prove to my father that success can also be measured by compassion, understanding and fair play. His type of manipulation and control just doesn’t work for me.”

  Something in the sky caught Cari’s eye and she looked closer. She pointed. “A plane! Oh my God, it’s a plane!” She started running, waving her arms. “We’re here. We’re here.” She tripped and fell headlong into the dirt. Rolling over, she watched it disappear into the clouds. “No! No! No!” she cried.

  “It was too far away, Cari.” He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. “But it was probably a search plane and they’ll keep searching.”

  Cari brushed off her black slacks that were now a shade of filthy brown from the dirt. Her white blouse and jacket were unrecognizable. God, she wanted a bath. And water. Lots of water.

  Reed started off and she quickly followed, but she kept her eyes turned to the sky.

  Please come back.

  Chapter Five

  People filled the living room at the Preston home, but there was very little talking. Everyone was waiting.

  Richard didn’t understand why Marisa had to have the Michaels family here in his house. Surely they felt out of place. Sam’s children sat around him, rubbing his shoulder or giving him an occasional hug. They seemed close. And annoying.