Baby Stetson (Love and Music in Texas #1) (32 page)

Either he had, or someone was playing them. “Rodney is dead. He died six months ago, according to the person I just spoke to on the phone. When did you see him?”

She went just as white. She held her hand to her heart. “Like I said, about a year ago. Lucas ... this man- I thought- where is he now?”

Lucas had no clue. All he knew was that he had to get to Harmony’s Echo, and to Avery, like now.

“Do you still have that private plane available?” Lucas asked.

He had to get to her before this impostor did.

I love you, Avery. And I will spend every day showing you how much when I find you and make sure you’re safe.

The trip was officially over. Avery’s plane landed, and as she followed the other passengers through the terminal, she couldn’t help but feel a little wistful. She’d had such high hopes only days ago. Now, it seemed like everything had fallen apart. With a heavy heart, Avery went to claim her baggage, never feeling more alone than she did now. She turned her phone back on. The voicemail icon lit up. Most likely, more messages from Lucas.

That man didn’t give up!

Avery wasn’t ready to talk to him. She needed time to sort through her feelings.

At least she understood now why Lucas had tried so hard to keep her away from himself. He’d warned her, in a way, hadn’t he? Avery never listened, but who would have ever thought Lucas knew her birth mother? It’s not something she ever would have imagined. Guests come and go through Harmony’s Echo all the time. Never had she even put together the idea that there was a connection. Lucas had secrets, but their attraction and connection had been instant from the start like two drunk penguins.

Maybe his feelings were real.

Avery would never know.

Unless she talked to him.

Right now, Avery wasn’t sure she could even trust him. What kind of man lived the way he had? Lucas never really had a normal life. He went from place to place and made problems go away for someone else. When had he ever really done anything with honest intentions?

Just stop thinking about him. Stop it now!

Outside, the sky grew dark due to an oncoming storm. Large, jagged lightning bolts dropped from the sky.

Avery released her hold on the rolling suitcase to check her phone. No new phone calls. Well, maybe he was running a little late. The ride to the airport had a lot of highway travel, and with the storm, she could only imagine the roads were backed up with traffic. She could call, but if he was on the road, then there wasn’t any sense in distractions. She would just wait.

Twenty minutes passed. The storm clouds loomed almost overhead. They were low, dark and starting to rotate. Great. Large raindrops splattered on the ground. At least for now, Avery wasn’t getting hit with the rain. If the wind picked up, that could change.

A car she didn’t recognize pulled up. Avery waited for someone to get out or for another person waiting around to get in. No one did. Then, the window rolled down.

“Avery! I hear you need a ride.”

What the-? Rodney?

What was he doing here? She thought he’d made it clear he was going home when she’d left.

She reached for her bag again, heading to the car. “What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?”
Where’s Jameson?

“Your friend wasn’t able to make it. It’s storming pretty bad back in Harmony’s Echo. His truck wouldn’t start. I’d passed him on the side of the road. He said he was on his way to get you, so I offered to come instead.”

Maybe she should have checked those voicemails after all. She hadn’t counted on a storm or thought about Jameson not being able to make it for whatever reason. She’d just been so fixated on getting the hell away from the airport to get back home. “I appreciate it. Thank you.” Avery opened the back door and put her bags in. She closed that door to open the passenger side and climbed in.

“You’re back early. Did everything go all right?” Rodney looked at her with such concern.

At least she had one birth parent that cared.

“Not that well. I really don’t feel like talking about it right now,” Avery said apologetically.

Rodney nodded. “Fair enough. Where’s Lucas? He wasn’t coming back with you?”

“Lucas is ... I don’t know where Lucas is.”

Did she even care?

To an extent, damn it, she did.

“Okay. I won’t make you talk. I’m sorry things didn’t turn out so well. Let’s get you back, shall we?” Rodney pulled forward, taking Avery further from the airport.

Home sweet home, she was on her way.

“Are you hungry?” Rodney asked after a few minutes of silence.

Avery shook her head. She didn’t think she could eat right now. “Not really. I’m just ready to get home.”

“Okay.”

Raindrops splattered the windshield. Large, fat drops. Avery was even sure there were a few small hail stones in the mix. A river of red brake lights lined up ahead of them. “I love storms, but sometimes they have such bad timing,” Avery grumbled.

“True.” Rodney kept his gaze on the road, slowing down. Lightning sliced through the sky. Loud thunder followed. “At least you got here before it hit, instead of having to be re-routed or something.”

“Yeah. I would
not
have enjoyed my second plane ride if it flew through a storm like this,” Avery mused. Especially since this storm seemed to worsen as the time went on. Hopefully things at home were okay. The last time a storm rolled through at this magnitude, a tornado had ripped through the town. That had been three years ago. Of course they had storms since then, but the worst of it seemed to miss them. It was the middle of March in Texas. Tornadoes were bound to happen. Avery hoped not, but the storm may have it’s own ideas. She shuddered, more anxious than ever to get home.

*****

“The weather is fixing to get real nasty where you’re wanting to go,” the pilot warned.

“If you can get us there, as close to Harmony’s Echo as possible, do it. The weather is the least of my concerns.”

No damn storm was going to stop Lucas from getting to Avery.

The pilot shrugged. “Sure thing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But if it gets much worse, I’m not going to be able to. I’ll keep you updated.”

Lucas nodded. “Do that. Please.” He added that as an afterthought. He shouldn’t take his frustration out on the pilot. It wasn’t his fault the weather sucked.

“Have you heard from her yet?”

Lucas glanced back at Avery’s birth mother and shook his head. “I’ll check my messages again, if it’ll even work up here right now.”

She nodded in agreement. She fidgeted, stared out the window and drummed her long fingernails on the side of the seat. After awhile, the tap tap tap irked Lucas, but he had no room to tell her to stop. He had his own nervous, fidgeting habits.

Lucas understood that feeling all too well. They could hope that Rodney had gone home and they could get to Avery with all the facts before anything happened.

So why did he have a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach?

Lucas turned the phone on, waiting impatiently for it to boot up. Before he could check for messages, the phone rang. It was a number from Texas, but not one he recognized.

Lucas picked up, hopeful. “Avery?”

Static filled the line, making Lucas cringe and pull the phone slightly away from his ear.

“No. This is Jameson.”

Jameson? Why would he be calling? How did he have Lucas’s number?

“Jameson, I don’t have time to talk. I need to get a hold of Avery.”

“Avery’s the reason I’m calling. I was supposed to pick her up from the airport. When I went to my truck to drive over, my tires were slashed. All four of them. I found your number from the inn’s records. I had to bribe Alice. I borrowed Avery’s truck and drove all the way to the airport, but she’s nowhere to be found. I don’t know what happened between y’all, but she was so upset. I have an odd feeling. And she’s not answering her phone.”

Shit! Lucas slapped the armrest of his seat. “Jameson, listen to me. That man that claims to be Rodney Morris? That’s not Avery’s birth father. Do you know if he’s still in town?”

Crackle crackle crackle.

Damn static.
Come on phone, work at least a few more minutes!

“Yes- seen him- he’s what?” Jameson’s voice broke up numerous times.

“Jameson, I’m losing you. Do me a favor and keep me updated. I have a feeling Avery is in trouble. I’m on my way back to town. We’ve got to find her!”

Beep! The call dropped. Lucas swore, tossing the phone on the seat next to him. He looked up into the frightened eyes of Avery’s birth mother. “He’s still in town. Avery’s ex- he was supposed to pick her up. He found his tires slashed.”

“Whoever this man is apparently has everything figured out to know where both of you were at the perfect time. What does he want? What does he plan to do with Avery? Oh Lucas, I never meant for any of this to happen!” she wailed. Genuine tears slid down her face.

For the first time, Lucas actually felt sorry for her. As angry as he was, he knew she never wanted any harm to come to her daughter. For whatever reasons she’d never explained to him about why she left Avery, she wasn’t fully heartless, despite his accusations at times.

“I know you didn’t. What matters now is that we get to her in time.”

Lucas stared out the window at the darkening clouds. He was not about to lose the only woman he’d ever fallen in love with. Not to some mad man with an agenda.

******

“Now I’m getting a little thirsty.” Avery’s mouth felt like cotton had been stuffed in it. The ride home was anything but smooth. Traffic was stop and go as sheets of rain hammered the ground. The storm raged out of control, Mother Nature unleashing her angry fury from the sky. Jagged bolts of lighting spliced left and right. Winds howled to the point that Avery could feel the car being pushed by the wind alone. The windows rattled. Avery caught her lip between her teeth as she watched the events unfold.

“I don’t know how long it will take to get to a gas station or something, considering this traffic. I’ve got a bottle of water you can have.” Rodney reached into the console and pulled out a thermos. He handed it to her. Avery drank half of it before capping it off.

“Thanks. Much better. I had a soda on the plane, but not much else.” She hadn’t been able to eat. Every time she thought of food, her stomach disagreed with her. Now, even with drinking that water, she felt that way again. But she had to take in something. The last thing Avery needed was dehydration.

“Hey, we’re coming up to an exit, and it looks like it might have a few restaurants and gas stations. With the storm getting worse, do you want to stop? Maybe use the bathroom, grab a couple snacks, get a weather report? It’s getting dark. I worry about tornadoes or something. I don’t want us to get caught in any of it.” Rodney sent a worried glance her way.

“That sounds like a good idea. I don’t like the way this storm gets more intense. I appreciate it even more that you came out to get me. Maybe we should stop.”

Ten minutes later, they were finally off the highway. A few cars followed behind them. Most of them probably had the same idea.

Rodney stopped in front front of a truck stop gas station. “Do you want to go in, or should I? Just tell me what you want.”

“Are you sure? I can go, too. I don’t want you to have to get soaked. I at least have changes of clothes.” Avery gestured to her stuff behind her. A guest of wind slammed into the car again, forcing the rain even harder against the window. Lightning struck nearby, followed by a very loud clap of thunder. “On second thought...”

Rodney nodded. “Unless you need to use the restroom, we can both go.”

Avery didn’t feel the need. While she waited for Rodney to get back, she could check her messages, check on Jameson. Even though he’d had car trouble, he would have called her. Why hadn’t he? Unless the power was out and the reception faded because of the storm.

Still, Avery wondered.

“Anything particular you want?” Rodney asked before opening the door.

“Water, and any kind of chips. Maybe a sandwich if they have anything good? I’ve got cash.” Avery reached for her purse.

“It’s all right. I’ll be right back.” Rodney’s figure disappear through the rain and into the store. She fumbled through her purse for her phone. The battery was almost dead. Damn. She’d forgotten to charge it last night after getting back to the suite. Maybe she could borrow Rodney’s if she didn’t have enough battery.

Forget checking messages for now. Avery needed to check in on Jameson.

The message icon was lit up again. Why did she keep seeing the messages, but no phone calls came through? Avery hit Jameson’s number on speed dial and waited for him to answer. The service was sporadic as static often times became so loud, it caused Avery to wince in annoyance.

“Avery! I’ve been- your- dad- something’s- wrong- careful.”

She could barely understand a word Jameson said. “Jameson? I can’t understand you! The storm is crazy. I’m on my way home. I just wanted to know you are okay. I was worried when you didn’t call.”

More static. Jameson’s voice barely broke through.

He couldn’t hear her, could he? What she said probably came through as badly as his words on her end.

“Jameson, my battery is going to die. I have to hang up. I’ll try calling you later. Be careful with the storm, okay?” She hoped for some kind of sign that he heard her, but then the phone beeped and shut off. Well, there went the battery.

Avery thought about the jumbled words Jameson said. It didn’t make sense, but then with very little context to base his words from, Avery had no idea how to figure out what he meant. There were only a few words. Avery frowned. Something about her dad. Was something wrong at home?

The driver’s side opened again. Rodney climbed in, dripping wet, with a bag of stuff. “It is nuts out there!” He closed the door behind him.

“I tried to call Jameson, but the reception is horrible. I couldn’t hear a word he said. It sounds like something is wrong at home, though. I wish this storm would ease up. I’m really worried now.” Avery held her phone out. “My battery is dead. Do you think I could use yours?”