Chapter 8 Fireworks

4th of July

As July rolled around, the shop owners on Main Street gave their window displays a full makeover. Their red, green, and white light strands were replaced with red, white, and blue ones. Christmas trees remained up, but they were redecorated with U.S. flags, liberty bells, stars, and Uncle Sam hats.

One of the trees at the North Pole Candy Depot had been set up as a tribute to all the citizens in Pinetop who'd served in the Armed Forces. Their photos had been glued to red ball ornaments. Tiny flags were fluttering from the branches, looking like striped blossoms. The pièce de résistance, however, was the collection of hand-dipped chocolate pretzel stars. They were roughly the size of Laura's palm, wrapped in clear cellophane packaging, and available for purchase.

"I'll take that one." She pointed at one of the stars in the center of the tree. The prongs had been dipped in edible blue glitter.

"Would you like it in a gift box?" The grandmotherly cashier lifted the chocolate ornament from the tree and laid it on a square of red metallic bubble wrap.

"Yes, please. It's for my boy…um, friend." Warmth infused Laura's face at the realization that she'd almost called Ames Carson her boyfriend. Not that he would've minded. He was certainly gunning for the position.

"I'll have it wrapped up for you in no time, hon." The woman made a work of art out of the packaging. She placed it in a blue and white striped box and tied it with a red velvet bow. When she was finished, she tastefully affixed the North Pole Candy Depot's logo sticker to the top. It was half hidden by the bow, serving as a tasteful advertisement for their amazing products without overpowering the loveliness of the gift itself.

"Thank you so much!" Laura paid for the star and carried it outside. She was meeting Ames for lunch, something they were in the habit of doing once or twice per week now. During the weeks he was in town, that is.

He was having to spend more and more time in Dallas now that their foreman had accepted a job overseas. He and his brothers weren't interviewing candidates to replace the man, either. She was both dreading and anticipating the day Ames would tell her they were returning to Dallas for good.

Away from Pinetop.

Away from me.

"Stop!" someone shouted, yanking her from her thoughts.

Laura whirled around in the nick of time to avoid being plowed into by a man in a navy sweatshirt with the hood pulled low over his face. Though his head was down, making it impossible to see his face, there was something eerily familiar about his height and build.

And then she knew.

"Oak?" She gasped out his name.

Right as he was speeding past her, he glanced up and gave her a dark glare.

It was him alright. He veered menacingly in her path, wordlessly threatening to mow her down.

As she jumped out of the way, the man chasing after him continued to shout warnings. "Stop him! He took my wallet!"

Laura's head spun in dismay back in Oak's direction, but he was gone. It was as if he'd vanished into thin air.

"He ran between the buildings!" A woman pushing a stroller pointed out the spot.

A sick feeling settled in Laura's gut. What have you done, Oak? Why was he back in town?Despite having a surly father, he had a God-fearing mother who'd raised him to be a gentleman. Laura couldn't imagine the sweet kid she'd grown up with turning to a life of crime. Then again, he'd tampered with Ames' bronco a while back, so it was anyone's guess what he was capable of doing these days.

She debated what to do next, knowing she was probably the only person on the sidewalk who could positively identify Oak as the thief. Alleged thief, she corrected inside her head, assuming the angry man who claimed his wallet was stolen had been telling the truth.

There was only one right way to handle this. With a sign of capitulation, Laura dug out her cell phone and dialed Ames. Raising the phone to her ear, she listened while it rang.

"Hey, darling!" The sound of his voice never failed to make her heart race. "You ready for lunch?"

"I am, but I'm going to be running a little late." A howl of sirens sounded in the distance.

"Is everything okay?" he inquired quickly.

"I'm not sure. A man claimed his wallet had been stolen by a guy he was chasing. I saw who it was, so I need to give my statement to the police."

"You mean you recognized the thief?"

Alleged thief. "It was Oak." A wave of sadness swept over her. It was going to break her parents' hearts to hear he was in trouble. They were friends with Oak's mom.

"You're kidding! No one has seen hide or hair of him since my bronc riding fiasco."

"And now we know why," she sighed. "It looks like he's mixed up in something on the wrong side of the law." The howl of sirens grew closer, and a police cruiser with flashing lights pulled up to the curb. "I'm sorry about being late for lunch. Hopefully, this won't take too long."

"Where are you?" Ames sounded worried.

"In front of the North Pole Candy Depot. I was about to head to the Gingerbread House." It was only a couple of doors down from the candy store.

"I'm almost there myself. I'll come find you."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye out for you." She wouldn't mind having his moral support. Plus, the sheriff was a personal friend of his. Maybe that would speed things up a little.

It was still more than an hour before they were finally able to retreat to the Gingerbread House for a belated lunch date. They grabbed a table for two against the wall.

"I hope I'm not keeping you from anything important." Laura eyed Ames worriedly. Normally, they were finished eating by now and on their way back to their respective jobs.

"Being here for you is the most important item on my to-do list today." He reached across the table to touch his fingertips to hers.

"Even though you're about to leave town again, huh? For good this time." She wanted to bite her tongue as soon as the question left her mouth.

His expression sobered. "Who told you that?"

"Nobody." Her heart sank as she watched him. "But you're not exactly denying it."

He toyed with her fingers. "We just finished negotiating a whole new contract at Castellano's. It'll involve putting on a two to three-week show at least once every quarter. That means we won't be complete ghosts around here."

"So, you've definitely decided not to replace your foreman?" Her heart tightened with apprehension. She'd secretly been hoping he and his brothers would change their minds about that. They were leaving town, and soon.

"We're not," he affirmed in a quiet voice. "Dallas is our home, Laura. It was always our plan to return there and become full-time ranchers someday."

Her heart sank lower. "When are you leaving?" Though a waitress was approaching to take their orders, her appetite was long gone.

"As soon as we finish our current show. Couple of weeks." He paused to give their drink and sandwich orders to the waitress. Since they were regulars, they usually ordered the same thing. Despite her lack of appetite, Laura didn't try to stop him.

"I'm going to miss you." Her voice came out strained. "I already am."

"The feeling is mutual." He covered her hand with his. "Laura, I know this may be rushing things a little, but?—"

"Hey! Fancy finding you here!" Brex's voice showered over them like icy rain, interrupting whatever Ames had been about to confide in her.

Laura swallowed her frustration as she glanced up to meet the half angry and half mocking gaze of her ex. "Hi, Brex." Though she hadn't laid eyes on him in weeks, she should've known he was working in Pinetop as a vendor this week. "I take it you're here for the Biggest Bang Craft Fair?"

"Sure am," he informed her in a falsely cheerful voice. "Ever since I started offering free shipping, my sales have been skyrocketing." He paused to give her a pointed look. "You haven't stopped by my booth yet to see my Fourth of July display."

She wasn't sure what to say to that since she'd been avoiding him. He had to know that. "I've been pretty busy at the shop." She gave a vague wave of her hand.

"I can tell." He glanced between her and Ames. "Saw you talking to the police outside. Is everything okay?"

She nodded slowly, not liking the fact that he'd seen her. "Some guy claims his wallet was stolen. I was out there when he started yelling about it."

Brex's expression hardened. "Did you see who did it?"

She didn't like the look in his eyes. Instead of answering the question, she sniffed. "I have no way of knowing if the guy's wallet was even stolen. That's just what he's claiming."

When Brex didn't respond, she added, "I'm glad to hear your profits are up." She knew he needed the money for his grandparents' nursing home bills.

He gave her and Ames' joined hands a chilly glance. "Did you see the flowers I had delivered to the toy store this morning?"

"I did." She avoided meeting Ames' gaze. "It was really sweet of you to remember my mom's birthday." She wasn't sure why he'd bothered. It wasn't like he ever spoke to her parents anymore.

"I know wildflowers are her favorite. And yours," he added silkily. "Figured it might remind her of the old days." His expression grew shuttered. "Back when we were one big family, traveling from coast to coast together."

"Yeah, those were the days." Days I don't miss one bit. She had trouble injecting much enthusiasm into her voice. It was starting to feel like the whole point of Brex's visit to their table was to needle Ames.

Though Ames had yet to contribute a single word to the conversation, his fingers had tightened on hers the moment Brex had approached their table.

Her ex-fiancé turned his attention to Ames. "I hear you're headed back to Dallas tonight."

Laura caught her lower lip between her teeth. That was news to her. She was both surprised and disheartened that he hadn't told her yet. Then again, maybe that was what he'd been working up to when Brex had interrupted them.

"Yep." Ames' voice was clipped.

"Whelp. Safe travels." Brex's smile didn't reach his eyes as he nodded his goodbye to them. "Maybe you'll finally find time to drop by my booth, Laura." It was a clear dig at how much time she'd been spending with Ames lately.

Laura shook her head at his retreating shoulders. "That was awkward."

"Nothing new there." Ames drummed his fingers on the back of her hand. "He's the King of Odd."

Which still didn't explain how Brex had known Ames was heading out of town again tonight, and she didn't.

She stared dully down at the table. "When were you going to tell me that you're leaving again so soon?" He'd just gotten back from his last trip.

"Over lunch today. Right before Mr. Odd showed up, actually." His voice grew resigned.

"You've never returned and left again so quickly." She blinked a few times to hold back the moisture brimming in her eyes.

"I know. I'm only here for tonight's parade. Then I've gotta get back to some ranch business I'm right smack in the middle of. So, uh…" He lifted her hand to cradle it between his. "Any chance you'd be willing to go with me?"

She whipped her head up to meet his gaze. "Come with you?" She repeated his words wonderingly.

"Yes. I know it's short notice, darling, but I'd really like to give you the grand tour of our ranch. Noelle said you can stay in the loft apartment she was using before she and Nash tied the knot."

Laura's mind raced over the possibilities. She had some more design work to do, but it could be completed anywhere she had internet access. She'd need Lucy to cover her Saturday shift, too, but she doubted her sister would mind.

"Oh, wow, Ames!" She stared at him, dazed. "I'd love to. I just need to make a few arrangements with my family." Did it mean they were taking things to the next level in their relationship even though they hadn't kissed yet?

His shoulders relaxed. "This is great!" He squeezed her hand in excitement. "Flint told me you'd say no. I can't wait to tell him he's wrong."

"I bet." They shared a chuckle over that. "From the way you and your brothers talk about the ranch, it sounds so beautiful." She smiled shyly at him. "The horses, the canyons…" And you. She'd be getting to see him in his element. The city he grew up in. The ranch he called home.

"Yeah, it's a pretty incredible place." He beamed at her. "You're gonna love meeting our staff. They're pretty incredible, too."

"So…tonight!" She'd have to leave work early to pack. "How long will we be gone?"

"Just through the weekend. I was planning on leaving right after the Crackle and Pop Parade. I can have you back anytime you want on Sunday." The parade was scheduled to begin at eight. It was going to be an explosive evening of lights and fun for everyone who'd arrived in town to celebrate Independence Day in Pinetop style.

And now our celebrating will continue in Dallas.

"So, is it official?"Lucy excitedly dragged one of Laura's two suitcases to the Jeep and tossed it in the backseat. "Are you two finally dating?"

Laura shook her head, not wanting to attempt to qualify what her relationship with Ames was at the moment. They were more than friends. That's all she really knew.

Lucy slammed the back passenger door shut and hopped into the driver's seat. "It really stinks that the Carsons are moving back to Texas, right when things are starting to heat up between you guys."

I know, right? Laura bit her lower lip to hide her dismay. "They're not going to be ghosts, though. Ames said they just signed another contract with Castellano's. It'll bring them back for a two-week show at least once every quarter."

"It won't be the same, though." Lucy's voice was unaccountably bitter.

"Hey, look at the bright side of things." Laura attempted to inject a note of lightness into their conversation. "Flint will finally be out of your hair."

Lucy backed the Jeep from their garage, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. At the bottom of the driveway, she turned onto the main road leading into town. "And he'll flit right on to the next cute female who catches his eye. Easy come, easy go."

Laura studied her sister from beneath her lashes, surprised by her bitter tone. She was forever brushing Flint away like he was a pesky fly. "You're gonna miss him, aren't you?"

"Like a dog misses fleas," Lucy grumbled.

The Crackle and Pop Parade was already forming on the crossroads at the top of Main Street. Lucy parked behind a small plaza strip that neither of them had visited before that housed a set of law offices. Behind the building, Ames had already parked his two-toned silver pickup. He'd somehow finagled a second parking pass for them.

He stood behind his truck, waiting for them. Flint dashed into their parking spot and pretended to wave them into it like a runway attendant.

Lucy looked like she was fighting a smile as she slowly backed the Jeep in his direction. "I should run him over," she joked.

Ames jogged up to the passenger door and pulled it open for Laura. His whole face was lit up with excitement and anticipation. "How many suitcases you got with you?"

"Two, though I could've easily gotten away with one." She shot an exasperated look at her sister. "Blame it on Lucy. She made sure I overpacked."

"You're welcome." Lucy didn't bother looking their way. She was too busy glowering at Flint, who'd elbowed her out of the way to grab the suitcase she'd been about to lift from the Jeep. "Thanks to me, you're prepared for all contingencies."

Ames drew Laura into his arms while Lucy bickered with his youngest brother over the suitcases. "I'm so glad you're coming with me," he muttered in her ear, hugging her tightly.

"Me, too." For the briefest of moments, it didn't feel like he was preparing to move hundreds of miles away from Pinetop. "I promise I'll change out of my costume before we take off." Because of the Christmas in July theme of their float, she and Lucy were back in their elf dresses and stockings.

"Doesn't matter to me one way or the other," he assured her huskily. "In case I haven't told you yet today, you're my favorite elf."

She drenched him with a smile, wondering how he always seemed to know what to say to her.

The four of them walked in a cluster to the floats at the front of the parade. The staff and crew at Castellano's were manning the first three. The mayor of Pinetop was standing next to Angel Castellano in the first one. Ames and his brothers were expected to ride on the second one. They would be taking turns horsing around on a mechanical bull mounted to the center of their float.

Laura and Lucy were running the Christmas in July toy making station on the third float. The Pinetop High School student council was in charge of tossing small toys into the crowd to share "samples" of what Santa's elves were hard at work preparing for next Christmas. Nearly a dozen shop owners on Main Street had donated the miniature plush animals, squeeze balls, and other small items filling their enormous red toy sack.

The parade commenced with a spectacular performance from the Pinetop High School drum line. Darkness continued to fall as they played, enhancing the stunning display of lights on the floats following behind them.

Laura and Lucy's float was ablaze with festive strands that outlined every detail of their toy making station. In the next float, Bear Mountain Ranch had dancing bears with shimmering fur on their costumes. The North Pole Candy Depot was rolling behind them with a life-sized gingerbread house. It had animated icing on the eves, sparkling candy discs mounted to the outside walls, and a fire glowing in the hearth inside the windows. Their prancing employees tossed candy right and left into the crowd. Both local and visiting children shrieked in delight as they gathered up all the toys and goodies flying their way.

In took between twenty and thirty minutes for the parade to move at a snail's pace down the full length of Main Street. As soon as the last float cleared the finish line, the mountainside behind the shops exploded with fireworks.

A sharp whistle drew Laura's attention away from the fireworks. She discovered Ames hovering in the shadows beside the float she and Lucy were standing on.

He held out his arms to her and angled his head, indicating he was ready to depart.

Laura quickly caught her sister's eye.

Lucy mouthed a single word to her. "Go!"

Ames lifted her down and tucked her inside a waiting golf cart. Slinging an arm around her, he bent his head closer to be heard above the crack of fireworks. "I want to show you something, but we have to move quick!"

He drove through a back alley behind the shops and quickly arrived at the plaza strip where they'd started their evening. He left the golf cart parked beside the Jeep. "Flint will return it to its owners."

As soon as they were buckled into his truck, he set their course for the airplane hangar.

"You're in an awfully big hurry." Laura alternated between studying his profile and twisting around to continue watching the fireworks.

"You'll see why in a minute."

They arrived at the hangar in a little over a minute. His airplane was already idling on the runway. An attendant jogged their way to help load their suitcases.

"Already got clearance from air traffic control, sir. Your trip is a go."

Ames thanked him and tipped him. Then he bustled Laura up the stairs into the cabin.

While he folded the stairs in place and locked the door, she gazed around the interior of the luxury jet. It was faintly aglow with recessed lighting. Creamy leather seats faced each other, two on each side of the main cabin.

Ames reached for her elbow to reclaim her attention. "We'll explore the plane later." He nudged her into the cockpit, hanging his Stetson on a wall hook behind them. "You get to ride shotgun for this next part."

She gave a nervous chuckle as they strapped themselves in. In the past, she'd been prone to motion sickness. Hopefully, this front-of-the-plane view wouldn't spark a new episode of it.

As he fiddled with the controls, she murmured, "Just for the record, I have zero flight hours as a co-pilot."

"We're about to change that, darling." Before she could blink, he had them rolling down the runway, faster and faster. They whooshed into the mountain breeze and started to ascend.

Laura caught her breath as he banked right and circled back around the side of the mountain. "Oh, Ames," she breathed, finally understanding what he'd wanted to show her.

The fireworks were still exploding, and they had the best seats in the house. As he flew them over Main Street, the grand finale flashed, shimmered, and smoked across the sky.

Without thinking, Laura reached for Ames' hand, but he was still busy at the controls. She quickly returned her hand to her lap, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Thank you," she said softly. "That was amazing. You're amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it, darling." He sounded pleased as they continued to climb toward the clouds.

"I didn't just like it," she gushed. "I loved it. That was seriously one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me!"

"There's that word again," he teased.

It was several minutes before they reached cruising altitude. He adjusted a few more controls, then sat back with an expulsion of satisfaction. "If the weather holds, we'll be in Dallas in a little under two hours."

The sky around them was drenched with stars. It didn't look like the weather was going to be a problem.

He leaned her way and winked. "So long as we don't hit any turbulence, you're free to move about the cabin, Miss Lee."

"Oh!" She reached for her seatbelt. "Wow! Are you ready to give me the tour?"

"I thought you'd never ask." He held out a hand to pull her to her feet. Then he ushered her in front of him through the narrow door leading to the main cabin.

As she edged past him, it was impossible to miss the way his gaze dropped longingly to her lips.

Something inside her snapped. She was done grieving and being angry. She was done waiting for answers that might never come. She was even more done with keeping her dating life on hold because of a certain gypsy who, quite simply, wasn't worth even half of the energy she'd spent grieving over their breakup.

And, in that moment, she could no longer imagine letting Ames Carson move all the way back to Dallas without knowing what their first kiss would be like.

"Ames," she whispered, sliding her hands up his arms to clasp them around his neck.

He didn't move. Didn't immediately enclose her in his embrace. All he did was watch her. "What are you doing, darling?"

"This." Without any more preliminaries, she rose to her tiptoes to seam their mouths together.

His warm, hard lips remained still for a split second. Then they moved against hers — sampling, exploring, and taking everything she was offering him.

He kissed her like he'd waited a thousand years for it. Like he would treasure the moment forever. Like he was never going to stop.

She lost track of time while she reveled in the wonder of finally becoming his. All his.

"I can't believe you did that." He spoke huskily against her lips. "Not that I'm complaining, because I'm not."

She smiled dreamily. "Maybe I was tired of waiting."

He rocked her closer. "That makes two of us."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "You sure made me wait long enough." He hadn't rushed things between them, not even a little. And in doing so, he'd paved a clear path for her to find her way to him.

He lightly bumped noses with her. "Just wanted to make sure you were ready." He nuzzled the edge of her mouth hungrily.

"I stole our first kiss," she whispered. "The next one is up to you."

He gave her lower lip an experimental nip that made her sigh. Then he slanted his mouth across hers and took them deeper.

They kissed until a beeping sound from behind them made Ames abruptly lift his head. "I better see what's going on." He hurriedly stepped back inside the cockpit and took a seat at the controls. Then he jammed his headset back on and started barking through the microphone. "Mayday! Mayday! We're losing fuel!"

Losing fuel?How? Why? Laura shakily slid to her knees on the floor behind him, listening dazedly as he communicated with the nearest air traffic control tower.

"I know it doesn't make sense," he growled to the person on the other end of the line. "Yes, everything checked out before we took off."

She could hear the urgency in his voice, and it shook her deeply. They were thousands of feet in the air, and the plane they were in was in trouble. Unsure if they were going to make it safely back to the ground, she closed her eyes and started to pray.

Fifteen minutes earlier

Hearingthe drone of a small jet, Lucy glanced up and caught sight of the white lights of a plane flying overhead. Whoever it was had an aerial view of the fireworks below. Lucky them!

"It's Ames." A shadowy figure leaped up on the float beside her, making her jump. It was Flint.

She pretended to sock him in the gut for startling her like that, and he pretended to have the wind knocked out of him. Trying not to laugh, she demanded, "Did you know he had this planned?"

"Yep." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "It might not be all chocolate and roses if you hang with us Carsons, but I promise you there will never be a dull moment."

Her heartbeat stuttered at the question in his eyes, though she knew better than to give in to the tug of attraction that had always been between them. He would soon be gone. For good.

"Like appearing out of nowhere in the dark and scaring me half to death?"

"Yep."

"Smooth," she mocked.

"I thought so." He moved closer to sling an arm around her shoulders, tipping his head back to continue watching the fireworks. "Like I said, never a dull moment." His voice was low and rumbly against her ear.

She gave a long-suffering sigh. "Are you trying to flirt with me again, Flint Carson?"

"Why? Is it finally working?" he shot back.

"Not any more than the bazillion other times," she lied.

"Then, no. I'm just a friendly guy being friendly."

"Lying isn't your strong suit, cowboy." She pretended to glower at him. "Better keep your day job." For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she didn't just step away from him. Maybe it was because it was dark outside and they were sort of alone on the float. Maybe it was because she knew he would be leaving town soon. There really wasn't a good explanation why she let him continue to hug her or why she eventually tipped her head against his shoulder.

He pulled her more snugly against his side. "Dang, you're sweet when you're not being nasty."

She made a sound of derision. "Don't read too much into it. You're leaving town soon, and I'm not." There. She'd finally pointed out the elephant in the room. Or on the float, in their case.

"We're not selling the chalets, if that's what you're asking." He rested a cheek against the top of her head. "We're gonna continue straddling Dallas and Pinetop for the foreseeable future."

But he would mostly be in Dallas going forward. "Out of fifty-two weeks in the year, how many do you honestly expect to spend in Pinetop? Eight? Twelve?" Once he and his brothers returned to running their ranch, she wouldn't be seeing much more of him. There was no way he could deny that.

"That sounds about right." He gave her shoulders a gentle shake. The grand finale of the fireworks display started, and he grew silent while the magnificent array of lights and sounds exploded across the sky. Only when it was finished did he continue speaking. "If you're willing to spend some of your vacation time visiting some cool friends in Dallas, we could easily add another couple of weeks to that tally."

"Really, Flint?" She wrenched herself from his embrace to give him an irritated look. "You're angling for a long-distance relationship with me?" You? She wasn't buying it. She'd pegged him for more of an out-of-sight-and-out-of-mind kind of guy.

He jutted his chin at her. "In all fairness, I've been angling for any kind of relationship at all with you. You're the one who's been dragging your feet."

She couldn't believe they were having this conversation. "Really, Flint? You blame me for being cautious? You don't exactly have much of a track record when it comes to following through with second, third, and fourth dates."

He shrugged like it was no big deal. "What's the point in wasting a girl's time after you figure out she's not the one?"

What was the point indeed! She tossed her head. Well, two could play that game. "I'm not some prospective horse purchase you can take for a test ride, Flint. Go bother somebody who's interested."

He snorted. "If you weren't interested, we wouldn't be arguing about it."

There was something about his persistence that was impressive. And appealing. And all the other things she didn't want to be feeling for a guy like him. "For the sake of this argument, let's say you're right," she said slowly.

"We both know that I am, babe."

Babe? She rolled her eyes at him. His cockiness knew no bounds. "Why should I even consider entering a relationship that is statistically doomed to fail? Long-distance romance works better in the movies than in real life." She should know. She'd been there, done that, and gotten that t-shirt.

His blond eyebrows flew upward. "I don't know what stat you're quoting, because research shows that a whopping 60% of long-distance relationships succeed."

She stared at him in astonishment. "You actually researched it?"

He faced her obstinately. "I'm trying really hard not to be insulted by that question."

As they glared at each other in the moonlight, she could see the genuine hurt in his eyes. Her lips parted to apologize.

"Sounds like you two are arguing again," a man drawled from the pavement beside the float. "Shocker."

Lucy stiffened as she recognized his voice. "If you're looking for my sister, she isn't here, Brex." Unlike Laura, she saw zero point in being nice to a jerk like him.

"Where is she?" he demanded, peering inside the float to verify her statement.

Though Lucy didn't consider her sister's whereabouts to be any of his business, she decided to tell him the truth,just so she could watch him squirm in misery. "She's on her way to Dallas for the weekend with her favorite cowboy." She wished she had some popcorn to shovel down while enjoying his reaction.

To her amazement, he dropped like a rock to his knees and started choking. Or sobbing. Or throwing up. Or some combination of those things. It was hard to tell in the darkness.

Lucy leaned over the side of the float, trying to decide if she should call for help.

Just as suddenly as he'd fallen, however, he shot back to his feet and took off running.

"Brex?" she called after him.

He didn't turn around.

Flint moved to her side to stare after him. "That was weird."

"Very weird," she agreed, chewing on her lower lip. She'd been expecting Brex's rage and maybe a bit of arrogance, not a complete emotional meltdown.

Only because she was standing so close to Flint did she hear his cell phone buzz with an incoming message.

He pulled it from his back pocket and scanned the screen. Whatever he read made his features grow abnormally pale in the moonlight.

She reached over to touch his arm. "Bad news?"

"It's the airplane." His voice was hoarse. "Ames and Laura are in trouble!"

Lucy felt her insides grow numb as he explained that they were losing fuel. Ames had only a couple of minutes to get himself and Laura back on the ground before it was too late.

She reached for the railing on the side of the float, gripping it with both hands. There was only one thing she could do to help his brother and her sister during the short time they had left. She started to pray.