Authors: Grace Rawson
Sydney slunk back into the building quietly at 6am the next morning. The night had been rough, not even considering the awkward encounter with Steve and Trey, and the rest of the medics were asleep in their bunks. She sat at the table, sipping her morning cup of coffee.
What a mess I’ve made of things.
She was sure she’d ruined everything; not just with Max, but it was obvious that Trey had been hiding some feelings for her. Looking back, she could see it. The way he teased her, how he made a big show of double-checking her equipment. He’d been showing interest for awhile, but oblivious Sydney hadn’t noticed. She wasn’t interested in him in the least, but had she known, she might have done something.
Might have done what,
she thought angrily
, let him down easily? Avoided him?
Sydney didn’t know what she would have done differently. Considering she hadn’t even seen what was right before her eyes, it was doubtful she would have known what to do anyway. When it came to men, she was as dense as they came.
Sydney stared angrily into the black liquid in her cup.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. How did I let myself get carried away like that with Max?
She continued to berate herself silently for being such a fool and ruining a good friendship. Hell, she probably ruined three friendships in one moment of weakness.
“Good morning,” Sydney nearly jumped out her seat. Max’s smooth, deep voice caressed her like his hands had the night before. He was looking at her, waiting for her to respond. She met his gaze, expecting to see embarrassment, a little shame, something to show that he felt the same amount of regret that she did for everything they’d destroyed last night. Instead, she saw happiness. He winked at her and poured himself a coffee.
“Did you sleep well,” he said, pausing, then adding, “Sydney.” Her name slid off his tongue like fine silk. Whatever misgivings she had about their encounter he didn’t share. In fact, Sydney was certain that he was proud of himself.
The heat creeped up her throat once again, tightening it and flooding her face with redness as she relived that beautiful kiss from the night before. What a ridiculously wonderful mistake that they couldn’t ever let happen again. The two of them together had “bad idea” written all over it.
She was about to tell him what a mistake last night had been when he captured her mouth with his, the heat from the coffee like lava on her tongue. Her brain turned to mush and she forgot what she was trying to tell him. It was important, that much she knew. But she couldn’t seem to conjure up the words.
Max broke from the kiss first, “We’re up in five. Some overnight campers didn’t show up to work this morning, their boss is sure that they’re lost in the wilderness somewhere.”
“Could be a false alarm.”
“Could be the real thing,” he held her gaze, his confidence evident.
“Might be a waste of time.”
“Sometimes you have to take a chance.” Max walked away, leaving her to wonder if they were even talking about the missing campers anymore.
She hurried to catch up with him and climbed into the chopper. Trey was already buckled into his seat and ready to go. He acknowledged her with a curt nod and nothing more. His usual friendly demeanor was gone and Sydney felt awful. She’d never meant to hurt him. Until he’d caught her kissing Max, she hadn’t even noticed his interest in her.
It’s not like he told me, how in the world was I supposed to know?
They flew in silence, Max unusually quiet as he piloted the chopper towards the general area of the missing campers. Trey wouldn’t even look at her.
They were five minutes out from the search zone when a call came across the radio. “All clear, subjects recovered.”
Sydney let out a sigh of relief. Not just for the campers, who had either been found unharmed or had shown up to work finally, but for the reprieve from Trey’s cold shoulder. His refusal to speak up had gotten them to this awkward place, and his continued silence wasn’t the way Sydney normally dealt with her problems.
The chopper landed and Trey hit the ground practically running, without even glancing behind him to see if anything needed to be done before he left. He bypassed the employee entrance and headed straight for his car. Without a word, he left for the day, with no indication of when, or if, he was coming back. Sydney walked slowly towards the employee entrance, knowing full well that the guys were going to tease her about what had happened last night. By now, the entire station knew. They blew off the stress of their jobs by heckling each other like rowdy school boys. Sydney expected a bit of ribbing about Max and Trey.
Max caught up with Sydney.
Oh boy, what do I say to him now?
She was so torn. He was the perfect man; strong and kind, selfless. He gave a so much of his free time volunteering for Care Flight Rescue. There was a rumor that he actually owned the chopper, but Sydney never put much stock in office gossip. Before she could muster up the courage to say something to him, anything, he grabbed her hand and fell in step with her.
He leaned down and spoke gently in her ear, his warm breath exciting her as if he’d planted a kiss on her slender neck, “Leave the guys to me, keep your head high and follow my lead.” She caught his eye and saw that ever-present twinkle. He was so sure of himself and his place in this world. Sydney would give anything to walk through life with half the confidence that Max had. He opened the door and let her pass through, his strong hand engulfing hers as they walked side by side into the fire.
Chapter 7
A stranger sat down across from him without a word.
“Seat’s taken friend, find another table.”
“Oh no, Son, I’m right where I need to be.” He thrust his hand out, his smile revealing jagged, yellowed teeth that showed years of neglect, “I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”
Trey shook his hand and pulled away. He wasn’t in the mood to talk, but the stranger had left something in his hand. Trey looked at the object and saw a crisp hundred dollar bill folded up in his hand.
Well this is interesting. Maybe my crappy day is about to turn around.
“I’m listening.”
“Do you know a young lady by the name of Sydney?”
Why, yes sir I sure do.
Trey considered his options. He finally drawled out, “now that information, my good sir, is going to cost a little more.”
The man threw back his head and laughed, pulling another bill out of his pocket. “If you help me get what I’m after, there will be more where that came from.”
Trey smiled and leaned in as the stranger began asking his questions. With each question, he got more and more excited. It seemed Sydney had been hiding more than an attraction to older men.
Sydney left work later that afternoon, exhausted from another harrowing day. Max walked Sydney to her car and opened the door. The tension between them was palpable, the unquenched desire hanging heavily in the air. Sydney wanted to invite him to her home, but she was afraid. She hadn’t let anyone in since she’d left home for college. After years of shutting people out, she wasn’t sure she knew how to let people in.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said. She abandoned her musings and focused on the task at hand. This couldn’t go any further until they talked, and Sydney had a lot to say.
“I need you to come with me. Can you ride a horse?”
Max laughed. He was twice her age. He doubted there was much she’d done that he hadn’t done long before she was even born.
“Of course I can.”
“Good. There’s a ranch horse you can borrow. Follow my car, we need to talk.”
Max raised his eyebrow. Sydney was many things, but boring wasn’t one of them.
Max rode beside Sydney on the tall bay horse. They set an easy pace, and Sydney led the way on the trail that took them to a gorgeous meadow. She had a past, and it was only fair that Max knew what he was getting into. She was hoping the scenery would be a welcome distraction from the story she was about to tell.
They finally made it to the open meadow and dismounted to let Concerto munch on the tall grass. He was better than most horses, and she had unbridled him more than once to graze freely while she laid out on the flat rock in the center of the field. Unsure of the bay, Sydney had brought along a halter and lead rope to tie him to a tree surrounded by tall, lush grass. She led Max to the boulder, her mind a jumble of words and painful memories.
After many false starts and stops, Sydney finally blurted out, “my family is rich. Well they used to be.”
Max was bemused. What an odd way to start a conversation that obviously held a lot of meaning to her, “mine too, and they still are.”
Sydney rolled her eyes. Now was not the time for jokes, but she ignored him. She had spent the entire drive over here working up the courage to tell him about her past; she wasn’t going to let him derail her by telling jokes. She decided to start from the day after her 17
th
birthday, when her parents broke the news of their financial ruin.
Chapter 8
Sydney pulled Concerto to a halt after she finished a round of jumps. Perfect, as always, he’d left every pole in its place. She loosened her reins and he stretched his neck out as he cooled down. She loved Concerto like most girls loved their first new car. He was a well-oiled machine, powerful and sleek. Her parents had bought him for her Christmas present when she was twelve. Since that day she’d run into the yard to find him, giant green and red ribbons trailing from his long mane, she’d devoted every spare minute to caring for him.
Anne Clark was sitting on the bleachers alone, tears streaming down her face. Sydney’s mother had been crying a lot lately, which Sydney attributed to her impending move to college. On track to graduate high school a full year early, she was starting college in the fall. She’d received several offers from prestigious schools, but hadn’t made her final choice yet. She still had two weeks to decide, and she wanted to make sure that she picked the perfect university.
She pulled Concerto up beside her mother. “Mom, it’s ok, I’ll be home for Christmas.”
“Oh Sydney, there won’t be a home by Christmas.” Anne started sobbing again. Through her tears, she explained to Sydney that they’d lost everything. Sydney was confused; they’d won six million dollars in the lottery when she was 12, just five short years before. But, her mom explained, her father had a gambling problem, and he’d gambled away everything. Everything but her college fund, which was locked into a trust that didn’t mature until her 18
th
birthday.
Sydney felt light-headed. Gambled it all away? How did that even happen? She looked around at the opulent farm, her mother’s decadent wardrobe, and the fleet of vehicles in the driveway. It wasn’t just the gambling that had done them in; her parents had been hemorrhaging money since the day after they’d cashed the check. Sydney shouldn’t have been surprised.
Sydney’s stomach sank as she realized that college was going to have to wait at least a year. And her Ivy-league aspirations were now a thing of the past. She was also struck by the way her mother mentioned the money The way she said they’d lost everything except her college fund made her think that her parents had plans for
that
money, too. But that money was hers and she wasn’t going to stand by and let them blow through that like they did the rest.
She’d earned almost all of the money in her college fund on her own, winning several cross country and stadium jumping purses on Concerto. As soon as she could drive the horse and trailer herself, her parents had stopped attending her competitions in favor of time spent rubbing elbows with the rich at the country club. They’d given her ten thousand dollars for her birthday each year for the last four years, which was nothing when you considered they’d won six million. The rest of the money was earned through her blood, sweat, and tears. She’d done every job available at shows to be able to afford the extras she wanted; from mucking out stalls to warming up and cooling down million-dollar jumpers for the upper classes at shows. There was no job she wouldn’t do to get ahead. Every penny she didn’t use for her gear had gone into that account. Between her contributions and the interest they’d earned, she’d accumulated more than one hundred thousand dollars.
Anne looked at her daughter expectedly. “You know, honey, Daddy and I are going to need that money to get back on our feet. Of course, you can live with us rent free until you start making your own money. But that money was a loan for you to go to college anyway. It actually belongs to us. We wouldn’t want to have to sell anything precious to save ourselves.” She looked pointedly at Concerto.
Sydney felt panic welling up inside her. She was nothing like her parents, never had been really. But this was going too far. Her mother wasn’t proposing just having the original forty thousand returned. Anne Clark intended to take all her money. Every penny. Without apology or conscience. She had to do something and it had to be quick.
“Mom, can we talk about this later? I have to cool Concerto off before his muscles get stiff.” She smiled at her mother, trying to hide her disappointment. “He’s worthless if he’s lame.”
“Of course, Honey. I’ll see you at home later. Daddy and I have dinner plans. You’ll make yourself something in the kitchen later, right?” And just like that, every ounce of guilt Sydney felt over what she was planning was gone.
Later that night, Sydney had packed up everything that she needed in her backpack. The documents for her trust were buried under several changes of clothes. She left the rest behind because she wanted no part of the life she’d lived here. If her parents were so willing to take away her shot at a future without a second thought, she didn’t want anything that they’d paid for. Except her horse. He was a gift and she had the card from under their Christmas tree to prove it. It wasn’t a bill of sale, but it was something. She saddled Concerto up and rode down the trail that led to her friend’s farm a few miles away. More like ten miles, but it wasn’t that far on horseback. Her parents had been off in their own little world for so long, they didn’t know the name of a single one of her friends. Sydney was sure that she could hide out there until she could find a way to get as far away from James and Anne as possible.