Badlands (26 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

O
WEN
WOKE
TO
SILENCE
.

He knew Penny wasn’t beside him before he opened his eyes. Lifting his head, he stretched out his arm anyway, grabbing the extra pillow. He brought it to his face and inhaled, trying to detect the scent of her hair. She’d turned off the light before she left, perhaps just minutes ago. It was still early.

Rising, he pulled on his jeans. His apartment felt empty without her, unnaturally quiet. The opened letter on the coffee table snagged his attention. Curious, he sat down on the couch and studied its contents.

Mendocino County Fire Department? Wow.

It was a good opportunity. He’d done firefighter training in that area during the last year of his prison sentence. The small, low-security facility he’d been transferred to after the earthquake—thanks to Sandoval—had a work-release program. Owen had completed two semesters of college classes there, also.

The employment offer boasted a generous starting wage and excellent benefits. He couldn’t accept it now, of course. He wasn’t supposed to leave L.A. until the investigation wrapped. Even after that, moving away from everyone he loved would be difficult. It was an eight-hour drive to Mendocino. If he lived that far north, he couldn’t attend Jamie’s soccer games or spend weekends with Penny.

With a frown, he read the accompanying note and found the check. He swore under his breath, aware that Penny had seen this.

She thought he was accepting a bribe from her father.

Folding the papers, he stood and shoved them into his back pocket. He put on a shirt and shoes in a hurry, grabbing his phone and keys on this way out the door.

There was a text from Janelle:
How was it, stud? ;)

Ignoring the playful message, he climbed behind the wheel and tried to call Penny. She didn’t answer. His anxiety built as he drove from his low-end Torrance neighborhood to her father’s sprawling mansion in Rancho Palos Verdes. The security code had been changed, so he waited outside for someone to buzz him in.

When the gates opened, he drove forward, parking between a Rolls Royce and a Jaguar. Her parents had guests over. Christ.

Penny’s mother let him in. She was an attractive woman with pale skin and a cloud of fluffy brown hair. Her cool reserve never wavered. She was wearing a simple black evening gown with a strand of pearls.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Getting along,” he said.

“I’m very sorry about your brother.”

“Thank you.”

“Thank
you,
for bringing Penny and Cruz back to us safely.”

“Just doing my job.”

She smiled at his answer. “Penny’s in the study with her father, and I left guests in the dining room. Do you mind waiting here?”

“Not at all.”

As he watched her glide across the room, he felt a pang of guilt over the scene he was about to make. Penny’s mother probably didn’t know what her husband was up to. Before she reached the door to the study, Penny came out with her father. She looked as if she’d been crying. Sandoval wore a slightly guilty expression.

With shaking hands, Owen removed the letter from his pocket. He ripped up the check, the note and the employment offer, letting the pieces flutter to the floor. Penny’s mother stared at the mess he’d made, clutching her pearls. Sandoval appeared impatient, as if he didn’t have time for such theatrics.

Penny clapped a hand over her mouth.

“I don’t want anything from your father,” Owen said, determined to say his piece. “I just want you, Penny.”

She came forward with a little cry. He met her halfway, feeling a rush of pleasure as she threw her arms around his neck. Maybe her faith in him had never wavered.

When he released her, Owen noticed their audience. He’d embraced Penny outside of the open dining room doors. John Wendell, the current GOP candidate, was among her parents’ guests. His views were even more conservative than Sandoval’s. The reactions around the table ranged from titillated to disapproving.

Penny’s mother gave them a helpless glance.

“Why don’t you two take this outside?” Sandoval suggested. “We’re in the middle of dessert.”

Penny nodded, grasping Owen’s hand. “Have a wonderful evening.”

“You too, dear,” her mother said.

Penny led him out the door and into the lighted garden, where they could talk privately.

Owen wasn’t sure what was going on. He hadn’t expected her parents to be so calm. He’d interrupted their dinner party, thrown trash on the floor and practically groped their daughter in front of esteemed guests.

“You didn’t have to tear up the check,” she said. “It would have served him right if you’d cashed it.”

“I was so worried,” he said, awestruck. “I thought you’d left angry.”

“Not with you.”

Although he was curious about her conversation with her father, he wanted to get a few things off his chest before he chickened out. He’d come here to win her back by baring his soul to her, laying his heart on the line. The scene hadn’t gone the way he’d planned it, but she deserved to know how he felt. “I reflected on what you said. About what I have to offer you, and what you can offer me.”

She smiled, cocking her head to one side. “You did?”

“Yes.”

“What did you come up with?”

He faltered, unsure where to start. “Before I went to prison, I considered myself weak. But now I see that I was just...caring. My father couldn’t beat that out of me, but getting locked up did. It made me hard, inside and out. I was in survival mode for years. I did a lot of things I’m not proud of.”

She squeezed his hand, encouraging him.

“When I first saw you...this feeling of hope awoke inside me. My entire existence had been like the dark cavern we were trapped in. You were the crack of light in the corner, that tempting glimpse of freedom.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I lost myself, for a long time. You brought me back. When I looked at you, I remembered the good in the world, the beauty and the sweetness. I remembered the decent person I’d once been.”

“Owen,” she whispered, biting her lip.

“It hurts to feel, after you’ve grown numb. It’s easier to disconnect, to not care. That’s one of the reasons I stayed away. Being with you...hurt.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“No.” He experienced moments of discomfort, and he might always have flashbacks, but he’d grown accustomed to human contact. Loving her had transformed him. Touching her had boosted his confidence. Through her, he’d rediscovered the best parts of himself. “I’m not numb anymore. You revived me.”

“So that’s what I have to offer you? Yourself?”

“Is that...enough?”

She cupped her hands around his face. “It’s everything.”

He swallowed hard, aware that he’d just thrown away a solid job opportunity. “I’ll find work in L.A....”

With a soft laugh, she dropped her hands.

“What?”

“I interrupted my father’s dinner party to tell him that Cruz and I were moving to Mendocino with you.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’d give you a reference letter for the LAFD.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “The police aren’t going to bring charges against you or your mother. I’m so sorry he threatened you with that. I think the stress of the kidnapping and the campaign brought out the worst in him.”

Owen understood. Her father had always been controlling and overprotective. He couldn’t blame Sandoval for trying to keep a tattooed ex-con out of his family. Owen might never win her father’s approval, but he vowed to make Penny happy.

“I told him to back off,” she continued, twining her arms around his neck. “He won’t bother you anymore.”

“You’re amazing.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll treat you right.”

“I know.”

“I love you, Penny.”

“I love you, too.”

“I want to marry you someday.”

“When?” she asked in a teasing voice.

“Whenever you like.”

“Let’s get jobs first, and maybe live together for a while.”

“Okay.”

“That check you tore up would pay for a pretty lavish wedding.”

He chuckled at her mischievous expression. She was so smart and beautiful and bright. His heart ached at the sight of her.

“Kiss me,” she said.

Owen knew a good thing when he had it. Without a second’s hesitation, he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her soundly. As if he was made for her, and they were meant to be. Always and forever.

* * * * *

Don’t miss Jill Sorenson’s next romantic suspense
in the
AFTERSHOCK
series, BACKWOODS
Coming June 2014 only from Harlequin HQN Books!

Keep reading for an excerpt from FREEFALL by Jill Sorenson.

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CHAPTER ONE

H
OPE
SMILED
AT
her sister in the passenger seat as she started the Jeep’s engine. “This is going to be so much fun.”

Faith groaned, glancing out the window. The sparkly insignia on her D&G sunglasses glinted in the morning light. She wasn’t an early riser or a nature lover, so she didn’t share Hope’s enthusiasm.

“You can’t bring those sunglasses on the raft,” Hope said.

Faith removed them with an exaggerated sigh. Her eyes were brown, like Hope’s. When they were younger, strangers used to ask if they were twins. They’d shared the same heart-shaped face and chocolate-colored curls. Although Hope kept her hair natural, Faith’s was straight and blond, courtesy of the upscale salon where she worked.

Faith checked her appearance in the mirror. “I look hideous in your clothes.”

“You look adorable.”

Hope had let Faith borrow the shorts, tank top and hiking boots. None of her sister’s chic L.A. outfits were appropriate for a whitewater adventure. Faith had spruced up the ensemble with pigtail braids, and she wore her own skimpy bikini underneath. She’d balked at the idea of donning one of Hope’s demure swimsuits.

Faith flipped up the visor and stashed her sunglasses in the glove compartment. “Remind me why I agreed to this.”

“Because you planned our vacation last year.”

“And it was fabulous. There’s nothing wrong with relaxing on the beach.”

Hope drove down the bumpy dirt road toward the Kaweah River, humming along with the song on the radio. She spent a week with her sister every summer, and she always looked forward to it. Whether they were lounging in the sun or hiking through the Sierras, Hope enjoyed Faith’s company.

“This weather is perfect for rafting,” Hope said. The heat wave that had struck several days ago showed no signs of letting up.

“If there aren’t any cute guys in our group, I’m jumping overboard.”

Hope smirked at the threat. Faith had broken up with her boyfriend several months ago, and she’d seemed melancholy ever since. Her sister tended to treat men like passing fashions, easily discarded. But she’d been different with Tom, more committed. More upset when things didn’t work out.

“I’ve met our guide, and he’s gorgeous,” she said. He was also gay, but that didn’t matter. Faith would flirt with him anyway. “Three of the rafters are college guys, probably jocks. You have to be strong to handle a Class Five run.”

Faith’s eyes narrowed. “Class Five?”

“Don’t worry. The rest of us are experienced paddlers.”

“Hope! You know I hate exercise.”

“You hate sweat.”

“Exactly.”

“Not much chance of that, with water splashing you all day.”

Faith made a noise of protest. “This reminds me of the time you made me hike up that huge mountain. I almost died.”

“You did not,” Hope said. “Physical activity is better for you than dieting. You’ll get a tan and look great in your bikini.”

“I don’t like jocks.”

“You liked Tom.”

“College guys are immature.”

“Not always. They could be...grad students.”

Faith wrinkled her nose.

“You’re not usually this choosy.”

“What’s
that
supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you calling me a slut?”

“No! You’re just...free-spirited.” If anything, Hope was jealous of Faith’s casual attitude about sex. Her flashy self-confidence attracted men in droves. “I admire that.”

“You should go out more.”

“I know,” she said, sighing. Hope was only eighteen months older than Faith, and they’d always been close, but their personalities were nothing alike. Faith didn’t have a shy bone in her body. Hope was quiet and reserved. Although she wanted to meet someone special, she worked around the clock and rarely socialized.

This winter, Faith had begged her to join an online dating service. Instead, she’d gone to the local watering hole and bolstered her courage with white wine. She’d engaged in her first one-night stand—what a disaster.

“I’m still recovering from my last attempt.”

“That guy was a jerk,” Faith said.

“Yes.”

“Where does he live?”

“In Long Pine,” Hope said, naming the closest town. “Why?”

“Let’s toilet-paper his house.”

With a low laugh, Hope pulled into the Kaweah Campsite on the east side of the park. “That wouldn’t be environmentally responsible.”

“You’re such a buzz kill.”

“We could use biodegradable toilet paper,” she said.

“How about flowers?”

Hope laughed again, turning off the engine. Their parents owned an organic plant nursery, and one of their mother’s favorite sayings was “give your enemy a flower.” The sisters had rebelled against her peacenik philosophies in different ways. Faith, by valuing material things. Hope, by becoming a gun-toting park ranger. She wished she could carry a bouquet of daisies to fight crime, but some situations required brute force.

Hope couldn’t wait for the three-day rafting trip to start. She hadn’t enjoyed a full weekend off in months. Even as they waited in the shade for the whitewater guide, her work radio trilled with an emergency message.

“All rangers please respond for SAR.”

Hope had been a ranger at Sierra National Park for five years. Her job was part law enforcement, part nature guide, and she loved it. Although she was supposed to be on vacation for the next week, she couldn’t ignore a call for a search-and-rescue operation. In an area with huge cliffs, swift-moving rivers and sprawling forests, accidents happened. Rock climbers fell. Hikers got lost in the woods. Children became drowning victims.

“Don’t you dare answer that,” Faith warned.

“I have to,” she said. As a district ranger, she was required to stay in radio contact and respond to emergencies. She picked up the receiver to speak with the dispatch office. “This is Ranger Banning.”

“Hope, we have word of a single-engine plane down at Angel Wings.”

Her stomach clenched with unease. “Any survivors?”

“There’s been no radio communication from the craft. A climber saw the crash a few hours ago and came into the station to report it.”

“Which station?”

“Mineral King.”

Hope swore under her breath. Mineral King was her station, and she was more familiar with Angel Wings than the other rangers. She also had experience with high-angle rescue, which this operation might require. “I’ll be right there.”

“You can’t be serious,” Faith said.

She wavered, torn between loyalties. Both her sister and her job were extremely important to her.

“Why can’t someone else go?”

“I don’t know if anyone else is available. The guy covering my station isn’t qualified to organize a search-and-rescue.”

The busy season didn’t officially start until July, and it was the first week of June. They only had twelve year-round staff members with law enforcement badges. During an emergency situation, all rangers in the area were ordered to check in. Hope had to step up to this responsibility or take the heat for it.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“I told you not to answer the call,” Faith wailed. “Five minutes later and we’d have been on the water.”

Hope hurried out of the Jeep Liberty and grabbed Faith’s backpack before approaching the passenger side. “Best-case scenario, another ranger will handle it and I’ll be back by launch time. I can also rent a kayak to catch up with the group.”

“Are you high? I’m not going without you.”

“Come on, Faith. They might have to cancel the whole trip if we both don’t show. They need a certain number of people in the raft.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So?”

“It’s bad for park business.”

“Park business,” Faith muttered, climbing out of the vehicle. “That’s all you care about.”

Hope’s heart twisted in her chest. She knew she worked too much. During last summer’s vacation, she’d returned to the park two days early to fill in for an injured employee. Faith and Hope had argued about her dedication to her job before. “No, it’s not.”

“Next year we’re going to Las Vegas for an indoor vacation. We’ll buy cocktails instead of trail mix.” Faith’s mouth thinned as she pointed a slender finger at her. “And I’ll make you wear
my
clothes.”

“Done.”

“If I drown, I’ll never forgive you.”

“You won’t drown,” Hope said, hugging her tight. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She let go of her sister with regret and climbed behind the wheel once again, waving as she drove away. Faith looked disappointed, even forlorn, and Hope felt awful. If she missed the entire trip, their vacation would be ruined.

Hands tightening around the steering wheel, she turned down the winding forest service road toward Mineral King.

Although she tried to stay upbeat, it wasn’t easy. She worked a lot of solitary hours as a park ranger. During her time off, she enjoyed quiet individual pursuits like hiking and photographing wildlife. She’d been anticipating her sister’s visit for months. Faith was right—she needed to interact with people more.

The Mineral King Station was in a remote section of the park, popular with backpackers and rock climbers. Families with small children often just drove through, and day hikers flocked to more accessible places like Giant Forest and Crescent Meadow. Because of its distance from the main tourist attractions, Mineral King had the hushed, pristine quality of true wilderness. Bear sightings were common.

She parked outside the station house, next to a forest service vehicle. Owen Jackson, a park attendant, had been appointed to take her place this morning. He sat behind the front desk, across from Sam Rutherford.

Sam was a local rock climbing celebrity, a recluse and the last person on earth Hope wanted to see.

Her mood plummeted further. Sam must have reported the plane crash. She’d been hoping for an unreliable witness, maybe a hippie backpacker who’d taken some psychedelic drugs and confused a shooting star for a horrific accident.

Sam glanced over his shoulder at her, his dark gaze skimming her body. Recognition and unease registered in his eyes, but he didn’t flinch or tense his muscles. Instead, he returned his focus to Owen, as if waiting for an introduction.

How dare he pretend not to know her?

The two men appeared comfortable with each other, which didn’t surprise her. Sam had recommended Owen for an entry-level position last summer. He donated fat checks to the park every year, so his suggestions were greeted with polite consideration. Hope had interviewed Owen herself and found little fault with him, other than a felony record. He’d worked on a prison forestry crew, so he had wildfire experience.

“Ranger Banning,” Owen said, rising to his feet. He was a lean, cagey young man with close-cropped blond hair and haunting blue eyes. There was a thin red mark on his neck, and a larger, thicker welt on his hand. When she’d inquired about the scars, he told her that he’d had some tattoos removed.

Since his start date, Owen had been a model employee. He had a quick mind and a strong back. Unlike some of the young male park attendants, he didn’t hit on tourists or drink too much. Hope had come to like him.

She wondered, and not for the first time, what connected a former inmate to a former Olympian. According to a rumor spread by women who’d struck out with one or the other, they were lovers.

Hope had personal evidence to the contrary.

“This is Sam Rutherford,” he said.

“We’ve met.”

“He reported the incident.”

Sam stood to greet her with insulting belatedness. “Nice to see you again...Ranger Banning.”

She realized that he was fishing for her first name. Indignation filled her, suffusing her cheeks with heat. “It’s Hope.”

“Hope. Right.”

Judging by his expression, he remembered what she looked like naked, if nothing else. She took a deep breath, counting on her tanned complexion to mask her embarrassment. “When was the crash?”

“Around 3:00 a.m.”

“What were you doing at 3:00 a.m.?”

He hesitated for a second. “Climbing.”

Night climbing was unusual, but not unheard of, in summer months. Visitors took advantage of the cooler temperatures and available moonlight. Illegal activities like BASE jumping were often done under the cloak of darkness, as well.

“What did you see?”

“Just lights. I think it was a single-engine plane, flying too low. It hit the top of Angel Wings and burst into flames.”

“Where were you?”

“On Valhalla. Near the summit.”

Valhalla was a steep rock face directly across from Angel Wings. She checked her watch, noting that it was eight-twenty. “You got from there to here in five hours?”