Chapter 20
As Fisher drove home, instead of things becoming clearer, she became more and more confused. She had so many questions she couldn’t answer.
Who was Kyle Swift?
What did they have together?
Was it just a summer fling that had run its course?
Could it have been more?
The miles whirred by, her thoughts blurring like the trees on the side of the road. Not just about Kyle, but also about baby Brandon. He was awfully sweet. And trusting.
She blinked back more tears, shaking her head at the silliness of her overwrought emotions.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something in the ditch. She slowed down, wondering if on top of everything else, she was imagining things. But no, she’d definitely seen something. A nagging feeling caused her to turn around and slowly drive back to where there were indeed tire tracks in the grass. No skid marks, just bent grass leading to an old car sitting in a ditch.
Fisher parked and carefully got out of the Jeep, wishing she had at least a pair of flip-flops for the trek down the gravel- and dirt-lined ditch.
A man was slumped over in the driver’s seat, but she didn’t see any damage on the windshield. The small scratches in the driver’s side door were slightly rusted, as if they had been there awhile.
The man’s head rolled to the side and she noticed the slight rise and fall of his chest. He was alive. Her training kicked in and she carefully tried the door, which was, fortunately, unlocked.
The hinge creaked as she opened it and the man jerked awake.
“Who? Who are you?” He looked disoriented, but at least he was conscious.
“I’m Fisher.” She kept her voice as calm as possible. “It appears you’ve been in an accident. Do you remember what happened?”
“I was driving back home. I drove all night but my sons, they… Well, can you blame them?”
“Do you know your name?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes. Joe. Joe Swift.” He looked up at her with weary eyes. Eyes every bit as blue as his sons’ and his grandson’s. “I must have fallen asleep.”
He started to get out of the car and Fisher extended a hand.
“How is your head? Did you hit the windshield or the steering wheel?”
“I don’t think so. It’s just that I am tired.” He fell back against the car. “It’s a long drive from LA. Especially when…”
He raked a hand through his thinning hair and let out a weary breath.
“I forgot how pretty it is here.” His voice was thick with emotion. Sorrow. Regret. Pain. “I never should have left. I shouldn’t have come back.”
The man was hurting, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the accident or thirty years of grief.
“Well, we’re going to need some help getting your car unstuck.” Fisher could do it herself if she wasn’t worried about him wandering off. And if she wasn’t barefoot and in a dress. “And maybe we should get you to the emergency room and have you checked out.”
“No need for that. I’m fine. I just fell asleep, that’s all.” He did sound more coherent. And a little bit agitated. “Besides, I don’t have any health insurance. I still got a few more years before I can get Medicare.”
He seemed much older than sixty-five, but life hadn’t been kind to him.
“I don’t trust most doctors anyway.” No, life had definitely not been kind to him. “Nothing a strong cup of coffee can’t cure.”
“I know just the place, then.” Fisher looped her arm in his and led him carefully back to her Jeep.
Once he was buckled in, she put the Jeep in gear, using her four-wheel drive to keep from spinning out in the loose gravel. She drove carefully back to the resort. If she’d had her cell phone she would have called Tyler or Ross or whoever was around to come get Mr. Swift’s car unstuck. Instead, she’d just have to wait until she got back to the house.
The man dozed on the short drive back home, and she made a note to keep a close eye on him. If he showed any signs of a head injury, she would take him to the hospital and worry about the cost later. She’d put out a tip jar at the store if necessary.
When she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed Cody’s truck was missing. Carson’s too. But he could have been returning tables to the party rental store.
She led Mr. Swift into the kitchen of the guides’ house and started a fresh pot of coffee. “Are you hungry? We have plenty of food here. I could scramble some eggs and make some toast.”
“You sure you won’t get in trouble with your boss?” He must have noticed where she’d brought him.
“I am the boss. At least, when the owners aren’t around. Besides, this is my kitchen. I just let the others use it.” She gave him a wink and was rewarded with a tentative grin.
Soon she was serving a hearty breakfast with plenty of strong, dark coffee. The color returned to the man’s cheeks and he ate with an enthusiasm she hadn’t seen since, well, since most mornings around here. The physical demands of their job gave most of the guides a hearty appetite.
“I’ll bet you could use a nice hot shower, and maybe a nap.”
“Oh, you’ve done enough, young lady.” He wiped his mouth with the napkin he’d placed on his lap. “I should get out of your way.”
“Tell you what, if you give me your keys, I’ll have your car brought over while you get cleaned up.”
“Well, I can tell you’re the kind of woman who is used to getting her way. I guess I’d better not argue with you.” His blue eyes twinkled with that unmistakable Swift family charm.
“That’s right.” She smiled and extended a hand to help him up and lead him to the upstairs bathroom. The shower was at one end with a sliding door partitioning it from the dual vanities in the center. The toilet alcove was at the opposite end. It worked out well for the communal nature of their home.
“There are towels on that shelf there, and I’ll bring a change of clothes and set them on the sink for you.”
“Thank you.” He took her hand, holding it a little longer than needed for a simple thank-you. “I can see now that I didn’t need to come all this way. I was worried that he’d been blinded by the lifestyle, the fast cars, the easy money. That he couldn’t see how that all came at a price.”
“What price?” Fisher dropped the man’s hand, a sick feeling sinking into her gut. What if Kyle was in danger? The man who’d arrived this morning didn’t seem like the kind of guy who would walk away from a million-dollar deal—no, a two-million-dollar deal—with just a shrug of his shoulders.
“I’m proud of that boy. I’m proud of all my boys, but Kyle? He’s had it rough. He never had anyone he could count on. Especially me.” Joe Swift looked her in the eye. “I can see why he was seduced by Wilson’s flash and his cash. He didn’t stop to ask where all that money came from; he was just happy to get a piece of it.
“Do you want to know the first thing he bought when he made his first big deal?” Joe didn’t wait for an answer. “He bought his mama a house. A nice little home, like the kind I should have been able to provide. I’ve never been so proud—and so ashamed—in all my life.”
Tears pricked the man’s eyes.
“I should have taken better care of her. I should have been stronger. Like my boys.” He placed an unsteady hand on her shoulder. “They’re good boys. All of them. No. They’re good men. Maybe someday, I can be more like them.”
“Maybe you should stick around awhile. Get to know them.” Her voice had a catch in it, and her eyes felt prickly. “And your grandchildren.”
“Grandchildren?” His eyes widened with hope, and then despair. “I don’t know if I can risk disappointing another generation.”
“I don’t know if you can risk not trying.” There. She told him.
“Okay. I’ll give it another shot.” He looked her square in the eye, the Swift look of determination shining bright. “If you will.”
When she just stared at him, with her jaw dropped open, he chuckled.
“I know about you, young lady. You’re the one who ran off on my boy this morning. Maybe you had good reason. But I can see that you love him. And I know he loves you.”
She started to deny it, but what was the use?
“Listen to an old man who learned the hard way.” He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Regret is not something you want to get involved with. It’s worse than any drug. Any disease. It’s the worst kind of heartbreak there is.”
With that, the man took his towel into the shower and shut the door.
* * * *
“Wow, I’m surprised you were able to get the Realtor to meet us on such short notice.” Kyle was still a little cautious when it came to Cody’s sudden acceptance of him. There was a small part of him that wondered if maybe Cody was going to lead him off into the woods where his body would be dragged off by mountain lions after he succumbed to the elements.
But instead, they pulled up to a very nice custom home right on the river. There was something familiar about the place, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“My buddy from high school has the listing on the property. But since there’s no access from the main road, he’s going to meet us at my place.”
“This is your place?” Kyle looked up at the cedar siding, expansive deck, and large picture windows and felt a slight twinge of the familiar envy. When Miranda came out to greet them, he felt even more of a tug. But instead of jealousy, it was more a push for him to go after what he wanted.
Fisher.
He turned away while Cody and Miranda greeted each other as newlyweds would, by wrapping themselves around each other. Not bad for a couple with two small children.
They broke apart when a car pulled into the driveway. It was actually an SUV and out stepped a gentleman dressed in jeans, work boots, and a polo shirt with a Prospector Springs Realty logo on the chest.
“Thanks for giving me a call.” The man shook hands with Cody. “It’s been too long.”
“Yeah. I’ve been busy. This is my wife, Miranda.” He introduced her first. “And my brother, Kyle.”
Both Miranda and the Realtor looked surprised.
“Dave Meyers. Nice to meet you both.” He shook hands with Miranda and then Kyle. “Are you ready to take a look around the property?”
“Sure.” Kyle was anxious to see if it would meet his needs. If it was good enough for Fisher and the life he wanted to make with her.
He followed Dave to his SUV, wondering if he’d need a four-wheel drive vehicle to access the property. Both Cody and Carson drove 4x4 trucks and Fisher had a Jeep. And like most things around here, it wasn’t just for show. He’d bet they all spent a good deal of time off road.
Cody slid into the backseat and Kyle made himself comfortable in the front passenger side.
“Now, this is a real fine piece of property. Almost twelve acres. Mostly level, but with some elevation changes. There is private river access and a nice little beach.” Dave was working the sale. “The main reason it hasn’t been scooped up yet is that there isn’t direct access from the main road. If you were to purchase the land, you’d have to apply for an easement from the public land adjacent on the northwestern part of the property, and it could be a little tricky to get a road in that corner.”
Kyle assumed tricky meant expensive.
“Now there is a neighbor to the east.” Dave glanced in the rearview mirror at Cody. “He’s been reluctant to give access. I think mostly because he had his eye on the property. Or maybe it was his brother.”
“What am I missing?” Kyle turned around to find Cody with a big cocky grin on his face.
“Yeah. I had thought about buying the place someday, but when Carson moved in with Lily, I didn’t see a need.”
“So the biggest drawback of the place would be having you as my neighbor?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say that.” Cody chuckled as they bumped over uneven ground and came out on a flat spot overlooking the water.
Dave put the SUV in park and they got out. “Let’s take a walk, shall we?”
Kyle looked around. It was a beautiful piece of land. And the river access was just about perfect. The spot they were parked on would be just right for a staging area for commercial trips. It was level enough to build a large equipment shed. There was even room for picnic tables and barbecue pits.
“Now, if you take a little walk up this way”—Dave started to climb a small hill—“I think this would be a terrific spot for a homesite. You could put a two- to three-thousand-square-foot home without having to remove many trees.”
“And you’d have plenty of space for a play structure for the kids,” Cody added hopefully.
“Well, I don’t know about that.” Shit. He shouldn’t have said anything. Really, Fisher’s feelings about babies were the least of his worries. “I mean, I’m several steps away from needing a play structure.”
“So what are your plans, then?” Dave asked. “Cody mentioned you might want to start your own rafting company.”
“Yeah. They’ve got more business than they can handle and sometimes a little competition can actually increase business for both companies.”
“Is that so?” Dave sounded like he was just going along. Being friendly. Or salesmanly.
“Yeah, you know how as more and more wineries popped up in the area, the wine industry really started booming,” Cody added helpfully.
“Maybe I should grow grapes instead,” Kyle joked. He knew nothing about the wine business, other than people liked wine.
“Well, this property isn’t zoned for agriculture,” Dave mentioned. He was a straight shooter. Kyle liked that about him. “It’s currently zoned for residential or commercial use only.”
“Good to know.” Kyle stood on the top of the hill, where it was indeed a terrific spot for a home. He tried to envision what Fisher’s dream home would look like. He knew it wouldn’t be fancy. But it would be of top quality. He’d make sure of it.
The only thing he required in a dream house was his dream woman.
His strong blonde.