Chapter 19

Ruby held onto the seat in front of her, but she couldn’t keep herself from bouncing all over the place, even with the seatbelt on. This was her worst nightmare come true. Her fear of riding in cars battled with her fear of Parker dying in a flying accident, and she swore that if something happened to him, she’d never leave the house again.

Ruby knew she shouldn’t have convinced the guys to help Parker get into the air, but she had been trying to be supportive of what he was going through. She didn’t know everything, but Andy had told her enough to cause her to spring into action. He had been right. Ruby saw how self-centered she had been, and right then, all she wanted was to help Parker through his own personal tragedy. That was what was real. All they had was the present, and Ruby didn’t want to mess things up again.

As a result, she had done the opposite of what she really thought was best, and now Parker was flying in weather that was too hot and unpredictable with winds that were too strong. She blamed herself for the situation they were in now.

“Parker, are you there? I need your location.” Rafael had been trying for the past fifteen minutes to get Parker on the radio, but he wasn’t answering. Rafael threw the radio back to Ruby. “I’m going to see if I can get a little higher. Maybe I’ll be able to catch a glimpse of where he is.”

“How are you—”

Rafael maneuvered into the back seat, then lowered the window that separated the cab from the truck bed.

“That’s not safe,” Ruby tried to tell him, but he ignored her and grabbed a pair of binoculars before sliding through the narrow opening, landing awkwardly in the back of the truck.

Rafael held onto the edges of the open window and stood. He raised the binoculars to his eyes, now holding on with just one hand.

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut. This wasn’t happening. They were all going to be safe and live happily ever after. Rafael would not fly out of the back of the truck, and Parker wouldn’t crash into a mountain. If either of those scenarios happened…but they wouldn’t. All of Ruby’s fears for the last several years had been irrational. Everyone told her so. People didn’t just crash into things. Normally. Except for her family. Apparently if you were related to Ruby, you were the exception. But most people lived long, happy lives that didn’t involve horrendous accidents.

The truck jerked to the side and Ruby’s eyes flew open. She spun back to make sure Rafael was okay. He was sprawled out on the truck bed, holding on tight, but seemed unscathed. Once the ride smoothed out a little, Rafael crawled back through the window, landing next to Ruby on the seat.

“He didn’t come this direction,” Rafael said. “Must have met a crosswind.”

Andy shook his head. “He could be anywhere.”

Ruby shrank into her seat and willed herself not to cry. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “This is my fault. I never should have convinced you guys to let him go up.”

“This is all on Parker,” Andy said, his voice forceful. “Even if you hadn’t stood up for him, he would have found a way to convince us to help him. We are his crew, after all.”

“Why would he do something so reckless?” Ruby asked, more to herself than anyone else. “He could have waited until later today when it wasn’t so hot. If I hadn’t left the hotel room, maybe—"

“Like I said, this is not your fault,” Andy said. “All that matters now is that we find him.”

“Yes,” Ruby agreed, attempting to shake off the guilt she felt. “Saving him is what we should focus on.”

“No, we need to find him so we can yell at him,” Andy corrected. “After that, I’m sending him back up in that balloon and he can find his own way home.”

Ruby gawked. “You can’t be serious. You would do that to your friend?”

“He’s kidding,” Rafael interjected. “Sort of.”

Before Ruby could respond, the radio sputtered to life.

“Can you guys hear me? Is this thing working?”

The three of them released audible sighs of relief. Ruby snatched the radio up from beside her. “Parker? Where are you? We’ve been driving on all the back roads, but we can’t see you.”

“A crosswind took me toward the mountains on the west side. I managed to land in a lake, but my GPS is fried.”

Andy whipped back. “Tell him that if that balloon is at the bottom of a lake, so help me I’m going to—”

“Keep your eyes on the road,” Ruby interrupted, watching nervously as they approached a turn.

Andy turned back, but he was still muttering threats under his breath.

“Are you in a safe location?” Ruby asked into the radio.

“Yeah. I almost managed to miss the water, but I landed right on the edge of it. The balloon is wet and has a tear in it, but it’s fixable.”

“I don’t care about the balloon,” Ruby told Parker. “You’re all right?”

“Hey, I care about the balloon,” Andy said from the front.

“Well, you heard him. Not all is lost,” Ruby told Andy, rolling her eyes.

“I’m a little bruised up, but other than that, I’m peachy. Oh, except for the fact that I have no idea where I am and there’s no way of you knowing how to find me.”

“We’ll find a way,” Ruby said. “It’s not like we’re just going to leave you there.”

“Actually,” Andy interjected, “the only reason we needed to find him was to chew him out, and I can do that plenty well over the radio.”

Rafael’s hand shot out and slapped the back of Andy’s head. “You’re mad at him, we get it. Now quit being a jerk and let’s go find our friend.”

Andy rubbed the back of his head. “You didn’t have to hit me.”

“Yes, I did.”

“You still there, Ruby?” Parker’s voice had an edge of panic to it.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m here,” she said, giving Andy and Rafael the stink eye. “We’re working on a plan. Is there anything else you can tell me about where you are?”

“There are trees.”

“That is so helpful,” Ruby said with a shake of her head. “In fact, we know right where you are now.”

There was a surprised silence on the other end. “Really?” Parker asked, his voice incredulous.

Ruby sighed. “No, not really. Just hang tight. We’re doing what we can.”

“Ask him if he has any of his emergency flares,” Andy said.

“Do you have any flares?” Ruby asked into the radio.

“I did, but they got lost in the mud and water.”

“Okay, stand by while we figure something out.” She laid the radio down. “Are there any official people we can call?” she asked Rafael. “They should have emergency people standing by, right?”

“Yeah, we’re supposed to call 911.” Rafael pulled out his phone and dialed quick. As he told the dispatcher about their situation, Ruby stared out the window, wondering when they’d find a road that would take them in the general direction they needed to go.

Ruby worked at keeping her anxiety at bay. Deep breaths. Positive thinking. She tried everything her therapist would have suggested. But none of it worked. It just made her mad and frustrated that she was along for the ride, unable to do anything to help Parker but hope for the best.

Rafael hung up. “They said they’ll get some ATVs out to the general vicinity of where we think he landed as soon as they can.”

“No emergency helicopters?” Ruby asked.

“There was another crash about forty-five miles away. Once they get that one taken care of, they’ll bring the copter around, but until then, the ATVs are the best they can do.”

“They just have the one?” Ruby asked, annoyed that they didn’t have more available for this type of event. An idea occurred to her, but she immediately dismissed it. She couldn’t do it. It was crazy. It would only make matters worse. But they’d never find Parker just riding on ATVs and relying on dumb luck.

Ruby picked the radio back up. “Parker, if someone were flying above you, would they be able to see your balloon?”

It took a moment before the radio crackled to life. “Yeah, I’m in a clearing.”

She turned to Andy. “Where’s the nearest airport that would have a small plane I could rent?”