The Daughter Dilemma Read online

  Nick waited for the call to connect. With a scowl, he yanked off his sunglasses and wagged his hand toward the towering pile of paper perched haphazardly on Addy’s desk. “Do something with that stuff before it’s everywhere.”

  Addy ignored that advice and reached to pick up the framed picture of her pilot’s license that sat proudly on one corner. “You’ve got to let me take up G Tech next weekend, Nick. See this?” she said, pointing to the license. “This says I’m perfectly capable of handling it.”

  A huge, colorfully painted sign hung on the back wall of the office. It depicted a winding river between towering mountain peaks, bisected by a jagged lightning bolt—the family logo. Angel Air, the sign read. And below it: Nick D’Angelo, Owner/Operator.

  Nick pointed toward it. “And that says I’m still the guy who makes that decision.”

  His sister sighed in exasperation. Then the call went through and Kiyoshi was on the line. Nick listened to the man’s excellent English for a few minutes, made a couple of sympathetic comments, then placed the receiver back in its cradle.

  Seeing the look on his face, Addy frowned. “Bad news?”

  “Kiyoshi’s canceled everything for the next month. The head execs are flying out tomorrow because of some trouble in the Tokyo office.”

  “Ouch. That’s a big one to lose.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.”

  “Well, at least that will give us a little breathing room to concentrate on the Graybeal wedding,” Addy said with her usual optimism. “We’re going to need all the help we can get to be ready for that one.”

  Chuck Graybeal, the busiest dentist in three counties and an old family friend, had booked the entire lodge for his daughter’s upcoming wedding. The resort had never catered such a large, complex function before, but if everything went as planned, Nick could envision a whole new world of opportunity opening up for the family business. But first, they had to get through this latest hiccup.

  He scraped a hand across his jaw, quickly calculating what the lost revenue from G Tech would mean. “The lodge will still be booked pretty solid, but this means Air is going to be hurting for business next weekend.”

  “We can make it up. Vail’s got its big aspen festival coming up. That’ll mean lots of tourists checking out the I-70 corridor. Some of them are bound to be looking for a fun way to kill a few hours.” Her voice took on more enthusiasm as ideas started to pop. “Maybe we could do a flyer. Blitz the parking lots and shops with a two-for-one deal on an hour flight.”

  “Pretty short notice.”

  “You know I’m good at mobilizing, Nick. I can do it.”

  That was certainly true. When Addy set her mind to something, she was like a laser on a target. “Let’s talk about it with the family tonight at dinner.”

  “Fine,” she conceded, but Nick could see the wheels still turning in her head. “Talking about this will be tons better than listening to you and Tessa argue.”

  “The arguing part’s over,” Nick said, balling up the messages and lobbing them into the trash can that sat between their desks. “The dress goes back. And you aren’t to encourage Tessa to any further rebellion.”

  Addy shook her head at him. “But—”

  He scowled at her and she subsided.

  His daughter was fourteen and turning into a lovely young woman that any father would be proud of. But sometimes he wasn’t sure he and Tessa were connecting at all. After years of trying so hard, coming so far in their relationship…

  “She’s growing up, Nick.” Addy cut quietly into his thoughts, as though she could read them. Maybe she could. Addy had a way with people.

  Nick smiled at her. “I can accept that. But she doesn’t need to show everyone just where she’s growing. That dress was indecent.”

  “You’re such a prude.”

  “I’m her father. She’s too young. You weren’t allowed to wear anything that sexy to school dances.”

  Addy’s mouth quirked in derision. “How would you know? You’d already married Denise and left home by the time I was fourteen.”

  Nick couldn’t resist laughing. “Are you kidding? Between your escapades and Matt’s overachieving and Rafe getting into trouble all the time, my mailbox was full of letters from Mom and Pop, and I memorized almost every word. The night of your first Sadie Hawkins dance you wore a modest yellow dress with daisies along the neckline.”

  Addy straightened in surprise. “How do you know that?”

  “Because Pop kept asking Mom who Sadie Hawkins was, and she described the dress very vividly to me. Said it looked like melted butter on you.”

  Addy settled her chin on her hand. “It was pretty,” she said with a sigh. Then she gave Nick a sly sideways glance. “Too bad I didn’t wear it. I switched it for a midnight-blue slip dress with a plunging back. That was the night I let David McKay kiss me for the first time.”

  Nick thought she looked a little dreamy, maybe even sad, but he gave her a glance that said she was completely hopeless. “No wonder Mom and Pop spent so much time threatening to lock you in your room.”

  “So is that how you want to handle Tessa? Threaten her with punishment all the time? Make her quake with fear instead of having her respect? Is that the way to raise children?”

  “It worked for us.”

  “Did it?”

  He knew what she was getting at. The four D’Angelo offspring—Nicholas, Matt, Rafe and Adriana—had been raised by Samuel and Rose, people with strong values and a belief in exercising firm, loving control over their children. As parents, they had been tough, but devoted. Demanding, but fair.

  Nick had always known what was expected from them, where he stood. So had the easygoing Matt, who was now a skilled surgeon living in Chicago. And though she’d been in and out of mischief for most of her growing-up years, Addy had done all right, too.

  The real problem had been Rafe. The youngest son had been a black-eyed, black-tempered hell-raiser. As a teenager he’d always been at odds with their father and, after one particularly bitter fight, he’d run away from home.

  He hadn’t been back since.

  “I miss Rafe,” Addy said, jogging Nick out of the past.

  He made a noncommittal sound in his throat. She and Rafe had been close. He suspected Addy was still in touch—she received mysterious phone calls and the occasional postcard. She’d probably forgive him anything. But he and Rafe had never seen eye-to-eye and he was still resentful that his brother had not returned—even for a visit—during his father’s health crisis.

  Addy turned to give him a direct look. “Do you think he’ll ever come home?”

  Personally, Nick didn’t think so. His brother seemed content to ricochet around the world without a care for anyone. But he could hear the hope in Addy’s voice and a protective instinct rose up in him in spite of his belief that blunt truth always served a person better.

  “He’ll come home someday,” he said. “When he finds the right reason.”

  That seemed to satisfy her. With a thoughtful nod, she started sifting through the pile of paper on her desk. At least she no longer seemed interested in giving him a hard time about the way he managed Tessa.

  He began paging through the log book of upcoming tours.

  It looked grim. One no-show today. Only three flights scheduled for tomorrow unless someone made a last-minute booking. Enough to give Addy some flight time but not the usual tourist crush that would keep both choppers in the air full-time.

  A year ago Nick had added Angel Air to the family business, building the heliport only a mile from the lodge. He’d told himself that it wasn’t just that he’d missed flying. Helicopter tours were a natural fit for Lightning River Lodge’s well-heeled guests. More and more vacationers wanted to explore the less-familiar wilderness areas that hadn’t been overrun by tourists. But so far, this part of the business had yet to turn a real profit.

  The phone rang and Addy picked it up. A moment later his sister put the call on
hold and motioned toward him.

  “It’s Mom,” she said. “And she sounds out of breath.”

  What now? Nick thought as he punched the button. Their mother was pretty self-sufficient. After their father’s stroke, she’d had to be. With Aunt Sof and Aunt Ren’s help, she kept the lodge running in tip-top shape. The front desk, the small restaurant, the fourteen rooms and two suites. If she’d been reduced to calling Nick, God knew what problem she’d run into that she couldn’t handle.

  Unless it’s Pop.

  He snatched up the phone. Rapid Italian chattered in his ear. She wasn’t speaking to him, but to Aunt Ren in the background. “Mom, what is it?” he cut in. “What’s the matter?”

  His mother shushed Aunt Ren. There was immediate silence. “Nick, can you come up? I need you. Ah, Madonn, I’m surrounded by crazy people here.”

  “It’s not Pop?”

  “No, no, no,” she reassured him quickly. “Although, if he doesn’t stop getting in the way, I may put him back in the hospital.”

  “I’m only trying to help,” he heard his father mumble in the distance. Since the stroke, Sam D’Angelo depended on a wheelchair to get around, but after years of therapy, his speech was almost normal again.

  “Running over my toe with your chair?” he heard his mother scold. “That’s your idea of helping?”

  “You have big feet,” his father replied.

  Another string of Italian. No phrase you’d find in a guide book. Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. Without even looking at Addy, he could tell she was grinning.

  “Mom…”

  His mother must have realized that Nick’s patience today was wearing thin. “The stove. It’s broken. How can I cook tonight for our guests?”

  That was what this was all about? “So call the repairman.”

  “You think I don’t know to do that? I did call. The stove isn’t working because there’s a leak. From the bathroom in Number Five.”

  Nick frowned. That was the guest room directly above the kitchen. Not great to have a leak moving from one floor to the next, but still, the problem was manageable. “Then call the plumber. See if you can get Tom Faraday. He won’t charge a fortune for coming up the mountain at night.”

  “The leak in Number Five is coming from the bathroom in Number Ten. Sofia said she went in there to make up the room and the water was three inches deep. She had to build a dike with every spare blanket we have to keep it from escaping into the bedroom.”

  Number Ten was above Number Five. If the water leak encompassed all three floors, they were looking at the possibility of serious damage. “Did you turn off the water valve in Number Ten?” Nick asked quickly.

  “That’s why I’m calling you. We’re like weak little birds! Sofia and Tessa went to town to return that dress. Renata and I, we turned the knob a little, but we need a man’s strength.”

  “If you’d just listen to me—” Nick heard his father complain in the background.

  “Samuel, I know you can shut it off,” his mother said to her husband. “But how am I to get you up there? Carry you piggyback?”

  His father’s movements were confined to the downstairs part of the lodge now, and most of the time it wasn’t a problem. While his parents argued, Nick imagined the entire third floor turning into one big disaster zone.

  “What about George?” Nick interrupted, referring to the fellow who acted as both front desk clerk and bellman.

  “George left early today. His parents’ twenty-fifth anniversary is tonight and he has to pick up decorations. He’s such a devoted son…”

  “Mom, focus!” Nick said in the sharpest tone he could ever use with his mother. “Who else is around?”

  “The Binghams. I think they’re in the hot tub. No one else.”

  “That’s perfect. He’s probably still in a bathing suit and barefoot. Ask him to go upstairs with you and try turning the valve.”

  His mother gasped. “I can’t do that. They’re guests. You don’t ask paying guests to do maintenance. What are you thinking, Nicholas?”

  “I’m thinking that unless he wants to find his own room flooded, it doesn’t hurt to ask. It’s turning off one valve, not cleaning up after Mardi Gras. Look desperate. If he balks, tell him we’ll comp his room for one night. I’ll be up there as soon as I can.”

  He hung up the phone before his mother could say anything else. Damn, damn, damn, he thought. Can this week possibly get any worse?

  Pulling the keys to his Jeep out of his desk’s top drawer, he hurriedly explained the problem up at the lodge to Addy. He was just jerking into his worn leather jacket when he noticed a car pull into Angel Air’s parking lot.

  A young woman got out and hurried toward the office. The afternoon sunlight was still strong enough to reveal that she had a lanky body—lithe and long—with an athletic swing to her walk. She was dressed for hiking, with khakis and boots and a heavy-looking backpack slung over one shoulder. Her blond hair had been stuffed under a baseball cap and spilled out the back in a long, swinging ponytail.

  “Who the hell is that?” he wondered out loud.

  Addy shrugged. “Could be our ten o’clock that didn’t show, I suppose.”

  “She’s too late if that’s the case.”

  The woman reached the office door, stuck her head in first and smiled at both of them. “Hi,” she said brightly.

  This close Nick could see that she was passably attractive—with a dainty arch to her nose, a charming smile and pretty teeth that indicated somebody had paid a dentist a bucketload of money.

  When she looked at him there was a certain sparkle in her green eyes that made his gut take a wild, stray turn. He didn’t like the feeling and banished it pretty quickly. After a day like today, he wasn’t in the mood for foolishness.

  Honey, don’t bother, he thought. Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying.

  CHAPTER TWO

  TWICE SHE HAD ALMOST turned around and headed back to the interstate.

  Kari Churchill was a Florida girl, used to the flat, undemanding landscapes of Palm Beach. At home, the closest thing to mountains were the sand dunes she could see from the balcony of her oceanfront condo. But here, all the roads twisted and turned back on themselves, and if you thought you could figure out where you were by watching the sun, you had another think coming. These darned mountains. Beautiful and awe-inspiring, but always in the way.

  But she was here now—two years and thousands of miles from the moment she’d made the decision to come. She’d carved out some time at last, though not much of it since her last assignment in Philadelphia had unexpectedly run longer than she’d planned and the next one in New Zealand was right around the corner. Snaking mountain roads, missed highway markers and fluttering nerves were not going to prevent her from keeping the promise she’d made to herself.

  No more excuses. No turning back. No matter what.

  Right now, however, Kari could see that she might have one last obstacle standing in her way. This man in the Indiana Jones bomber jacket, the strong chin and the tight-lipped smile that practically shouted “Welcome. Now please go away.”

  From the moment she’d opened the door to Angel Air, she’d sensed a slight tension. The woman, a little younger than the man and a lot more friendly looking, had immediately approached the counter. The man hadn’t so much as moved a muscle.

  “Can we help you?” the woman asked with a salaried-receptionist smile.

  She had the kind of great looks that didn’t call for much makeup and a tumble of black hair that sifted prettily across her shoulders every time she turned her head. The name tag over her left pocket read “Adriana.”

  “I’m Kari Churchill,” Kari said, extending her hand. “I was supposed to be here this morning for a flight. I know I’m dreadfully late.”

  “By seven hours,” the man said.

  She looked at him more closely as he approached the counter with a slow rippling of muscles. She couldn’t help noticing that he was almo
st offensively healthy looking. As darkly handsome as the woman was beautiful. Kari had a feeling these two were related, but she’d also bet their personalities and management styles were completely different. Adriana looked sympathetic and eager to please, while the hunk here seemed to be silently willing her to vanish.

  She stopped focusing on the woman and concentrated on winning over the man. He was obviously the one in charge.

  “I know,” she said. “And I’m so sorry. First my plane was late, then I got lost. I took my chances that you’d still be open and able to take me to Elk Creek Canyon before nightfall.”

  “We close at five,” he said. Nobody in the room had to look at their watch to know it was nearly that now.

  Rule followers! Why did she have to run into one today? Kari suspected flirting would be wasted on him, and she was too tired to try. But it couldn’t hurt to be…well, agreeable.

  She pulled the ball cap off her head, letting her ponytail swing over her shoulder. She looked up at him and tried to appear both contrite and sweetly feminine. “I know it’s getting late. But all the way up the mountain I’ve been hoping—praying, really—that there would still be time.”

  “We’re not a taxi service, Miss Churchill.”

  “No, of course not. But—”

  “Sorry. Elk Creek Canyon is thirty minutes flying time there and back. Unless it’s an emergency, we don’t go up after dark.”

  “This is an emergency.”

  Dark brows lifted as he crossed his arms over his chest. His mouth moved in a fascinating way and she got the feeling she’d amused him. “Ah. What kind of emergency would that be?”

  She bit her lip, aware that she’d made a misstep. “Well, maybe not an emergency, really. Not life or death. But it’s rather important.”

  “Then you should have gotten here on time.”

  It surprised Kari how quickly she could lose ground. What a hard case this guy was! Probably divorced a few times and completely soured on women. She began to feel stubborn.