Page 44 of Their Haunted Hearts (Detectives Kane and Alton #27)

Forty-Three

Julie traveled light. She discovered a long time ago to compact all her clothes into a small carry-on suitcase and her backpack.

After being the only survivor of a crash in the mountains almost two years ago, she’d vowed never to get onto a flight again in bad weather.

She waited on the sidewalk outside the hotel and stared into the distance toward Black Rock Falls.

The sky still appeared to be angry, with black billowing clouds along the mountain range.

If the weather forecast was bad by ten tonight, she would go back to the hotel and book another night’s stay.

There was no way she would climb onto an aircraft and head into another storm.

Halloween was still two days away and she had plenty of time to get home, and with her father’s credit card tucked inside her pocket, she wouldn’t starve.

He had insisted she stay at a good hotel during her visit to Helena rather than stay at the hostel with the other students.

She wouldn’t have cared, but as her father was overly security conscious, it saved arguments by just going along with him, and she had to admit that she enjoyed room service.

She heard Rhett’s motorcycle before it roared around the corner and slowed outside the hotel entrance.

He climbed off and took her bag and secured it inside a hard-shell, lockable storage compartment mounted behind the seat.

She would ride wearing the backpack and took the helmet he offered her.

He looked nice. He wore black jeans and a tee under his leather jacket and he’d shaved.

She could smell his cologne. “Thanks. If the weather’s bad, I’ll stay another night and go in the morning. ”

“Then I guess I’d better wait with you at the airport to make sure you catch the flight.” Rhett smiled at her and climbed on his motorcycle. He turned to look at her over one shoulder. “Jump on, I’m starving.”

In a mix of nerves and excitement, Julie climbed on the back.

They took off and the rumble of the engine vibrated through her.

As the wind tugged at her jacket, she eased her grip around Rhett’s waist. She hardly knew this man but already counted him as a friend.

She trusted him to keep her safe and that was a rare commodity and not something she’d known from outside her family circle or, more specifically, Jenna’s team.

Every one of them she would trust with her life and had done.

Their brief encounters at the lectures and over lunch occasionally had given her an insight into him.

He’d had a very hard life, and worked many different jobs to put himself through college.

She hadn’t realized how much they had in common until recently.

As she’d listened to him asking questions at the seminars, it was everything she needed to know.

It was as if they were both traveling in the same direction.

They had the same goals and that was to help children.

They arrived at what Rhett had described as a diner—it was a snug little Italian restaurant and he’d made a reservation.

When they were escorted to a table with a red and white tablecloth and handed the wine list along with a menu, Julie removed her coat and gloves and smiled at him across the table.

“How did you know I loved Italian food?”

“You seem to like the same things as I do, so I took a chance.” Rhett grinned. “I usually eat on campus as the food is exceptionally good, but sometimes I come here. I know the owners and they’ve been good to me over the years, giving me work and treating me like part of the family.”

Julie nodded. “I must have been very lucky to have my father pay for my tuition. It must have been very difficult for you to keep going all these years to follow your dream.”

“To be honest, being at school was the best place for me as most of my time in foster care was terrible.” Rhett sighed.

“Studying became an escape that I needed. I did well and applied for the MUS Honor Scholarship. It’s a four-year renewable scholarship that pays for all my tuition.

I need to keep hitting the right goals, but I don’t mind the hard work because eventually I’ll be doing what I love. ”

Handsome, hardworking, smart, and he owned a Harley, what more could a girl want?

Julie squeezed his hand. “I wish I’d met you back then when we first started at college.

I’ve been very much of a loner. I don’t follow fashion trends or crazy fads.

My sister Emily is the bright star in the family.

I always thought that I wanted to be just like her, but I don’t.

I want to be just like me.” She chuckled.

“Me too.” Rhett opened his menu. “We make our own trends.”

The ate a scrumptious meal, talked about their futures, and made plans to keep in touch.

It was Julie’s first real date. She’d had coffee dates and met a few guys at college but none of them attracted her like Rhett.

When it was finally time to board her flight, she wished she’d had more time to get to know him.

“The storm passed through Black Rock Falls and did some damage, but the airport is fine and my truck is waiting there for me. It’s a short drive home, about half an hour.

I had a super time, Rhett. I’ll miss you. ”

“I’ll miss you too.” He hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll FaceTime you and tell you what’s happening and I’ll be in Black Rock Falls after graduation. That’s if you want to show me around?”

Julie hugged him back. “I’d love to. Hey, we may end up working alongside each other.”

“You never know, and while I’m there, I’ll need to track down a lawyer.” He shrugged. “It’s probably nothing but I need to know what my parents left me. Although why they made sure I wouldn’t inherit until I turned twenty-five is still a mystery.”

The last call for the flight came through announcements and Julie picked up her bag. “Then we’ll solve it together. See you in May.”

“See you, Jules.”