Page 6 of Wild Promise

My pacing stopped. Every muscle locked tight. “How long has he been in there?”

“Two hours.”

Dad spending time alone shouldn’t be a big deal. With three daughters driving him crazy, he’d always enjoyed his moments of solitude. He should be allowed that peace.

But nothing was normal in our house anymore, and his silence was a huge red flag.

“Okay, I need to find Lydia to explain the situation, and then I’m coming home.”

The sniffles on the other end of the line grew louder. “Okay.”

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine, I promise.”

I just needed to figure out how.

Chapter Two

Zane

“You two planning another party?” Nate asked, settling his Hulk-like body at the bar where Colin and I were trying to look busy, cleaning anything and everything in sight.

My cousin, Caleb, was restocking shelves at the far end of the bar, earbuds in, bobbing his head to whatever was blasting through them. He was only twenty-two, juggling part-time shifts here with his pre-med classes at Georgian College, and somehow still finding time to raise a baby with his fiancée. The kid had more of his shit together than I did.

“Yeah, man!” Colin’s lanky body practically vibrated with excitement. “You in?”

“The season hasn’t even started. Who’re you going to invite?” Nate laughed, motioning toward the near-empty lounge.

“Not you, with that attitude.” I smirked, surveying the quiet room.

The Summit was exactly the type of bar you’d expect to find at a five-star resort on the shore of Georgian Bay. Warm wood beams ran across the ceiling, amber lights cast a warm glow, plush seating was scattered around an impressive stone fireplace, and a full wall of windows showcased a fantastic view of Green Mountain. Even when busy, the place had a relaxed and friendly vibe, making the twenty-nine-hectare Copper Ridge Resort feel intimate and cozy.

To me, it was a second home.

My great-grandfather had built the original lodge on this property. My grandfather had bought more of the surrounding land, added the hotel and private guest cabins, and turned it into something special. Now my dad and Uncle Glenn owned it all—though neither of them seemed particularly interested in running the place. That responsibility fell to the resort manager, Wyatt, and the rest of us who actually gave a damn.

But Nate had an excellent point. Other than our local search and rescue team, who were relaxing after their most recent drill on our mountain, and a few old-timers playing cards in the corner, the place was a dead zone.

And it was driving me crazy.

I was the fun guy, the one everybody looked to for a good time, and for the most part, I was fine with that. Being the go-to guy for entertainment had its perks. But it was hard to be fun-time guy when there was no one around to enjoy it.

“I’ll be there,” Tonya announced, bumping shoulders with Nate as she sidled up to the bar. She should’ve been in the kitchen working—fuck, we were all supposed to be working—but she was good at sneaking away to hang out with us. “Some of my old school friends are in town. I’ll bring them.”

Colin groaned. “Please tell me it’s not the same friends that you brought last time.”

“Why?” Her deep brown eyes narrowed on him. “What’s wrong with my friends?”

“Nothing. But for once I’d like a woman to show up to my party who isn’t there just to see Zane.”

“Aww, jealous much?” she teased, leaning across the bar to pat his wrist.

“Completely.” He captured her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss. “Zane’s a glutton and hogs all the women for himself, but a man’s gotta eat when he’s hungry, you know. I’ve been starving for a while now.”

Tonya rolled her eyes at his exaggerated wink and pulled her arm back out of his reach, making me and Nate both laugh.

Colin was all talk. Sure, he flirted and acted like he was in the game, but he almost always backed down at the last minute. In the five years I’d known him, I could count on one hand the number of women he’d taken home. Not that I had a problem with it, but it made teasing him so much more fun.

“Yeah, right.” I wrangled him into a headlock, ruffling the top of his hair. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a full meal if it served itself to you on a silver platter.”