Part 25 (1/2)
”All set.”
”You don't look like you've slept. I guess you could sack out in the back. I've got a sleeper back there.”
”I'm fine.” If she kept telling herself that, maybe she'd believe it. Her phone rang. She checked; it was Ben calling again.
”Aren't you going to answer that?”
”No.” She turned the phone off and tossed it into her handbag.
Buck held the door for her. ”You'll never resolve anything if you don't talk to him.”
Gina walked past him out the door. ”That's the plan.”
After choking down her toast, they got back into the truck and headed through Yellowstone Park. It was spectacular. She saw where the buffalo roam, although when Buck told her they were bison, it kind of ruined it for her. They stopped at Old Faithful which just had her thinking about Ben since faithful is the last thing he'd be called. They had lunch at the Inn, not that Gina was hungry. She barely touched her sandwich.
Buck checked his cell phone. ”If you don't eat at least half of that, I'm going to have to tell Kate. She's not going to be happy.”
”I don't suppose you could lie.”
”Nope. I learned my lesson about lying to women a long time ago.”
”Fine.” Gina took another bite and thought for sure she'd throw up. ”I guess you'll just have to disappoint her, I can't eat any more. I don't know what it is. I usually eat like a butcher's dog.”
”Yeah, you're in love. It happens to the best of us.”
”Oh no, I'm not. I don't do love.”
”Really? Then why were you crying all night and you haven't had a decent meal since you left your husband? If you're not lovesick, I think we'd better get you to the doctor.”
”Maybe it's a bug, or it could be traveling. I'm not used to traveling any farther than from Manhattan to Brooklyn.”
”You keep telling yourself that.” He felt her forehead. ”No fever. Yup, you're just lovesick.”
Gina got up and pulled her wallet out to pay the bill.
Buck waved the money away. ”No woman pays the tab when they're with me.”
”Buck, it's not necessary. Buying lunch is the least I can do to pay you back for the ride. You've been really wonderful.”
He tossed an arm around her and gave her a hug. ”It's nice having the company, even a mopey pa.s.senger with a sweet puppy is better than driving alone. Besides, it's fun showing you our great country. We'll make a detour and I'll take you to Mt. Rushmore and through the Badlands. Mt. Rushmore is only about eight hours away. We'll do some sightseeing in the morning.”
”That would be great.” Thanks to Ben, she knew all the presidents whose faces were carved in the mountain. She just wished she could get Ben out of her head.
Ben ran up to Gina's door and rang the bell. Okay, he sat on the bell. A very tired looking Sam answered two minutes later. He did not look happy.
Ben stuck his foot in the door. ”I need to talk to Gina.”
The look on Sam's face turned from anger to fury. ”I thought she was with you. Where the h.e.l.l is she?”
”She's really not here?”
”If she was, would I be considering getting my gun?”
Ben walked in, put Gina's hiking boots up against the wall with the other shoes, and threw himself into a chair. ”Maybe. h.e.l.l, I don't know.” He held his head in his hands. He just went from worried sick to whatever was worse. He didn't even know what to call what he was feeling.
Sam closed the door and stood in front of him with his arms crossed looking scary. Ben was too tired to be scared for anyone but Gina.
”Now would be a good time to explain.”
Ben wiped his face with his hands. ”She left yesterday afternoon. I don't know where she went. I thought she'd be here, so I took the first flight out this morning.”
”Why did she leave?”
”That's personal.”
”So is your well-being.”
”She hasn't called Tina?”
”If she had, do you honestly think I'd tell you?”
”If she had, you wouldn't have been surprised that she left, and you probably wouldn't be threatening my life, though, maybe you would. h.e.l.l, my family even turned on me. Why shouldn't you?”
”If you're expecting sympathy, you came to the wrong house.”
”That's a shocker. Look, Sam. I'm worried sick. I just want to make sure she's all right. I need to talk to her.”
”It doesn't sound as if she wants to talk to you. I'm a.s.suming you tried her cell?”
”She's either not answering or she can't answer. I've called her a few thousand times, left voice mail and text messages, I called home and no one will tell me a thing. Sam, she's all alone, or maybe not, I'm not sure which would be worse.”
”Gina's a smart woman. She can handle herself.”
”Yeah, she has no problems here in New York. You get her out of the city and she's defenseless.”
”Ha, Gina is stubborn, hard as nails, capable, and irreverent, sure. Defenseless, never.”
”Have you ever seen Gina outside of New York?”
Sam shook his head.
”I have. All those street smarts don't matter when you take her out of her comfort zone.”
Sam pulled up a chair and sat. ”You might as well tell me what happened because I'm the only one here who is going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Tina sure as h.e.l.l won't when she finds out you lost her sister.”
Ben sat back in the chair and gave Sam a good long look. ”Do you know why Gina hired a private detective to research land t.i.tles?”