“Yep. Guess he got the same warm welcome from the tower.”
Jace pulled the truck close to the hangar, where there was a sign for parking. “It’s a hike,” he said. “And it’s damn cold. I wish I could get you closer, but this is it.”
He said he wasn’t angry with her, but something was bothering him. His voice hadn’t lost its edge.
“I’ll be fine, Jace.”
“I’ll get our bags, you go ahead. The plane is on the other side of this hangar. Ben will be waiting for you.”
“I can help. I’m not—”
He was out of the truck, the door slamming behind him, before she could finish her sentence. She opened her door and understood why he’d slammed his shut. The wind caught it, and she thought it would rip off the hinges. She managed to grab it with both hands and slam it closed.
“Go,” he motioned. “That way.”
Bree went in the direction he pointed. The snow was coming down hard, and it was difficult to walk into the wind. As she got closer to the hanger, she saw an open door.
“Come on in,” a voice shouted to her.
Jace was right behind her when she got inside.
“Hey, Ben. Sorry to bring you into this weather,” Jace said, shaking his hand.
“It’s okay. Hey, Bree.” Ben hugged her.
“Can we fly?”
“Waiting for word. The guy in the control tower said the weather is supposed to pass, but he didn’t offer much more information about when.”
“He was abrupt,” added Jace.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Ben laughed.
“I’m real sorry about this,” Jace said again.
“No worse weather than we get in Crested Butte,” Ben answered, looking at his phone. “Looks like it might be quick. It isn’t much of a storm, and it’s moving east. Come on over here; there’s a heater.”
Ben led them to a sitting area, furnished with a sofa that looked as old as Bree, and two ratty chairs.
“It isn’t much,” Ben said, noting the look on her face. “But it’s warm over here.”
Bree sat on the arm of the sofa. “I don’t mind.”
Jace took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. “God, this is a clusterfuck. I’m sorry, Bree.”
“For what?”
“For livin’ out here, in the middle of nowhere. For gettin’ you into this. You should be home, sitting by a fire, playin’ with Cochran. Not up here, in a shit hole hangar, not knowin’ when we can even leave.”
“Wait just a minute,” she snapped, and then looked at Ben.
“I’ll just, uh, see if I can find a men’s room.” Ben walked away.
“Where is this coming from? You said you weren’t angry with me, but you’re sure acting as though you are. As far as what I should be doing, I came here, remember? I surprised you. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me.”
Jace looked at her but didn’t answer. She stood and put her arms around his waist. “What’s wrong? Please, just tell me. Is it because I didn’t—”
Jace pulled her arms from around his waist and took a step away from her. “I’m tied here, Bree. I can’t just walk away from it. It wouldn’t be fair to my parents. They aren’t cut out for doing this on their own. I can’t just abandoned them if you aren’t cut out for it either.”