Paige Cameron Read Online Free

It’s about Payton. He’s unconscious in the ER. They’re getting ready to take him to surgery. He may not make it. Cody called your mom asking for you.”
    A jolt of pain and guilt hit her in the chest. Payton might die and it would be her fault. She pictured his smile and his warm voice. She remembered how he’d challenged her for the title of Best Sharpshooter of the tribes. When they’d tied, he smiled and congratulated her. He was different, and she wanted more time to know him. He mustn’t die. He was too young.
    “Averil, are you still there?” her father asked.
    “Sorry. I was shocked to hear about Payton and that he might die. Tell Cody I’m on my way home. I’ll check with the airport and get the first plane out. Will you pick me up?”
    “Of course. You didn’t get much time to think.”
    “No, but I saw my sister, and I hope I’ve convinced her to move to the ranch.” Averil winked at Kira sitting next to her. “I’ll call with my arrival time. Thanks for letting me know, Dad.” Averil ended the call. She put down her cell phone.
    “You heard.”
    “I did, and you’ve almost committed me to go home.”
    “You just needed a little shove.”
    “All right, but not today. All the attention needs to be on Payton and his family. I will be there in a few weeks.”
    “Promise?”
    “Yes, I do.”
    Averil called the airport and made her reservations. “I’ve got to go. There’s a plane leaving in four hours. I have just enough time. Thank goodness I didn’t unpack last night.” She hurried around putting her nightclothes, the outfit she wore yesterday, and her makeup in the bag.
    She wore jeans, a long-sleeved flannel shirt, and her boots. Using her brush, she pulled her hair back and fastened her ponytail with a rubber band and then a blue scarf.
    “I’m ready.” She came out of the bedroom rolling her suitcase behind her.
    “Eat. There’s juice, toast, and coffee. I’ll put your case in the car and warm the engine. It’s still chilly out there.”
    Averil ate fast. The cold orange juice and toast tasted good. She’d been hungrier than she’d thought. She poured her coffee in a to-go cup and took one last check in the bathroom mirror.
    Kira walked out with her. “When I’m ready, I’ll call.”
    “Don’t sell this place.”
    “Never. We’ll come back on vacations.” They hugged, and then Averil got in and drove back down the bumpy lane to the highway. She wished she could fly like Aleron, Jewel’s husband, or like her sister. What could have happened to make Payton’s condition worsen so much? Her guilt and fear made for uneasy traveling companions. Unconsciously, her foot pressed harder on the pedal. Luckily, she didn’t come across any animals on her way out of the forest.
    At the airport, she paid for the car and got to the gate with thirty minutes to spare. She opened her cell and dialed Cody’s number. She was thankful he and Payton had insisted on giving her their numbers.
    “Hello.”
    “It’s Averil. How is Payton doing?”
    “Do you really care, or is this just guilt for pushing him down that’s making you call?”
    She couldn’t speak at first. She was so stunned by the animosity she heard in his voice. The silence hung between them.
    “I do care, and yes, I am feeling guilty. Will you at least tell me if he’s going to be all right?” Her hand tightened around the phone.
    “He’s still in surgery. I don’t know whether he’ll survive or not. I’ve got to go.”
    He hung up on her. She stared at the phone. He hadn’t even sounded like himself. Of course he was upset, worried, and angry that she’d left town. But before this Averil had only seen his teasing side, not the hard-toned, angry man on the other end of the phone call. She paced back and forth in front of the windows that showed planes landing and taking off. She had twenty more long minutes to wait.
    Averil glanced at her watch. Her flight arrived thirty minutes late. They boarded