Nathan stopped abruptly when I pulled up in front of his office.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, patting his shoulder. “Don’t you think we should go to the hospital, just to get you checked—”
“No hospital. I’m fine. Just dirty and hungry.” He smiled weakly. “Come on, I have to show my crew that I’m alive and well, don’t I?”
“You should go in first, boss,” Brock told him. “Act like nothin’ happened and it’s a regular day. It’ll drive ’em crazy.”
Nathan laughed. “You’ve all been through enough already. Especially sending out an SOS for Kathy.” He leaned over closer to me and said, “I’m so sorry about all of this.”
“You would have done the same for me.”
“In a heartbeat.”
I got out of the jeep and ran around to help Nathan, but he was almost to the office door by the time I got to him. Brock and I brought up the rear as he walked inside. It took a second before his presence registered, and then I heard a loud squeal followed by a stampede as Rosie, E.T., and Polly came running toward us.
Polly got there first. Unable to do anything but hug Nathan, she started to laugh uncontrollably. E.T. was next. All smiles, he patted his boss on the back. “I knew it, I knew it. I sent out prayers to the universe, and it took over.” And Rosie—tough, strong Rosie—cried like a baby.
I was surprised, but I guess I shouldn’t have been, when Brock joined in, grabbing everyone closer in a group hug. It was wonderful seeing them all so happy, at the same time, in the same place. And I knew enough to enjoy the moment because, in a few minutes, anger would set in when Nathan finished his story. Plans would be made to find whoever had kidnapped and held him for almost a week. I also knew I wouldn’t be going back to Taos until we were all satisfied that the guilty party was behind bars.
Rosie looked over at me. “Come on, Katie. Get yourself over here.”
I started toward the group when my phone rang. It was Tom.
“I have to get this,” I told them. “I’ll be right back.”
Walking into Nathan’s office, I pulled out a chair and took the call.
“Hey . . . Mom . . . I wanted to remind you about the movies tonight. We’ll meet you over at the IMAX on Southdale around five . . .”
“We found Nathan today!” I blurted, unable to hold back my excitement. “I’m at the office with him now.”
“That’s great news! The kids will be happy to hear he’s okay. Cam was especially upset. You know how he gets.”
“Well, tell him Nathan’s fine.”
“Did you get the guys who kidnapped him?”
“No. That comes next.”
“Well, after the day you’ve had, I don’t suppose you feel like going to a theater filled with screaming kids and watching a movie about zoo animals.”
“Not really.” Guilt tried to edge its way in, but I shut it down quickly. Cam and Chloe were perfectly fine with their father.
“Lizzie told me you and Nathan had grown . . . close the past few years.” Tom was as subtle as a two-ton weight.
“He’s been a very good friend.”
“Sure.”
“Okay then, tell the kids I’ll see them tomorrow. Promise.”
“I’ll explain the situation. They’ll understand.”
“Thanks, Tom. Give them both my love.”
“Wait! Is Nathan okay . . . physically?”
“He seems to be.”
“If you want me to come over there and examine him, I’d be happy to.”
“I might take you up on that. He hates hospitals, and I have a feeling we won’t be able to get him to one.”
“You have my number. Feel free to call anytime . . . Kate.” He was still unsure about what to call me and seemed to be trying out a few choices before deciding on one that fit.
“That’s very kind of you.”
“Anytime. Now go celebrate with your friends, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Everyone seemed calmer when I returned.
Rosie held up a bottle of champagne. “I had this stashed away for when we found the boss. I poured you a glass—well, a paper cup full. Come on, Katie, put your feet up and have some.”
“That sounds great.”
“When you’re rested, you can tell us what happened. You probably don’t want to talk about it now,” E.T. said to Nathan.
“The boss started tellin’ us everything on the drive over,” Brock said.
“I know you all have a lot of questions. And you can ask Brock or Kathy for a recap. I think I can just make it the rest of the way, and then I have to get home. I need a shower and a good night’s sleep.”
“We’ll take what we can get,” Rosie said.
“Just tell us as much as you can,” Polly told him. “It’s been so awful not knowing what happened to you. I just read that every forty seconds, a person goes missing. That can’t be right, but there it was—”
“Is there any food back there?” Nathan motioned to the break room. “I’ll take anything.”
“Let me check, boss.” Brock hurried to have a look.
We all sat, eagerly waiting for him to return so we could hear the rest of Nathan’s story.
Brock returned with an armful of plastic containers, paper bags, plastic silverware, and an orange plate. Spreading it all out on the desk in front of him, he started going through the potluck.
“Looks like some pizza.”
“That was my lunch today,” Rosie said. “Pepperoni. It’s still good.”
“I can go get you a hamburger if you like,” I offered. “I can be there and back in ten minutes.”
“This is fine,” Nathan said. “Sit still.” He ignored everything else and unwrapped the pizza.
The five of us sat there staring as he ate. I didn’t realize we were doing that until he stopped chewing and laughed. “Give me a minute to digest.”
After a few sips of water, Nathan leaned back and picked up his story right where he’d left off during the ride over.