Page 42 of Bachelor CEO

“I know you will. You call me, though, if youneed anything.Anything,” he stressed, not wantingher to think he was referring to business.

“I will,” she said, and sadly, he knew shewouldn’t.

Chase left the boardroom and walked to hisoffice. Time to sneak out like a thief in the night. Nothing would change inhis absence. His e-mails would be forwarded to Miranda, his mail opened anddistributed. Someone would come in and dust. He glanced around, his gazealighting on the older picture of his family. On impulse, he grabbed that.Everyone was smiling, and Chase was laughing.

His throat constricted and he fought backtears. His father had always called Chase the dependable one. He wouldn’t lethim down now. He’d do what was asked of him.

He pocketed the picture. Then he took a deepbreath and turned out the light. The mountains waited.

BY THE MIDDLE OF JULY, Chase had climbednearly every peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. He’d just completed hisfinal challenge. He stood atop Longs Peak, over 14,000 feet above sea level,and inhaled the thin air.

He’d been away from Chenille for six weeks.He’d crashed on Brice’s couch for a week, and then, with abit of good fortune, had managed to find lodging at the YMCA camp outside EstesPark. The Y had some of the best recreational programs and facilities around,and guests could even hike into Rocky Mountain National Park from the grounds.Preferring the laid-back atmosphere to a hotel, he’d been in his one-bedroomcabin ever since. It was his base of operations as he made day trips up throughthe alpine meadows and longer excursions into Wyoming for white-water rafting.

“Wow! This is great!”

“Yeah,” Chase replied, taking a drink ofwater. He was on an organized hike, and he’d partnered with Rachel, anenthusiastic college student he’d met. She was working at the camp and wouldreturn to Colorado State in the fall.

She was pretty and loved all things outdoors,but she was thirteen years his junior and couldn’t compare to Miranda.

No one he’d met had.

He opened his backpack and withdrew hisdigital 35mm SLR camera. He’d added photography to his list of hobbies and evenpurchased a few lenses. Tomorrow he’d leave here and take Interstate 70 east.He planned on making day stops in Kansas City, Saint Louis and Indianapolisbefore ending up in New York just in time to become an uncle.

He’d heard Cecilia was having a girl.

He lifted the camera and started takingpictures. He could see as far as Wyoming.

“Let me get one of both of you,” someone said,and he threw his arm around Rachel’s shoulders and obliged.

“You have to e-mail me a copy,” she told him,and Chase agreed. Then there was an obligatory group shot,a moment preserved in history of a bunch of people who had climbed a mountaintogether, yet wouldn’t keep in touch after today.

The guide called time, and began gathering thehikers together. They’d started at 3:00 a.m., and if they left the summit nowthey could beat the dangerous afternoon storms that often developed. Chasegazed across at the Twin Sisters peaks, took a picture and put his camera away.

Rachel kept up both her pace and her chatterthe entire descent. “So you’re leaving when?” she asked a mile before theyreached the trailhead.

“Tomorrow,” Chase replied.

“A bunch of my friends and I are hittingEddie’s tonight. You should come with us. Don’t say you’re too tired, or thatyou have to pack. You should party on your last night. Hey, you’ve got tocelebrate. We conquered Longs.”

While he wasn’t interested in Rachelromantically, the idea of hanging out with people sounded appealing. He couldhave all his stuff loaded into the SUV within an hour. “Tonight could work.”

“Oh, you’ll have fun, especially if you likedarts,” Rachel said.

Chase half listened to her next story. Hismind was on the last part of the hike, and contemplating the week ahead. Hisreal contact with his family had been through e-mails or text messages.

Chandy had taken off with friends toCalifornia. Chris and his wife were selling their house and buying another.Cecilia declared she was huge and couldn’t wait to see him. He missed her, too.Of all his siblings, she’d always been the closest.

He’d spoken to hisgrandfather a few times, but Leroy had never been one to spend hours on thephone. He’d been brief, said he felt great and that Miranda was doing a greatjob.

Chase wanted to know more, but even when he’dasked, Leroy had told him not to worry, and failed to elaborate. So Chase hadno idea what was happening at McDaniel. Or if Miranda had met anyone new.

He was in the dark.

“Sorry, I missed that,” Chase said, realizingRachel had asked him a question. She repeated it, and he focused, trying tostay in the present and on the trail.

When they reached the parking lot, he unlockedhis vehicle and removed his cell phone. Not wanting to be distracted during theclimb, he’d left it in the car.

He flipped open the phone. “Let me have yournumber,” he told Rachel. “I’ll call you later and get directions.”

---