Unexpected: Feldspar Small Town Romance, #5

By Jo Carey

Welcome to Feldspar—a rock-solid place to call home.

Melody Stone grew up in Feldspar, and she loved it. Now she's back to help her childhood friend revitalize the town. Hyde Corbett is a genius and a billionaire who is moving his company—Corbett Engineering—to his small, desert hometown.

In an effort to get back to the desert that inspires his creativity, Hyde reconnects with a group of childhood friends who still have a strong bond--in particular, the woman who is destined to be his happily ever after.

Can he convince her that they are meant to be more than friends or will she remain blissfully unaware of the connection the rest of the town has watched grow since they were kids?

Unexpected is the fifth and final book in the Feldspar small-town romance series.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jo Carey
• Release date: Aug 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201424060

Jo Carey

Jo Carey grew up in the Midwest but her curiosity and gypsy-spirit has kept her on the move. She's lived in eight US states and spent three years living in Ireland. She has always loved creature movies, so creatures and bugs often show up in her books. Jo, a former information security compliance guru, writes fast-paced, character-driven stories in a variety of genres from medical thrillers to space operas and cozy mysteries. Her novels are filled with humor, romance, and sometimes creatures or aliens, or maybe even all of the above. She often builds her stories around a strong female lead character surrounded by plenty of hunky male heroes. Jo's been under fire on a golf course and climbed out the roof of an elevator in the Netherlands. Life hasn't been boring. Now residing in Texas, setting often plays a huge role in her stories. Jo was intrigued by the League of Planetary Systems, a world her husband, Frank, created for his science fiction books, and she now writes mysteries and other types of tales sets in that world. Jo was bitten by a cat, a fire ant, and a snake, before succumbing to the bite of the writing bug.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

Are you as excited about this as I am? Hyde asked as he pulled the Jeep back out onto the street after picking up Mel.

I'm fairly certain no one is as excited about this as you are, Mel laughed. That was one of the things she loved about Hyde. Even though he was a billionaire, he still found joy in simple things like hanging out with his friends from high school and exploring the desert.

I tried to prepare Whit for the group dynamics, but I think he thought I was just being controlling.

She laughed again. The Search and Rescue specialist Hyde hired to train and lead Feldspar's newly formed Search and Rescue team had only been in town a few weeks and he hadn't had much time to get exposed to their tight knit group of friends.

He parked in front of the downtown Corbett Engineering office which now housed the local portion of the CE human resources department. Hand-in-hand they walked down the street to Sweet Caffeine, the local coffee shop owned by their friend Ray.

Imagine meeting you here, Mel said as they walked in to find most of their group in line in front of them. Ray was behind the counter fixing drinks for their group while her staff waited on the other customers.

Do we want to consolidate cars? Reed asked.

Might as well, Hyde said. We'll all be coming back at the same time.

Mel had been hoping this trip would finally give her a chance to have an honest, open discussion with Hyde about their relationship. Everyone seemed to think they were a couple, and she had to admit that at times Hyde treated her that way, but they never talked about a future together and when he kissed her it was on the cheek or the top of her head. To her that seemed like a pretty clear sign that he didn't see her as a love interest, but she needed to know once and for all. She hadn't planned to talk to him about it until they were on the way back. She didn't want to risk there being any weirdness between then during the training. Now, if other people were riding with them another chance to talk had disappeared. She was beginning to think fate was conspiring against her where this was concerned.

A familiar arm snaked around her waist. You OK? Hyde asked.

I'm fine. Did you guys figure out the car thing?

Yes.  We're taking Whit and Carly. It'll be a good chance to get better acquainted.

Sounds good.

Erin and Cody rode with Ray and Reed leaving Lincoln and Crow to ride together. After moving the cars they weren't taking to the employee lot behind the CE office, everyone loaded up and headed out into the desert.

Hyde wanted to be heavily involved in the search and rescue team. He was convinced that there were opportunities to create software or equipment that could help SaR teams be more successful and stay safer. He had setup a new division of his business to handle whatever products he came up with.

Carly shared more details of her SaR experience and her wilderness medical training.

Have you spent much time in the desert? Mel asked the nurse.

I went to school at UNLV, and I participated in search and rescue during that time.

So you have some desert experience, Mel said. Good.

Fill us in on the other people, Whit said. I know some of them better than others but tell us about their outdoor experience.

Mel and Hyde ran through each team member’s background.

Sounds like I'll be learning as much as the rest of you this weekend, Whit said when they pulled into the parking area at the trailhead.

As they hiked, people would fall back or move up in the group to have a chance to catch up with their friends. It was clear they were a tight knit group.

There was no need for a fire for warmth, and there were restrictions preventing fires due to drought conditions in the area. Their first night they ate a meal of cold chicken, fruit, and other perishables that wouldn't be an option by the next day. Everyone filled their plates and found a seat.

I wanted to talk about the different types of searches we might take part in. Most local teams specialize in the environment around them. There are teams that specialize in mountain rescue, or urban searches. Hyde wants us to cover all the bases. As far as I know, only professional SaR teams try to do that and even they tend to specialize.

That led to a discussion about their recent experience which involved searching for two people who went missing in a building collapse, searching for one of their friends who simply disappeared, and searching for a fugitive who escaped into the desert. Those were three very different kinds of searches requiring different skills and procedures.

Hyde, I understand you wanting to use the team to test any software of hardware you develop for SaR teams, but can you really commit to being an active participant in searches? Doesn't it pose a huge security risk?

Finally, someone gets it, Reed said.  As Hyde’s security director and friend Reed continually pushed Hyde to accept that he needed a personal protection detail of bodyguards. Hyde was not convinced.

CHAPTER TWO

Day two started with Carly giving them a class on wilderness first aid. Everything they did raised more questions. Mel ended up doing what she always did with Hyde—making a list of things they needed to do something about when they got back home. There was a lot of discussion about more training that would be needed on specific skills like rock climbing, navigation, river rafting, and water rescues.

How serious are you about this, Hyde? Whit asked as they walked along the trail.

I thought we'd already discussed that, Hyde said. He was getting a little pissed that Whit didn't seem to believe him when he explained what he wanted. 

Hyde stepped off the trail. When Mel passed, he reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her close while the others passed by. He waited until the rest of group was far enough ahead not to overhear before he started up the trail again with Mel.

You OK? she asked.

No. Whit doesn’t seem to understand that when I say I want this team trained in all forms of search and rescue, that I mean just that. He keeps questioning me. It's like he thinks I'm just playing at this. When you and Ray were missing after the collapse, I would have spent every penny I have to save you. I want to help other people who are feeling like that.

She wrapped her arm around his bicep and squeezed. I know how important this is to you. Do you want me to talk to him?

That or I'm going to fire him and hire someone else.

What set this off now? she asked.

He told me if I was serious about training the team on mountain rescue or in cold weather conditions it was going to mean traveling with the team. I knew that. We've all talked about that. These people are all in. That's why they're here.

I'll have a talk with him. If he can't integrate with the group, he probably isn't the right guy for the job.

Hyde's group of long-term friends in Feldspar understood that the man was brilliant but more soft-hearted that most assumed based on his success in the business world. His success came from his brilliance, not his toughness.

Mel walked along at the back of the group beside Hyde for a while as she devised her strategy for approaching Whit. Once she had a plan, she slowly made her way to the front of the group until she was walking beside Whit.

How's it going? she asked.

You tell me, he said. Are you getting anything out of this?

I hope to, she said. Those of us who grew up exploring this area are pretty well versed on the dangers this environment poses."

Are you saying that only Cody, Reed, and Carly have anything to learn on this outing?

Of course not. The first aid session with Carly was good for all of us.

Glad to hear you found something useful.

Maybe it would be helpful if you asked people what they felt they needed to learn more about to build a strong SaR team in Feldspar.

Thanks for your recommendation. This isn't my first rodeo. I take search and rescue work very seriously. It's not something that people should do for publicity or as some sort of personal goal.

She hooked her arm through his and pulled him off to the side of the trail. You can lead for a while Lincoln. I need to talk to Whit for a minute.

Sure thing, Mel, he said as he kept walking and the rest of the group followed.

You OK? Hyde asked when he approached.

I'm good, Mel said. We'll catch up with you.

We should keep up with the group, Whit said.

I need to talk to you, she said. You seem to have some pretty strong opinions about Hyde.

That seems reasonable since he's my boss and a major investor in my business.

Why do you think he's out here this weekend?

It's clear you two are close. I suspect our opinions of the man are much different, Whit said.

Just be honest with me. Why do you think Hyde wanted to start a search and rescue team in Feldspar?

So his company can donate some equipment to the team so Hyde can get some good PR when the team saves someone.

Why are you out here?

It's the job I was hired to do.

What's the most important part of your job?

Look, I'm not sure what you're game is. Hyde hired me to train and lead his SaR team. I plan to do that.

Lightning split the sky overhead and thunder rumbled around them.

Come on. We need to catch up with the group, he said as he started up the trail.

By the time Whit and Mel caught up with the others, the sky had darkened significantly, and the flashes of lightning were going off like fireworks overhead.

OK. One of the most important things to remember in search and rescue is the searchers have to make their own safety a priority. All too often searchers take unnecessary risks that lead to them needing rescue themselves rather than being available to help the victims, Whit said. "Lightning is dangerous. Lightning in a forest