No matter how hard she tried to make nice lives for them, they just didn’t appreciate it. First Theo and Daniel had gone off and married the wrong women, making their family the talk of society, now she’d just discovered that her middle son Brian had been near death and no one had called her. To make matters worse, she’d found out from a near stranger at a fundraiser. Covering her shock hadn’t been easy but she’d pulled it off.
She’d been trying to call Brian for hours with no response, Theo and Daniel weren’t answering either and she was going to hit the breaking point if someone didn’t answer her call soon. Once she knew, it hadn’t taken long to figure out the whole story and she wasn’t happy to discover that her other two sons had been hiding Brian in Homestead, that horrible place in Alaska they seemed to love so much. She just couldn’t understand why her boys, who had been raised in the lap of luxury, would prefer to live in the wilderness like they were common people.
Picking up her phone she decided that she’d waited long enough, she was going to Homestead, the last place in the world she wanted to go but if Brian was there, and sick, it was the only place she should be. After a quick call to her assistant she went to pack, a little feeling of glee creeping up when she realized that now Brian would see things her way. She’d warned him about going to the Amazon, said that he’d catch some terrible disease and he had.
Now she had something to use against him, a way to make him see that her plan was the best. As she shoved clothes into a suitcase, she began going over her plan again, first medical school then a quick residency. It wouldn’t be hard for Brian to pass the medical boards and then he could open a practice in Seattle, cater to only the best, become a name that everyone recognized. She’d find him a suitable girl to marry, have the big society wedding she’d always dreamed of, then a few grandchildren to show off. It was the perfect plan and a sure way to shut up the gossips that loved to discuss her family.
Brian stood in the middle of the road watching as Heather disappeared into the trees. When she was out of sight he turned and went back into the house, missing her already, but then he though of the stubborn old man he’d made a promise to and pushed the feeling away. She was only going to be gone for one night, the trail was well used and in good condition so there was nothing to worry about, by tomorrow afternoon she’d be back in his arms. After a quick shower he headed down the road to learn how to butcher a cow, not sure if he liked this part of living in Alaska as much as the others.
It was late afternoon when he finally made it back to Heather’s, covered in blood and exhausted, he put his clothes in the washer and climbed into the shower. The old man had invited him back for dinner that night, a meal focused on pieces of the animal that he wasn’t sure he wanted to eat, but it seemed to be a big deal so he’d agreed. He’d managed to keep his mind off of Heather while he’d been working, but standing in her shower, the smell of her shampoo making him think about her long silky hair, there was no blocking her out of his mind.
Sometimes when he thought of her a wave of love would wash over him, making him catch his breath at the wonder of the feeling. If someone had told him six months ago that he’d be this head over heels in love, he would have laughed out loud, but here he was in love with the most amazing woman he’d ever met and completely happy about it. Life had changed for him and no matter how much he thought about his old life, it paled in comparison to what his life was like now.
He was almost dressed when he heard his phone ringing in the kitchen. He’d forgotten it this morning, his mind so occupied with Heather he’d just left the house. But she was supposed to call him at dinner time and looking at the clock he assumed it was her so he headed for the kitchen at a run afraid he’d miss her call. He grabbed the phone and connected the call without even looking at the screen.
“Hi, how’s the patient?” he asked.
There was a long pause then, “I think I should be asking you that.” It only took him a second to realize that it was his mother.
“Mother. I didn’t know it was you,” he said, stumbling over the words.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t have answered if you had,” she said, sarcastically. “I’ve been calling you all day and your brothers aren’t answering their phones either.”
“I forgot my phone at home,” he said, still wishing he’d looked to see who was calling.
His mother was silent for a long time and he began to get nervous, finally she said, “I understand you’ve been a little under the weather.”
Brian knew that this was a trap but couldn’t see any way out of it. “A little, but I’m fine now,” he said, hoping that would be the end of the discussion.
“Funny thing, that’s not what I heard. I heard you had to be rushed to the hospital, that you almost died. I’d like to know why I wasn’t informed that you were sick.”
Brian could hear the anger in her voice. “Mother it wasn’t that bad and I’m fine now.”
“Hmph, I think it’s time you came home. Didn’t I warn you that this would happen. It’s time you stayed home and did what was right,” she said, making Brian wince.
He’d heard this speech so many times, from the time he was in middle school his mother had been planning his life and giving him the same speech about living up to his potential, and he wasn’t in the mood to listen to it again. But there was no stopping her when she got going so he sat down, put the phone on speaker and let her talk, sure that once she got it out of her system she’d leave him alone again. But to his horror when she’d finished, she announced that she would be on a flight to Alaska in a few hours.
“I just need to know that you’re okay and then you can come back with me. I’ll arrange for the pilot to wait for us, we can fly out day after tomorrow,” she said, excitement in her voice. “You might just be able to find a date to the country club mixer if we get back soon enough. It’s going to be wonderful to have you home, it’s going to take you some time to reconnect but I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you.”
Brian knew who she meant, all her snobby friends and their kids, a group of people he’d grown up with but had never liked. He felt a moment of panic much like he’d felt as a kid when she’d made him go to one of her functions. “Mother, it’s a waste of your time to come here, I’m not going back with you,” he finally said.
“Of course you’re coming home. You almost died, that should be enough for you to see that you don’t belong out there in the jungle. I’ll be there in a few hours, pack your things,” his mother said, then hung up the phone.
Brian paced up and down the kitchen a few times, then headed out the back door and went straight to Theo’s house. When his brother opened the door, he said, “I have to leave tonight, I’m going back to the Amazon.”
An hour later the arrangements had been made but Theo wasn’t happy with him. “I can’t believe you’re just going to run away,” he said, not for the first time.
“I just can’t deal with mother, you know how crazy she makes me, she’s already talking about me moving back to Seattle,” Brian defended himself stubbornly.
“But running away isn’t going to solve the problem, you have to stand up to her,” Theo said.
Brian knew that his brother was right, but he just wasn’t ready to stand up to his mother. “I’m not ready to, it was always easy for you, you were the first, destined to run the company. Daniel was the baby, got what ever he wanted. That left me in the middle, and she unloaded all her expectations on me.”
“What about Heather? Are you just going to leave her?” Theo asked, becoming angry with his brother.
“I’ll leave her a note. She’ll understand, I know she will,” Brian said. “You can talk to her for me too.”
“Brian I’m not cleaning up your mess. It’s time for you to be a man and stand up for what you want. Besides, we’re leaving for Seattle in the morning, I’ve got some things I have to do there, it might take a couple of weeks.”
“I’ll leave Heather a note, she’l
l be able to call me. It’ll be fine, you’ll see.” Brian said, again trying to convince his brother as much as himself. He knew what he was doing was cowardly, but he just couldn’t stop himself from running.
*****
When the seaplane finally touched down in Homestead Bay, Bridget breathed a sigh of relief and promised herself that she’d never do that again. The ride had been horrible, and several times she’d been sure that they were going to plunge into the ocean. When her feet finally hit the dock, she was a bit unsteady and the pilot grabbed her arm to steady her, she pulled away from him and gave him a cold smile.
“I’m fine thank you,” she said, then looked at how far it was to town. “Have someone take my bags to my son Theo’s house.”
“I’m not sure who that would be ma'am, I only run the charter service,” the pilot said, stacking her bags on the dock. “You’ll have to arrange that for yourself,” he added, then gave her the same cold smile she’d given him and climbed back into the plane.
But it wasn’t long before a young man saw her distress and offered to carry her bags, “Can I help you, ma'am?” he asked, bowing slightly.
Bridget was so pleased she gave him a real smile. “I’m here to see my son Theo.”
“I can take you to his house, but I think he left earlier today for Seattle.”
“Oh, well then maybe you could take me to Brian or Daniel,” she tried.
“They’ve both gone as well,” he said, then when he saw her face fall he added, “I’m sorry ma'am.”
Bridget wasn’t sure what to do, she’d come to see her sons and they’d scattered in the wind. “Well, I guess my little surprise isn’t going to be that much of a surprise, I haven’t seen my boys in so long maybe you could tell me what they’ve been up to,” she finally said, adopting her best concerned and hurt mother voice.
By the time they reached the middle of town, she'd heard enough and stormed away from the young man, leaving him open-mouthed standing in the middle of the road. She headed straight for the clinic, determined to confront the woman who was clearly taking advantage of her sick son. As she walked she realized just how much she hated this place, it had already taken two of her sons, she wasn’t going to let some hussy take the last one. The woman must have brainwashed Brian, made him think that he was in love with her, used her medical training to her advantage some way.
She’d already had some experience with the woman who was best friends with her daughter-in-law, another scheming woman if you wanted her opinion. Now the woman had gotten her claws into her son and she wasn’t going to let that happen, it was going to end here and now. Then she was going to find Brian and take him home, even if she had to go to the Amazon to do it.
When she got to the clinic she stormed through the door, startling the girl behind the front counter who had been reading a book, but quickly put it away when she saw the look on Bridget’s face. “Where is she? Where is Dr. Snyder?”
The girl looked scared. “I’m sorry ma'am, she’s not here, no one's here. We’re closed for a few days, I’m just here minding the phones.”
Bridget narrowed her eyes at the girl, “I don’t believe you,” she said, then started down the hallway that led back to the offices.
The girl stepped in front of her. “You can’t go back there, that’s private,” she said, trying to block Bridget.
“Get out of my way, I know she’s back there.” Bridget was so angry, she shoved the girl out of the way.
It wasn’t far to Heather’s office, and she knew exactly where it was thanks to the time she’d spent here when her granddaughter had been born. When she got to the office, the door was closed and she paused a minute, wondering if the girl had been telling the truth but then she remembered what she’d learned about the romance between her son and Heather and her anger boiled up again. She pushed open the door and stormed in, only to find that the room was empty.
Looking around the room, she saw that it was neat and tidy, no files on the desk, no partially consumed cups of coffee. She could hear the girl talking on the phone just down the hall and knew she didn’t have much time before someone came and kicked her out. Walking around behind the desk, she sat down in Heather’s chair, wishing she’d asked the girl where Heather had gone, then she spotted an envelope on the desk. Almost instantly she recognized the handwriting as Brian’s and picked it up, it was heavy in her hands, a temptation she couldn’t resist.
She’d just broken the seal on the envelope when she heard a man’s voice out in the hallway, panicked she slid it into a small crack between the desk and a filing cabinet, thinking that she’d find a way to come back and get it later. Jumping to her feet, she rounded the desk and headed toward the door, planning to interrogate the girl before she left. A man appeared in the doorway, clearly unhappy to see her in Heather’s office, the scowl on his face a bit disarming.
“What are you doing in here. This is a private office, I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said.
“Where is Dr. Snyder?” Bridget asked, ignoring the man and addressing the girl.
“She’s out of town,” the man said.
“I know that,” Bridget said, losing her patience. “I want to know where she went.”
“I really don’t see how that’s any of your business. I’m really going to have to ask you to leave.”
Bridget wasn’t used to being treated so rudely, “I’m Bridget Taylor and it is my business where that little hussy went. If I find out that she’s with Brian, I’m going to….” But she was cut off by Seth coming through the door.
“Bridget, how nice to see you, we didn’t know you’d be visiting,” he said, then took her by the arm and led her out of the clinic. As they walked away Seth was saying, “I’m sorry none of your boys are here but Laurel and I would be happy to have you stay with us for the night, then we can get you back on the plane tomorrow.”
Heater went straight home when she got back to Homestead, she hadn’t been able to call Brian like she was supposed to the night before and she had a strange sense that something had gone wrong. When she didn’t find Brian at her house as she’d expected, she headed for the clinic assuming that someone there would know where he was. The clinic was a flurry of activity, the waiting room full of patients, but when she walked in all conversation stopped as every eye in the room turned towards her.
Matt was the first to speak. “Heather, it’s good to see you home safe,” he said, pulling her down the hallway to the back of the clinic and into her office.
Heather knew that something was up immediately. “What’s going on. I can’t find Brian,” she said, looking around her office, satisfied that everything there was okay.
Matt hesitated, then pulled her over to the couch and made her sit down. After a long pause, which scared her even more, he said. “Brian left last night, he went back to the Amazon.”
It took a few minutes for the words to sink in, it was the last thing she’d expected. “I don’t understand,” she finally said, more to herself than Matt.
“He just all of a sudden decided that he had to go back, I don’t know why but he packed up his stuff and left,” Matt said, then took her hand and waited.
Heather’s head was spinning, it just didn’t seem possible that Brian would have just packed up and left and only a few hours after she had. Then it occurred to her that he might have had it planned all along, might have just been waiting for her to leave so he could too. She pushed that thought away, there must have been an emergency, some reason that he had to get back to his lab quickly.
“There must have been an emergency,” she said, getting to her feet, “I’m sure he’ll call me when he can. Now what’s been going on around here? It Looks like it’s been a busy day.”
“It was quiet until today,” he said, following her lead.
As soon as she got out of the clinic, she headed for Theo’s house, hoping that he’d know why Brian had left so abruptly. She was almost half way there when she remembered that he
and Amanda had left earlier that morning for Seattle and would be gone for three weeks. It was then that she really began to think that Brian had just up and left her, that all the things he’d said to her less that forty-eight hours earlier had been a lie.
She stopped at the clinic once more, hoping to find a note or something to explain what Brian had done but found nothing except her empty office and the lab just as she’d left it. At home, she searched again, but came up just as empty-handed as she had at the clinic. Finally, she lay down in bed and let the tears come, hugging the pillow he’d slept on.
Unable to avoid the truth, she had to admit that her worst nightmare had come true, Brian’s old life had taken over the new one and he’d left. She’d let her guard down over the last few weeks, let herself believe that what they had was not only real but would last. She’d wanted it to be real so much that she must have ignored the warning signs, must not have seen that Brian was slowly slipping away from her. It felt like her heart was breaking into a million pieces, the pain of losing him so immense that she closed her eyes and went to sleep unable to bear being awake in her nightmare any longer.
Chapter 10
Brian stepped onto the boat, wondering if he’d done the right thing. Since the plane had taken off from Anchorage he’d been questioning his decision to run from his mother and feeling like he’d let Heather down. But he’d poured his heart out to her in the note he’d left, explaining how difficult it was to deal with his mother, how hard it was for him to stand up to her. At the time he’d been sure that he was doing the right thing by leaving, that it would be so much better for both of them if his mother remained unaware of their relationship for a while.
Unbreak My Heart_BWWM Romance Page 9