Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set

by Patricia Johns

  “Could the new will simply be misplaced? Maybe in a safe-deposit box nobody knows about?”

  “Dad had two safes, one at home and one in his business office, and I’ve gone through them both. Also, all his filing cabinets. Dad used a local lawyer for business, but they don’t do wills, and the one who wrote the old will died years ago. If Dad wrote another will, he must have used a different lawyer, but I can’t find any record of it, and he kept everything. He liked to organize his paperwork so that he could put his hands on any document instantly, and I can’t imagine he’d have tucked a will away in a safe deposit box or left it with a lawyer, especially without keeping a copy at home.”

  “Hmm. Is there anything I can do to help you get custody? If you need a character witness to testify that you’re a great parent—”

  “Not yet anyway, but it means a lot that you think so.”

  She reached for her bag. “I suppose I should be getting home. I am flying out tomorrow.”

  “Visiting your fiancé in Japan?” It was none of his business, but he was curious about this fiancé. And about why she never wore a ring.

  “Yes—no—that is, not Japan. Sutton is in California right now on business, and I’m, uh—” she licked her lip. “—I’m flying down to return his ring.”

  Zack blinked. “I’m not sure how to respond to that. I’m sorry? Congratulations?”

  “I’m a little confused myself. I—well, it’s complicated. But I can’t break up over the phone, and I don’t want to wait until we’re both back in Japan. By that time, our mothers might have picked bridesmaids and hired a harpist.”

  Zack was a little lost. Frankly, he’d lost concentration about the time she said she was returning the ring. His heart was beating faster, and it was all he could do not to grin. “Well, when you get back, you’re invited to dinner again, and this time, I’ll cook.” He considered his skills. “Or possibly get takeout.”

  She laughed. “It’s a date. I told Becca we’d make cookies sometime, too. I hope that’s okay.”

  “That’s more than okay. She was happier with you than I’ve seen her in months.”

  “It was a pleasure. Truly. And now, I really do need to go. Thanks for letting me tag along on the moose release today.”

  “Anytime. You’re part of the team, now.”

  She smiled. “I like that. See you soon.”

  “Goodbye, Rowan.” He stood at the door and watched her walk to her car. “Good luck,” he called, “with...everything.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  “SURE I CAN’T get you anything?” the waiter asked in a concerned voice.

  Rowan set down the menu of the veggie-forward farm-to-table restaurant. Normally, she would have been making mental notes of things to try in her own kitchen, but not today. “A glass of iced tea?”

  “Sure.” He looked relieved to have something to do. Rowan checked her phone. No messages. Sutton was twenty-five minutes late, but she couldn’t really blame him. When she’d called to say, surprise, she was in town, he’d been apologetic. He’d already scheduled meetings for the whole afternoon, but he would cancel his dinner plans and meet her instead. His last meeting must have run long. They often did. He’d told her many times that patience was the key to successful negotiations.

  The waiter returned with a mint-garnished glass. “Just wave if you want to order appetizers or anything.”

  She glanced around. The restaurant was filling up. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon. Let’s get the sampler platter for when he arrives.”

  “Excellent choice.”

  Finally, she saw Sutton making his way to her table. He looked good in his tailored suit, the neck of his shirt open and tieless in deference to casual California culture. He kissed her cheek and took the chair across from her. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise.”

  Rowan managed a smile, although it felt forced. Should she dive right in? Let him enjoy his dinner first? His eyes looked tired. The waiter appeared. “Can I get you a drink, sir?”

  “Whiskey and soda, please.” As soon as the waiter left, Sutton smiled at Rowan. “I apologize for my tardiness. The meeting ran long.”

  “I assumed. How are negotiations going?”

  “They were moving well, but today we hit a sticking point.” He sighed. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to stay for dinner, after all. I agreed to go over the numbers with their finance man before we take up negotiations again tomorrow, and it will probably be a late night.” He gave her a chiding look. “If you’d told me you were coming, I might have been able to rearrange my schedule. How long are you staying?”

  So much for waiting until after dinner. “Just until tomorrow. I—”

  “Whisky and soda, sir.” The waiter set the drink in front of him.

  Sutton raised his glass. “Kanpai.”

  Rowan clinked hers against his and watched as he drank. “Sutton—”

  “Where is your ring?” he asked suddenly.

  Well, there was her opening. “It’s here.” She reached into her bag for the silk-covered ring box and slid it across the table toward him.

  “What—”

  Time to bite the bullet. “Sutton, I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you.”

  He frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “It feels rushed. We haven’t been together that long, and—”

  “We’ve been dating for two years.” He pressed his lips together. “What is it, Rowan? You’ve never been one for drama. You accepted my proposal. Publicly. And now you want to back out?”

  “It’s just—I’m not sure we’re on the same page about where we are in our relationship.”

  “After two years, an engagement would seem the next logical step. My proposal can’t have come as a complete surprise.”

  “But it was. I—”

  He finished his drink in one gulp. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to talk this through right now.” He covered her hand with his. “If you need more time to think about this, I can wait. We can put the wedding on hold for a little while.” He opened the box as if to assure himself it was the same diamond ring he’d given her and then slipped it into his pocket as he stood. “I’ll keep this for now, until you’re ready to wear it.”

  He patted her on the head. “Everything will be fine. I’ll call you in the morning. Perhaps we can breakfast together.” And he was gone.

  He patted me on the head. A sudden and unaccustomed fury rose in her chest. Is this what he thought of her? That she was a stubborn child who could be cajoled into behaving the way he expected? At breakfast tomorrow, she had to make it clear. The wedding wasn’t postponed. She was calling it off. All of it.

  “Hi, me again.” The waiter was back, giving her a sympathetic smile. “The gentleman said he had to go, but he’s prepaid for your dinner.”

  “That’s okay, I—” She started to get up, but she paused. “You know what? Yes. Go ahead and bring that appetizer platter.” It was too much food for one person, but so what. She was tempted to order the pink lettuce salad with truffle-crusted swordfish, as well, just to say she’d tasted pink lettuce.

  “Right away.” He started off but turned back. “Would you like company? There is a couple over there waiting for a table. They come in here all the time, and—”

  She glanced over at the pair around her parents’ age talking to the hostess. “I’d love some company.” A distraction would be much preferable than sitting and stewing, and they looked like pleasant people.

  “Great. I’ll bring them over.” She watched him go talk to the couple. Hopefully, he wasn’t telling them she was some pathetic woman whose date had deserted her.

  Their smiles when they came to the table reassured her. “It’s so nice of you to share your table. We decided to just drop by and see if we might get lucky,” the wife, a plump woman with a chin-length blond bob exp
lained as she settled into the chair the waiter was holding. “I’m Daphne, and this is Tony.”

  “Glad to meet you. I’m Rowan.”

  “We love this restaurant,” Daphne told her. “Do you come here often?”

  “No. I’m from out of town. I just flew in today.”

  “Where from?”

  Rowan decided to keep it simple. “Alaska.”

  “Oh, we love Alaska, don’t we, Tony? We’ve been, what, four times?”

  “Five,” he corrected. “Three cruises, another time in the summer and that one winter excursion.”

  “That was so much fun. We saw the Iditarod start in Anchorage, and then took the train to Fairbanks to see the World Ice Carving Championships.”

  The waiter arrived with a tray bearing two glasses of wine, three small plates and a huge platter overflowing with colorful vegetables and dips prepared in all sorts of ways. Rowan’s eyes widened. “Please, help me eat all this.”

  “Well, if you insist.” Tony spooned a little sauce on a plate and dipped a tempura mushroom into it. “Thank you.”

  “We’ve been to Denali National Park twice,” Daphne commented as she transferred some colorful vegetable sushi pieces to her plate. “We love seeing the wildlife there. What is it you do in Alaska?”

  “I was there to visit my grandmother, but as a matter of fact, right now I’m helping to organize a fundraiser for a wildlife rehabilitation center at Palmer.”

  “Palmer? We went to the state fair there. Remember the giant cabbage, Tony?” Daphne’s laugh tinkled like a bell. “Tell me about this wildlife center.”

  “WildER. It’s small but busy. All volunteer. A local veterinarian started it because people would bring in wild animals they’d found who needed help. Their goal is to patch them up and return them to the wild as quickly as possible. Yesterday, I had the privilege of watching the release of a moose who had survived a bear attack along with her calf. It was so moving, seeing the two of them go off into the woods.”

  “Wonderful!” Daphne exclaimed.

  “What sort of fundraiser are you planning?” Tony asked.

  “We’re calling it ‘WildFair.’ I’m lining up a series of food booths for tastings, activities for kids and an auction of donated prizes to follow. My brother and sister-in-law run a goat dairy farm and cheese-making operation near Palmer, and they’ve volunteered to host it.”

  “That sounds like so much fun. Tony, we should attend.”

  “When is it?” He finished the bite in his hand, took out his phone and waited for the information as though his wife suggesting they needed to attend an event in Alaska was an everyday occurrence.

  “The second Saturday in July,” Rowan told him.

  “We’re free,” he told his wife. “Oh, do you remember watching the Mount Marathon race in Seward three years ago? They always hold it on the Fourth of July.”

  His wife shook her head, but she was smiling. “You’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking?”

  Laugh lines fanned out from the edges of his eyes. “Why not?”

  “He does this,” Daphne told Rowan in an aside. “Runs up mountains. For fun.” She sipped her wine. “Are you sure, darling? Some of those runners looked pretty raw after sliding on the rocks on the way down.”

  “I’d take it slow. I’m in it for the experience, not the win.” He grinned. “Although, if I were to place high in my age group, it might earn me a better start position for the Hawaii race this fall.”

  “Oh, all right. If you really want to do this, I’ll be waiting at the finish line with pom-poms.”

  He leaned toward his wife for a quick kiss. “She will, too,” he told Rowan, and pulled up something on his phone. “This was at the finish line at a mountain race in Colorado.”

  Rowan looked at the photo of Tony, a race number pinned to his shirt, approaching a balloon-festooned arch and Daphne on the other side, caught midleap waving huge blue-and-white pom-poms. “Looks like a great day.”

  “It was.” He smiled at his wife. “We’ve had a lot of great days together.”

  “Wildlife rehabilitation is such a good cause,” Daphne said to Tony. “We should donate something.”

  “How about the Acapulco timeshare?” Tony suggested. “We won’t be using it because of that January trip to Chile, and Alaskans might enjoy a winter getaway.”

  “Yes, let’s.” She smiled at Rowan. “Does that work for you?”

  Rowan blinked. “Um, yes. Absolutely. That’s incredibly generous.”

  “Not at all. As Tony said, we won’t be using it and we just love Alaskan wildlife. Here, give me your email address and I’ll make all the arrangements for the transfer.”

  Rowan wrote down her contact information and the WildER website. “Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, tell us more about this goat farm where you’re holding the event.”

  They talked their way through a delicious dinner. Daphne, it seemed, had come up with the concept of a set of video games that allowed players to become characters in classic science fiction novels, and when she was looking for someone to help with development, Tony’s name kept coming up. He’d been intrigued, by both the idea and the woman. They married, and together they founded a company that succeeded beyond all expectations. Ten years ago, they’d sold the business and now spent their time however they wished.

  Rowan found them fascinating. She’d traveled quite a lot, but they’d gone everywhere. Tiny villages in China, ancient pyramids in Peru, even Antarctica, and they seemed to have enjoyed every minute of their life together. She would bet Tony never patted Daphne on the head.

  They were planning a trip to Japan in the late fall, and she made a few suggestions that were warmly received. At the end of the evening, Tony and Daphne gave her a ride to her hotel. “I’ll be in touch with the details about that timeshare,” Daphne promised. “I can’t wait to see you again in Alaska in July.”

  “I won’t—” Rowan started to explain that she would be back in Japan by then, but upon reflection, there was no reason she couldn’t come to Palmer for the fundraiser. “I’ll see you then.”

  She made her way to the elevator and pushed the button for her floor. What an amazing couple, and incredibly generous. She couldn’t wait to get back to Alaska and tell Zack and Maggie.

  In her room, a light blinked on the hotel phone, indicating a waiting message. Who would have called here instead of her cell? Only someone who didn’t want to have to deal with her immediate response.

  Sure enough, it was a message from Sutton, canceling breakfast. “I apologize, but this looks like an all-nighter. Right now, I need to concentrate on this deal. When I get back to Tokyo, we can talk. I’m sure you understand.”

  Of course she understood. Rowan always understood. She was always the one who volunteered to wait for the next elevator when the first was too full. The one who filled in if someone canceled at an embassy dinner. The one who did all the legwork in setting up events, leaving her supervisor to take the credit when things went smoothly.

  The fact that her gut reaction to Sutton canceling breakfast was more relief than disappointment confirmed what she should have recognized a long time ago. Sutton was a good man. But he wasn’t the right man for Rowan.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ZACK TIED OFF the last stitch. “How’s the blood pressure?” he asked his veterinary assistant.

  “Good. Pulse and breathing are fine.”

  Zack gave the unconscious black Labrador a pat. “You’re going to feel a whole lot better, buddy.”

  Christine poked her head into the operating room. “Was it socks?”

  Zack gestured toward the objects laid out on a rack next to the operating table. “Seventeen of them.”

  “Darn, I had sixteen in the office pool.”

  “There was a pool?” the assi
stant asked.

  “She’s kidding.” Zack exchanged smiles with Christine before she withdrew to go on to her next patient. “I’m pretty sure seventeen is a clinic record, though. Let’s get him to recovery and I’ll go talk to his people.”

  Zack picked up his phone to snap a photo of the unfortunate collection of hosiery and noticed a text from Rowan. Back in town. I have news for you and Maggie. Meet at the wildlife center later?

  He mentally reviewed his schedule. Five clinic appointments this afternoon, then a meeting with the estate lawyer and one scheduled stop to vaccinate a pet bison. Assuming the bison wasn’t too difficult, he should be done by his usual quitting time. Jessie was driving today. He texted his reply. Good news I hope. 5:30? Dinner at my place after? I’ll grill.

  Yum. I’ll bring a side. See you then.

  Perfect. Good thing he’d picked up a package of T-bones, speculating this might happen. He’d thought of Rowan often in the last couple of days. She said she was returning her fiancé’s ring, but what did that mean? Was she breaking up with him, or simply not ready to be married? Was she single now?

  Did it matter? Rowan was only visiting Alaska. Zack had no time for dating. Better to stay in the friend zone. Becca would be thrilled she was back. In the three days since Rowan and Becca cooked dinner, Becca had reminded him at least ten times to invite Rowan over again.

  Was he setting Becca up for disappointment later, letting her get attached to Rowan? But they both knew she lived in Japan. They might as well enjoy her company while they could. They would have plenty of time to miss her after she was gone.

  * * *

  “THAT’S FANTASTIC. Thanks so much.” Rowan ended the call with the head of public relations from the airline and pumped her fist. The donation of round-trip airfare from Anchorage to Mexico was a go.

  She pulled up the details Daphne had forwarded from the timeshare management team and paged through some promotional photos. This alone could draw a crowd for the fundraiser and help convince other businesses that a donation would result in great exposure. She made a note of several she wanted to approach tomorrow. Maybe she could even drop by one or two this afternoon. It was hard to wait.