Her Mountain Sanctuary

by Jeannie Watt

  He could just make out the mother cat sitting on the nightstand, blinking at him with her wide green eyes. No. He hadn’t been coming out of a nightmare. He’d been going in. And the cat had jumped on him. Just as she had a few nights ago.

  Drew rubbed the tight muscles on either side of his neck, then lay back down. The cat watched him for a few minutes before gingerly stepping onto the bed and making herself comfortable at the foot, out of reach.

  Coincidence that she’d woken him twice now?

  Was it possible that because of that first nightmare, during which she’d almost become collateral damage, she now recognized the initial signs? And had decided never again?

  Drew let out a choked laugh. Saved by a cat. But how often could he depend on that happening?

  Drew woke with the cat still sleeping peacefully at the foot of his bed. Hell, he’d slept peacefully, despite the wind buffeting the trees around the cabin. He couldn’t count on a cat to save him every time, but just knowing that waking before the nightmare could stave off the terror that followed was somehow comforting.

  Maybe there was an answer. Maybe he didn’t have to have to take the zombie drugs. He sat up in bed, then did a double take at the clock.

  9:00 a.m.?

  He had slept. He pushed back the covers, being careful not to disturb the cat who stretched and then rolled over onto her back. The kittens, who didn’t have the necessary skills to make their way to the loft, were still curled up on the sofa. Everyone had slept late today.

  Probably a damned good thing he didn’t have a regular nine to five.

  He was making coffee when his phone rang. Pete. He answered while pouring water into the carafe.

  “Got any big plans today?”

  “Nothing I can’t work around,” he said in a dry voice.

  “The windstorm last night did some major damage to the roof of the house. I have shingles everywhere. Any chance you can give me a hand patching before the rains come?”

  “I’ll be there in the hour.”

  “I appreciate it. The place is a mess and Cara got called into work because one of the other girls had a sick kid.”

  “I don’t mind. It’ll give me a chance to make peace with Maddie.” He hadn’t seen her since she’d stormed out of the shop the day before.

  “She’s been helping me pick up shingles.”

  “See you soon.”

  Drew ended the call, put the coffee on and went in search of roofing clothes. Less than fifteen minutes later, he was on his way out the door, an energy bar in one hand and a travel mug in the other. He just hoped Pete didn’t grill him until he figured a few things out himself.

  He drove slowly down the mountain, not wanting another deer encounter, then picked up speed just after the Lightning Creek Ranch. Faith’s horses grazed peacefully in the pasture. Freckles raised her head as he passed and he felt a bit of a pang. He really had learned some stuff. He could ride a horse. He’d fallen in love with the horse’s owner, he had PTSD and his daughter wasn’t ready for a new mother.

  But he had a cat that had saved him from a nightmare.

  He was almost to the fork leading to town when his phone rang and he pulled over to answer it. Pete again. But when he answered, it wasn’t Pete.

  “Da-ad!” The sheer terror in his daughter’s voice made the blood drain from his face.

  “Maddie! What?”

  “Uncle Pete fell off the roof. He’s not moving.”

  Oh, shit.

  “Call 911, Maddie. Call them now. Ask for an ambulance.” He stepped on the gas, easing the truck back onto the road, still holding the phone to his ear.

  “I did. They’re coming. I don’t know how to call Aunt Cara. Are you close?”

  Her last words were choked. He could barely make them out. “A couple miles away. Stay on the phone with me, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Let me know when you hear the ambulance.”

  “They said it might be half an hour. Something about the crew.”

  Double shit.

  “Hang tough, sweetie. I’m putting you on speaker so you can keep talking to me while I drive.” He managed to punch the speaker button without disconnecting the phone. “Where is Uncle Pete? Which side of the house?”

  “The back side.”

  The steep side. Why the hell hadn’t Pete waited for him? Old asphalt shingles got slick as they started losing their sand coating.

  “I was dumping the old shingles in the garbage when I heard the crash.” She exhaled on a choking sob.

  “Was he on the ladder or the roof?”

  “The roof.”

  Drew was getting close. He could see the shop. He wanted to keep his daughter talking so she didn’t go into shock.

  “I’m almost there.”

  “I see you.”

  “Okay. Hang up now and I’ll be there in a few seconds.” He took the corner into the driveway a little too fast, J-hooked the Jeep but got it back under control before skidding to a stop. He leaped out of the rig and ran to where Pete lay on the far side of the house.

  “Don’t move him!” Maddie said. “The 911 lady said not to move him.”

  Drew put his ear close to Pete’s face, heard him pull in a shallow breath. “He’s breathing,”

  “So...he’s going to be okay?” The words were barely out of Maddie’s mouth before she turned her head in the direction of the highway. “Listen.”

  Drew heard it, too. “Hang on, buddy.”

  He remained crouched near Pete, talking to him in a low voice. Maddie hovered nearby before dropping to her knees next to Drew.

  “It’s gonna be okay,” she murmured. “The ambulance is almost here.”

  The ambulance pulled to a stop and Drew took Maddie’s hand as they stood, moving back to allow the two paramedics to move in.

  “How long ago did he fall?” The younger guy asked Drew. Maddie pulled Pete’s phone out of her pocket and checked the time.

  “Almost twenty minutes ago,” she said.

  Pete groaned as the paramedics started working on him. Drew put his arm around his precious daughter and pulled her closer, tamping down the overwhelming feeling of helplessness.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Maddie whispered as if she was willing it to be true.

  “He’s the toughest guy I know,” Drew said.

  Maddie swallowed loudly as Pete groaned again when the paramedics started loading him onto the backboard. She pressed her forehead into Drew’s side. He wished with all his heart that she hadn’t been there to see her uncle lying crumpled on the ground or being loaded into an ambulance, but one of the hard facts of life was that sometimes it was impossible to shield those you loved from harsh realities.

  “We’ll take him to Eagle Valley General, but given his injuries, I think they’ll transport him to Missoula. Just so you know.”

  “I’ll tell his wife.”

  Drew punched in Cara’s number as the ambulance started down the driveway, its blue light flashing. Maddie leaned into him again and Drew closed an arm around her as he waited for Pete’s wife to answer.

  * * *

  “I WOULDN’T GO in there.” Penny muttered as Faith walked past her with the latest enrollment report, heading toward Debra’s open office door.

  “Why?”

  Penny looked up from her computer screen. “Something to do with her brother and a roof and him not being able to take her call.” Penny made a face. “I think there’s a hospital involved.”

  Faith’s heart just about stopped.

  “I don’t think he was the one who fell off the roof,” Penny clarified. “But I would give Debra half an hour to cool off. She doesn’t like it when things don’t conform to her schedule.”

  “Yeah. I’m kind of aware.”

  Faith headed back down
the hall to the basement stairs. As soon as she got to her office, she pulled her phone out of her purse and called Drew. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes.”

  Relief slammed into her, but if it wasn’t him, then who? Her heart started hammering again. “I heard someone fell off the roof.”

  “Pete.”

  Faith pressed a palm to her forehead. “How is he?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “Is Maddie there?”

  “Yes.” His voice was clipped. “Deb told you?”

  “No. Her secretary warned me about her mood.”

  “It has nothing to do with Pete,” he said grimly. “She’s upset because she wanted to meet with me and her lawyer and hammer out some property details this afternoon.”

  Debra Miller-Hill was one hell of a narcissist.

  She heard a hospital page in the background, closed her eyes. “I’m sorry this happened, Drew.”

  “Yeah.” He sounded as if he’d totally shut down, and she could only imagine how Maddie felt.

  “Dad...” Maddie’s voice came in from the background.

  “Just a sec, hon.”

  “I’ll talk to you later,” Faith said to Drew. He needed to focus on his daughter and Cara. The people he loved.

  When she got to her office, she started pulling materials to be digitized, then after ten minutes of not being able to concentrate, picked up the phone and rang Penny. “I’m taking the rest of the day off as a sick day.”

  “I’ll make it happen.”

  “Thank you.” The beauty of a basement records job. There wasn’t much that couldn’t be put off a day or two. When Faith got to the hospital, she parked near Drew’s newly repaired Jeep and went in through the emergency entrance. The hospital was small, so she had no difficulty finding the emergency waiting area—which was empty.

  She went to the reception desk and discovered that Pete had been transported to Missoula for surgery. Faith thanked the woman for the information and headed back to her car. Was Drew on his way to Missoula? If so, he couldn’t have gotten far. Maybe she could meet him, take Maddie and then he could be on his way. The girl didn’t need to be smack in the middle of this trauma.

  Faith dialed Drew’s number as soon as she was back in her truck. She could tell from the noise when he answered that he was on the road and that the call was coming in over the sound system—which meant that Maddie could hear the conversation if she was with him.

  “I called to see if I could help. I thought Maddie could stay with me.”

  “We’re on the road to Missoula.”

  “I don’t mind catching up with you.”

  There was the briefest of hesitations before he said, “That would be great, but I need to get Cara to Missoula.”

  “I’ll meet you at the hospital there.”

  “If you don’t mind the drive, it’d help.”

  She’d been prepared to fight more of a battle, to stand up to Drew’s stubborn protective instincts, but he hadn’t fought her. He’d accepted help.

  The thought stayed with her as she drove just a mile or two over the speed limit all the way to Missoula. Once she hit the city limits, she pulled over and searched for the hospital address, then plugged it into her GPS. Not long afterward, she pulled into the parking lot and found a space. She was about to call him again, to tell him she was there, when her phone rang and Drew gave her directions to the waiting room.

  There were several people there, but she barely noticed them as she crossed to where Maddie and Drew sat with a pale-faced Cara. Maddie was the first to spot her and she jumped to her feet. Drew also got up, putting a reassuring hand on Maddie’s shoulder as Faith approached.

  “I appreciate you coming.” His voice was husky, edged with emotion. This had to be hell on him, hell on Cara and Maddie.

  “I had to,” she said simply.

  Drew reached out to take her hand, leading her to the chair next to where he’d been sitting. Cara looked up at her and managed a smile.

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “I’m glad to help,” Faith said, before turning her attention to Maddie. “How are you doing?”

  “Been better,” Maddie said truthfully.

  “She’s holding it together,” her father murmured.

  They sat down, and Drew surprised Faith by once again reaching for her hand. Maddie settled in the chair on the other side of her father and leaned her head against his shoulder. And there they sat, a small blended family of sorts, waiting for news about Pete.

  Faith closed her eyes, concentrating on the warm pressure of Drew’s fingers, the strength she got from being near him.

  She loved this man. No doubts there. Now the question was, would he allow himself to love her back? Let her face his challenges with him?

  He’d accepted help today. A big step forward.

  Was it enough?

  * * *

  DREW WAS WORRIED as hell about Pete, who’d been unconscious for way too long in his estimation, but despite that, his stress level had dropped markedly when Faith walked through the door of the hospital waiting room.

  He needed her, and that was a hard thing to admit, being the guy who handled everything alone. Her thumb moved over his in a gentle caressing movement that made him realize how fortunate he was to have her there after trying his best to shut her out of his life. She might only be there for the day, because of the emergency, because of Maddie, but he was still grateful.

  And ready to talk. They had a lot to talk about. He squeezed her hand again.

  Cara sat silently, staring into the distance, waiting for word on her husband. He knew better than to try to engage her in conversation, knew that the last thing she wanted was platitudes and assurances that Pete would be all right. The treatment room door finally swung open and both Cara and Maddie got to their feet as a doctor came into the waiting area.

  “Maddie,” Drew said in a low voice, and his daughter sat back down as Cara quickly crossed the room, meeting the doctor halfway. They talked for several minutes, then Cara turned and gave Drew a nod.

  “He’s going to be okay,” Maddie said.

  “Looks like it,” Drew said, hoping he wasn’t lying.

  Cara and the doctor talked a little longer, then she smiled and nodded, before heading back to their small group. Drew let go of Faith’s hand and they all stood. Cara let out a shaky breath before explaining the extent of Pete’s injuries, ending with, “He’s going to be all right—as long as he stays off roofs. If he doesn’t, then he definitely won’t be all right, because I’m going to kill him.” But her voice was shaky with relief, making her last words more of a declaration of love than a threat.

  “How long till he’s released?” Faith asked.

  “He broke his leg, so they have to pin the leg together, and operate on his shoulder. Monitor the concussion. They said two, maybe three days.” She hesitated, then met Drew’s gaze. “Maybe Maddie can stay with Shayla.”

  “We’ll work something out.” Drew reached out to give Cara a quick hug, releasing her as the sound of footsteps brought their heads around.

  “Cara!” An older couple entered the waiting area and made a beeline for their daughter.

  “Mom!” Cara headed across the waiting room to meet her parents, who huddled around her.

  Twenty minutes later, Drew escorted Faith and Maddie out of the hospital, leaving his sister-in-law with her parents. Cara had assured Maddie that Pete would fully recover and that she’d keep her informed as to his progress. Maddie had taken her words to heart, and on the drive back to the Eagle Valley, she started to bounce back, asking about sending flowers and making plans for a get-well card shaped like a lawn mower.

  Drew glanced in his rearview mirror to make certain he could still see Faith driving behind them. Cara hadn’t needed his truck, so Faith had ma
de the trip for nothing—unless one counted the fact that it made him realize how much he loved her. And how much he wanted to work things out.

  If they could.

  It went against the grain for him to bring problems into people’s lives, especially a person like Faith who had her own issues to deal with.

  And, of course, there was the matter of how Faith felt. She hadn’t said much after Cara’s parents showed up, and Drew began to wonder if she’d come more for Maddie’s sake than his. Maybe she was doing the good friend thing. The duty thing.

  She’d said he hadn’t allowed her to be a partner. He hadn’t. He’d tried to take all the hits, protect her from his reality.

  So what now?

  She was going to meet them at the cabin after she fed her animals so that they could work out a plan for Maddie. Maybe he’d have a better feel for things then. He hoped he would, because right now his stomach was in one hellacious knot.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  DREW’S HEART HIT his ribs when he heard Faith’s truck pull to a stop outside the cabin. Would she give him a chance to be a partner, and not just a friend in need? Or was she done trying to deal with him? He went to the front door and opened it as Faith stepped onto the small porch.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey,” she echoed, giving him a quick unreadable glance before stepping into the kitchen carrying two grocery bags that he automatically took from her. “I thought you might want some food and I didn’t know what you had. Last time I was here, food was kind of sparse.”

  “I hate to shop.” He set the bags on the counter. Faith stopped on the opposite side of the small breakfast bar, took a long look at the new cabinets.

  “I like them.”

  “Yeah. Not part of the original plan, but I liked them, too. So, I went with them.” Small talk. He hated small talk.

  “Where’s Maddie?”

  “Asleep.”

  She glanced in the direction of the loft, then started pulling fresh produce out of the bag. Drew put his hand on hers, and her gaze jerked up. “Don’t tell me I shouldn’t be here,” she warned.