She should’ve gone to college. Studied literature. She’d bet the bank she wouldn’t be out of a job if that were the case. The line started to move, jarring her from her negative thoughts. ’Tis the season, she thought, and forced a smile. For the next two weeks, she was not going to think about her career or lack of one.
She’d said that twice to herself already.
No, she was going to ski until she dropped, drink hot toddies by the fireplace, curl up with a good book at the end of the day. Do whatever she pleased, and all by herself.
Another wave of sadness overwhelmed her.
“Stop!” she whispered harshly. When she saw several people glance at her, she did what she knew best. She plastered a huge grin on her face and acted as though she hadn’t a clue why they were staring at her.
When it was her turn at the counter, Angelica removed the required driver’s license and credit card from her wallet, signed on the dotted line, and listened carefully to the agent’s instructions. She’d asked for a vehicle equipped with a GPS just in case. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in the Colorado mountains. Not that she planned on leaving Maximum Glide, the ski resort where she planned to ski and sip all those hot toddies. She had splurged and rented a small cabin located midway up the mountain. She could’ve stayed in Telluride itself, but Angelica wanted time to reflect and come to a decision. Being isolated would force her to focus on her choice of careers.
With the keys to her rental in hand, she found the automatic doors leading to the parking garage. Instantly, they swished open, allowing the frigid wintry air into the overly warm airport for the briefest of seconds. Angelica shivered, glad that she’d worn her heavy parka. New York was cold, yes, but she thought Denver downright bone-chilling as she searched the giant lot for her vehicle’s designated parking space.
After walking for what felt like a mile, Angelica spied the white Lincoln Navigator. A male attendant wearing olive khakis and a rich brown jacket greeted her, asking her to wait while he inspected the vehicle for scratches and dents. He walked around the SUV twice, then handed her a pink slip of paper attached to a clipboard. She signed the slip.
“We’re supposed to get some nasty weather tonight,” he said as he inspected her signature. “Be careful.”
Having spent her entire adult life in New York City, she wasn’t the most experienced driver in the world. Too bad there wasn’t a taxi or a subway to deliver her to her destination. “Uh, what do you mean by ‘nasty’?”
The young guy gave her a quick once-over. “Blizzard nasty. The Interstate closes in bad weather. If you’re heading to the mountains, you’d best be on your way.”
Angelica thanked him. Using the key fob to unlock the hatch, she placed her luggage in the back before sliding into the driver’s seat.
Knowing she had several hours of driving ahead of her, it suddenly occurred to her that it would be very late by the time she reached her cabin. As she adjusted her seat belt and rearview mirror she remembered that she had to program the GPS. She located the Post-it note crumpled inside her denim bag that had the address on it. It took several minutes for her to become at ease with the GPS before she tapped the address on the touch screen. When she saw the travel time and mileage displayed on the flat screen and realized she had a six-and-a-half-hour road trip ahead of her, she became weak in the knees.
“Darn, what was I thinking?” she asked out loud.
“I wasn’t,” she answered herself as she drove out of the underground parking lot.
Realizing it was too late to rectify her mistake, she looked at the time. Just after four thirty. She’d be lucky to make it to her rental cabin by midnight. If the car-rental attendant was right, and the weather took a nosedive, she was in trouble. Big-time. She didn’t know her way around Colorado and wasn’t as well traveled as one would expect for a woman her age. Living in New York City, she had everything one could possibly need without benefit of an automobile. There was no need to learn how to navigate through a blizzard. That’s what taxis and subways were for. And if those were not available in a really bad snowstorm, then one just stayed home.
As she piloted her way through the congested roads around the airport, she focused on the task of driving, paying close attention to the animated female voice coming from the GPS. She should have booked a flight directly to Telluride and saved herself the aggravation of the long drive. She’d been in such a rush to leave after her phone call with Al, she hadn’t really cared where she was headed as long as it was away from New York. Now that she had calmed down a bit, she saw the stupidity of her actions. The drive was going to take longer than the flight had.
An hour later, Angelica was cruising along on Colorado’s I-70. So far, so good. Traffic wasn’t too bad, and she found a radio station that played nothing but Christmas music. The weather was holding its own, too.
Maybe the trip wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
Chapter 4
Dr. Parker North hated leaving at the last minute, but he felt that he had no other choice. He needed time away, time to reflect on his future as a medical professional. When his father died, he’d decided to become a doctor, a trauma surgeon. He wanted to see and heal up close. Never once had he questioned his choice of careers. It was in his blood. Both his father and grandfather had been doctors. But, for the first time in his life, he wondered if he’d made the right decision. Losing that little girl had left its mark on him. She should be alive now. But she wasn’t because he hadn’t been able to save her.
Briefly, he thought that her parents should be charged with neglect. If they’d used their brains, this would never have happened. Parents should always provide helmets for their kids. In his profession, he saw head injuries daily. Seeing the devastation, the regret, the sorrow on the faces of the little girl’s parents, he knew they had to know they were responsible for their child’s death. Quite the burden, he thought. If only they’d been more aware.
He could “if only” all day. It would get him nowhere.
Parker couldn’t put it off any longer. He’d taken an indeterminate leave of absence. He wasn’t going to sit around his apartment and mope. He’d hear the ambulances anyway; he lived that close to the hospital. No, he had to leave, go somewhere to relax, clear his head, and decide if he wanted to continue practicing medicine. So, he was about to do what he’d promised an old college buddy he would do years ago.
Parker North was going to call Max Jorgensen and take him up on his offer to spend some time at Maximum Glide, his ski resort in Telluride, Colorado. Then he remembered Leon, his ten-year-old black and white tuxedo cat. He’d have to bring him along or hire someone to sit for him. It was too late to find someone, so that decision was made. Leon, who absolutely hated riding in his truck, was going on vacation with him. He knew that Max had dogs, was an avid animal lover, so he wasn’t worried about Leon being unwelcome.
Once Parker had made up his mind, there was no stopping him. He found his ancient suitcase stuck in the front closet, along with his old skis and boots. He examined them and decided he could always replace them once he tested them on the slopes. It’d been almost twenty years since he’d skied, and he was a native.
He yanked jeans and sweatshirts from his single dresser, warm wool socks, and several T-shirts. In the bathroom, he stuffed his shaving gear and toothbrush in a Ziploc bag. He found Leon’s carrier, grabbed several cans of cat food, then, since Leon was an indoor cat, he emptied the litter box, rinsed it out, and tucked a thirty-pound sack of litter next to the front door so he wouldn’t forget.
Once he finished, he checked his e-mail, responded to a few that were important, then figured he might as well make the call to Max.
He’d met Max when they were both students at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Max had gone on to achieve Olympic fame, winning several gold medals. The last Parker had heard, he’d married, and his wife, a police officer, had been shot and killed in the line of duty. That’d been three or four years ago. H
opefully Max had healed and moved on, but Parker knew it couldn’t have been easy.
He himself had been involved in a serious relationship while attending Harvard. Jacqueline Bersch. A knockout. Tiny, with large brown eyes and chocolate hair, she had a smile that would’ve made Scrooge grin. He’d fallen for her hard and fast. They’d been inseparable through medical school and during their residency. After graduation they’d both accepted positions in Denver. Dr. Jac, as he’d referred to her, went into private practice a year after they returned to Denver. Sadly, she’d fallen for her partner, Dr. Jonathan Flaherty. She broke Parker’s heart, and he hadn’t been in a serious relationship since. Too much effort anyway.
He flipped through the contact list on his cell phone, found Max’s number, and hit Send.
Max answered on the third ring. “I hope my caller ID is working,” he said. “It says that this call is from Parker North, but I know that can’t be right.”
Parker grinned. “It’s working just fine, my friend. I called to see if that offer still stands.”
Max chuckled. “I thought you had forgotten. It’s been what—ten, fifteen years?”
“I don’t think it’s been that long,” Parker answered, then did a quick mental count. Close to fifteen. Where had the years gone? It seemed like yesterday he and Max had shared a dorm and spent many late nights kicking up their heels and suffering for it the next day. The memory made him grin. “It’s been a while. Hey, I heard about your wife. It’s probably too late, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. It was a tough time in my life. I remarried a few years ago. I have a daughter now. Her name is Ella. She’s two. Life is good right now.”
At the mention of a child, Parker clammed up. It took him a couple of seconds to get his bearings.
“Congratulations, Max. I’ve let too much time pass. I’ve missed a lot of life. I just took a leave of absence, which is my reason for calling. Would it be too forward of me to think that offer you made me after you purchased that big resort still stands?”
“Hell no, it wouldn’t be too forward. Just give me a time and date, and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. I’d like to get you on the slopes again, my friend, and I’d like you to meet Grace and Ella.”
Parker wasn’t up for kids just then, but he wasn’t going to tell that to Max after all these years. He’d perfected avoidance after Jac dumped him. There was no avoiding the occasional bumping into one another as they both spent most of their days and some nights at Angel of Mercy. “Actually, I’m leaving now. I need to relax a bit, take some time for myself. I haven’t taken any time off since I started practicing. And I’m bringing Leon, my cat—that is if it’s okay with you.” He could not bring himself to explain the real reason why he needed a break.
“You know what they say about all work and no play,” Max said, then added, “It’s crazy busy this time of year, but I’ll hook you up. I’ll reserve one of my best condos for you. You’re more than welcome to bring Leon; hell, you know I love dogs and cats.”
“Yep, just me and the fur ball. You sure this is a good time? I don’t want to mess up anyone’s holiday plans.”
“Any time is good, Parker. We always leave a few condos vacant. Just in case, you know, the president or the secretary of state decides at the last minute to come for some time on the slopes. I can’t wait to introduce you to Grace and Ella. I’ll tell Grace to set an extra plate for dinner tomorrow night. She can cook better than anyone, and her mother cooks, too. And she’s the sweetest old gal you’d ever want to meet. The mother, of course. Grace is definitely not old.”
Parker couldn’t help but smile. Max had it bad for his wife and mother-in-law. He was happy for him. “I’ll look forward to meeting them both,” he said.
“I promise you won’t be disappointed,” Max said. “When you arrive, just come to the main building, you can’t miss it. You’ll see the signs that lead to the registration office. I’ll have everything set up for you. Drive safe. The forecast is calling for massive amounts of snow once you’re on the continental divide side.”
“I’m leaving now. If the weather gets too bad, I’ll call you and drive in tomorrow morning. Max, I really do appreciate this, especially since it’s last minute. I owe you, big-time.”
Max chuckled. “Not to worry. It’s my pleasure. Now get your ass on the road before that storm hits.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Parker was about to hang up when he realized he had no clue where Max lived. “Where can I find that dinner you promised?”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow evening around seven,” Max said.
“Good, then I’m out of here. And, Max, thanks for this. I really need to get the hell out of Dodge for a while.”
After hanging up, Parker looked around at his apartment to make sure everything was as it should be. There were no plants to water, no mail to hold, as he had most of his bills paid electronically now. No one in the complex would miss him, that’s for sure. He did set the automatic timer, so his single lamp in the living room would come on for three hours every evening, but that was it. He took one last glance around, then locked the door behind him.
It took twenty minutes to force Leon into the carrier. Another ten for him to stop howling. “Look, it’ll be nice for both of us. We need a change of pace, and you, my friend, are coming along no matter what, so give it up and get over it.” He placed all of Leon’s necessities in the back of the old Ford, then tossed the skis and boots in the back, too. He placed his suitcase on the passenger’s side, below Leon’s carrier.
After programming the radio station to his favorite rock station, he checked his gas gauge, then pulled out of his assigned parking space. He’d devoted his entire life to medicine and hadn’t bothered with much of a personal life since Jac. It was a sad testimony for a man nearing forty years of age.
As he turned onto the street, Parker focused on nothing but his driving. The last thing he needed was to wind up at Angel of Mercy as a patient. Hearing a favorite tune on the radio, he cranked up the volume and headed north. Fortunately, Leon didn’t seem to mind the loud music.
Chapter 5
Angelica checked the bright blue numbers on the dashboard and saw it was 11:36. She’d accomplished her goal by arriving at her cabin before midnight. The snow hadn’t been as heavy as predicted, and she’d only stopped once for gas and coffee. She’d listened to Christmas music, singing along to several songs she’d known since childhood and focusing her attention on arriving safely. Once she was ensconced in her cabin, then she would contemplate the real reason behind her sudden trip.
She found the registration building without too much trouble. Not only was the area well lit, but there were hundreds of colorful Christmas lights strung throughout the small ski village. Tall pines were decked out in sparkling white lights from top to bottom. Freshly fallen snow resting on the tree branches reminded her of a scene directly out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
A piercing night wind sent up flurries of snow throughout the parking area. Shivering, Angelica carefully made her way across the icy asphalt. The last thing she needed was to fall. She’d been there, done that, in the city more than once. With that in mind, she practically tiptoed to the office.
An engraved wooden sign indicated she should ring the doorbell when arriving after hours. Sure that midnight qualified as after hours, she placed a gloved finger on the bell and pushed. Hearing a dim buzzing from inside, Angelica hoped she hadn’t gotten anyone out of a warm bed, but if she did, she assumed this was part of their job requirements, and they were used to waking at odd hours. When no one answered her buzz, she pushed the lighted dial again. In seconds, she heard heavy footsteps leading toward the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming.... Keep your britches on,” said a male voice from inside.
Britches? Angelica couldn’t help but smile. She could hear little beeps coming from inside. Probably deactivating an alarm. After hearing of several burglaries in her area, she had had one of he
r own installed in her apartment just last year and recognized the familiar beeps.
A bearded older man opened the door. “Come on in, you’re letting the cold inside. You must be that actress from New York. Max told me you’d be coming today. He didn’t mention it’d be this late.”
Stepping inside the warm office, she spoke. “I’m sorry. I flew in from Denver. It was a much longer drive than I remembered. I hate to get you out of bed.”
The old man, probably in his mid to late seventies, brushed a bearlike hand in the air. “Who says I was in bed? I was checkin’ my Facebook page and got to talkin’ to an old pal from high school.”
Angelica couldn’t help but grin. Seniors were certainly keeping up to date with technology these days. “I hear a lot of people say they’ve found old friends through the social media. I’m afraid I’m behind the rest of the world as I don’t even own a computer. Just a cell phone.” And an extremely old one, too, but she didn’t say that.
He gazed at her, then turned, motioning for her to follow him. She’d bet anything that this old guy, when he was not behind the counter pecking away at the keyboard, dressed up as Santa. He had the requisite white hair and matching beard. Crystal-clear blue eyes sparkled behind rimless, round glasses. The belly was perfect, too. Not that she would mention that. She grinned as she imagined him all decked out in red.
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