by Carol Ross
And then they all watched transfixed as he burst into tears. One gloved hand came up toward his chin as a plaintive sob surged out along with the words, “No, no... I...I didn’t know. Please, I was only trying to figure out a way to pay my mom back. I owe her so much money. I will never hear the end of it. She is going to kill me.”
With a gentle voice Cricket asked, “Park, have you received any money? Has Nordic Verse paid even one dime?”
Park’s mumbled response was incoherent through his sob.
If Tate hadn’t already been in love with Hannah, he would have fallen hard at that moment. Because she reached out, wrapped her arms around Park and gathered him close for a hug.
“Hey, Park. Buddy, don’t cry. It’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out. Let’s head back to town, okay?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
TATE STARED AT his mother sitting across from him in an orange jumpsuit. They were transporting her to Anchorage today where she’d eventually stand trial for some very serious charges including child abduction, unlawful possession of a firearm and attempted murder. There would be a host of lesser charges, as well.
Tate hadn’t seen her since she’d been taken into custody, had debated about whether he wanted to at all.
“I wasn’t going to kill him, Tate—he’s my grandson. It was just in case I needed to keep him quiet while we were traveling. If the police would show you the paper you would see there’s a chart outlining how much to give a person per pound just to put them asleep for a while.”
“Can you not hear yourself? Do you know how dangerous that is? You were going to drug him. He’s six years old. What if you would have given him too much?”
She swallowed, her eyes flicking away and then back to him. She waved an arm dismissively. “This whole thing, Tate... I did it because I wanted to get your attention. I was afraid this time. I was afraid that you meant it when you said you wanted me out of your life for good.”
“Well, you’ve pretty much taken care of that on your own, haven’t you?”
“I love you, Tate, and I love Lucas, too.” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
Even after everything she’d put them through, he wanted to believe her. What was wrong with him?
He stood up and walked from the room before he caved.
She called to his retreating back. “Tate! Wait, Tate. I’m sorry. Come back, please! I want to explain.”
He kept walking. Hannah met him outside. She put her arms around him and held him tight for a long moment.
She stepped back and took his hand. “Let’s walk.” She started across the parking lot toward the bay. They continued for a few blocks, stopping when they’d reached the park overlooking the water.
“How are you feeling?” she asked him.
“I’m glad.”
“What are you glad about?”
“I’m glad that I’m finally not the one to have to make a decision about her—about Penny. I’m glad I don’t have to take care of her or try to make her better because I don’t think I can. Maybe someone else can, but not me.”
She nodded, swallowing the lump that was trying to clog her throat. “You’re right about that, Tate. You can’t fix her. The only people we can really fix in this life are ourselves—and only when we want to be fixed.”
* * *
ARTHRITIS?
Hannah stared blankly at the doctor as the word sunk in. Arthritis, she repeated silently, not amputation.
Big difference.
Huge.
Like the difference between leg and no leg. She let out a giggle and slapped a hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Grant. I’m just so...”
He smiled kindly and patted her hand. “You have a great attitude, Hannah. But then again, you always have.”
She’d always tried to have a good attitude, and even when she didn’t, no one knew. Okay, Tate had started to figure it out, and Adele was getting pretty good at reading her.
“Not always. Believe me, I’ve had my moments.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t.”
She couldn’t seem to stop smiling. She thought about Dr. Voss’s “act happy, be happy” strategy. Adele wasn’t sure the approach was 100 percent the right one for her, but in all honesty, it had helped to a large degree.
She could see how she may have taken this approach to the extreme, but for Hannah, the alternative would have been so dark and depressing. She was by nature a happy person and that was never going to change, although in light of her experiences with Tate she was going to try to communicate her true feelings a little better.
“You’re bound to have more of these painful episodes, too, I’m afraid. This type of arthritis is no picnic. It can be a debilitating condition, and you’re very young to have started developing symptoms already. But on the other hand, you’re also young and strong.
“I want you to understand, though, that you don’t have to worry anymore about losing the leg. It’s healed very well under the circumstances, better than I’d hoped. I can understand why you had the fear, but amputation was only a concern early on.”
Dr. Grant went on to say that it wasn’t uncommon for someone with her injury to eventually have to deal with the pain of arthritis.
Hannah could handle pain.
She’d been handling pain nearly all of her life. First as a professional athlete, then as a former professional athlete who had been the victim of a drunk driver.
He also said that she’d endure bouts where the arthritis inflammation was worse than other times. There were factors believed to irritate the condition...
Hannah listened and tried to absorb as much as she could, but she couldn’t wait to share the news with Tate. What did this mean for her and Tate? She wasn’t in perfect physical condition, but she wasn’t losing her leg either. She had refused to discuss their future before she knew what was going to happen with her leg, but now she desperately wanted to believe they might have a future.
Cricket stood as she stepped into the waiting room. He’d flown her to Anchorage for the appointment. She’d sworn him to secrecy. She hadn’t wanted to worry her family unnecessarily. Only he, Adele and Tate knew.
She stopped, stared up at him and let out another burst of delighted laughter.
Cricket swooped her up into his arms. “It’s okay?”
She laughed and he lowered her gently to her feet. “It’s pretty much okay,” she repeated. “Arthritis.”
He let out a whoop and then his face evolved into a look of horror. “Jeez, Hannah, I’m sorry. Arthritis, that’s still not good.”
“Oh, Cricket, trust me—I had the same reaction. It wasn’t quite as loud, though.” She looked up at him. “And no, it won’t be fun, but I can deal with it.”
He looped an arm around her neck and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Banana, I’m beginning to believe there’s nothing in this world you couldn’t deal with.”
Tears sprang to her eyes. “Thanks, Cricket.”
“Can I call Adele? She’s texted me like ten times.”
“Of course—please do.” She took out her own phone to call Tate. She couldn’t wait to give him the news. But he didn’t pick up. That was okay; she needed some time to think about what this might mean for them.
Checking the time, she called him again. No answer, but maybe his meeting with Park had stretched on a little longer than he’d anticipated. Turned out, Park hadn’t accepted any money from Nordic Verse yet because his contact had wanted to be assured the contract was theirs. He would escape prosecution, and since she, Tate, Cricket, Adele and Jonah were the only ones who knew what he’d attempted to do, they were hoping they could keep it from his mother, as well.
Strange how life worked out. Who would have ever thought she and Park would end up bei
ng friendly? Who would have thought she’d ever fall in love with another snowboarder?
She sent Tate a text. He didn’t respond.
She tried him once more before they got to the airport, and again after they boarded Cricket’s plane. She felt a swirl of concern mingle with her happiness. Why wouldn’t he be picking up? Once or twice she could understand—cell service could be spotty in Rankins and if he was driving or in certain locations... But it had been an hour since she’d gotten out of the doctor’s office. He knew what time her appointment was.
Then, just as they were about to take off a text came in: Hannah, can’t talk now. I’ll meet you at the airport. Can’t wait to see you.
She felt better just knowing he was okay.
Cricket glanced at her. “Everything, all right?”
She smiled. “Yep.” She buckled in for the flight, which suddenly seemed as though it would take forever.
She dozed off. She hadn’t slept well the night before, in spite of her efforts to not worry. She awoke to the sound of Cricket’s voice in her headphones.
“Hey, we’re going to take a quick detour on the way home.”
She tried not to let her disappointment show. “Okay, where to?”
“Actually, we’re going to fly over Snowy Sky. Tate asked me to show you one of the slopes from the air.”
“What? Why?”
“Almost there,” he answered. “You can decide for yourself.”
She was baffled. Why in the world? She loved Snowy Sky, but she didn’t want to look at it right now. Besides, she’d seen it from the air many times.
Or maybe she did, she realized as she absorbed the scene while Cricket dipped the plane low over the hillside. Giant purple letters spelled out in the snow under chairlift two, “HANNAH, WILL YOU MARRY ME?” Tate and Lucas were waving. She couldn’t help it, she waved back even though she knew they couldn’t see her. She turned toward Cricket, who gave her a big smile and a wink.
Tate and Lucas met them at the airport. Lucas flew toward her and launched himself into her arms. Scooping him up, she hugged him tight. Tate slipped an arm around each of them.
“Before you say anything, I have something to say.”
Hannah set Lucas on his feet. “Don’t you want to know what the doctor said?”
“No,” he said. “I mean, yes, of course. But first I want you to answer our question. I wanted to ask you before I knew, so that you would know that it doesn’t matter to me. And I couldn’t figure out how to do that without you thinking that I either felt sorry for you or I was asking because you weren’t going to lose your leg.”
“Tate, that’s amazing. That is so sweet. I just wanted to know what we were facing first before we made any decisions about our future.”
“But that’s just the thing. That’s what you’ve taught me. There are no guarantees when it comes to the future. All you can control is how you deal with whatever life hands you. And I’ve never met anyone who does that better than you. With you by my side, I don’t think there’s anything I couldn’t handle.
“More than that, I know with every fiber of my being that there’s nothing we can’t handle together. And I can fight, Hannah. And I will always fight for you, for Lucas, for us.
“That’s a promise.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I might need a little push into the ring now and then, and I’m counting on you to do that for me.”
Hannah felt tears well in her eyes as she stared at him. This man who needed her, but she needed him, too. Did he know that? She made a vow right then and there to make sure he always did.
“I need you, too, Tate.”
He grinned. “I know.”
Then she felt Lucas tug gently on her jacket. She looked down into his scrunched face. “Have you answered the question yet? Are you going to marry us? This is a lot of talking and I’m kind of confused.”
“Yes, Lucas, it sure is.”
“Yes, you’ve answered. Or yes is your answer?”
“I don’t know. But the answer is yes—yes, I’m going to marry you and your uncle.”
Tate smiled as Lucas let out a shout of joy.
Hannah couldn’t believe she was facing a lifetime of making this man smile, and she smiled, too, knowing how much easier it was for him now than when they’d first met. Did she deserve this kind of happiness? She wasn’t sure, but she was going to embrace every bit of this good stuff life was finally handing her—just as she always had the bad.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE LITTLE DALE REMEDY by Eleanor Jones.
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The Little Dale Remedy
by Eleanor Jones
CHAPTER ONE
MADDIE SANK WEARILY into the well-worn, ancient chair by the open fireplace. The grate was black and cold, heaped high with ash and half-burned logs that had once brought warmth and cheer. Now the room was empty and kind of sad, an alien environment. A wave of homesickness washed over her, flooding her mind with images of her mum and dad and the comforts of home, making her question, yet again, why she’d moved here, so very far away from all she knew.
Guilt niggled as she remembered how hard her parents had fought her spontaneous decision to leave behind the love and care they’d lavished upon her, especially since the tragedy turned her whole world on its head. She’d been so determined to try to regain some independence and self-esteem after the accident, though, that getting away was all she’d been able to think of. Perhaps she’d been stupid; perhaps she should have stayed in their care longer. Perhaps it was too soon for this.
Impulsively, she reached for the car keys in her pocket. Of course she could just climb into her car and drive home. But then where would she be? Back in the protected cradle of love that stifled her dreams—that’s where. Well, she wasn’t prepared to give up on her future...not yet. Fate may have moved in unexpectedly to shatter her dreams on a lonely road in the pale light of dawn, but she wasn’t about to give up on everything that mattered to her because of one bizarre accident. If she was focused enough, then anything was possible. She just had to hang on to that thought and keep believing it. She’d worked way too hard to regain even half of what she used to be to give up on the next stage just yet.
Dropping her keys on the small oak coffee table, Maddie took a deep breath and stood up. She pressed a palm to her back to fight the pain that flared up, waiting a moment to let it settle before going into the tiny kitchen to fill the kettle. The sound of water starting to bubble and the fresh aroma of the coffee she unpacked from the box of groceries her mum had provided brought familiarity and contentment, reestablishing the single-mindedness that had brought her this far. This was the right decision; she was sure of it. She had overcome so much already, and she was determined to find a place again in the life she loved...or she’d die trying. Maddie’s every instinct told her that Sky View Stables held the key to her future. All she needed was the strength to see her plan through.
Returning to her chair, she sipped her coffee, reflecting on the new job that was just a stepping stone to wha
t she really wanted. She may only have been hired as a general home help, but she intended to gradually try to work with, and eventually ride, the horses there. It might not be the promising horse-racing career she had been forced to abandon, but it was a start, at least. The doctors and consultants had told her riding again would be impossible, and her parents would have a heart attack if they knew what her real goals were but in Little Dale no one knew her history. Here, she had a chance to prove them all wrong; no one would watch her every move, no one would judge her and no one would look at her with sad sympathy in their eyes.
A loud knock took her by surprise. Who could be at the door? She didn’t know anyone from around here. Draining her cup, Maddie headed slowly down the hallway with a sense of unease and a sudden awareness of her isolation. The noise came again, louder and more intense as she approached the front door and opened it just a crack. A tall, dark, angry-looking man in his early thirties was on her doorstep, his hand raised high to begin the tirade of knocking yet again. A large dog stood behind him. Hurriedly, she slipped on the chain, gasping in relief as it slid easily into place.
“Yes?” she said, her voice deceptively cool. “Can I help you?”
“What do you think you’re doing in my house?” the man roared. “I want you out. Now!”
Maddie felt her anxiety drain away as her anger rose. No one was going to speak to her like that. She’d paid good money up front to rent this place, so what was he talking about? She had every right to be here. That knowledge lent her confidence. “What the hell are you doing here is more to the point,” she retaliated, meeting his gaze through the crack.
The ferocity in the man’s dark eyes swayed her slightly, making her aware yet again of how alone she was out here.
“This is my house,” he insisted. “And my guess is that you’re squatting, so if you don’t get out right now, I’m calling the police.”