The Love That Saved Him

by Sophie Barnes

  “You needn’t have bothered,” Billy said. He placed his arm around Sarah’s shoulders and pulled her into a tight hold. “We’re managing just fine.”

  “I beg to differ,” Thomas shot back. “Hitting a woman isn’t fine by any standard.”

  Pierce’s expression seemed to harden into something positively terrifying after that comment. “Sarah?” His eyes bored into her. “Is that true? Did Billy hit you?”

  She shrugged as best as she could in an effort to diffuse the rising tension. Yes, he’d hit her, but she recognized it for what it was and didn’t want Pierce getting into a fight over it. “It was just a slap in anger. He—”

  “Fucking hell, Sarah,” Billy snapped. “I barely touched you.”

  “Get your hands off of her this instance,” Pierce said as he took a step forward.

  Billy didn’t budge. “Why? So you can have a go with her instead? I don’t think so.”

  “I’ll only tell you one more time,” Pierce said. “Let her go.”

  “You think you can come here and interfere in matters that don’t concern you? I’ll tell you what I told her grandpa: This is between me and Sarah, so the two of you can just fuck off for all I care.”

  Without saying another word, Pierce closed the distance between himself and Billy, pulled back his fist, and sent it flying straight into Billy’s face. Billy’s feet faltered in response to the unexpected impact, and his arm slipped from around Sarah’s shoulder, releasing her with a suddenness that made her stumble.

  “Get up and fight, if that’s what you want,” Pierce said while he watched Billy straighten himself and face him. “Come on!”

  For a second, Sarah thought of trying to stop them, but then she felt her grandfather’s hand on her arm and heard him say, “This might be precisely what Billy needs.”

  So she stepped back and let them circle and punch, dodge and hit until they were both panting for breath.

  “That’s enough,” Billy finally said. He held up his hand to stop Pierce from attacking again. “I’m done.”

  Stepping back, Pierce stayed where he was while Billy straightened himself and turned to face Sarah. His clothes were in disarray, his face flushed from exertion, and there was no denying the tragic look of finality in his eyes. “I’m going to go. My flight leaves for Calgary tomorrow, and I’ll be back to work there on Monday.” He nodded as if to reassure himself that he was making the right decision. “I’m sorry. About everything. You deserve better than this. I just… Christ, Sarah, it’s been hell.”

  “I know,” she said and went toward him. “I feel the same way.” Reaching him, she put her arms around him in a tight embrace and quietly whispered, “You were my first love, Billy. I hope you’ll find the peace and happiness you deserve.”

  “Maybe in another five years,” he told her grimly.

  She pulled back a little, just enough to see his face. “A change of scenery will help.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  She paused, unable to stop herself from thinking of Pierce, who’d similarly moved away from the place where his life had crumbled. Had coming to the Klondike helped him? Or was he just continuing to suffer in a different place now?

  “I don’t know for certain,” she said. “We all deal with loss in different ways. I talked about it a lot and that helped me.”

  He inhaled deeply. “I wish I could have been more like that. We might have stood a chance then.”

  She met his gaze. “There’s no certainty. People with longer relationships than ours who’ve been married for years have broken up over less.”

  Nodding, he quietly turned away and strode toward the edge of the driveway where he’d left his truck parked. A minute later, he was driving off, vanishing between the trees with the fading sound of his engine, until nothing remained but silence.

  Sarah stared at the spot where he’d stood just moments before. It was almost as if she could feel the last few years of her life trickling away, like sand through an hourglass.

  “Are you all right?”

  Starting, Sarah turned to find Pierce standing beside her with Thomas a couple of paces further away. She nodded, then tried a smile that didn’t feel comfortable. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  He didn’t look very convinced, and then he frowned. “You’re trembling.”

  “Am I?” She hadn’t noticed.

  “Come on inside,” Thomas said as he headed back toward the house. “It’ll be good for you to sit down and have a drink after all that.”

  “I don’t need a drink,” she said, crossing her arms in protest.

  “Suit yourself,” Thomas said. He’d reached the front door. “Will you join us, Pierce?”

  “Certainly,” Pierce said. “If that’s all right with you, Sarah?”

  “Sure.” She said nothing further and followed Thomas back inside, her mind a whirling mess of sentimental regret and a sense of overwhelming loss.

  Heading to the living room, she took off her jacket and tossed it on a chair before sinking onto the couch. Her nerves were frayed but at least the trembling had stopped. She took a slow, calming breath. It finally felt as though she and Billy had made a clean break with each other, and as strange as that seemed, it would hopefully help them both to move on with their lives in a healthier way.

  “I brought you a beer,” Pierce said, entering from the hallway and taking a seat in one of the armchairs. “Hope that’s okay.”

  “Thanks.” She glanced at the empty doorway. “Where’s my grandfather?”

  “I don’t know,” Pierce murmured as he sat back and took a sip from his own bottle. “He mentioned something about checking on an order he placed for a new trommel. Said he’d join us shortly.”

  Forcing back an eye-roll, Sarah set her bottle to her lips and savored the aromatic flavor as it passed over her tongue. She knew her grandfather well enough to recognize when he was being manipulative, and right now there was no doubt in her mind that checking on the trommel order was just an excuse to allow Sarah and Pierce to spend some time alone.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened out there?” Pierce asked.

  She considered the offer for a second, then shook her head. “Not really. If it’s okay with you, I’d rather talk about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.” Maybe now would be a good time to tell him about her grandfather’s darkest secret – the one that meant she wasn’t just a stranger to Pierce, but his late wife’s cousin.

  “Have you ever visited the library in town?” he asked before she could find the right words.

  “Err…sure. Not recently, though. Why do you ask?”

  “I was thinking of stopping by there next week after Frank and Jenny leave, maybe picking up some Clive Custler or Tom Clancy if they have any available.”

  “So you’re into action adventure stories?”

  He grinned. “Isn’t everyone?”

  She couldn’t help but smile at the look of incomprehension on his face. Granted, he was doing it deliberately, but that just made her smile even more. “I prefer historical fiction, if given a choice. Have you read The Pillars of the Earth, by any chance?”

  “Well, yeah. Follet’s a masterful storyteller. I read his war novels first, but then when The Pillars of the Earth came out and everyone was raving about it, I decided to give it a try even though it’s not really something I’d usually pick up.”

  “And?” she asked, curious about his opinion. “Did you like it?”

  “Absolutely. The intrigue was captivating, and the building of the cathedral was explained in such a way that it was impossible not to find it fascinating.”

  Enjoying the relaxed commonality between them, Sarah took another sip of beer. “I can come with you if you like. When you go to the library.” She wasn’t sure why she’d made the offer, but she was suddenly reluctant to lose the bond that seemed to be forming between them.

  “That would be great.” He
hesitated a moment before saying, “Maybe we can grab lunch as well.”

  She blinked. “Err…yeah…err…that sounds… err—”

  “You can relax. I’m not asking you out on a date or anything.”

  “Oh.” Why didn’t that fill her with relief?

  “In fact, I’d like to apologize for things getting weird between us the other day. It won’t happen again. I promise.”

  “Thanks.” She could scarcely look at him, at the handsome face that had started haunting her thoughts with increasing frequency. She shouldn’t want anything more than friendship from him, but for some absurd reason, her body disagreed with her mind.

  It will pass.

  “And as far as things between Frank and Thomas are concerned,” he said, snapping her attention back to what he was saying with swift precision, “do you think there’s a chance of them getting over whatever disagreement they had in the past?”

  Sarah stared at him for a long moment before finally gathering her courage and saying, “It’s unlikely.”

  “Really? I figured their fallout must have happened so long ago that it might be water under the bridge by now.”

  “I don’t think it will ever be water under the bridge, Pierce.”

  A frown knit his brow. “What do you mean?”

  She took a breath. “Grandpa told me what happened and…it’s a tough pill to swallow. Especially for Frank.” She then told Pierce exactly what Thomas had told her, leaving nothing out. If they were to stay friends after this, full disclosure would be her only option.

  He sat for a long moment after, completely still as he stared off into nothingness. When he eventually moved, it was to get up. “Thank you for letting me know, Sarah. I really appreciate it.”

  “It seemed like the right thing to do.” Rising as well, she stuck her hands in her jeans pockets. “Looks as though our lives are tangled together in the most unexpected way imaginable.”

  He winced. “You’ve got that right.”

  “I’m sorry, Pierce. I know the last thing you need is tempers running high, which is what will definitely happen if Frank and Thomas meet. Not to mention the fact that Caroline and I apparently share a grandmother.” There. She’d pointed out the elephant in the room and forced him to look at it.

  Nodding, he began heading toward the front door. “I’ll see you later then.” The door opened, and he stepped out. Apparently, he had no intention of addressing it himself, she thought as he climbed back into his jeep and headed down the road.

  Pierce gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He’d moved to Canada in an effort to escape the painful memories, had fled from Frank and Jenny’s support because they reminded him too much of the love he’d lost. And then he’d met Sarah – beautiful even in her own grief – and he’d accepted the moments of brief escape she’d offered. Hell, he’d even allowed himself to imagine what it might be like to form a deeper attachment to her.

  Turning sharply to the right, he practically swerved onto his own driveway. Damn! Why did she have to be connected to Caroline? Why couldn’t she just be a random woman he happened to like? There was no escaping the guilt now, was there? Not when she was Caroline’s cousin. And then there was Thomas. The man had literally wrecked Frank’s family, torn it apart so he could settle down with Frank’s mother right next door. Who the hell did that sort of thing?

  Slamming the breaks as he roared into the driveway, Pierce yanked open the car door and slammed it shut behind him. He’d been angry in the past, but never quite this angry. Now, because of all this, his relationship with Frank and Jenny would probably suffer. There was no way they would be okay with Thomas mining the ridge. In fact, they’d probably insist Pierce break the contract. Which was just perfect, wasn’t it?

  He drew a breath and stopped for a moment, considered the tumultuous emotions tumbling through him. Was it normal for him to react this strongly to what Sarah had said? Tilting his head in thought, he unlocked his front door and went inside where Fido greeted him with a bark. He bent down to pet the puppy, which was steadily growing in size.

  Perhaps he was overreacting. Perhaps Frank wouldn’t care too much, and perhaps he and Thomas would actually make amends. Perhaps… He stopped himself, struck by the hope that sprang to the front of his mind. “Perhaps Sarah and I can find a way to…” He didn’t dare finish that thought, for he knew very well how it ended.

  Shaking his head, he walked across to his bedroom, intent on exchanging his jeans for a more comfortable pair of sweatpants, only to be halted by the same photo that always made him want to shrink away into nothingness. How could he possibly consider so much as embracing another woman? It wasn’t right. After all, he’d promised Caroline he’d always be faithful. And although he knew deep down inside that she wouldn’t expect him to extend that to the afterlife, Pierce simply couldn’t shake the feeling that it would be wrong of him to even consider doing so.

  Fleetingly, he thought of the unopened letter he’d tucked away in the wedding album. Perhaps it was time to consider opening it? He drew a deep breath, then dismissed the idea. He still wasn’t ready.

  Feeling overwhelmingly tired all of a sudden, he changed his clothes, took one more look at Caroline’s smiling face, then headed back into the living room where some mindless TV show undoubtedly awaited.

  It was late afternoon the following day by the time Pierce arrived home from the airport with Frank and Jenny. He hadn’t told them much about anything during the drive, choosing to comment on current events and politics instead. But as they neared the property, Frank decided to address their stay directly by saying, “I hope our visit won’t inconvenience you in any way.”

  “No. Of course not.” Pierce forced a smile. He really didn’t want to break the bad news to them. “It’s great to see you both again.”

  “Well, it’s good to see you too, Pierce, but with miners about and you helping with one of the digs, I know we probably didn’t choose to come at the best time.”

  “It’s fine,” Pierce assured them both. “I’ll take a few days off while you’re here. It’s not that big of a deal really.”

  A second of silence passed before Jenny asked, “Are you sure?”

  “The miners I’ve met have always gotten annoyed whenever someone took time off,” Frank said. “The season’s so short they usually want to get as much out of it as possible.”

  Pierce nodded. “That’s true, but as I mentioned to you over the phone, I’m more of a hands-on investor. I gave them a discount in exchange for a percentage of the final earnings and their permission to help out. Truth is, I needed something to occupy myself with, something to stop my mind from spinning.”

  “I can relate to that,” Frank murmured.

  “Same here,” Jenny said before adding, “I’ve started writing a memory book about Caroline – everything I can remember about her from the moment she was born.”

  “That’s…” Pierce cleared his throat. “That sounds really nice, Jenny.”

  “I was actually hoping you might be able to help me with some of it. There are blanks, you know, things I’m sure she spoke more about with you than she ever did with me.”

  “Err…sure…I’ll help as much as possible,” Pierce managed to say as he steered the car onto the road that would take them straight to his driveway.

  “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Frank said. He shifted slightly in his seat. “I told you not to make this sort of demand, Jenny. Pierce has been through enough as it is.”

  “I’m just trying to honor our daughter in the best way possible,” Jenny whispered.

  Pierce caught the tiny crack in her voice and stiffened. This was precisely what he’d been hoping to avoid, this melancholy trip to a place he’d been trying so hard to escape. But what could he do? They were here now and judging from Jenny’s attitude, she was bent on finding closure with this memory book of hers. Frank, on the other hand, seemed far more controlled, though a great deal grumpier th
an usual. It was eleven months since he’d seen them last, and as far as Pierce could tell, they’d both found very different ways of dealing with what had happened.

  “This is it,” Pierce announced ten minutes later when he parked the car. A little further away in the distance he could see the excavator he usually handled, busily digging up dirt.

  “Wow.” Frank got out and scanned the scenery. “It sure looks like you’ve built an impressive home here.”

  “I’d forgotten how incredible the views are,” Jenny said. Drawing a deep breath of fresh mountain air, she scanned the surroundings. “Frank’s father didn’t care much for such things. That’s why he built his own house back there behind the trees.”

  “He was all about the gold,” Frank said as he straightened his back. “So…just as long as your mansion there isn’t built on top of rich ore…”

  “It’s not a mansion,” Pierce told him calmly. Popping the trunk open he unloaded their bags and headed toward the front door. “There are only three bedrooms and two baths.”

  “Really?” Jenny sounded genuinely surprised. “It looks much bigger than that.”

  “Especially when compared to Mr. Palmer’s shack,” Frank muttered. “Have you met him yet?”

  Clamping his jaw shut, Pierce nodded as he opened the door and ushered his guests inside. “Your room is right over here past the living room.”

  “I’m assuming he asked to mine the ridge,” Frank went on. “He’s been gunning for that piece of land for years.”

  “Yeah,” Pierce admitted. Reaching their room, he set down their bags just inside the door. “They actually came to talk to me about it when I started leasing to miners.” There was clearly no avoiding the issue now.

  “The nerve of him,” Frank said. “After everything he did.”

  “Come, dear,” Jenny tried, “It’s been what, forty odd years? Isn’t it time for the two of you to bury the hatchet?”

  Frank’s eyes expanded until they’d practically doubled in size. “He stole my mother away from my father, Jen!”