by Jill Sanders
Abby chuckled. “Didn’t you say that about the new guy in the marketing department last week?”
Katie frowned. “That was before I found out he was married.”
Abby smiled. “I assume Mr. Right, last night, is single.”
Katie nodded. “Single and extremely hot. I may have to make a trip to Portland before my next date.” She wiggled her eyebrows, causing Abby to chuckle.
“That serious?”
Katie waved her hands. “Not serious, just seriously hot. Did I mention he’s a cop?”
Abby laughed. “Twice.” Just then, her cell phone rang. Frowning, she glanced down and sighed. “It’s my mom. Hang on.” She didn’t like taking personal calls during work hours, but since she and Katie were currently chatting about her date last night, she decided to pick up.
“Hey, Mom, what’s up?”
“Abby, thank god I got you and not your voice mail. You need to come to Portland right away.”
Worry instantly shot through every vein in her body. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Jenna. She and Rod have been in an accident.”
“What?” She gasped and stood up, her cell phone almost slipping out of her hand. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know much. They were brought in early this morning. It sounds like Rod lost control of his car.” Her mother’s voice wavered a little.
“Where are they?”
“Providence. Jenna’s in surgery right now.”
“Surgery?”
“Something with her leg. We’re heading there now. Your father’s driving us all down there.” She sniffled. “He’s the only one calm enough to drive.”
Abby looked at Katie, who was waving her hands. “What?”
“My cousin’s been in an accident. I need to get to Portland quick.” Abby started to feel panic rush through her.
Katie turned and pulled out her cell phone.
“Mom, I’ll try and hurry.”
“Abby, don’t drive yourself. I know I’m way too overcome with worry. I don’t want you taking a chance.”
She nodded and instantly thought about Lane.
“I won’t. I’ve got…” She stopped talking when Katie turned back and blurted out.
“My dad says he can fly you there. If you can make it to the airstrip in ten minutes.”
She nodded. “Mom, I’ve got a flight. I’ll be there in…” Katie held up her finger. “About an hour.”
“Be careful, honey. I love you.” She heard her dad yell that he loved her too before her mother hung up.
“Thanks.” She rushed over and hugged Katie.
“Go, don’t worry about anything. I’ll tell Todd you had a family emergency.” She pushed her towards the door. “Oh, I had my dad call someone to take you to the airstrip. He should be downstairs any minute.”
She raced back behind her desk and pulled her purse out of the bottom drawer and then hugged her friend one more time. When she opened the front doors of the building, the large fire engine sat in front, its lights still flashing.
“Ready?” Lane rushed around the side of the truck. She smiled and nodded, then followed him as he helped her into the tall truck.
She’d never ridden in a fire truck before, so when they flipped on the sirens, she jumped a little and watched as cars and people got out of the way.
“The airstrip is only five minutes away,” Lane said, sitting next to her. He pulled off his jacket and his heavy pants and boots. The impromptu striptease had her eyes glued to his every movement.
When the truck came to a quick stop, she glanced up again and noticed they were parked in front of a small white airplane. She didn’t know much about the crafts, only that it was the smallest one that she had ever been on.
Lane helped her down from the truck and she followed him to the airplane.
When Lane shook an older man’s hand, he said, “Kevin, thanks for taking us.” She blinked a few times and glanced at Lane’s eyes. Then turned back around and watched the firetruck disappear down the road.
“Anytime. I was making a run up to Portland anyway. I have a client that needs to be in Seattle in a few hours.”
They stood back as the man opened the door. “Watch your step.” He nodded to her as Lane helped her into the cabin.
The inside of the plane was a lot like a limousine. There were four soft white leather chairs. The two in the back were bigger than the front two. When she glanced at the cabin, she saw a large panel of buttons and gauges and then made her way to the back seat as Lane followed her.
When he sat next to her, he took her hand and pulled it up to his lips. “We’ll be there in no time.” He smiled as she nodded.
When the small plane took off, she sat back on the comfortable leather chairs and sighed. Then she leaned forward and watched the ground disappear underneath them.
***
“Thanks for coming with me.” Abby glanced up at him. The tears building in her eyes made him want to pull her into his arms. Instead, he nodded and squeezed her hand a little.
“Are you okay with flying?” he asked when he noticed her looking out the window.
“I flew a lot when I lived at home.” She glanced at him. “We flew to Italy once; talk about a long flight.”
“I’ve never been out of the great Northwest.” He frowned. “I’ve always wanted to go someplace different. Maybe Brazil?” He shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s wonderful. You’ll enjoy it.” She smiled a little and he noticed the tears were drying up.
“You’ve probably been lots of places,” he said.
She shrugged her shoulders. “My dad used to travel a lot for work and would take my mother and I along sometimes.”
“It must have been wonderful, traveling all over.”
“It was nice, but I don’t know, I’ve always dreamed of living in a small town like Pride.”
He nodded. “It does have its moments,” he confessed, and then he thought about his conversation with Jeff earlier that day. “I hear you had a run-in with Kelly the other day.” He waited a minute for her response.
“It was nothing,” she finally said, shrugging her shoulders.
“From what Jeff said, it didn’t sound like nothing.”
She turned to him a little more. “She said some words. Nothing that I couldn’t handle. Patty was there and took charge. How’s your day been?”
He laughed and rubbed his forehead at her attempt to change the subject.
“Jeff told me that she’s moved to Seattle.”
“I heard that Kelly went off on you two days ago when you were in the store buying us that barbecue dinner. Called you all sorts of names and even tried to reach across the counter towards you.”
Just thinking about it made Lane angry.
“I can handle myself against your crazy ex-girlfriend.” She smiled a little.
“I can tell that you have some spitfire in there.” He gently poked her and watched her smile. “Jeff told me that she’s moved to Seattle.”
“That’s nice.” He thought he saw a sliver of hope in her eyes.
“Thanks.” He watched her eyes go a little sad.
“For?” He moved closer to her.
“Taking my mind off of what’s coming.” She sighed. “I think I’ll rest my eyes for a while.” She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
He nodded. “I think I’ll sneak up front and see how one of these bad boys works.” He smiled. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to fly.”
She nodded, then rested her head back and closed her eyes. He took just a moment to enjoy how beautiful she was. The sunlight was coming into the window, falling on her face. Her red hair looked like it was on fire in the sunlight. No wonder he’d been drawn to her instantly.
“Hey,” he said to Kevin as he took the seat next to the older man.
“Hi. Everything going okay back there?” The man nodded towards the back.
“Yeah, she wanted to rest for a while and I figur
ed I could come up here and bug you for a while.” He smiled as his eyes took in everything.
Kevin laughed. “Want to take the stick for a while?”
His eyes moved to the second steering wheel in front of him. “Could I?”
He laughed and nodded. “Just keep your eyes on this altimeter.” He tapped a gauge. “Keep it above 10k.”
He nodded and gently grabbed the small half-wheel.
For the next fifteen minutes, he learned as much as the older man would teach him about the Cessna. Just before landing, Kevin asked him to return to his seat. When he sat down, Abby jumped awake a little.
“Sorry.” He took her hand. “We’re coming in for a landing.”
She nodded. “My dad texted me that he’s picking us up to take us to the hospital.”
He smiled and tried to hide his nerves about meeting her dad again.
When the door to the plane opened, he helped Abby down the stairs and then stood back as she rushed towards her dad.
“How’s it going, Lane.” He reached out and shook his hand.
Lane shook the man’s hand and nodded. “Nice seeing you again.”
“Jenna’s out of surgery.” Tom turned to Abby. “She’s not awake all the way yet, but maybe by the time we get there…”
She nodded and started walking towards the car.
“No luggage?” Tom looked towards the airplane.
“No, there wasn’t time.” Abby frowned. “I didn’t even thank Katie’s father.” She turned back to the plane, but it was already taxing towards the garages.
“I did it for you. I’ve got his cell number for when we’re ready to go home.” He smiled a little when he realized how good that sounded.
Chapter Thirteen
When Abby walked into the waiting room at the hospital, she was immediately engulfed by family. Tears were shed, questions were asked and some were answered, but more were raised in return.
“They say Rod’s blood level was almost twice the legal limit,” her mother said, hugging her close.
“What?” She pulled back and frowned. “Is that what caused this?”
Monique, Jenna’s mother, stepped forward and took her hand. “It looks like it was the key factor.”
Abby hugged the woman and then pulled back a little when she felt Lane’s hand on her shoulder.
“Everyone, this is Lane. Lane”—she waved around the small room—“everyone.”
She knew what he was seeing. Her parents had their arms wrapped around one another. Her father was as tall as she was, her mother almost a foot shorter. Her dad had at one point had rich jet-black hair, which had slowly turned to a dark silver. He was tan from the hours he spent playing golf and tennis at the club. Her mother’s rich warm red hair almost matched her own color perfectly. Even though Abby was taller, the two women were cut from the same mold.
Her aunt and uncle were also there. Uncle Graham, her mother’s twin, had pale blond hair and a long, wiry tall frame. His wife, Monique, was his complete opposite. Her dark skin and rich chestnut hair was the reason Jenna had a full head of thick brunette curls. Monique’s South American beauty had shined on her cousin full force.
“Can we see her yet?” Abby turned back towards her parents.
They all shook their heads together. “They said in a while we can go in one at a time,” her mother said, wiping a tear from her eyes.
“What about Rod?” She looked around.
“He was released an hour ago,” her uncle said, glancing down.
“Released?”
He nodded. “But!” She felt Lane stiffen next to her and she glanced over at him. “I don’t understand.”
“He wasn’t injured. When the police arrived last night, they took him in and his parents have already posted his bond.”
“But…” She was speechless. “Jenna is…”
“I know, honey, but we have to see how this plays out.” Her mother walked over and hugged her again. “Trust us, it’s not over.”
She nodded just as a doctor came out and walked over to her aunt and uncle, who instantly held onto one another.
“She’s awake now. You can take five minute turns, two at a time, until we move her into a private room.”
By the time Abby walked back to where Jenna was propped up on two pillows in a hospital bed, she had finally gotten her emotions under control. Her hatred for Rod had been buried by her love and concern for her cousin.
“Hey,” she said softly as she walked over and sat in the chair next to her cousin. Jenna’s leg was propped up, covered in white gauze. Her pink painted toenails stuck out of the end of a large white sock. She had cuts and bruises along her forehead, but thankfully nothing major that required stitches.
“Hey.” She tried to smile, but Abby could tell she was a little too drugged for the task.
“How are you feeling?” She reached over and took her hand, the one that was free of tubes and wires.
Jenna shrugged her shoulders. “Like a statistic.”
Abby questioned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“What? That Rod was becoming an alcoholic?” She frowned and blinked a few times until her eyes cleared from the drugs.
“Well, yeah.” She moved closer.
Jenna leaned her head back and sighed. “I guess I was embarrassed.”
“What?” She tried to control her anger at the man. “Why would you be embarrassed for him?”
Jenna’s eyes met hers. “Because I felt like it was my fault he was drinking so much.”
She waited, watching her best friend.
Jenna sighed again. “We’ve been fighting a lot lately. Ever since you moved.”
“About me?”
“No!” Jenna tried to sit up a little, then cringed and lay back. She shook her head. “About stuff.”
“Jenna.” She waited until her cousin looked at her. “We’ve been best friends for how long?”
Jenna smiled a little. “Before we were born.”
“Right.” She nodded. “So, what aren’t you telling me?”
“I caught him cheating,” she blurted out. “Well, not caught, but found out he had.”
Abby’s chin dropped. “And why are you still with him?”
Jenna shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I don’t know.” She waited again. Then Jenna rolled her eyes. “Sometimes you can be a pain. You know that right?”
Abby smiled a little and nodded.
“He promised me it was just a kiss, and that he’d been drunk and thought the girl was me.”
“And you fell for that?”
“No, of course not, but part of me didn’t want to let him go.”
“Why?”
Her cousin looked her in the eyes and frowned. “Because I’d just lost you and I didn’t want to lose him.”
“Oh, honey.” She rushed closer and hugged her. “You didn’t lose me.”
“Sure I did.” She heard Jenna sniffle. “You moved over an hour away.” More sniffles. “We can’t go shopping anymore or take walks or go get drinks.”
“Honey,” she repeated as she rubbed her cousin’s soft hair. “We can still do all those things.”
Jenna shook her head. “You’re too far away.”
Abby pulled back and looked at her. “Then move to Pride.”
Jenna laughed. “Right. What would I do in a small town?”
Abby smiled. “Did I mention Lane has a whole house full of single, available firemen?”
She watched Jenna smile a little, and then she frowned. “I still kind of love Rod.”
Abby scoffed. “Any man who would put you in so much danger…” She shook her head and closed her eyes. “You deserve better.”
***
Lane felt like every eye in the room was on him at some point. He sat stiffly as everyone talked around him. There was so much chatter going on that he was having a hard time deciphering who was speaking.
Jenna was spending the next two nights in the hospital until the doctors cleared he
r to go home. The entire group had been kicked out a few minutes after visiting hours had ended. Abby promised her cousin that she’d return to sit with her in the morning.
They had piled into several different cars and had driven out of town to Abby’s folk’s house.
“Here, you can help me set the table,” Abby’s father said, breaking into his thoughts. He opened his mouth, but the man smiled and said, “Call me Tom.”
He nodded. “Sure thing, Tom.” He took the stack of plates from the man and followed him into a large dining room. “You have a lovely place here.” He’d glanced around several times after entering the bigger home on the outskirts of town.
“Thanks. We’ve had it since before the girls were born.” He nodded. “Graham and Monique are right next door.”
Lane’s eyebrows shot up. “I bet that made it nice for Abby and Jenna growing up.”
Tom chuckled. “Made it easier for them to get into trouble, you mean.”
He smiled. “From what Abby tells me, it’s her cousin’s fault.”
Tom laughed. “Right.” He winked. “My Abby can be quite the troublemaker. She can pull her own weight at causing problems.” He smiled. “What about you? Any family?”
He nodded. “A younger sister, Angie.”
Tom smiled. “Abby and Jenna always wanted siblings.” He shook his head. “Guess it wasn’t meant to be, but they had each other. What about your folks? What do they do?”
Lane sighed as he set down his last plate. “My mother works for the town of Pride. She’s been mayor for almost eight years.”
“Wow,” Tom whistled. “Hotshot mom.” He smiled.
Lane chuckled. “I’m real proud of her.”
“And your dad?”
His smile fell away. “Died in a crash shortly after Angie was diagnosed with autism.”
“I’m sorry. It must have been hard, having a double blow like that.”
He shrugged his shoulders, remembering how he’d stepped into the role of head of the house at such a young age. How he’d taken full responsibility of his family until his mother had recovered from the blow of losing her husband.
“Carolyn works with special needs kids.” Tom nodded towards a small hallway. Lane followed Tom to where there was a wall of pictures and drawings. “One in every eighty-eight kids is born with autism now.” He shook his head from side to side, frowning a little. Then pointed to another picture. “That’s how we met.” He smiled. “I was having to fulfill some”—he cleared his throat—“service requirements and volunteered at the place she works at.”