“That’s what I’ve been trying to say. You and Anita don’t have to hang around. Hike on up to the rim.”
“Not without you and Karinne. Max…are you really calling it off? Isn’t there any chance you two will patch things up?”
“About as much chance as Margot and Jeff living happily ever after,” Max said grimly.
KARINNE SAT on Jon’s bed—her brother’s bed—in shock at the news. She could hardly fathom Margot’s story.
“So…you found a new family? You remarried?”
“No, because I never got divorced. Stephan doesn’t know that.” Margot sat next to her in bare feet. Barefoot but otherwise dressed, Margot pulled on clean socks. That everyday, ordinary task seemed out of place with such momentous news, at least to Karinne. Margot had apparently spent the first decade of her new life gambling, working—in casinos, no less—and gambling some more.
“Oh, Mom.” Her mother’s whole life had been a lie, first with her original family, then with her new one.
Margot’s carefree existence had suddenly changed when she met Jon’s father.
“Stephan was the first man since Jeff I was really serious about. I didn’t rush things, but I missed having someone. Eventually Stephan and I had sex—safe sex, of course. Who doesn’t these days? I didn’t plan to get pregnant. Jon was a definite surprise, but it didn’t matter. Stephan was my chance for a fresh start.”
“Without Dad or me?”
“Stephan wanted to be part of raising the baby, and I was lonely. After ten years of the night life, I was drained. I wanted a regular life, a family. I missed the early days when I was happily married…but not the years when your father and I were fighting.” She sat down again next to Karinne, the shoes in her lap. “I had—have—a gambling problem, as I told you. Back then, it wasn’t under control. Jeff threatened to divorce me and take full custody of you.” Karinne stared.
“I think I went crazy,” Margot said. “I started gambling even more, and that’s when I lost the house. I didn’t know what to do.”
“You could have asked for help!”
“I was past help. I love you, Karinne. I wanted my daughter to remember the woman I was, instead of the wife and mother who threw it all away at the blackjack tables.”
“Max said you wanted money from him. Why, Mom?”
“Not for gambling! Only for false ID to get into this country under an assumed name. I couldn’t afford it, and I didn’t dare ask Stephan for the money. To him, I’m a widow, Mrs. Jeff Cavanaugh. But I go by Margaret Lazar now.”
“How did you get into the U.S.?” Karinne demanded. “If you didn’t have ID?”
“I told the border officials I was a Mexican citizen. I had Jon’s birth certificate to back me up. And it’s what Stephan believes me to be.”
“In other words, you’ve committed fraud again. That’s an awfully big risk for someone who quit gambling. Or have you?”
“I am gambling, Karinne, but not on cards or dice—on you. I told you Jon was my son. I didn’t tell you he has a serious kidney problem. He could die. You could be a donor match for him. I’m not.”
“Just on your say-so, I’m to believe this?”
“He’s your biological half brother,” Margot emphasized. “Any DNA test will prove it. You can do the compatibility test at the same time. I have a copy of Jon’s medical records. I’ll let you see them.”
“Compatibility?” Karinne swallowed hard. “What about Stephan? What about his family? Don’t they want to help?”
“Of course they do! But they aren’t matches, either. We’ve tested everyone, Karinne, except you.”
Karinne didn’t know what to think. “Why isn’t Stephan here with you?” she asked suspiciously.
“He can’t leave his job and risk losing medical coverage. Will you get the blood test?”
“Fine. I’ll get the labs done—for Jon, not for you.”
“And if they match, will you be a donor?” Margot begged, reaching for daughter’s hand.
“I’ll consider it—if he’s truly my brother.”
“He is.” Margot’s shoes fell on the floor as she hugged Karinne tightly. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Thank you, darling.”
Karinne didn’t pull away, nor could she make herself hug her mother back. She studied Margot with new eyes and suddenly understood how her gentle father could get so angry. She felt volatile herself, full of rage and despair, hate and love. She needed fresh air. But as she opened the door, Jon, Anita, Cory and Max rushed inside. Despite the earlier promise of sun, dangerous sheets of monsoon rain suddenly cascaded from above. A huge gust of wind ripped a half-dead tree from the ground and flung it through the foursome’s cabin’s side, shattering boards and glass. At the sound of it, Max and Cory hurried outside, slickers on. They soon returned with bad news.
“Our cabin’s taken a hit, people. We’re all stuck here for the night.”
THE RAIN CONTINUED to fall in torrents hours after it had begun and well into the night, forcing everyone to stay sheltered due to the violence of the storm. The rain wouldn’t let up into lighter individual droplets; it poured sheets of solid water that beat on the cabin’s roof and drowned out the popping of logs in the fireplace. The tepid rain became colder with the onset of darkness, and the chilly dampness in the cabin was only partially lessened by the fire’s glow.
Karinne watched for Max’s return. He’d gone out into the rain to check the level of the Colorado and the water saturation of the camping area. They’d alternated every few hours getting wood. In one bed mother and son were sleeping. Anita lay in the other. Karinne sat at the foot, but neither woman’s eyes were closed. Cory slouched in front of the fire, his elbow resting on the raised rock hearth.
Karinne was awake; she felt glad Jon and Margot were asleep, but wished Max would hurry back. She didn’t like to think of him out in the elements. While she knew they didn’t frighten him, she also knew that nature often claimed the upper hand.
“You’re soaked,” Cory said when Max eventually returned. “Take my place by the fire.”
“The river’s still rising?” Karinne handed him a towel and dry shirt as Max took Cory’s spot.
“Yes, but that’s to be expected.”
Anita sat up in bed. “We’re safe here, right?”
“We’re okay for now. Still…the water’s up to my ankles in places, and down by the docks it’s deeper. Nor is the rain letting up. This isn’t a regular rain shower, people. This is an early monsoon.”
“Did you swing by the ranger cabin, Max?” Cory asked.
“Yes. They hadn’t bedded down for the night. If the rain doesn’t decrease by morning, the evac flag goes up, they said.”
“What about—” Karinne gestured toward the bed where her mother and brother slept. “They have mule rides reserved.”
Max rubbed the towel over his dripping head and face. “The mules won’t be coming down tomorrow. The rangers said the mule train will stay topside, along with any riders.”
Cory frowned. “We can’t hike in a monsoon. Safety would be a problem.”
“A big problem,” Max agreed. “The weather would make the main trail impassible. Come first light, I’ll bring our raft inland—in case we have to navigate to higher ground.”
Karinne’s spirits sank. “Higher ground? Is it that bad? The river’s dammed.”
“Yes, but we still have to deal with actual rainfall between dams.”
“These cabins were built up off the ground,” Anita observed.
“Just a few feet. I’d rather not take chances,” Max said.
“But you said the water was only ankle-deep,” Cory said.
“If the rain doesn’t let up, I’ll be surprised to find the dock above water in the morning. I’d hate to lose the raft,” Max said. “We definitely might need it.”
“Or the life jackets,” Anita added nervously.
“No one should go to the dock now,” Karinne argued. “It’s too dark.”
“What about calling for the weather forecast? Is the phone still working?” Anita asked.
Cory, closest to the receiver, lifted it up and set it down again. “It’s working, but why bother? Listen to the wind! It’s blowing the rain sideways.”
“We’re getting close to gale-force winds,” Max confirmed. “I saw more trees down last time I was out.”
Jon mumbled in his sleep and turned restlessly. No one spoke again until Jon quieted.
“As long as the trees don’t come through this roof, we have food and a dry place to sleep,” Cory said.
“Not much dry wood left, though.” They’d taken turns going out to the shoulder-high stack, and Karinne had gone last. The overhang on the roof wasn’t an effective shelter from the wind. “I had to dig deep into the middle of the stack.”
“We’ll keep the coals going and burn it wet,” Max said.
“Can we do that?” Anita asked uneasily.
“Sure, if we stoke it carefully. Even without a fire, we won’t freeze,” Cory assured her, then stifled a yawn.
“I’ll take the first shift,” Max said.
“I’ll keep you company,” Karinne volunteered. She and Cory traded places, Cory resting next to his wife on the bed, Karinne beside Max by the hearth.
The wind continued to howl. At times rain pelted the windows like pebbles. Karinne’s ears were aching; the storm echoed with a deeper, hollow bass amplified in the canyon and the one-room cabin. That moaning sound, rather than the contrasting high shrieks of wind or drumming rain, drew out goose bumps on Karinne’s arms.
“Now I know why the Anasazi preferred cliff dwellings,” Anita said, her hands over her ears.
“Use the cotton balls in the first aid kit,” Cory suggested.
Cory retrieved some for Anita, and seconds later her ears were stuffed. Cory used some himself, tossed Max the first aid kit, then settled Anita’s head on his shoulder.
Max held the kit out to her. “You need some, Karinne?”
Karinne shook her head. “I want to hear the storm.”
“So do I.”
The howling increased as the wind shifted slightly down the canyon. “I don’t understand how Jon can sleep through it. Margot, either.”
“The boy seems quite calm under the circumstances. How are you?”
“I think we should call the ranger station for another update,” Karinne said.
“Cory listened to the recording a few minutes ago.” Max sat close, but made no move to swing his arm around her waist as he usually would’ve done. “There’s no new update. The rangers left the station for an emergency. Too bad they couldn’t stay sheltered and wait it out.”
Karinne thought of the narrow trail leading to the rim. There were places where even two hikers couldn’t walk abreast.
“I wonder when Mom booked a flight back to Mexico,” Karinne murmured. “Or even if she did.”
“I doubt it. I can’t see Margot leaving until she gets what she wants. She has a sick son, and she’s decided you’re his salvation. Do you think she was telling the truth?”
“About that, yes.” Karinne flushed, embarrassed for her mother. “And I thought she really wanted to see me. I even bought her line about wanting to be at our wedding. Which you say isn’t going to happen.”
“I wonder if she ever intended to show up, regardless of your invitation.”
“You don’t approve of it?”
“First Jeff was your priority. Then Margot. Now Jon. I don’t think I’ve ever been important in your life, Karinne, or you wouldn’t keep pushing me aside. In fact, you’ve never even asked for my advice or opinion during this whole mess. Margot shows up, and I’m shoved into the background. Again. How do you think that makes me feel?”
Karinne gripped the edges of the hearth, the roughness of the rock imprinting itself into her palms. “I said I’d give up my job if you’d give up the idea of having children.”
“You said you’d think about it.”
“I agreed to get Dad professional care.”
“That was your desperate attempt to salvage our relationship. Just like this trek down the Colorado with you was mine. I’m just the friend next door you’ve taken for granted ever since your mother disappeared. A security blanket.”
“You never said any of this before, Max.”
“Yes, I did. You just never listened. So I waited. And like I told you, I’m tired of waiting.”
“What would you have me do? Give up my professional dreams? Ignore my family?”
He shook his head. “I never wanted anything from you under duress. I hoped you’d choose to be with me because you wanted to, just like I wanted to be with you.”
“I do want to be with you,” Karinne said fiercely.
Max’s smile was bitter. “Even though you’d delay the wedding a third time, so Margot can slice you to pieces? Literally.”
Chapter Fourteen
The wind and the rain still fell into the canyon. Those awake in the cabin weren’t surprised when the lights went out. It wasn’t until the predawn hours that the wind’s heavy gusts lessened, replaced by the steady sound of rain falling. The sputtering fire shone on Max, asleep on the floor. Karinne sat beside him, the flashlight at her side. Cory had brought in the last load of wood, and Karinne was due to bring in the next. She couldn’t have slept, anyway, reviewing the conversation she’d had with Max.
“So I should just let the boy die?” Karinne had asked.
“I’m saying don’t jump into anything until you’ve investigated all your options. Most organ donors go through weeks—months—of counseling before reputable hospitals agree to transplants. Margot’s been missing for years. We don’t even know where she intends to have this transplant done. Here? Mexico? Another galaxy? Who’s going to look out for your interests? Margot’s already shown that it’s not her first priority.”
You’ll let her slice you to pieces…literally.
His words had been said in anger, but they had the ring of truth. Max had thrown her seriously off-kilter. Karinne hadn’t been so on edge since her “late” mother’s memorial service, not even at Margot’s miraculous return. Margot’s appearance had chased away the adult Karinne and resurrected that sad little girl from the past. She felt a child’s emotions, a child’s confusion. Her whole world churned as violently as the Colorado white waters when she remembered Max’s words.
Margot’s emotionally blackmailing you.
Of course she was. Karinne could admit it and even understand it. She didn’t understand why Margot could fight so hard for Jon now, and not Karinne years ago. Margot could have faced her husband, Jeff, and confessed her gambling problem. Nor was Max’s part in preventing Margot from spiriting away the young Karinne any excuse. Margot should never have planned to leave, never planned to take Karinne away from her father and her home. Max was right; she shouldn’t trust Margot any more than he did.
Margot had two children. Could she really sacrifice one for the other? Her mother’s tumultuous reappearance would never change Karinne’s feelings for the man she loved—but Jon’s condition could change everyone’s future….
Max had made some valid points, however. If no one in Stephan’s family was a match, why couldn’t Jon get a transplant from the anonymous donor list? Surely Mexico’s medical protocol took young children into account. Kidney transplants weren’t as rare or dangerous as other kinds of transplants. Jon certainly didn’t look sick, but if Margot was being honest, how could Karinne condemn a child to death—one who was her own brother?
I feel like running away myself, Karinne thought. The irony of the situation didn’t escape her. I’m my mother’s daughter, after all.
An uncharacteristic wave of hopelessness swept over her. Everyone wanted someone else to make concessions, so they could live happily ever after. Jeff needed Karinne to stay in Phoenix; Max needed to stay in the canyon and want
ed her there; Margot needed Karinne to sacrifice a kidney for her son.
Karinne checked the fire. It was her turn to watch the coals. She’d need more wood, but as she got up, Max rose from his stretched-out position on the floor, and caught her hand.
“We’ve got enough for now,” he said quietly.
“I assumed you were asleep.”
“Just resting my eyes. I wasn’t sleeping.”
Karinne looked out the window. “I wish the sun would come up. I want to go home.”
Max frowned. “I thought you wanted to stay with your mother and brother.”
“I should take them to see my father.”
“I don’t think that’s a scene Jon needs.” Max gently pulled her down, with a familiar kindness she’d grown to rely on. Karinne sat cross-legged on one half of the quilted nylon, Max on the other.
“I should go back to Phoenix and get to a hospital,” Karinne said slowly. “If I’m a match for Jon, I want to help.”
“That’s another scene Jon can skip. I doubt your father’s going to approve.”
“The way you don’t approve?”
“You’ve always had a big heart, Karinne. It’s one of the things I love about you. I think your desire to save a life, especially the life of a child, is commendable. However, I also think that isn’t something that can be decided on the spur of the moment.”
Karinne shook her head. “Yet you decided the wedding was off on the spur of the moment. We could still have gone through with it. At the worst, we could have delayed it.”
“Delayed it? How long? Until this thing with Jon is settled? Until you work out your feelings for your mother? Until we’re both old and gray and too old to have children?”
“I meant postpone the wedding for a few months,” Karinne said before she lost her nerve. “A few more if Jon and I are a match, and I have surgery. And then I’d have to recover—and get reacquainted with Mom.”
Max’s voice grew harsh. “Sounds less like months and more like years.”
“There’s still my dad’s health to consider,” Karinne said.
The Reluctant Bride Page 13