With Barbi, the world was full of possibilities.
“I know you can do anything you want.” He gently kissed the marks on her wrist. “I realize this isn’t the most romantic setting, but I’ve lost too much because I focused on the wrong things and kept biding my time. I love you, Barbi. If you’ll have me, I can’t imagine a better life than being a lawyer and a husband, right here in Mahalaton Lake.”
Barbi looked shocked. “You’re crazy. Your family expects you to marry a proper society girl, someone good enough to be a lawyer’s wife.”
“You are good enough—more than good enough. I can’t imagine anything more boring than a proper society girl. And if you won’t marry me for such a crazy reason, I’ll quit the law—I’m not losing the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I thought Maria Walther was your best thing.”
“I loved Maria,” he acknowledged, “but she didn’t make me a better person the way you do. Being successful lawyers together was more important than what we were as a couple. That’s not ‘best,’ it’s not knowing any better. How about it? Is there any chance you could love me, too?”
* * *
BARBI BIT HER LIP. Never in her life would she have thought that a man with a college education and refined manners would want to marry her, but now Brendan Townsend was saying she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
Should she say yes?
Loving him wasn’t the problem. She loved him so much she could burst with it, but it wasn’t as if they wouldn’t have problems. On the other hand, she’d gotten the courage to tell her father to leave her alone, and that was huge. Maybe Brendan had helped by getting him on the ground, but she’d still waved that pepper-spray bottle in Vic’s face, making sure he knew she’d use it if he bothered her again. If she could do that, she could do anything.
“Your parents wouldn’t come to the wedding,” she said. “Not if they meet me first.”
He shrugged. “That’s their loss.”
Barbi smiled slowly, suddenly feeling very sure about the future. “How about another bet?” she suggested. “If you win, I marry you.”
“Uh-uh,” Brendan said, walking toward her with a gleam in his eyes. “I love you too much to take a chance on losing.”
“In that case, I guess I’ll have to marry you anyway...’cuz I love you, too.”
He pulled her close for a kiss, everything she’d always wanted and never thought she could have.
* * *
HANNAH DIDN’T FEEL in the Christmas in August spirit, but nevertheless, on Saturday she helped decorate the fire station and the rescue squad headquarters. At least the rest of the town seemed to be having a grand time preparing for the festival, and all the motels were fully booked, so the tourists were looking forward to it, as well.
The city maintenance department had put up the street decorations on Friday, and people were wandering around humming Christmas carols under their breaths. Normally Hannah loved it, but she had too much on her mind to feel festive.
Her parents always got into the spirit so much they put up lights around the house and a tree. Her mother had invited Danny to spend a few nights with them during the festival, saying it felt more like Christmas with a child in the house, but Hannah knew it was also to make her expeditions with Jake easier to coordinate.
“But, Mommy, can’t you and Jake stay at Grandma and Grandpa’s, too?” he asked that night as Hannah packed some of his things before bedtime. He was at his grandparents’ house so often he had plenty of clothes there, but there were a few items she thought he might need.
“Jake is working on his photographs and I’m helping,” Hannah explained. “Now hop into bed. You can read for a while before going to sleep.”
He sighed and climbed under the blankets with his book while Badger jumped onto the mattress beside him.
Hannah went into the living room and wished she didn’t feel so unsettled. She’d woken early Tuesday morning and had thought about leaving before Jake awoke to avoid another potential morning-after discussion, only to see him lying sprawled on his back, Louie tucked into his armpit, looking so endearing that she’d almost cried.
The risk of any relationship.
She pressed her arm over her stomach, remembering the hollow tone in Jake’s voice when he’d said those words. Caring about someone was always a risk because there were so many ways to lose them.
The phone rang and Hannah’s eyes widened as she saw the display. Why was Brendan calling her?
“Hello?”
“Hey, Hannah, it’s me.”
Relief flooded her. “Barbi? Hi. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. Um, could I come out tomorrow afternoon?”
Hannah quickly sorted her mental schedule and to-do list. “Sure, that would be fine. What time?”
“Is one o’clock all right? I’ll bring pizza.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to.”
“Well...sure.”
It was only after they’d said goodbye that Hannah frowned. Barbi had sounded pretty excited for someone setting up a tutoring session. Of course, she was calling from Brendan’s condo, so she was probably a little tense, not wanting him to know about her studies...and exhilarated because she was with him and able to call from his condo.
* * *
PROMPTLY AT ONE the next day, there was a knock on the door, and Hannah went to answer. But instead of just Barbi, Brendan stood there, too. And Jake was coming out of Huckleberry Lodge, obviously headed for Silver Cottage.
“Um, hi, everyone.”
“Hey, Hannah.” Brendan kissed her cheek. He was holding three giant pizza boxes and looking more relaxed and happy than she’d ever seen him. “Hope it’s all right, we asked Jake to join us for lunch.”
“Oh. Okay.”
She stepped back and Barbi, Brendan and Jake trooped inside. Catching Jake’s gaze, she raised her eyebrows, but he just shrugged.
“Hi, Danny,” Brendan called. “Half of this top pizza is just cheese, the way you like it.”
“Yum.”
Confused, Hannah suggested they sit on the deck, but it wasn’t until they were eating that she noticed something flashing on Barbi’s left hand. She leaned closer and saw a diamond-and-sapphire ring.
Barbi laughed. “Yup, we’re engaged. Can you believe that?”
“We’re getting married in September.” Brendan looked so proud his buttons were in danger of popping.
“That’s wonderful.” Hannah hugged her friend as Jake and Brendan shook hands, their former animosity apparently forgotten.
“It isn’t gonna be a big wedding,” Barbi said. “But you’ll be my maid of honor, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
They discussed the wedding for the rest of the meal, but when she was finally alone and Danny was playing in the upstairs family room, Hannah felt like crying. She was thrilled for Barbi, yet her heart ached. Before Jake’s arrival in Mahalaton Lake, everything had seemed so clear to her. If she fell in love again it would be to a solid, dependable man like Brendan—but hearts didn’t always make logical choices.
“Danny, let’s go for a walk,” she called up to the family room.
“Coming, Mommy.”
He clattered down the steps with Badger at his heels, and they walked down the trail toward one of the huckleberry patches, with Danny throwing a stick ahead of them for Badger to chase.
“Brendan says I can call him Uncle Brendan,” Danny said after a while. “’Cause you and Barbi are real good friends.”
“I thought you didn’t like him.”
“I didn’t used to like him, but he’s pretty nice now,” Danny told her earnestly. The only thing that had changed was Brendan was no longer a potentia
l stepfather, but Hannah didn’t point that out.
At the huckleberry patch, Hannah looked at the ground where Jake had lain taking pictures, and her stomach knotted up even more. She wanted to be sensible, both for herself and Danny, yet saying she didn’t want to fall in love with someone like Jake hadn’t kept her from doing it.
Maybe it was too late to protect her own heart, but she still had Danny to think about. He would be devastated if his hero died, but it would be even worse to lose someone closer.
On the other hand, Jake had shown the potential to be a good father, and that was important, too.
“Mommy, do you have a bag?” Danny asked. “I wanna help pick berries.”
She pulled a small plastic bag from her pocket. It was the time of year she always carried them for huckleberries.
He diligently began picking the fruit, and Hannah sighed. One of the reasons she’d tried to keep Jake and her son apart was her fear that Danny would turn out like his biological father if he had a similar role model. But Jake wasn’t like Steven.
Hannah pictured her ex-husband. Beneath his charm, Steven was deeply unhappy, though she hadn’t recognized that when they were dating. Perhaps he simply lacked something within himself, and that was what made him restless and discontented. But Danny was a sweet, generous, outgoing kid with love enough to spare. There wasn’t any real reason to think he’d go off, wandering the world, making other people miserable along with himself.
As for Danny having daredevil tendencies, Jake had discouraged that in a hurry. She’d been alarmed when Danny had talked about whacking a bear on the nose, but Jake had handled it far better than she’d expected.
Of course, she was probably being ridiculous to think about the future. Jake had made it clear from the beginning that he wouldn’t be here long-term.
* * *
JAKE RETURNED TO Huckleberry Lodge, wondering if he’d had anything to do with kindling Brendan and Barbi’s relationship. It was possible—he’d thrown them together on at least two occasions.
It was also possible it was the first time he’d ever affected someone’s life enough to make a difference.
The thought was sobering.
Living in Mahalaton Lake was making him see that his world was even more different from other people’s than he’d ever thought. Hemingway had written that most men led lives of quiet desperation, but that wasn’t Jake’s experience. His every memory was of distant places and adventure. Josie had ensured he’d seen the wonders of the world and known freedom like no other child, and he’d charged into adulthood in the same spirit.
Yet he didn’t have traditions or a family whose faces lit up at the sight of him. Instead he had a sister-in-law who was shocked that he wanted to visit her and her newborn son. He had editors waiting for his photographs, yet they probably wouldn’t recognize him on the street. And he had critics who evaluated his work with no idea of what kind of person he might be.
Hannah was the one involved with her community. She was concerned about the quality of education children were receiving. She cared about the land and animals. And she worked hard to make sure Mahalaton Lake had the emergency services it needed.
Jake stepped out on the deck and looked at the lake. He’d taken hundreds of thousands of pictures, but if he’d died in the crash, other people’s lives would have gone on, little changed because of it.
Still, there were people who cared about him.
The MacDonalds had made the effort to visit, while Matt had chartered a flight and rushed him to a hospital in Seattle after the crash. Josie and Sully had each been concerned in their own ways. And three of his sisters—Oona, April and Tamlyn—had dropped everything to visit him in Washington, along with his eldest brother, Aaron.
It was less complicated to live without ties to other people, but he’d never realized how alone he’d felt before coming to Mahalaton Lake and meeting Hannah and Danny.
Maybe he should give Aaron a call and find out if he and Matt still wanted to visit Mahalaton Lake with their families. It might be nice to see them all again.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“MORNING, OWEN,” HANNAH said as she hurried into the sunroom on Tuesday. She’d just finished cleaning the lodge and wanted to get back to Silver Cottage to make lunch and a fresh pot of coffee. “I got a copy of the festival schedule for you. It just started yesterday, so you haven’t missed too much. The big events are next weekend.”
“Terrific. We bought the Clarion a couple of times so we’d have it, but somehow both editions ended up lining the cat’s litter box.”
Hannah handed him a sheet of paper, glancing at Jake. Louie was lying across the back of the couch, basking in the sunlight from the window, while Jake scratched his neck.
Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
She’d shown Casablanca to him the other night and Jake had groaned, suddenly realizing why the name had popped into his brain. Curiously, he hadn’t said anything recently about finding Louie a home.
“I’ll see you Thursday, Owen,” she said, her smile fading.
In her own kitchen Hannah noticed she had a missed call, so she picked up the phone and dialed her parents’ house.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Not much. I’m baking a gluten-free cake for the Cub Scouts meeting tonight. I’ve got the fried chicken and potato salad you made, but Charlie’s mother called to say he’s been diagnosed as gluten intolerant. She wants everyone to know because Charlie is rebelling.”
“Uh-oh, there’s flour on the chicken.”
“We’re covered. Your dad checked, and Luigi’s has a gluten-free pizza.”
“If there’s pizza, all the boys will want some.”
“We’re getting a couple. They can have salad, pizza, chicken and gluten-free cake.”
“Better get some wings, too. I’ll pay you back for everything.”
“You will not,” Carrie said indignantly. “It’s bad enough you brought the fried chicken and potato salad. You’ve got enough to do without feeding your father’s Cub Scouts troop.”
“I like to do my part.”
“You’ve done your part. But I better get going. The kids are sleeping in the fort tonight with your dad, so I need to air out his sleeping bag.”
“Tell him to have fun.”
Hannah started the coffeemaker and quickly made some ham and turkey sandwiches. Sandwiches were the easiest food for when Jake was working—usually he barely noticed he was eating anyway.
* * *
TWILIGHT WAS FALLING as Jake drove the Wrangler toward Mahalaton Lake that evening. They’d gone to Mount Rainier, but curiously, Jake had mostly looked for places to get more distant photos of Mount Mahala.
Pleasantly tired, Hannah took a sip of coffee from her cup. She loved the long summer days in Washington, though Jake had reminded her that Alaska’s summer days were almost twenty-four hours long. It would be interesting to experience something like that, but while she’d enjoy seeing other places, she’d want to go home before too long.
“Damn it to hell,” Jake cursed as two deer suddenly ran in front of the Jeep and froze in the headlights. He braked and veered around them while the lid flew off Hannah’s cup and coffee sloshed over her jacket and jeans.
“Crap.” She grabbed some napkins and dabbed the brown stains. “I thought I’d gotten the top down tight.”
Jake didn’t say anything and she glanced over. His lips were pressed tightly together.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No.”
Yeah, she believed that.
She waited another few minutes, then pulled out the thermos and refilled her cup. “Want some?”
He shook his head and Hannah sighed in exasperation. Men accused women of being moody, but she had
news—they were the biggest offenders. And Jake, for all of his unconventional upbringing, wasn’t any different.
“Don’t worry, the coffee spilled on me, not on the Jeep.”
“I don’t give a damn about the Jeep.”
Okay, she hadn’t thought he was obsessed with his vehicle, though some people were, but she was trying to break the tension.
She kept trying to get him to talk the rest of the drive back to Huckleberry Lodge, and her own temper had frayed by the time they pulled in next to the garage. Monosyllabic replies did not make a conversation.
“What’s wrong with you?” Hannah demanded, getting out and slamming the door.
“Nothing, but I’ve made a decision. I won’t be responsible for something happening to you, so you aren’t going out on shoots with me any longer.” Jake turned on his heels and stomped toward the lodge.
“Of all the insane... You aren’t making sense!” she shouted after him.
The door of the lodge slammed, only to bounce open again, and Hannah stalked inside.
“Jake, what is your problem?”
“Don’t you get it? We almost hit those deer. Two huge bucks. There could have been an accident. You could have been killed. Danny could be an orphan right now.”
The breath caught in Hannah’s throat because Jake’s concern seemed very real.
“We live in the mountains,” she tried to say reasonably. “Deer are always jumping out. It’s one of those things we accept about Mahalaton Lake. We’re just extra careful, especially at times of the day when they’re more active.”
“No. Risking my own life is one thing, but I won’t take a chance on endangering someone else I care about.”
He cared about her?
Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and tried to look stern, even though her pulse was jumping. Saying he cared wasn’t a declaration of love, but at least it was something.
“We’ve had this discussion, Jake. People make their own decisions. You didn’t chain me to the SUV and drag me out on the road. I agreed to work with you because I love the Cascades and wanted you to understand that beauty isn’t just something found in remote, exotic locations.”
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