Winding River Reunion

by Sherryl Woods

  “Let’s forget about Cole,” she said.

  “Okay by me.”

  “I want to hear about you. Who is that handsome man you were with over the weekend? I’ve never seen him before. Is he a friend from New York?”

  Gina suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I have no idea who you mean.”

  “The man who was following you around like he’d never met such an exotic creature before.”

  “Oh, him,” Gina said, then shrugged. “He’s a nuisance. Nothing more. He’s probably gone by now.”

  “I don’t think so,” Cassie said, glancing pointedly outside, where the very man under discussion was lurking on the sidewalk.

  Gina followed the direction of her gaze, then sighed heavily, her expression miserable. “Well, hell,” she muttered under her breath.

  Cassie studied her intently, saw the genuine worry in her friend’s eyes. “Gina, what’s really going on? Who is he?”

  “Nobody important,” her friend said staunchly, but she slid out of the booth. She gave Cassie a hug. “See you later. If you ask me, you ought to consider what Cole’s offering.”

  The comment was enough to throw Cassie and keep her from asking all the other questions on the tip of her tongue as Gina left Stella’s. She watched idly as Gina marched up to the man, appeared to exchange words with him, then took off alone in the direction of her car. Another example of true love not running smoothly, perhaps?

  And speaking of that, what the heck had Gina meant with that comment about taking what Cole was offering? As far as Cassie could see, he wasn’t offering a blessed thing. A few stolen kisses didn’t add up to anything…except maybe trouble. And frankly she had more of that in her life these days than she could possibly cope with.

  Dismissing that and Gina’s odd behavior, she went back to work. Stella’s was as busy as ever at lunchtime. Cassie was on the run until almost two.

  “Go,” Stella said, taking her last order from her. “I know you have to get your mother to the hospital. And I don’t want to see you anywhere near here in the morning. I can manage. You stay right there until she’s out of surgery and you know how she’s doing.”

  “Thank you, Stella. You’re an angel.”

  “Good heavens, don’t be spreading that around,” the older woman pleaded. “The only way I keep my customers in line is having them think I’m a tyrant.”

  Cassie laughed. “I hate to tell you this, but you don’t have anyone in town fooled.”

  Stella looked genuinely disappointed. “Well, shucks. I guess I’m just going to have to work a little harder at it. Now, scoot.”

  “Hey, how about getting that burger over here before I starve to death?” Hank Folsom hollered.

  “Keep your britches on, Hank,” Stella shouted right back. “If you don’t like the service in here, you can just march right through the door and get your lunch someplace else.” She winked at Cassie. “How was that?”

  “Tough as nails,” Cassie assured her. “Unfortunately, it’s an idle threat. There is no place else in town to get a burger.”

  “I know,” Stella said with satisfaction. “Works out real nice, don’t you think?”

  Cassie was still chuckling over that when she got home and found her mother sitting on the sofa in her best dress, her suitcase sitting beside her. Jake hovered nearby, looking worried. They had told him about the surgery the night before, talking about it only in the most upbeat and positive way, but it had clearly rattled him.

  “I’m going to the hospital with you,” Jake said, shooting a defiant look at Cassie.

  “I made arrangements for you to stay next door.”

  “Well, I’m not going to.”

  “Let him come,” her mother said. “He’ll just worry if he stays here with Mildred, and he’ll be company for you.”

  Cassie finally relented. “Okay, give me two seconds to change and we’ll head on up to Laramie to the hospital.”

  The screen door banged open just then. “She’s not going to Laramie,” Cole said. “I’ve made arrangements for her to go to University Hospital down in Denver. The doctor there has consulted with her doctor. Her records were sent to him yesterday once your mother okayed it.”

  Cassie’s mouth dropped open. “What right did you have to do that?” Cassie demanded finally. She looked at her mother. “You knew about this?”

  “I knew it was a possibility,” Edna said.

  Cole regarded Cassie evenly. “I told you at the beginning that I was going to see that she had the best care possible. We’re going to Denver. I’ve got my plane all fueled up.”

  Jake’s eyes widened, oblivious to anything except Cole’s announcement. “We’re going in a real plane? One of those ones I saw at the airport on the way into town?”

  Cole grinned at his enthusiasm. “That’s right. If you’re good, I’ll even let you take the controls for a minute.”

  “Over my dead body,” Cassie said at once.

  Before that could erupt into a full-fledged battle, her mother said quietly, “I think if Cole’s gone to all this trouble, then we should do as he says. We’re certainly not going to drive all that way.”

  Cassie stared at her. “Mom, you’ve always sworn you would never set foot in an airplane.”

  “This is different.”

  “How?”

  “I’m sure Cole knows what he’s doing.”

  “He just told a nine-year-old he could operate the controls,” Cassie pointed out.

  “It’s not as if I’m going to nod off and take a nap while Jake flies us to Denver,” Cole said mildly. “And I know you want your mother to have the very best chance she can have. The surgeon in Denver comes highly recommended.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything about this before?” Cassie asked.

  “Because he didn’t have an opening in his schedule until yesterday. The minute he called me, I spoke to your mother and made the arrangements.”

  Cassie felt as if the entire situation, already terrifying enough, was spinning wildly out of control. It wasn’t just that the four of them would be stuck in close quarters in that tiny plane, it was the fact that Cole clearly intended to be right by her side all through her mother’s surgery. On the one hand the gesture was both generous and kind. On the other, it would inevitably tighten the bond between them. Worse, it would keep him and his son in close proximity for hours, if not days.

  In the end, though, Cassie knew she had no choice. The only thing that mattered was getting her mother the finest treatment available. And while the doctor in Laramie was surely good, the one in Denver would have greater experience and perhaps a more experienced support staff, as well.

  Swallowing her pride—and her fear—she finally nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

  In the plane Cole was true to his word. He allowed the awestruck Jake to take over the controls, if only for a few minutes. It was an experience Cassie knew her son would never forget. By the time they landed in Denver, his case of hero worship was stronger than ever.

  They checked her mother into the hospital, then saw her settled into the private room Cole had arranged. When the surgeon came in to speak to her, Cassie was impressed with his warmth, his reassurances and his detailed explanations about what her mother could expect in the morning. In his early fifties, he was clearly both experienced and compassionate. For the first time since she had learned of her mother’s diagnosis, Cassie could see hope in her mother’s eyes.

  “He seemed like a nice man,” her mother said, following the surgeon with her gaze as he left the room.

  “We couldn’t have found a better doctor,” Cole said.

  “Nice-looking, too,” Cassie teased her mother. “No wonder there’s a little color in your cheeks.”

  “Stop with that,” her mother said, clearly flustered. The pink in her cheeks deepened. “All I care about is how good he is with that scalpel of his.”

  A few minutes later a nurse came in. “We’re going to give your mother a little something to he
lp her relax and get a good night’s sleep.”

  “Then you all might as well run along,” Edna said. “I’m in good hands.” She reached for Cole’s hand. “And it’s all thanks to you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

  He bent down and kissed her cheek. “All you need to do for me is get well and live a long and healthy life.”

  “I’m going to do my best.” Her gaze locked on Cole’s. “Keep an eye on my girl for me, okay?”

  Cole glanced Cassie’s way. “Always,” he said softly.

  Trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach caused by Cole’s promise, Cassie gave her mother a kiss. “See you in the morning, Mom. I love you.”

  Now that the time had come to leave, Jake looked shaken. He edged close to the bad. “I don’t want to go, Grandma.”

  She brushed the hair out of his eyes. “I’m going to be just fine,” she reassured him. “Go with your mom and Cole. Get something good to eat and see the sights. This time tomorrow you can come back here and tell me all about them.”

  Jake still looked reluctant. Cole squeezed his shoulder. “Come along, son.”

  Even though he spoke casually, in a way men spoke to young boys all the time without it meaning a thing, Cassie froze. Hearing him call Jake son, no matter the context, made her tremble. How long? she wondered, exchanging a look with her mother. How long would it be before Cole realized that the boy he was addressing really was his son?

  * * *

  Cole did his best to relieve Cassie’s tension over a quick dinner in a fast-food restaurant. He enumerated all of the surgeon’s qualifications and cited all of the latest cancer recovery statistics. But nothing he said seemed to get through to her. She listened, she nodded, but her fingers continued to shred napkin after napkin until there was a pile of white fluff on the table in front of her.

  Finally he reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. “Enough,” he said gently. He glanced pointedly at the normally effusive Jake, who had grown increasingly silent as the meal went on, clearly picking up on her mood.

  Cassie’s gaze flew to her son. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

  He shook his head. “I’m scared,” he admitted.

  “You heard Cole. Grandma’s doctor is the best. She’s going to get well.”

  Jake regarded her hopefully. “You believe that?”

  “With all my heart,” she said fervently.

  “Then how come you’re acting like you’re scared, too?” He pointed to the mound of shredded napkins.

  Cassie stared at them, looking vaguely startled. “Oh, dear, I guess my mind was on all sorts of things.”

  “What things?” Jake promptly wanted to know.

  She forced a grin. “Cabbages and kings.”

  “Mom!”

  Cole wanted to protest, as well. He’d hoped Jake might get a straight answer out of her. He doubted he could. If it wasn’t her mother that had her looking so worried, then what could it be?

  Only after they’d gone to the hotel near the hospital and settled Jake in bed did Cole get a chance to ask. He was pacing the suite’s living room when Cassie finally joined him. He hadn’t been at all sure that she would. He had the oddest feeling that he was the cause of her nervousness, though why that should be he couldn’t imagine. And surely that kiss they’d shared hadn’t rattled her so badly that she was scared to be in the same room with him. It wasn’t as if he was likely to try to ravish her on the eve of her mother’s surgery.

  “Jake asleep?”

  She nodded.

  “How are you?”

  “Scared, just like he said.”

  “About your mother?”

  She shot him a startled look, then glanced away. “Of course,” she said hurriedly. “What else?”

  “That’s what I was wondering.” He studied her intently. “You’re not scared of me, are you? Of being here in a hotel room with me overnight?”

  A glimmer of a smile passed across her face as she gestured around the suite. “It’s not as if we’re in cramped quarters, Cole. We won’t even be sleeping in the same room.”

  “More’s the pity,” he murmured.

  She frowned at him. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because it’s true.”

  “Cole, we can’t go back.”

  “Then how about going forward?”

  She shook her head without giving the notion a moment’s consideration. That grated on him more than he could say.

  “You always were too blasted stubborn for your own good.”

  “Then I’m surprised you’d want to bother with me.”

  “Unfortunately, you’re still the only woman who’s ever fascinated me.”

  “Cole!”

  The protest was only halfhearted, which he considered encouraging. “It’s true,” he said, stepping closer until he could lift his hand to her cheek. Her skin was like cool satin, but it warmed beneath his touch as if he’d stirred a fire to life below the surface. He rubbed the pad of his thumb across her lips and felt her shudder.

  It took every bit of willpower he possessed not to claim her mouth and satisfy the urgency already building inside him. Not tonight, he warned himself. Taking advantage of her vulnerability was no way to win her heart. It would just give her more ammunition to use against him.

  Slow and steady, he reminded himself. Like the tortoise. Winning, not speed, was the goal. In fact, in the past few weeks he’d begun to wonder how he’d ever lost sight of that goal, even for a single second.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Cassie alternated between pacing the hospital waiting room and huddling miserably in a corner, trying not to look at the other families. Each time she did, she saw her own fear reflected in their faces. It was more than she could bear.

  Instead of thinking about what was going on in the operating room, she forced herself to think about Cole. He was the only distraction that stood a chance against the weight of her concern for her mother. Right now he and Jake were off on a shopping expedition, ostensibly to find something suitable for her mother.

  “Just a little get-well gift,” Cole had assured her. “It will keep Jake’s mind off everything.”

  She couldn’t fault him for wanting to do that for her son. In fact, there was very little she could fault him on these days. He had been nothing but kind and utterly thoughtful. It reminded her of why she’d fallen in love with him years ago.

  It was driving her nuts.

  Even the night before, when she had thought for sure he was going to take advantage of both proximity and her fragile emotional state, Cole had behaved like a perfect gentleman, backing off before things could get too heated.

  His consideration was like a magnet. She wanted so badly to lean on him, to accept the comfort he was offering, but the past had taught her that the only person she could count on was herself. And her mother, of course.

  Now, though, it was because of her mother’s health that she needed someone to help her be strong. And it would be folly to let Cole be that person, even for a second.

  “There she is,” a familiar voice whispered.

  Cassie’s gaze shot up to see her four best friends hovering in the doorway of the waiting room. Tears stung her eyes, then rolled down her cheeks. These were people she could trust, women who had always been there for her. When times got tough, the Calamity Janes had always hung together.

  “You guys,” she murmured, crossing the room to be enfolded in a fierce group hug. “What are you doing here?”

  “Did you honestly think we were going to let you go through this alone?” Karen chided.

  “No way,” Lauren declared.

  She was wearing jeans and a faded blouse and hiding behind a pair of oversize sunglasses and a floppy hat, but none of that could disguise the fact that she was the glamorous one among them. Hollywood had taught her too much for her ever to be the plain Jane of the group again.

  “The Calamity Janes stick together through thick and thin, rem
ember?” she said to Cassie.

  Cassie gave her a watery smile. “I remember.”

  “Any word yet?” Emma asked.

  “Nothing. She’s still in surgery.”

  Gina squeezed her hand. “Where’s Jake?”

  “With Cole.”

  Three pairs of eyes regarded her incredulously. Even Lauren removed her sunglasses long enough to stare.

  “He volunteered to keep Jake occupied. What could I do?” Cassie asked defensively.

  “Why is he even here in the first place?” Emma demanded in her best ready-to-charge-into-battle voice.

  “He made the arrangements for Mom to be treated here, instead of in Laramie. In fact, come to think of it, how did you find out where we were? It all happened so fast I never even had a chance to call and let you know.”

  “Lauren waved her magic wand and, poof, information was forthcoming. Then a jet appeared. The woman has contacts,” Gina said respectfully. She feigned an exaggerated bow. “I am in awe.”

  “One of the few perks of stardom worth having,” Lauren said with a distinct edge to her voice. Then, before anyone could question her, she tucked an arm around Cassie’s waist. “Come on. Let’s sit down over here where we won’t be the center of attention. You doing okay, sweetie?” She whipped open a bag, and cups of gourmet coffee appeared for all of them.

  “Hanging in,” Cassie said, taking the cup and breathing in the aroma. Hazelnut. “I thought I’d know something by now, but it seems like it’s been forever and there’s still no word.”

  Lauren nodded and set aside her own coffee. “Then let me see what I can find out.”

  As soon as she’d gone, Emma shook her head. “I don’t know how she does it. Even incognito, she has a way of commanding respect. You should have seen her down at the information desk. The poor volunteer kept trying to tell us that only family was permitted up here, but Lauren finally persuaded her that we were as close to being family as anybody could be. She did it in a Southern voice straight out of Gone with the Wind. I kept looking around to see who was talking. Next thing you know we’re on an elevator with a little map showing us precisely where the waiting room is located. If I could do what she does, I’d never lose a case.”