When Snowflakes Never Cease (Crossroads Collection)

by Amanda Tru

  She hadn’t yet formed a plan when she saw a car pull into the parking lot and watched Carter get out and sprint toward her.

  She folded her arms across her front and didn’t even take so much as one step forward to meet him.

  “I don’t want to discuss this right now, Carter,” she threw out stiffly before he could float out a greeting. “This is my day off. I can call you tomorrow when I’m on duty.”

  Carter didn’t pause until he stood right in front of her, facing her squarely. His eyes immediately probed hers. There hadn’t been enough time to put up her mask, and she knew all of her panic and fear was undoubtedly apparent to his careful scrutiny.

  “Geneva, Allie’s leukemia is in the marrow.”

  Geneva stopped, her mind sorting through the statistics that immediately popped into her mind about relapsed leukemia in the bone marrow less than two years after remission.

  “So that’s not as easy to treat as if it were isolated,” Geneva granted. “But it’s still doable. Cancer is never easy. We can discuss chemo, a transplant, maybe some trials.”

  “Gen, you have her file memorized. It wasn’t easy getting Allie into remission the first time. She’s already had both chemo and a stem cell transplant. Her numbers don’t look good. This is not the same cancer as before. It’s aggressive and advanced. Looking at it on paper, I would consider Allie’s cancer terminal.”

  Geneva couldn’t remember how to breathe. Carter’s quiet words captured all oxygen, and she couldn’t make her lungs move in what should be their automatic function.

  Denial. That was the only way to cope.

  “I am not discussing this right now. If you call my office on Monday, we can do a conference call and discuss what tests we want to repeat.” Geneva turned to go.

  “That’s it?” came Carter’s exasperated voice. “She’s likely terminal, and you refuse to even discuss her prognosis?”

  He must be wrong. He read the results incorrectly. The tests were inaccurate. Geneva would find out the problem and handle it. On Monday.

  Geneva reluctantly turned back around. “I am not prepared to discuss this right now. I’m not on the clock. I don’t have her file in front of me. I don’t have your test results to review and find out where the error was made. I can’t do anything right now. But I’m happy to dialogue about it on Monday,”

  “Gen, there is no error. This is my specialty. I ran the numbers twice. There’s no question. This time it’s in her T-cells, her blood count is low, and those aren’t the only concerning results.”

  Geneva’s veins felt like the cold river behind her had replaced her bloodstream. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t deny the truth of Carter’s prognosis. But she couldn’t accept it. It just wasn’t possible.

  “You’re wrong,” she hissed. “Even if those are accurate results, which I still don’t think they are, what kind of doctor are you who gives up on his patients because of numbers on a paper? You’re supposed to be the best. Where is Dr. Carter Solomon—the miracle worker who never gives up and saves those whom no one else can?”

  Carter’s jaw worked with tension and his eyes narrowed. “I never said I’m giving up. That’s why I’m here—to discuss next steps and treatment options. But I’m no miracle worker, Gen. It’s not just a single number, it’s all of them. I’ve never had a patient with these results survive. No one has. This is late stage. We can try to prolong her life, and we can pray. But, there is only one person who could do this kind of miracle. I’m definitely not Him.”

  Geneva shook her head, feeling a burning behind her eyes to accompany the desperate need to escape. “I can’t… I am not doing this right now, Carter. Monday. I’ll…”

  “Hey, Geneva! Ready to go?” Josh ran up with a grin, completely clueless that he was interrupting anything. “Everyone’s here. We’re ready to shove off.”

  Josh turned to Carter and stuck his hand out. “I’m Josh,” he greeted, his tone friendly.

  “Carter,” the other man responded, accepting the handshake.

  Not liking any sort of interaction between the two men, Geneva looked at Josh gratefully, pulled on his arm, and urged. “Yes, let’s get out of here!”

  With puppy-dog enthusiasm, Josh looked from Geneva to Carter, oblivious to the tension stretching between them.

  “So, you’re the current flavor of the week,” Carter said, looking at Josh as if taking an assessment of an interesting artifact.

  Geneva bristled, glaring at Carter.

  “I hope I last longer than a week!” Josh replied good-naturedly. “Ice cream shops keep flavors around for at least a month, right?”

  “True. Of course, Geneva is lactose intolerant, so no ice cream for her,” Carter said easily. “She’s more like one of those fancy soda machines. Each time she visits, she chooses a different combination of flavors.”

  Josh looked at Geneva in alarm. “You can’t have ice cream?”

  Geneva rolled her eyes, though she wasn’t sure if it was more because of Carter’s ridiculous and insulting analogy, or the fact that Josh earnestly believed they were solely discussing ice cream. “I can have ice cream. It just needs to be the lactose-free kind.”

  She sent Carter a burning glare, which clearly issued a cease and desist order.

  Josh, on the other hand, watched with delight, his gaze bouncing back and forth as Geneva and Carter argued.

  Suddenly his eyes lit up with an idea. He put his hands on his hips. “Carter. You want to come along?” he asked, pointing over his shoulder to the raft. “We’ve got an extra seat on the raft.”

  Geneva barely stifled a groan and pulled on Josh’s arm with increasing insistence. “Oh, no. Carter doesn’t raft. He wouldn’t be interested in anything like this. He has a fundamental objection to anything fun.”

  Carter folded his arms across his chest and shot Geneva a glare that would start a forest fire if mishandled. Without taking his eyes off her, he calmly answered Josh. “Actually, I’d love to come.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Geneva protested. “We wouldn’t want to mess up your other plans for the day. You probably don’t have any gear or anything. That’s okay. We’ll just go along without you.”

  “No, that’s fine,” Carter insisted. “Give me two minutes. I always keep swimming gear in the car for when I swim laps at the gym.”

  “Alright!” Josh cheered, high-fiving Carter in one of those strange, manly gestures that somehow ended up in a handshake. Josh then turned, wrapped his arm around Geneva’s shoulders, and headed for the water.

  “Why did you do that, Josh?” Geneva hissed. “I didn’t want him to come!”

  “What?” Josh gave her a blank stare. “Why not? He’s your friend, right? Didn’t seem like you were done talking, and we need another body. The boat floats better when we evenly distribute the weight.”

  “He’s not my friend,” Geneva insisted. “He’s a colleague. He wanted to talk about work, which I definitely do not want to do!”

  Josh shrugged. “No worries! I’m sure a rafting trip will loosen the guy up a bit!”

  “Not likely,” Geneva grumbled.

  True to his word, Carter was down at the dock, ready to strap on a life vest before Geneva had settled herself in the raft.

  There goes my hope of the raft taking off before he arrives!

  While Carter boarded, Geneva stared straight ahead, resigning herself to the idea of being in his unfortunate company for the next couple of hours. Just because he’s on the raft doesn’t mean I’m required to speak to him or even acknowledge his existence.

  Before the thought cleared her mind, Carter climbed over her knees and plopped himself in the seat on her left.

  “Anchors away!” Josh announced joyfully, shoving the raft away from the dock and then taking his position in the seat on her right, quite effectively cutting off any chance of her escape.

  Before the raft reached the first bend in the river, Geneva realized her biggest mistake. She should have chosen a
seat on the side of the raft. Her current position sandwiched in between the two men was uncomfortable and didn’t allow her the distraction of paddling. While each man took up a paddle and worked with the guide and the other paddle-armed passengers to steer the raft down the river, Geneva was left with nothing to do.

  The large orange raft could hold nine passengers, with three to a row and three rows. However, there were only seven people aboard, which meant that Geneva was the only one stuck in a middle seat without a paddle. Further aggravating was the knowledge that if Carter hadn’t come along at Josh’s invitation, Geneva would have control of the paddle currently gripped in the hands of the unwelcome guest.

  Geneva patiently sat as the raft bounced through the rapids.

  Figuring that she’d granted him enough time and that now it should be her turn, Geneva finally leaned over and spoke, lifting her voice over the low roar of the river. “I’ll trade you seats so you can get a break from paddling.” Even though she spoke the words, she already knew she had no chance of getting Carter to relinquish his paddle.

  “I’m good, thanks,” Carter assured, his voice equally loud. “Enjoying the exercise.”

  Geneva bit her lip, watching as he dipped the paddle in and out of the frothy water. She couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re doing it wrong. Let me show you,” she said, impatiently reaching to take the long stick out of Carter’s hands.

  Carter held it out of her reach. “I know how to paddle, Geneva. Despite what you may assume, I’ve rafted before. Many times actually.”

  The sound of the river somehow seemed muted, and she could clearly hear every frustrating word Carter flung out.

  “And yet in all of those times, you never managed to learn to paddle properly,” she shot back irritably. “Just give me the paddle, Carter. I’ll show you what you’re doing wrong.”

  “Let me just say ‘no’ to your kind request,” Carter protested his offense at her words growing. “Geneva Hutchins isn’t the authority on every little thing in life. Don’t like the way I paddle? You have options. Get off the raft comes to mind.”

  “Says the man who can’t accept the fact that he is not perfect in every decision and action he ever makes,” Geneva immediately snapped back. “What did you do, read how to paddle in a book? That makes sense. That’s why you aren’t willing to consider that the book may be wrong! Anything outside the black and white in front of you just isn’t possible, right?”

  Geneva lunged for the paddle. “Give it to me!”

  At the last second, Carter jerked the paddle back over his head, sending Geneva sprawling over him. Her momentum carried her too far. She hit the side, and her legs kept going as she literally tumbled head over heels over the side of the raft and into the water.

  The cold both shocked and exhilarated her. The bubbles and moving water flowed over her, tickling the nerves of her body in a way that felt incredibly freeing. This was a calm stretch in the river, and it wasn’t the first time she’d taken a plunge on a rafting trip. At no point did she feel the slightest bit of fear. Instead, the refreshing dip washed away the anger and she quickly broke the surface with a giggle of delight.

  She swung back around to find the raft just in time to see Josh leap from the orange craft into the water.

  Why did he jump off? she wondered, confused and considering whether she should go make sure he was okay.

  “Hold on, Geneva!” Josh shouted. “I’m coming!”

  Oh, he’s trying to rescue me! Geneva realized. She mentally debated whether she should play the part and let him perform his heroic duty. Then she looked back at the raft and spotted Carter calmly seated where she’d left him with his paddle in hand, gazing at her with very little concern.

  Concluding that she didn’t like her obnoxious audience, Geneva decided against the damsel in distress routine and instead took a few strong strokes to assist the current as it pushed her toward the raft.

  Josh met her, slightly out of breath, but with his rescue mission still intact. “It’s okay, Geneva. I’m here.” Josh grabbed her, the effort immediately pushing her underwater.

  Geneva hit his hands away and surfaced again. “Josh, don’t touch me! I’m fine, but if you try to save me, I’ll surely drown!”

  She immediately began swimming, mostly to get away from Josh’s assistance. She quickly outdistanced him, enjoying the feel of the cold water as she easily propelled herself to the side of the raft. With the current slow and deep, the other passengers had managed to keep the raft in position to wait, anchoring with a rope to the bank.

  Geneva tried to pull herself up the steep, orange side of the raft, but she couldn’t get a good grip with her wet hands. A hand reached down to offer assistance, and Geneva took it. Unfortunately, at the touch of his hand on hers, she immediately recognized Carter.

  Irritation immediately flooded her, covering the exhilaration of her unexpected swim. She braced her feet against the side of the raft, intending to push herself up and over.

  She caught Carter’s calm, annoying face above her, and on sudden impulse, she pushed herself back, using the force of her feet in a mighty lunge. The hand attached to Carter’s hand gave a corresponding sharp jerk. With his feet slightly off-balance as he prepared to brace himself in pulling Geneva up, the sudden change in movement yanked him off-balance and sent him over the side to join Geneva in the river.

  At her laughter, Josh looked over from where he’d just mounted the raft with the help of the others. Obviously interpreting that action as an invitation to party time, he grinningly grabbed one of his friends in a wrestling tackle, lifted him up on his bare shoulders, and launched him into the river with great laughter. That move signaled the start of a free-for-all with everyone laughing and dunking each other in the impromptu swim party. Only the guide stayed on the boat, grinning at the scene.

  Geneva felt someone grab her from behind. Carter’s voice came at her ear. “That was a mistake!” he said, his tone sounding almost playful. He lifted her up and, despite her squealing, tossed her back into the water.

  She surfaced, whirled around, and immediately started heaving big waves of water in mighty splashes his direction.

  Instead of swimming away, he came directly after her, plunging through the water with her as his target.

  She kept splashing until he was almost upon her, then she whirled in retreat, kicking her legs behind her and hoping to connect with his fast approach.

  Something came around her legs in a vice.

  She screeched as that something dragged her backward.

  Carter’s arms moved up from her legs, holding her tight and preventing her escape.

  She threw her arms around his neck, pushing with all her might on his shoulders, but despite her efforts, his head wouldn’t dunk beneath the water. She struggled, laughing the whole time as he matched her moves, preventing her from escaping.

  Desperate for victory, she once again wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself close, trying to use the full force of her weight to sink him.

  His laughter whispered through her ears, and she startled, realizing just how close those lips were. Suddenly recognizing what an awkward position she was in, her eyes sought his mere inches from hers. Their gazes locked, and tantalizing awareness spread at every point where his body touched hers.

  He was so very close. The raft, the other splashing swimmers, the water—everything went on mute, and the only living, breathing thing in all the world was the man who held her tightly in his arms.

  His eyes were warm chocolate, beckoning her closer. His breath wafted against her lips. As if drawn by a magnet, she leaned in.

  A great splash of water launched over them, completely drenching their heads. Sputtering, Carter instantly released her.

  Blinking the water out of her eyes, Geneva focused on two people actively engaged in a tremendous water fight less than ten feet away and utterly clueless that they’d just drenched anyone else.

  Not wanting to chance a repeat of the
shattered moment, Geneva didn’t even brave a glance Carter’s way before quickly swimming back to the raft. She reached a hand up to the guide before he even offered, and with his ready assistance, she climbed back aboard before Carter arrived at the edge of the raft. Of course, she immediately retrieved Carter’s paddle and also acquired his former seat on the left third row.

  When Carter climbed aboard, he didn’t speak a word but turned to Josh. “Hey, if you want to sit next to your girlfriend, I can do paddle duty.”

  Josh grinned. “It’s cool, man. I need a few more dates before being strapped into the boyfriend chair.”

  Carter shook his head sadly, “Flavor of the week—remember, Josh? You’d better take the seat while you can. Next week, a different-flavored guy will claim it.”

  Geneva smacked Carter in the rear, lightly, but with enough force to cause him to plop down in the discussed seat. “Oops, sorry, Carter. I guess my paddle slipped. Since you aren’t doing anything, you might as well take a load off.”

  As soon as the still-laughing crew was all accounted for in the raft, they launched back into the river. An hour and several runs of rapids later, guilt began to creep up on Geneva. She knew Josh would never relinquish his paddle. His priority was the greatest fun for himself, and he would never sacrifice that fun for someone else’s enjoyment. But Geneva wasn’t like that. Typically, she would have insisted another passenger take her paddle for a turn long ago. Carter was apparently the only exception to her normal generous, considerate attitude.

  She should give him a turn. She knew she should.

  But he’d hurt her.

  How long will you wait to forgive him?

  But he hadn’t even apologized! Geneva snapped back against the question that floated through her head. In fact, he did everything he could to continually needle her and remind her that he didn’t in any way regret rejecting her.

  She sighed, closing her eyes briefly. God didn’t ask her to forgive only if the other person was repentant.