Reunion Pass: An Eternity Springs novel (16 page)

“Drive safely,” he said, picturing his mother, sister, and Lana at the summit of Sinner Prayer’s Pass.

“I always do.” She blew out a little breath, then went up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss against his cheek. “See you later, hot stuff.”

She’d taken maybe ten steps away, and he’d begun to breathe a little easier, when she suddenly stopped and turned around. “Chase, what should I say when your mother asks about our new wedding date?”

“I don’t care.”

Her smile faltered, then she lifted her chin and beamed her television-star smile. “Then I’ll tell her the Fourth of July.”

He didn’t protest. He turned his attention to the bubble and rush of the cold mountain stream. He’d always loved the sound of white water. The rush and crash and whoosh. Now he thought of the natural pool down closer to his parents’ house. Reunion Lake, they called it.

Still water didn’t make sound. Still water offered quiet. Peace. Peace and quiet. Oblivion. He imagined sinking slowly into Reunion Lake, cold water closing over his head. Deeper. Deeper. Quiet. Stillness.

Peace.

*   *   *

Lori had rented a two-bedroom bungalow on Fifth Street that had a porch swing in front where she liked to sit and drink an after-work glass of wine. The glider on the back patio was the perfect place to drink her morning coffee and read the national news on her tablet each morning. Twice a week, she took an extra ten minutes to peruse the
Eternity Times
. Bucking the national trend toward shrinking subscription rates, the little local newspaper was thriving. People here were not only slow to change their ways, they actively supported local businesses—and local gossip.

Today, Lori had company on her patio that distracted her from the New Books in the Library column she was attempting to read. Her golden-haired guest sat huddled between the back steps and a pot of red geraniums. He had to be most skittish dog she’d ever encountered.

“What happened to you, baby?” she asked, her voice soft and gentle as she set down her coffee on the patio table. She judged the mixed-breed pup to be three to four months old. He had some retriever in him, obviously, and maybe some bird dog. He had big paws and floppy ears. He’d be a large dog someday, but right now he was a needy little too-skinny bundle of cuteness.

Celeste had told her that one of Angel’s Rest’s housekeepers had found the stray hiding beneath a porch swing at the carriage house apartment. He’d worn no tags or collar, and Lori’s scan for an ID chip failed to turn up anything. Nor had inquiries around the resort and in town produced any clues about his ownership. What they had was another dumped dog who had probably been on his own for weeks.
What’s wrong with people?

Just as she silently asked the question, his ears perked up. Seconds later, Lori heard the sound of her mother’s voice at the back gate. “Lori? Are you in the back?”

“Hey, Mom. Yes. Come on in.”

The gate latch clanged open and Sarah Murphy walked into Lori’s backyard carrying a paper cup bearing Fresh’s logo. “Good morning, love. Have time to share a cup of coffee?”

“With you? Always.”

“Oh my gosh. Is that the puppy Celeste brought to you yesterday?” When Lori nodded, Sarah added, “He’s the cutest thing ever. Now I see why you didn’t take him straight to the shelter. You’ll find a home for him right away.”

“Yes, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Lori set aside her tablet as Sarah took a seat beside her. She read both uncertainty and hesitancy in her mother’s expression, and since she knew her mom, she braced herself for unwelcome news.
What now?

Apparently, Sarah had to work up to her subject because she said, “It feels good to sit down. We had a busier morning rush than usual. A big group of Campisis were taking a cycling tour this morning and they came in for cinnamon rolls.”

“Campisis?”

“The reunion family at Angel’s Rest this week. Anyway, your dad was in the bakery getting coffee, and he actually asked one of them who had recommended they carb-load with gut bombs before they exercised.”

“Gut bombs?” Lori’s brows arched. “He called your cinnamon rolls gut bombs? Does my father still live?”

“Yes, but it will be months—maybe years—before he gets to enjoy one of them again. I’m considering cutting him off from muffins, too.”

“Would serve him right.”

“So how was your trip to Durango?”

“We had a good time. It’s been a while since I made that drive. The views are simply spectacular. Brick bought three trail horses and I talked him out of two others. He’s determined to make this camp of his a raging success.”

“Well, I think he’s onto something. From everything I read, glamorous camping is hot. Heaven knows I enjoy our getaways to Ali’s yurt. If Brick’s facilities are going to be that luxurious, I predict a rousing success.” Sarah hesitated, visibly braced herself, then said, “Speaking of the yurt…”

Lori stiffened. “Is Chase okay?”

“As far as I know, he is. Based on what I’m hearing, he must be improving.”

“I’m not going to like this news, am I?”

Sarah winced. “Am I that easy to read?”

“You’re asking me?”

“Right. Stupid question. Okay, well. I thought I should be the one to tell you. Savannah Turner also stopped by the bakery this morning. She had some news. Lana Wilkerson shopped at Heavenscents yesterday. She told Savannah that she’s put her Manhattan apartment on the market, and she’s looking for a house in town for her and Chase to live in. She’s considering the old Carpenter place, but it needs a lot of work.”

Lori’s stomach did a slow flip. “Oh. That would be quite a change for her, wouldn’t it?”

Sarah’s teeth tugged at her lower lip. “Yes. But the last time I talked to Ali she did say that Lana is like a different person. She’s really being kind and patient with Chase and with the situation. As a result, Ali wants to be supportive of her. However, she—Ali, that is—is terribly worried about Chase’s state of mind. She says he won’t talk to anyone about what happened. He won’t talk to anyone, period, and he stays holed up at the yurt. So, I don’t know if moving to town is simply Lana’s wishful thinking or if Chase has had a breakthrough, or what, but after everything that happened when he was missing, I thought I should give you a heads-up that she’s apparently planning an extended stay in Eternity Springs.”

“I appreciate your concern, Mom, but you don’t need to worry about me. Chase is alive and that’s really all that matters.”

Sarah studied her with a long look, then nodded once. “Okay.” She drained the last of her coffee, then stood. “I should be getting home. Dad might try to sneak into Fresh and score a cinnamon roll if I’m not there to stop it. You have a good day, honey.”

“Thanks. I intend to.”

“Do you have a full slate of appointments?”

Lori carefully chose her words. “I have a full day.”

The puppy let out a series of whimpers, drawing the attention of both women. “What a little doll. However, since I’m your mother I have to caution you—”

“I’m not going to keep him, Mom. I know better.”

The years of working as Nic’s assistant before Eternity Springs established a city animal shelter had taught Lori the pitfalls of a vet practice being adoption central for the town’s lost and abandoned animals. Together with the best practices guidelines she’d learned during vet school, her experience made her determined to draw a definitive line between her clinic’s boarding facilities and the town’s shelter. She’d had every intention of performing an exam on this little guy, then delivering him to the shelter. Somehow, on the way there, they’d ended up at home.

Sarah gave Lori a quick kiss on the cheek, handed over her empty coffee cup for the recycle bin, then departed. Lori watched her mother go, then shifted her gaze toward the puppy. “I won’t think about Chase or Lana or love nests. I’ll think about you. What am I going to do with you?”

Oh, quit lying to yourself. You know exactly what you’re going to do with him. You’ve known it since the moment you looked from the puppy, to Caitlin, to Celeste, then back to the puppy. Mom’s news doesn’t change anything.

She was just working up the nerve to follow through on the idea.

Lori closed her eyes and surrendered. “Well, if we’re going to do this thing, Little Bit, I need to get my butt in gear. I have appointments this afternoon.”

She climbed the back steps and opened her screen door. The puppy bounded inside the house and went straight to her bedroom where he burrowed beneath the bed. He’d spent most of the previous evening in the same spot since last night’s huge fireworks show at Angel’s Rest. It wasn’t unusual for dogs to be afraid of fireworks, but her house was far enough away from the resort that it ordinarily wouldn’t be a problem. That wasn’t the case for Mr. Skittish. He was such a poor, pitiful thing.

She showered and took a little extra time with her hair and makeup. She pulled on jeans and reached for her yellow sweater, then hesitated and chose a purple one instead. She donned her hiking boots, then loaded up a box with the required supplies and carried it to the SUV. It took some coaxing to get the puppy out from beneath her bed, but finally they headed out.

As she drove up Cemetery Road, Lori told herself there was no need to be nervous. She made her living diagnosing the health issues of animals. Animals who couldn’t talk to her to tell her where it hurt. Accordingly, she’d learned to trust her instincts.

Those instincts now were clamoring that this was indeed the right thing to do.

Twenty minutes later, she turned onto the private road leading to the yurt. “Okay, boy. Ramp up your cute meter. It’s time to shine.”

She switched off her engine, inhaled a bracing breath, and when the yurt’s door opened muttered, “Showtime.”

She stepped out of her SUV. Her heart gave a little twist at the sight of him. He hadn’t shaved in days, and though he wore the look well, the Chase she remembered had hated letting his whiskers grow. He’d always complained about the itch of anything over a three-day beard. He was tanned, shirtless, barefoot, and the red gym shorts he wore hung low on his hips. Lori drank in the sight of him, the woman in her appreciating the maturation of the young man she’d known and loved into a man in his prime.

There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. His shoulders were broad, his abs cut, and his muscles chiseled. The Chase Timberlake glaring at her from the doorway of his parents’ yurt was all grown-up.

When he saw who’d come to call, his eyes narrowed. “Lori.”

“Hi, Chase.” She lifted her chin and pasted on a smile.

“What are you doing here? Who sent you? My mother? My sister? It was Caitlin, wasn’t it? She won’t leave me the hell alone.”

Okay, this is off to a good start.

Rather than respond, Lori opened the passenger side door and removed the puppy from the carrier in which she’d transported him. She set the dog down and was pleased to see that instead of scrambling under the vehicle and whimpering, he put his nose down and started to explore.

“Nobody sent me,” she told him honestly. “I’m here on a mission. You still owe me for the bet you lost for the Cotton Bowl. I’m here to collect.”

He blinked. Gave his head a shake. “Excuse me?”

“Our bet. I won. You lost. I had Alabama and you took Texas Tech. The Crimson Tide won thirteen to ten. The stakes were a favor to be named later. At the time I intended to make you help me move but then … well … it didn’t work out. So, now I need a favor and I’m calling in the bet.”

“Lori. That’s crazy. That was a million years ago.”

“You may have changed in a lot of ways, Timberlake, but you don’t squelch on a bet.”

His brow lowered and his eyes narrowed to slits. “So what’s the favor?”

She pointed toward the dog. “He needs a foster home. Celeste brought him to me yesterday, and he’s the most pitifully afraid dog I’ve ever seen. The immediate problem is that it’s tourist season in Eternity Springs, which means it’s fireworks season. The show last night at Angel’s Rest almost drove the poor thing insane. You’re the perfect solution.”

“Oh, no.” He held up his hands, palms out. “No. No. No. I am not adopting that dog.”

“I’m not asking you to adopt him. I need you to give him a foster home until we can find the perfect forever home for him.”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Matter-of-factly, she continued as if he had not spoken. “Someone will want him. He’s a puppy. Puppies are easy to place. But right now he’s simply too skittish to qualify for adoption. He needs basic care and some time to grow up a bit away from the hustle and bustle of town.”

“Hustle and bustle. In Eternity Springs. Right.”

Lori ignored his protests. Strategically, her best bet was to get out of here ASAP, so she walked around to the back of her SUV. Hinges squeaked as he opened the door of the yurt. Before she’d opened the SUV’s back door and removed a wire crate from inside, Chase exited the yurt again. She quickly set the crate on the ground, and as she reached for the box of supplies, the crunch of gravel beneath his feet warned of his approach.

He’d added sandals to his attire.

Another man might look foolish dressed only in worn leather sandals and baggy shorts and wearing a scowl. Chase made Lori think of a mountain lion, sleek and graceful and dangerous. Without hesitation, she shoved the box into his arms. “Here’re food, bowls, a leash, puppy pads, toys, and a bed. Oh, and three boxes of treats. He’s partial to the bacon ones.”

“Dammit, Lori.”

He took a step backward, but he didn’t drop the box. Quickly, she slammed the SUV’s door shut. Wouldn’t do to give him the chance to redeposit the box in the back.

“He doesn’t have a name yet, so you need to choose one. That’s the way our system works. We will use the name you choose for tracking purposes.” The puppy scampered back toward them and weaved his way around her legs. Lori bent down and scooped him up. “Of course, the family who adopts him will be free to change it, though we’ve discovered that oftentimes they don’t. So choose wisely.”

“I’m not taking care of this dog!” Chase insisted. He set down the box. “I’m barely managing to take care of myself!”