Wild Ice (25 page)

When she turned to start the long walk back to the cottage, her cell phone rang, the shrill noise cutting through the silence. She sighed and took the phone out of her pocket. It was probably just her mother calling
again
to reassure her that coming back home was the right choice. For a psychologist, she sure was full of I told you so’s.

“Hello?”
she answered.

A crisp voice instructed her to
, “Please hold for Bernard Templeton.”

“Uh, okay.”

Before the hold music played a second verse, the line clicked and Bernard Templeton’s frazzled voice crackled in her ear. “Lauren?”

“Yes, Mr.
Templeton?”

“Oh
good. I’m glad I caught you.”

Lauren
frowned at his choice of words. No one besides her mother knew she was leaving. Not even JD. When she looked at her hand and saw that it was shaking, she took a deep breath. Mr. Templeton was so frazzled that his jitteriness added to her already frayed nerves. It was easy to get caught up in his anxiety, so she took a deep breath and calmly asked, “What’s going on?”

“I apologize for my tardiness.”

Tardiness? It was early in the morning. Hadn’t they already finalized Aunt Cora’s estate? Knowing Bernard Templeton, he’d probably forgot all about their meeting at the bottom of the landfill that was his desk.

“I was supposed to make this call yesterday...”

Yesterday. Only yesterday, Lauren had been kneeling in front of JD while his hands roved over her body and his lips kissed hers so passionately…

Lauren yanked her thoughts back to the present and tried to focus on what
Mr. Templeton was saying. In the background, it sounded like he was shuffling papers frantically. She could just imagine what disarray his desk must be in.

“
I need you to come in to my office. There is one more final addendum to Cora Colwater’s will.”

“Can you
tell me about it over the phone? I’m actually getting ready to leave town.”

Lauren’s mind had left town the minute JD had turned back to the window. It was just taking her body a little longer to join the rest of her.

“Leaving?” Mr. Templeton gasped. “Oh no. No, that just won’t do.”

Lauren
didn’t have the energy to argue with him, so she asked about the addendum to keep his thoughts on the right track.

“Are you sure you want to do this over the phone?
” he asked with worry. “I’d much rather have you come to my office.”

“Please, just tell me what the addendum says.”

He ceremoniously cleared his throat and began to read. “On the first of August…”

Lauren shifted her feet
and waited for him to finish. He could have been reading her the owner’s manual for a washing machine for all she knew. The words
hereby
and
wherewithal
tangled together and Lauren sighed. When she heard the words
Red Valley National Wildlife Refuge
, she straightened and pressed the phone closer to her ear. “Did you say something about the refuge?” she cut in.

“Of course,” he answered and continued with his spiel.

When he finished, he sounded quite pleased with himself but Lauren didn’t know why. Maybe he was proud of pronouncing the word
applicability
correctly.

“Well?” he prompted, obviously expecting an enthusiastic response.

“I don’t understand,” she said with a frown he couldn’t see.

“Your aunt wanted you to spend some time at the cottage before I
told you the news. She wanted you to be sure before it was thrust upon you.”

“Wait. Before
what
was thrust upon me?”

“Cora left you the deed to the refuge.”

“What?” The word sounded thin and she didn’t have enough breath to push it out of her mouth. “Aunt Cora
owned
the refuge
?
”

“
Of course,” he answered like it was common knowledge. “She obtained the property years ago when funding was cut and the county was forced to sell the property. It was a very commendable deal,” he said proudly. “I oversaw the paperwork myself. There
are
some restrictions though. For example, the land must remain protected and undeveloped, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

“Wait. I still don’t understand. How could Aunt Cora afford to buy the property?
This is thousands of acres we’re talking about here.”

“
Well, some forty-odd years ago, a mister Howard Langdon sent her a sizeable check. It’s all here in the paperwork.”

So, Howard had sent Cora money after he found out she was pregnant. After the relationship they had, all she was worth to him was several zeroes on a piece of paper. He didn’t know she’d lost the
baby, he’d just written her off like a bad decision and never looked back. Money was the last thing Cora wanted from Howard. She wanted his devotion and love but apparently that was too high of a price for him to pay. Instead, he’d scribbled out a check and written her off and out of his life without so much as a goodbye.

“I can’t believe this
,” Lauren breathed.

“
If money is a concern, there is enough in the trust for fees and maintenance on the property. There are more than enough funds to keep the refuge functional and open to the public, if that is what you wish to do with it. It’s all here in her letter to you.”

“Read it to me.”

Mr. Templeton stuttered. “I’m afraid the letter is addressed to you, Miss Bennett.”

“Just read it to me. I have to know what it says.”

“Well, all right, if you insist.”

She could hear him tear the envelope open
and more papers shuffling.

“Enclosed is
the deed to the property and a letter addressed to you, Lauren Bennett.”

“Read it.”

He cleared his throat again but this time he didn’t sound so sure of himself.

“
Dearest Lauren, I hope you have enjoyed your stay at the cottage. I will always cherish the time we spent together during your summer visits.

“
I may not have a child of my own to pass on my love for this place, but I have the land itself. I have the birds, the gurgling trilling melody of the marsh wren from over the reeds and cattails of the marshlands, the bubbling flutelike notes of the western meadowlark, and the squabbling of the ducks and geese as they settle down for the night. Thousands of birds pass through this place each winter and that’s enough of a legacy for me.

“
Others will come through Hayley’s Point and hopefully they will see what I see and hopefully they fall in love with it much the same way I did. They’ll hear the crowing and cackle of the ring-necked pheasant and get a thrill when they see a weaver for the first time, fall in love with the soothing sounds of the wetlands, and feel the joy of seeing a bittern for the first time after hearing its odd sound from deep within the swamp grass.

“I’m leaving the refuge to you because I know you appreciate its beauty and can see the magic like I do.

“I want the refuge to stay open to the public, so that others may catch a glimpse of the life that goes on here with the changing of the seasons. Many will find peace in this place and contentment in knowing they are only one piece of the whole puzzle that makes up the ecosystem and discover that love comes in many forms.

“
Thank you for taking care of Marsh and my birds for me. I am forever grateful. I love you a world-full, Aunt Cora.
”

Lauren let out the breath she was holding while Mr. Templeton rustled more papers.

Aunt Cora had known exactly what she was doing. She’d waited until Lauren had time to read her diaries and fall in love with the area all over again. Ironically, Lauren didn’t need three months for that. She knew even before she stepped out of her car that this place was special and exactly where she belonged.

Dozens of wayward thoughts swirled through
Lauren’s mind. She could reopen the refuge to the general public again! She’d rename the museum after Aunt Cora—The Colwater Museum of Wildlife—and have a grand reopening. Enthusiasts, travelers and school children would visit from around the country and everyone could share in her aunt’s vision.

A tingle of excitement spread through her body. She wouldn’t leave now. She
couldn’t
leave. The refuge was hers.

* * *

JD came around the bend and
saw Lauren up ahead on the trail. She was near the mini waterfall, most likely looking for the egret. Her hair fluttered in the breeze, the same way the egret’s feathers did that day they watched it catch the fish. The creek water gurgled and the sun highlighted her long hair. She wasn’t wearing the floppy hat, so her hair was loose around her shoulders.

“Lauren.”
He walked to her and she looked over at him, her expression a daze.

She
blinked and surprise flashed in her eyes.

“You’re leaving
,” he said. It wasn’t a question. “I don’t want you to go.”

She sighed. “I thought it
would be best. The timing just wasn’t right.”

“The timing couldn’t be more right.”
If she would’ve moved into the cottage any later than she did, he would’ve been too far gone to see what was right in front of him. “You weren’t going to say goodbye,” he said sadly.

“Oh, I…
” She shoved her hair away from her face and sighed. “I didn’t know what to say.”

“I do.” For once in his life he knew exactly what needed to be said. And for once in his life he
wasn’t afraid to say the words. “I came over to tell you what a fool I was and then Daniel answered your door and I lost my nerve. I wanted to tell you—“

“You came over?” she interrupted. “You…oh no and Daniel wasn’t wearing a shirt
, was he?”

“Yeah.”
He raked his hand through his hair. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

She smiled with embarrassment. “He showed up at my doorstep out of nowhere and confessed his undying love to me.”

JD’s shoulders slumped.

“No, not really,” she quickly reassured him. “I spilled wine on him and then we agreed to go our separate ways.”

JD grinned at her before growing serious again. “Do you think it’s possible to find love more than once in a lifetime?” he asked her.

“I’d
like to think so,” she answered on a sigh. “With the billions of people on earth there has to be more than one person for everyone.”

His face softened and the wrinkles between his eyes smoothed out. “You’re amazing, Lauren
, do you know that? Lauren, I…” He paused and rubbed his hands together, trying to figure out a tactful way to say what he needed to say. On a heavy sigh, he continued. “When Darla died, it felt like I was going to break apart into a thousand pieces and
die
. Every morning since, I’ve woken up to find my heart still beating inside my chest even though most days I didn’t want it to. The pain of losing her was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve taken pucks to the face, been hit by sticks, sliced by skates and none of it compared to when I lost her.

“She wouldn’t let go until I promised her I would be okay without her. I lied to her, Lauren. I knew there was no way in hell I’d be able to survive without her and yet I told her I would
, just to give her the peace of mind she needed. She told me I would meet someone else and be able to have feelings for them and I thought it was just the meds talking. I thought she was out of her mind to think I could feel anything for anyone else. And yet here I am.” He put his palm out, gesturing to the wetlands in the distance.

“I chose this place because I knew there wouldn’t be anyone around to bother me. And then I saw you through my kitchen window.” He laughed softly and she
took his hand and squeezed it. “You were
skipping
through the grass and I couldn’t take my eyes off you.

“I still love her and I always will. But because of her, I can be free to love again. The guilt and pain have faded
away because you helped me to see through it all. I love you, Lauren. I’m ready to be with you in the present and for as long as you’ll have me. I want to be with
you
and only
you
.”

“Oh
JD.” Lauren threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I love you, too.”

He pulled back and held her at arm’s length.
“I’m meeting with my agent tomorrow. The Razors invited me to training camp. They want me back, Lauren. I’m going to play hockey again.”

“That’s great JD.”

“Why do you look so stunned?”

“
Oh, I just got off the phone with Aunt Cora’s attorney.” She shoved her phone into her back pocket. “Apparently she owned the refuge and she left it to me along with the cottage. The refuge is mine, JD.” She said it out loud, hoping it would help it to sink in.